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DESIGN AND

DEVELOPMENT OF
DRONE HARVESTER FOR
DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PALM TREES
Submitted in partial fulfilment

of the requirements for the award of the


Degree of B. Tech in Agricultural
Engineering

by
Ghanta sri Venkat Srinivas(203001170002)

Valla Rahul (203001170014)

Kuralla Sree Ram Nithin Sai(203001170016)

Jyotirmyee Patnaik (203001170021)

Paladugu Deep Joel (203001171053)

Department of Agricultural
Engineering

Centurion University of Technology &


Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha, May
2024
Department of Agricultural Engineering
Centurion University of Technology & Management,
Paralakhemundi

Certificate of Examination

This is to ensure that the thesis entitled "Design and Development of Drone
harvester for different types of palm trees” presented by Ms. Jyotirmyee
Patnaik, Mr. Ganta sri Venkat Srinivas, Mr. Kuralla Sree Ram Nithin sai
, Mr. Valla Rahul , Mr. Paladugu Deep Joel to the Centurion University
of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi for fractional
satisfaction of necessities for the level of Bachelor of Technology in
Agricultural Engineering has been supported by the undersigned.

Mr. Laxmi kantha Mallik

Department of ITI

Dr. Santosh DT

Head of the Department

External Examiner Dr.Korla Harshavardhan

Dean, SoABE
Acknowledgement
First and foremost, praises and thanks to God, the Almighty, for His showers of
blessings throughout my research work to complete the research successfully.

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my research supervisor, Dr.
Korla Harshvardhan the Dean of department of agricultural engineering, Centurion
university of technology and management, Paralakhemundi , for giving me the opportunity to
do research and providing invaluable guidance throughout this research. His dynamism, vision,
sincerity and motivation have deeply inspired me. He has taught me the methodology to carry
out the research and to present the research works as clearly as possible. It was a great privilege
and honor to work and study under his guidance. I am extremely grateful for what he has offered
me.

I would also like to thank the who were involved in the validation survey for this
research project: Ms. Jyotirmyee Patnaik, Mr. Ghanta sri Venkat Srinivas, Mr. Kuralla
Sree Ram Nithin sai , Mr. Valla Rahul , Mr. Paladugu Deep Joel, Mr. Laxmikant Malik,
Mr.Chalapathi, Mr.Tarak, Mr.Abhishek, Without their passionate participation and
input, the validation survey could not have been successfully conducted.

Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents for providing me with
unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and
through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would
not have been possible without them.

We would like to sincerely thank sai kiran who contributed to this project and helped us
along with this incredible adventure in some manner.

Ghanta Sri Venkata Srinivas (203001170002) Valla Rahul (203001170014)

Kuralla Sree Ram Nithin Sai(203001170016) Jyotirmyee Patnaik (203001171021)

Paladugu Deep Joel (203001171053)


List of Contents

CHAPTER
NUMBER TOPIC PAGE NO

1-2
1
INTRODUCTION
3-5

2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

6-24
MATERIALS REQUIRED
▪ MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR DRONE
3 HARVESTER
▪ MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR TESTRIG
25-29

4 METHODOLOGY

30-31

5 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

32
SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE WORK
6
33-35

7 REFERENCES
LIST OF FIGURES
FIG:NO FIG:NAME Pg:no
3.1 BLDC MOTOR 7
3.1.1 DIGITAL TACO METER 8

3.1.2 BATTERY 9

3.1.3 BLDC MOTOR 10

3.1.4 DIGITAL WEIGHING 10


SCALE
3.1.5 PROPELLERS 11

3.1.6 TRANSMETER 12

3.1.7 ESC 12

3.1.8 WATTMETER 13

3.1.9 MOTOR HOLDER 13

3.1.10 FLOW CHART 14

3.1.11 SOLID WORK MODEL 15

3.1.12 M1 WITH LEAST 18


CHARGE
3.1.13 M2 WITH LEAST 18
CHARGE
3.1.14 M1 WITH HIGH 19
CHARGE
3.1.15 M2 WITH HIGH 19
CHARGE
3.2 TRANSMITTER 20

3.3 RECIVER 21

3.4 BATTERY 22

3.5 FLIGHT CONTROLLER 23

3.6 GPS 23

3.7 PROPELLERS 24

3.8 ARM 25
3.2.1 DRONE TOP VIEW 26

3.2.2 DRONE FRONT VIEW 26

3.2.3 DRONE BOTTOM VIEW 26

3.2.4 SIDE VIEW 26

4.1 WELDING 27

4.2 LEVELLER 27

4.3 MEASURING 27

4.4 FINAL DRONE STAND 28

4.2.1 DIRECTION OF DRONE 28


PROPELLERS
4.2.2 ESC CONNECTIONS 29

4.2.3 CONNECTING 29
BATTERY TO DRONE
4.2.4 CONNECTION TO 29
FLIGHT CONTROLLER
4.2.5 CONNECTING THE 30
CHAINSAW AND
RELAY
4.2.6 CONNECTING THE 30
CHAINSAW TO THE
STAND
4.2.7 OUR MODEL (SIDE 31
VIEW)
4.2.8 OUR MODEL (BACK 31
VIEW)
ABSTRACT

The rapid advancement of precision agriculture, biotechnology, and


robotics is transforming the landscape of modern agriculture, offering
potential solutions to feed a growing population while minimizing
environmental impact. Commercial crops, also known as cash crops, are
agricultural crops that are grown for sale rather than for consumption by
the farmer or their family. Palm trees are a commercial crop. It is one of
the most important crops in the world, and it is cultivated in over 90
countries. Coconuts are a valuable source of food, oil, fiber, and other
products, and they are traded internationally. The global coconut
production in 2021 was estimated at 63.7 million metric tonnes, with
Indonesia, the Philippines, and India accounting for over 70% of the world's
total copra, the dried flesh of the coconut used to produce coconut oil. But
there are some drawbacks in coconut harvesting like, Labor-intensiveness,
Safety hazards, Inefficiency, Weather conditions, Pests and diseases. As an
agriculture Engineer we need to solve these problems faced by the farmers
in order to design and develop a drone harvester for varieties of palm tree
which will lessen the life hazards, time consumption, increase the
efficiency. As we know in manual technique or traditional method a man
takes half an hour or more to climb and harvest the coconut, but this
harvester Will take 3-5 mins for harvesting. We are using a drone harvester,
which decreases the time consumption, increases the efficiency and profit
to the farmer in all aspects. The components used in the harvester are a
drone which consist of a medium category drone, an arm which is fitted at
the bottom of the drone which holds a chainsaw of 7 inches used for cutting
of the coconut bunch, a single channel relay module is connected and
assigned to the transmitter to turn on the chain saw. The battery of 22.2volts
and the BLDC motor of thrust 12kg each is used.
CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION:
Agriculture is the foundation of the Indian economy. The population of India mostly depends
on agriculture for their livelihood and agriculture contributes to 40 percent of the total GDP of
the country. The major advantage of modernization of agriculture. Farmers all over the world
are plagued by several issues. These problems indirectly and directly affect the farmer’s life.
Furthermore, farming practices and other aspects of agriculture can take up resources and time.

The problems faced by farmers are typically unnoticed in the food industry. One of the major
problems faced by farmers is the lack of adequate farm equipment which can hamper their
ability to adapt to the requirements of modern farming practices. When farmers are trained
using the equipment, their lives can significantly develop. Implementation of said equipment
is important. Large fruit trees can obviously hold many more fruits than small trees, given the
size and abundance of branches. Harvesting fruit from tall trees is much more difficult though.
When you need to harvest fruit from large trees, you can consider a number of options. If your
tree is not too tall, you can just stand on a ladder with a basket and pluck. Another popular
method of harvesting fruit from tall trees is laying out tarps on the ground and shaking the tree
so that the fruit falls into the tarps. But a number of fruit get damage.

Harvesting of coconuts is commonly done by climbing the tree with the help of a rope ring
round the feet or ankles of the climber or by using a ladder. On reaching the top, the climber
taps the nut in the lowermost bunch with its harvesting knife to test its maturity. If he is
satisfied, he cuts the bunch at the base of the stalk when it drops down to the ground. If the
ground is very hard or if tender nuts are to be harvested, the bunches are lowered by using a
rope. The climber also cleans the crown and removes the dry leaves, sheaths and spathes. In
the West Coast and certain other tracts where coconut leaves are required for thatching houses,
one or two lowermost leaves are also cut down at the time of harvest. The cutting down of
green leaves is considered undesirable as it affects the yield of trees to some extent.

1|Page
In some places where the trees are not tall, harvesting is done by cutting the bunches with a
knife, attached to a long bamboo pole.
Recently, drones often referred to as automated aeronautical vehicles—have been used for
agricultural reasons, which is said to be the most recent development in this area. The huge
occupation of robots in agriculture is to help confirmation-based orchestrating and assembling
remarkable data. Normally meanders were made to be used in military, humane assistance,
catastrophe the chiefs, etc. The usage of these robotized vehicles is extending incredibly
speedy into the yield creation region. The significant regions where it is being used are:
Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, disaster risk reduction, and wildlife conservation.The drone
has a compelling way to deal with manageable horticultural life. This permits agronomists,
agrarian architects, and ranchers to smooth out their tasks and gain compelling bits of
knowledge into crops. It has previously become piece of enormous scope cultivating.

As an agriculture Engineer we need to solve these problems faced by the farmers in order to
design and develop a drone harvester for varieties of palm tree which will lessen the life
hazards, time consumption, increase the efficiency. As we know in manual technique or
traditional method a man takes half an hour or more to climb and harvest the coconut, but this
harvester Will take 3-5 mins for harvesting. We are using a drone harvester, which decreases
the time consumption, increases the efficiency and profit to the farmer in all aspects. The
components used in the harvester are a drone which consist of a medium category drone,
portable camera, an ‘L’ shaped arm which is fitted in the bottom of the drone which carries a
chainsaw of 7 inches used for cutting of the coconut bunch, a servo motor is use to turn on the
chain saw, the power required to the stepper motor is from the drone battery which is 22.2V
with 6 cells in it.

2|Page
CHAPTER-2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Multicopters are gaining more interest in many aerial applications.
Multicopters include helicopter, tricopter, quadcopter, hexacopter and
octacopters. When one or two of the motors are damaged or not functioning
properly due to unpredictable environmental issues or mechanical failures,
multirotors can still maintain stable flying. For heavy lift applications
hexacopter is preferable than the quadcopter because they give more
stability to drone, provide higher durability and larger payload. Quadcopter
also has the ability as hexacopter but it cost more price due to increase in
number of motors (Ruggiero, 2018).

Hexacopter has been designed, rotation of rotors has two direction i.e. three
on counter clockwise and three on clockwise. Thrust was calculated based
on the total weight has to lift. Batteries plays important role in flight time,
therefore current should be more than motor current. As weight on
hexacopter increases flight duration also decreases (Suprapto, 2017).

To pluck fruit, drone has to distinguish the fruits based on the image
captured by camera. Binocular stereo vision camera is being used to acquire
three dimensional images of the fruit. It also converts the image into hue,
saturation, value components of colour model. Different image processing
techniques are implemented to remove noise and filter the image acquired.
Otsu algorithm is used to segment the pixels of image and least square
fitting method is applied to find centre and radius of fruit (Liu, 2019)

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Image is acquired using digital colour Charged Couple Device (CCD)
through which training dataset is prepared. Colour image of fruits is

converted into gray scale to obtain features of the fruits. K-means algorithm
is used to segment an image and polygon fitting method is implemented to
define boundaries in case of overlying fruits (Rahul, 2018).

A system having robotic arm with 6 Degree of Freedom has designed using
six servo motors which is helpful to harvest the fruit from trees and control
of servo motor done by Arduino mega. Recognizing of fruit is done based
on color. If two or more fruit having same color cannot be distinguish. So,
image processing has to be used to identify the type of fruit (Wali- ur-
Rahman, 2018).

Grippers are crucial part of the robotic arm because it affects the fruit and
the fruit may get damaged if gripper does not work properly. Hard grippers
were designed to hold the fruit, it may damage the fruit due to stiff grip and
it does not consist the cutter to pluck the fruits. To overcome the above
problem, soft gripper has to use an end effector. Gripper consists of four
fingers which is flexible works on the fin ray effect. Scissors were mounted
on top of the gripper for detachment of the fruit. After cutting, the grasp is
maintained to enable the manipulator to transport the fruit to storage place
(Eizicovits, 2016).

System uses pre-processing for efficient detection using convolution neural


network and all captured frames are resized, a mean value is subtracted
from every channel of the image to center the data and the intensity values
are scaled. After preprocessing, the images are given to a pre-trained
MobileNet SSD model that detects and identifies the objects in the image

4|Page
frame. MobileNets are small and efficient models reducing the size of the
network and increasing the throughput of the system (Naskar, 2015).

YOLOv3 predicts object score for each bounding box using logistic
regression. Each box predicts the classes the bounding box may contain
using multi label classification. YOL.Ov3 predicts boxes at 3 different
scales and uses k-means clustering to determine bounding box priors. A
new network is used for performing feature extraction which is a hybrid
approach between the networks used in YOLOv2, Darknet-19 and that
newfangled residual network. stuff. YOLOv3 has good accuracy and works
faster and detect smaller objects (Redmon, 2018).

The literature that has been selected for this thesis is decided upon reading
and understanding them to the best of my ability. Articles and journals that
have been reviewed and used are from open sources and they are available
to the public. Some of the literature that has been examined is also accessed
through Hedmark University's database.

5|Page
CHAPTER-3

MATERIALS REQUIRED
3.1 BLDC Motor:
A brushless DC motor (also known as a BLDC motor or BL motor) is an electronically
commuted Dc motor which does not have brushes. The controller provides pulses of current
to the motor windings which control the speed and torque of the synchronous motor.

Specifications:
Set of 2 TMotor UAV Brushless Motor MN605-S KV170 Offers strong power and long
service life Excellent cooling performance Anti-high temperature and anti-overload Dust-
resistance, waterproof, and anti-corrosion.

Fig.3.1

3.1.1 TESTRIG (Selection of Motors) :


Measuring the thrust of a Brushless DC (BLDC) motor is crucial for various applications,
especially those involving propulsion systems like drones, electric vehicles, and aircraft. The
thrust generated by the motor directly impacts the performance, stability, and efficiency of
these systems. By accurately measuring thrust, engineers can optimize the motor's design and
control parameters to achieve desired flight characteristics, such as speed, maneuverability,
and endurance.

6|Page
3.1.2 MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THRUST MEASURING DEVICE:

• Digital Tachometer
• Battery
• BLDC motor
• Digital weighing scale
• Propellers
• Drone transmitter
• Watt meter
• Motor holder

1. Digital Tachometer

A tachometer is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or


other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrated
analogue dial, but digital displays are increasingly common. Essentially the words tachometer
and speedometer have identical meaning: a device that measures speed. It is by arbitrary
convention that in the automotive world one is used for engine revolutions and the other for
vehicle speed. In formal engineering nomenclature, more precise terms are used to distinguish
the two.

Fig.3.1.1
2.Battery

The ESC and motor determined the input power requirements for the instrumentation module.
The microcontroller is powered independently off the USB connection. The ESC requires a
voltage range between 5.6 VDC to 16.8 VDC and can handle up to 25 A. Two power sources

7|Page
were chosen, a wall outlet. AC/DC adapter to run during setup and a 3-cell lithium polymer
(LiPo) battery. A battery would need to be recharged multiple times when running many tests
throughout the day. The adapter is also a more stable power source which is ideal for running
calibration tests because of the voltage drop as power is consumed. This model was chosen for
its high output current and because the output voltage is in the middle of the acceptable voltage
range. When running the startup procedures, the ESC checks the voltage of the power supply
to determine the number of cells the battery contains. Because, the voltage is very similar to a
3-cell battery, the ESC can be tricked into accepting the adapter.

Fig.3.1.2

3.MOTORS

The motors selected for testing had a thrust range of 0 N – 3 N and were of similar physical
size but with different Kv ratings. These motors are commonly used for fixed-wing aircraft or
quadcopters. Two individual motors were chosen for testing, including the 920kv and 810kv.
These motors were used because of the design of the 920KV and 810kv is capable of
withstanding competitional conditions, the Motor Comes in a compact size, the motor goes
with 30 A ESC, Offers great performance and value for money. The goal of the testing was to
identify how the different propellers were affected by the various motors. The study aimed to
understand the relationship between motor specifications, such as Kv rating, and the resulting
thrust produced by the propellers.

8|Page
Fig.3.1.3

4.Digital weighing scale

A digital weighing scale is a device used to measure the weight or mass of an object with high
precision. Unlike traditional analog scales that use springs or balances, digital weighing scales
employ electronic sensors and circuitry to provide accurate weight readings.

Fig.3.1.4
5.Propelles
In this text, the author is talking about propellers that were chosen to be tested with three
different motors. The propellers were selected because they fit within the recommended range
for all three motors and had thrust data provided by the manufacturer for comparison.
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The propellers that were chosen for testing are listed from left to right as P1- 10*4.5, P2-
9047R, P3-9443R. Essentially, the text is discussing the selection of propellers for testing
based on their compatibility with the motors and the availability of thrust data for comparison.
This information is important for determining which propeller works best with each motor for
optimal performance.

Fig.3.1.5

6.Drone transmitter

A drone transmitter, also known as a remote controller or radio controller, is a handheld device
used to pilot and control a drone remotely. It communicates wirelessly with the drone, sending
commands to control its flight movements, such as direction, altitude, speed, and other
functions. We used Flysky FS-i6X 10CH 2. 4GHz AFHDS RC transmitter for the experiment.

Fig.3.1.6

7.ESC
Standard BLDC 30 amp ESC Electronic Speed Controller with Connector is specifically made
for quadcopters and multi-rotors. It provides faster and better motor speed control giving better

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flight performance compared to other available ESCs. STANDARD 30 amp ESC Electronic
Speed Controller can drive motors that consume up to 30A current. It works on 2-3S LiPo
batteries. The onboard BEC provides regulated 5V(2A max draw) to power the flight
controller and other onboard modules. This is useful to control our brushless motors with a 2-
3S LiPo.

Fig.3.1.7
8.Watt meter:

The 200A 60V RC High Precision Digital Watt Meter and Power Analyzer is an advanced
device designed for remote-controlled (RC) applications, offering precise measurement and
analysis of power consumption. With a remarkable current handling capacity of 200A and
voltage support of up to 60V, it ensures accurate readings for high-powered systems. Its digital
interface provides real-time data on watts, voltage, current, and capacity, empowering users to
monitor and optimize their RC setups. The meter’s high precision makes it an indispensable
tool for hobbyists, professionals, and enthusiasts seeking efficient power management and
performance tuning in their RC vehicles and electronic projects.

Fig.3.1.8

8. Motor Holder:

It is used hold the motor with drone.


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Fig.3.1.9

3.1.3 Flow chart:

RECIVER

BATTERY WATT
MMMBJFH

ESC

MOTOR

Fig.3.1.10

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3.1.4 SOLIDWORKS MODEL:

Fig.3.1.11

3.1.5 PROCEDURE:

A Beam is connected to the wooden base with help of screws, in the other side a wooden plank
is connected vertically with a weighing scale and a bldc motor with propellers are fixed to the
cantilever beam which are further connected with watt meter, electronic speed controller and
the battery and the rpm controlled by transmitter and receiver. This test rig is done by using
two different motors with 3 different propellers at three different Rpm’s with least and high
charge.

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3.1.6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION READINGS:

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3.1.7 GRAPHS:

Fig.3.1.12

Fig.3.1.13

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Fig.3.1.15

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3.1.8 Conclusion:

The conclusion of the above conducted experiment is that, BLDC motor which are available
in market are achieving only 70% of their capacity claim. According to that information we
selected the motors suitable for our application and pay load. In the working condition our
drone experiences a jerk force, in order to make it stable and for better efficiency we selected
the motors from T-Motors, UAV Brushless Motor MN605-S KV170 Offers strong power and
long service life Excellent cooling performance Anti-high temperature and anti-overload Dust-
resistance, waterproof, and anti-corrosion.

2.Transmitter:

The Transmitter is an electronic device that uses radio signals to transmit commands wirelessly
via a set radio frequency over to the Radio Receiver, which is connected to an aircraft or
multirotor being remotely controlled. In other words,it's the device that translates pilot's
commands into movement of the multirotor.
Specifications:
 Operating System: OpenTX
 No. of Channels:24
 Operating Voltage (VDC):6.5 ~ 8.4
 Current Consumption (mA): 8.2V

Fig.3.2

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2.Drone Receiver:
A radio receiver is a device capable of receiving commands from a radio transmitter,
interpreting the signal through the flight controller, where these commands are translated into
specific actions to control the aircraft Telemetry (sending data back to transmitter)
Redundancy function (two receivers connected, if one loses connection, second one takes
over) Easily removable antennas (more convenient with connectors if antenna is to be
replaced) Possibility of firmware upgrades (for bug fixes)

Specifications:
 Operating Voltage Range: 3.5V~10V
 Operating Current: 5V
 Operating Range: full range (>1.5km)
 Firmware Upgradeable
 Higher precision of PWM
 Lower latency on the PWM output
 Support redundancy function

Fig.3.3

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3.Battery:

The capacity and type of a drone's battery directly affect its flight time. Larger batteries and
higher milliamp ratings will allow drones to fly for longer periods of time as well as drone
battery life. Flight time is the most important factor in determining battery life.
Specifications:
● Model No: ORANGE 10000 6S
● Voltage: 22.2V
● Max Continuous Discharge: 25C
● Balance Plug: JST-XH
● Discharge Plug: XT90S

Fig.3.4

4.Flight controller:

The flight controller is the brain of a drone. A small box filled with intelligent electronics and
software, which monitors and controls everything the drone does. And just like the brains of
different organisms, flight controllers also vary in sizes and complexity.
Specifications :
● The advanced 32-bit ARM CortexM4 high-performance processors, can run NuttX
RTOS real-time operating system;
● 14 PWM / servo output;
● Frequency: 168MHZ, 256K RAM
● 5 high voltages compatible UART 1, 2 with hardware flow control
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● 3.3 and 6.6VADC input
● External MICRO USB Interface

Fig.3.5

5.Gps:
It acts as a navigation and positioning system, providing crucial information to the pilot or
flight control software. With the help of GPS, a drone can fly with complete autonomy, follow
predefined routes with precision and maintain a stable position, as it will be able to determine
its surroundings in real time.
Specifications :
● Dimensions: Outer diameter 54mm
● Ready to Connect to All APM FC with 5-pin connector Attached
● Receiver type 72-channel M8 engine
● Weight: 33gm

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Fig.3.6

6.Propellers:

The purpose of the propeller is to provide a method of propulsion so the aircraft is able
to move forward through the air. The propeller itself consists of two or more blades
connected together by a central hub that attaches the blades to the engine shaft.
Specifications:
● Item Brand: T-motor.
● Diameter: 22.4inch (568mm)
● Pitch: 8 inches (203.2mm)
● Material: Polymer CF.
● Weight (Single blade): 71g.

Fig.3.7

8.Arm:
To Increase Flying Stability, a 5 Degree Up-Tilt Angle Is Applied. Compared with the
Conventional model, the upgraded version adds a fixed angle of 65°.
Specifications:
FCMODEL Z30 V2 Folding Arm KIT CNC Aluminum 30mm Tube Joint DIY for Automatic
Auto RC Plant Protection Drone UAV Quadcopter.

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Fig.3.8

9.Chainsaw:
Manufacturer: Cub Tik
Weight: 699 g
Operating voltage:24v

Fig.3.9

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3.2.1 SOLID WORK MODEL:

Top view Front view

Fig.3.2.1 Fig.3.2.2

Bottom view Side view

Fig.3.2.3 Fig.3.2.4

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CHAPTER-4

METHODOLOGY
4.1 Fabricated a stand and landing gears:
Landing gears are an essential component of drones, providing stability during takeoff and
landing while protecting the drone’s body and payload, the landing gear is crucial for the
safe and effective operation of drones. The height of the landing gear is 26.5inch, length is
24 inch and the length between 2 landing gears is 27.5 inch. The arm is placed at 16inches
above from the landing gear and the length of the arms is 78.74 inches, Made up of
Aluminium because of less weight.

Levelling the rod welding

Fig.4.1 Fig.4.2

Fig.4.3
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Fig.4.4
4.2 Fabricated a Quadcopter drone:
An Quadcopter drone is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with eight
rotors. This configuration provides several advantages over other multi-rotor drones.
Quadcopter drones are highly versatile and reliable UAVs, preferred for their stability, lifting
capacity, and safety features, making them ideal for a wide range of professional
applications.

Fig.4.2.1
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4.2.1 Connection from ESC to Motors:

Connecting an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) to a motor in a drone involves


a few key steps to ensure proper functionality. First, identify the three wires from
the ESC that need to be connected to the three wires of the motor. These
connections are typically color-coded but can be connected in any order;
however, if the motor spins in the wrong direction, simply swap any two of these
wires to reverse the direction. Next, connect the power wires from the ESC to the
power distribution board or battery, ensuring the positive (red) and negative
(black) leads are correctly attached. Finally, link the signal wire from the ESC to
the flight controller's designated motor output pins. This wire is often a three-
wire connector, which includes power, ground, and the signal wire itself. This
setup allows the flight controller to send precise signals to the ESC, which in turn
controls the motor's speed and direction

Fig.4.2.2 Fig.4.2.3
4.2.2 Connection to the flight controller:

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Fig.4.2.4

4.2.3 Fixing propellers:


To fix propellers to a drone, begin by identifying the correct propeller for each
motor, as drones typically use a combination of clockwise (CW) and
counterclockwise (CCW) propellers to ensure stable flight. Match each propeller
to its corresponding motor based on the markings on the propellers and motors.

4.2.4 connecting a single channel relay to chainsaw:

Fig.4.2.6

4.2.5 Fixing the chainsaw to the drone frame:

Fig.4.2.7

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4.2.5 OUR COMPLETE MODEL:

Fig.4.2.8

Fig.4.2.9

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CHAPTER-5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Coconut drone harvesters have many benefits, including increased


productivity, reduced labor costs and improved safety. The process of
harvesting coconuts is dangerous and time-consuming; It requires climbers to
climb tall trees. Drone harvesters eliminate these risks by using advanced
technology to locate and harvest coconuts. Additionally, drones cover larger
areas in a shorter time, increasing efficiency and reducing the need for manual
labor. This saves costs, reduces waste and improves crop quality. Overall, the
coconut drone harvester is a game-changer for the coconut industry, offering
a modern and innovative solution to the harvesting process.

The drone harvester is equipped with 22.2voltage battery, BLDC motor with
each 12kg thrust, GPS, ESC, propellers and a battery powered chainsaw of
24v for better efficiency and stability during the harvesting operation. The
chainsaw was operated by the transmitter of the drone.

Modern methods using drones are more effective than traditional methods,
including improved safety, improved performance and reduced costs

Traditional method

- Manual tree climbing


- Risk of accident and injury
- Time wasted and labor intensive
- Easy access to tall trees
- Higher labor costs
- Potential damage to trees and coconuts

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Modern methods (drone based)
- Precise positioning and harvesting of coconuts
- Reduce the risk of accidents and injuries
- Fast, more efficient harvesting
- Ability to reach tall trees
- Lower labor costs

Therefor, adapting new techniques in the field of agriculture leads to profit,


safety, time saving, and better efficiency.

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CHAPTER-6

SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE WORK

Advanced Sensor Integration: Integration of advanced sensors such as


hyperspectral or lidar sensors to improve crop monitoring, disease detection and yield
prediction.
Drone Driving: Improve the autonomous driving ability of drones to protect the
palm tree environment and climate change.
Robot-Based Harvesting: Create arms or grippers that allow drones to harvest
coconuts and other fruits without damaging trees or fruits.
Swarm Technology: Discover swarm technology, where many drones work
together to harvest palm trees, increasing efficiency and reducing time.
AI-Based Optimization: Use AI algorithms to improve the harvesting process,
predict fruit maturity, and detect problems such as pests and diseases. *
Integration with agriculture management: Build integration with
agriculture management to aid decision-making information and farming accuracy.
Scalability and Commercialization: Scaling drone harvester designs for
large-scale commercial use, reducing costs and increasing access to oil palm
plantations worldwide. It will increase the potential of drone harvesters, expand their
applicability and contribute to the sustainability and efficiency of oil palm cultivation
practices.

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CHAPTER-7
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