Mechanical System
Propulsion
Two Navy 3.0 Evo motors are mounted in parallel along the USV’s keel, providing a a differential drive propulsion system. Each propeller is independently powered by an E60 lithium battery, which has a high capacity of 60 Ah and a steady 48V voltage for continuous power output.
The Navy 3.0 Evo propeller provides 60 kg (133 lbs.) of thrust which easily manoeuvres our USV in water. The lightweight design of the E60 batteries optimizes the overall weight of the USV, contributing to a longer operational range and improved energy efficiency.
The Cube Orange+ MCU independently controls each propeller’s speed allowing for smooth steering and efficient navigation suitable for complex conditions such as waves and currents.
It uses the RS485 communication protocol which provides stable and reliable long-distance data transmission.
Additionally, the relatively simple structure of the differential drive reduces the failure rate, ensuring reliability in harsh conditions. Its lower maintenance costs also make it more economical for extended operations at sea.
UAV Landing Dock
The UAV Landing Dock secures our UAV onto the USV’s payload tray during its operations on the uneven sea terrain. The microprocessor wirelessly communicates with the Raspberry Pi companion computer on our UAV to determine when to release the UAV for launch and when to lock it down after recovery. It works by using 4 stepper motors to actuate the linear motion of 4 rods, clamping down onto the legs of the UAV.
Racquetball Launcher
The racquetball launch contains two main modules – the reloading module and the launch module. Through a drum reloading mechanism, racquetballs are leased into the launch barrel one by one.
Two flywheels within the barrel that actuate the launch of the racquetball out the barrel.The base structure of our launcher is designed with a future control module and trajectory planning module in mind.
Based on the positional information of the target goal obtained through our vision module, our future launcher will be able to calculate the parameters of the desired trajectory, adjust the pitch and yaw of our launch barrel and toggle the launch speed of the racquetball to accurately toss it into the goal.
All electronics of our USV are stored in waterproof enclosures underneath the WAM-V payload tray. Industrial connectors allow for water resistant connections between the circuitry inside and outside the sealed boxes, protecting our electrical systems from water damage.