28. Vibration Reduction for Camera Systems Onboard Small Unmanned Aircraft

The performance of camera vibration isolation systems used on a popular small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) is presented. The use of sUAS or drones for image collection is becoming ever more popular for hobbyists, as well as in commercial and military operations. Many types and methods for vibration isolation and absorption are used to create a more stable environment to acquire images or video. While many systems promise vibration reduction, few studies have been conducted to measure and evaluate their performance. Therefore, this review will provide data obtained by experimentally measuring the vibration levels of the camera and host aircraft. Using this data the transmissibility is determined and the effectiveness assessed. Along with the experimental data, analytic models of the systems will be generated to allow for the integration into future modeling efforts. The analysis utilized a common airframe used in the UAS community along with frequently used camera mounting systems. The data is obtained from aircraft fully powered and airborne in a hovering or level flight configuration. This study will provide sUAS operators the information required for choosing the most effective camera vibration reduction system and/or method for the system of interest.