Developing a Guidance and Control System for an F-Class Model Rocket

Overview

The development and testing of mechanical, electrical, and software systems to predict and control the altitude (apogee) of an F-class model rocket. Guidance systems are becoming ubiquitous in our daily lives, from self-driving cars, robotic automation to autonomous drones. This project explored the use of quaternion-based orientation paired with feedback loops as a guidance control system for an F-class model rocket to hit a target altitude. It started as part of the TARC competition, however, it turned into a broader project. Several factors had to be optimized in the mechanical, electronic, and software design of the system accounting for constraints in size, strength, weight, response times, and accuracy. After several iterations of the design with significant reductions in weight (50% reduction from Version 1 to version 3) and improvement in speed of data processing, a responsive system (~2 millisecond loop time) was developed. Gyroscopic, accelerometer, and altimeter data gathered from on-ground simulation tests and a partially successful launch showed the guidance mechanism performed within the tolerances (max deviation in trajectory < 20 m over 212 m). Improving the precision of data registration on the processor and enhancing the feedback controls with probabilistic models will likely improve guidance control and performance. This project incorporated mechanical, electrical, and software design, and was a great learning experience. All the designs and software developed for this project is shared publicly via Github for future model rocketry enthusiasts to build upon.