Here are the full answers for the first two question paper sets:

**SET: 1**

**UNIT 3**

1a) A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle that can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely. Some key
applications of drones include:

- Photography and videography - Drones equipped with cameras can capture stunning aerial footage and
images. They allow filming from creative angles.

- Surveillance - Drones can provide live video feeds for security and surveillance purposes. Police use
drones for crime scene analysis.

- Infrastructure inspection - Drones can inspect infrastructure like bridges, wind turbines, power lines
etc. They can reach difficult locations.

- Agriculture - Drones can do crop health analysis, spraying, crop monitoring etc. They can cover large
farms quickly.

- Delivery - Drones are being tested for delivery of small packages over short distances. Companies like
Amazon and Google are developing delivery drones.

- Search and rescue - Drones with thermal cameras can help locate missing people. They can access
hazardous areas.

- Military - Drones conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition etc. in military operations.

1b) The key mechanical components of a drone include:

- Frame - Provides the basic structure and houses other components. Can be made of materials like
carbon fiber, aluminum. Desired strength vs weight balance.

- Motors - Brushless DC motors to drive the propellers. Number and power rating depends on drone size
and weight.

- Propellers - Generate required lift and thrust. Pitch and diameter determine amount of lift.

- Flight controller - Has sensors like gyroscope, accelerometer etc. Runs autopilot algorithms. Maintains
stability.

- Battery - Lithium polymer batteries used due to high power density. Flight time limited by battery
capacity.

- Gimbal - A pivoted support that allows a camera to remain level while drone tilts and turns. Provides
stabilization.

- GPS module - Used for autonomous navigation and position hold. Gives location data.

**UNIT 4**

3a) The basic requirements considered in a drone system design are:

- Payload weight and dimensions

- Desired flight time and range

- Maneuverability needs - speed, max ascent/descent rates

- Operating conditions - indoors/outdoors, weather etc.

- Sensors required - camera, LiDAR, multispectral etc.

- Autonomous operation needs - waypoint following, obstacle avoidance

- Communications - remote control range, FPV video transmission

- Safety and redundancy provisions

- Power requirements - battery capacity and voltage

- Cost, size and weight constraints

3b) The key mechanical design elements in a drone architecture are:

- Frame type - quadcopter, hexacopter, octocopter etc. Impacts stability, payload capacity,
maneuverability.

- Arm length - Determines propeller spacing. Affects flight power and control authority.

- Propeller size - Larger means more thrust and payload capacity but also more power.

- Gearbox - Provides speed reduction between motors and propellers.

- Landing gear - Absorbs landing impact, keeps camera/sensors clear of ground.

- Camera gimbal - Provides stabilized and adjustable camera mounting.

- Aerodynamic refinement - Cowlings over arms, shaped frames etc. to reduce drag.
**UNIT 5**

5a) Some key aspects of drone system memory storage are:

- Fast access RAM and caches are needed for real-time flight control tasks.

- Non-volatile storage like SD cards hold maps, mission plans, image/video data.

- Storage bandwidth is important for handling HD camera data streams.

- Industrial grade storage chips are used for reliability in harsh conditions.

- Enough storage capacity is needed for desired mission duration and data collected.

- Redundant storage can be used for critical flight data and commands.

5b) Major components integrated in drone system-on-chip designs:

- Microprocessor - Runs flight control and mission software. Often ARM-based.

- GPU - For computer vision and deep learning image processing algorithms.

- DRAM - Fast memory for real-time operations. Capacity ranges from MB to GB.

- Storage - Flash memory, SSD or microSD card slot for data storage.

- Radios - WiFi, Bluetooth for remote control and video downlink.

- GPS - For autonomous navigation using satellite positioning.

- Interfaces - USB, HDMI ports for connectivity and FPV video output.

**SET: 2**

**UNIT 3**

1a) A drone, also known as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is an aircraft that flies without an onboard
human pilot. Different types of drones include:

- Fixed wing - Plane like, efficient long distance flight but needs runway for takeoff/landing.

- Rotary wing - Use rotating blades for vertical takeoff and landing. More maneuverable.

- Single rotor - Helicopter style with one main overhead rotor. Mechanically complex.

- Multirotor - Most common consumer drones, with 3-8 rotors. Easy to fly.

- Hybrid VTOL - Combine rotors for VTOL with fixed wings for efficient cruising.

1b) The key hardware components of a drone are:

- Frame - Provides mechanical structure to mount components. Made of composites.

- Motors - Brushless DC motors to drive propellers. Higher kV rating gives more RPM.

- Electronic speed controllers - Vary motor speeds based on control signals.

- Flight controller - Microchip that processes sensor data and controls motors.

- Propellers - Lift generation depends on diameter, pitch, airfoil design.

- Battery - Lithium polymer cells provide high current supply for motors.

- GPS receiver - Provides location data for autonomous navigation.

**UNIT 4**

3a) The key requirements considered in designing a drone system are:

- Flight time - Depends on battery capacity, motor efficiency, aircraft weight.

- Payload capacity - Camera, sensors etc. Add weight so more lift needed.

- Operating range - Speed, ceiling altitude, communication range needs.

- Autopilot capabilities - Waypoint navigation, terrain following, auto takeoff/landing.

- Control bandwidth - Fast response for agile maneuvers preferred.

- Safety and redundancy - Backup modules needed for reliability.

- Sensors - Cameras, LiDAR, ultrasonic etc. As required for mission.

- Communications - Control link range and bandwidth, video downlink.

- Environmental resistance - Water resistance, temperature tolerance.

- Size constraints - Compact system if portability needed.

3b) Different power devices used in drone systems include:

- Batteries - Lithium polymer cells provide high current, high specific energy.

- Voltage regulators - Provide stable voltage supply for electronics from battery.

- BEC or Power distribution board - Distributes power to flight controller, radio receiver etc.

- ESCs - Regulate power to brushless motors according to control signals.

- Solar cells - Can extend flight duration for high altitude long endurance (HALE) drones.

- Fuel cells - Used instead of batteries for very long flights. Higher energy density.

**UNIT 5**

5a) Key considerations for selecting drone system-on-chip:

- Processing power - Should meet needs of flight control, image processing algorithms.

- Power efficiency - More operations per watt gives longer flight times.

- Interfaces - Must have required peripherals - camera, GPS, radio, USB etc.

- Reliability - Industrial temperature range, protection against electrical noise/interference.

- Cost - Consumer drones require low cost chips. Industrial drones justify higher cost.

- Form factor - Chip package size must fit drone's space constraints.

- Development environment - Availability of software tools and support.

5b) Different types of cameras used on drones include:

- Standard HD video camera - For aerial photography and videography.

- First person view (FPV) camera - Provides real-time pilot view, usually low latency and wide angle.

- Thermal imaging camera - Detects heat signatures of objects, used for search/rescue, surveillance.

- Multispectral camera - Captures non-visible bands like infrared, used for precision agriculture.

- LiDAR - Uses pulsed laser for 3D scanning and terrain mapping.

Here are the answers for question paper set 3 with some additional points:

**SET: 3**

**UNIT 3**

1a) A drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is an aircraft that flies without an onboard human pilot.

- System on a chip (SoC) integrates all the electronics of a drone onto a single chip - microprocessor,
memory, radios, interfaces etc.
- Allows significant miniaturization of drone systems compared to discrete components

- Enables advanced autopilot capabilities such as computer vision and deep learning algorithms

- Improves reliability by reducing susceptibility to loose connections and component failures

1b) Ground-based controllers and accessories for drones:

- Radio transmitter for manually controlling the drone flight using joysticks

- FPV goggles provide low latency, immersive real-time video feed from the drone's camera

- Telemetry radios and ground station software receive aircraft status data and display on screen

- Battery chargers to safely recharge the drone's lithium-polymer batteries after flights

- Tool kits, spare propellers, cables and other accessories needed for maintenance and repairs

2a) Types of drones:

- Fixed wing drones efficient for long distance flight but need runway for takeoff and landing

- Rotary wing or multirotor drones extremely agile and maneuverable, can takeoff/land vertically

- Hybrid VTOL drones combine rotors for vertical takeoff plus fixed wings for efficient cruising

Drone applications:
- Aerial photography and videography - shots from creative angles not feasible by manned aircraft

- Surveillance and security - can provide real-time video feed and be deployed quickly

- Infrastructure inspection - can access confined spaces like pipelines, bridges etc.

- Agriculture - crop health monitoring, spraying fertilizers and pesticides over large areas

- Package delivery - being developed for short distance deliveries in urban areas

2b) Drone mechanical components:

- Frame or chassis provides mechanical structure and securely mounts all components

- Motors drive propellers - brushless DC motors are compact and have high power density

- Propellers optimized for sufficient thrust and lift generation with low noise

- Electronic speed controllers regulate speed of brushless motors very precisely

- Flight controller processes sensor data at high rate for stabilized flight control

- Gimbal isolates camera from drone motion allowing smooth video footage

**UNIT 4**

3a) Drone hardware design involves:

- Selecting optimal frame configuration - quadcopter, hexacopter etc. based on requirements

- Determining number and rating of motors and propellers for required payload capacity and
performance

- Incorporating specialized sensors like LiDAR, multispectral cameras based on mission needs

- Sizing battery capacity and voltage for desired flight endurance and motor power

- Designing communications systems with sufficient range and bandwidth

3b) Key elements in drone architecture:

- Motors and propellers distributed evenly around central frame for stability and control

- Flight controller board containing gyroscopes, accelerometers and other sensors

- Power distribution board to supply regulated power to all drone electronics

- Radio receiver to get control signals from pilot and relay to flight controller

- Gimbal stabilized camera mount to capture smooth, stable video footage

- Telemetry radio, antennas for transmitting aircraft status data to ground

4) Drone software design:

- Autopilot algorithms to control flight stabilization and navigation using sensor data

- Waypoint following and path planning algorithms for autonomous navigation

- Computer vision techniques like SLAM for mapping unfamiliar environments

- Failsafe behaviors like auto-return to home in case of low battery or lost communications

- Support for modes like altitude hold, position hold, follow-me etc.

- Image processing algorithms for tasks like object detection and tracking

**UNIT 5**

5a) Drone storage considerations:

- Sufficient RAM and cache for real-time high speed flight control operations

- Non-volatile storage like SD card to record mission and sensor data

- High bandwidth interfaces - PCIe, SATA to support HD video recording

- Industrial grade chips - extended temp range, resistance to vibrations and shocks

- Redundant storage for key autopilot data and parameters as failsafe

5b) Types of DRAM:

- SDRAM - synchronous dynamic RAM synchronized to system clock

- DDR SDRAM - double data rate transfers data on rising and falling clock edges
- GDDR - graphics DDR with very high bandwidth for video processing

- LPDDR - low power DDR to reduce power consumption in mobile devices

- ECC DRAM - with error correcting code for improved data reliability

6) Drone batteries:

- Lithium polymer cells chosen for high energy density and current delivery

- Modular battery packs design for easy replacement of damaged cells

- High voltage around 22V rating needed for efficient motor operation

- Battery management system essential for monitoring cells and safe charging

- Fuel cell systems can enable flight times of many hours carrying larger payloads

- Backup batteries can provide power for emergency landing in case of main battery failure