Payload Basket

The Payload Basket was a contraption I created to fulfill the humanitarian aid section of the competition requirements. We were required to carry and deliver road-flares to demonstrate this. Unlike other forms of payloads, when delivering packages we cannot simply drop them from the height that the aircraft is at. So, my team designed a system that uses a winch to lower a basket while the aircraft was in hover mode. I designed the basket to be controlled by servos, allowing us to control the timing of the drops, and make a safer delivery closer to the ground. The basket was designed to compactly hold the payloads inside it and drop them using conveyor belts.

Initial sketch

Process

Given a preliminary process from team member I:

Reviewed brainstorm sketches with team lead
Measured dimensions
Began CAD model of main cylinder body using SolidWorks
Brainstormed conveyor belt possibilities
Decided on 3 belt system
Gained inspiration from LEGO clipping pieces for conveyor rollers
Designed walls around bottom plate to hold electrical components
Created CAD for rollers and payload holders to hold 3 payloads
Designed conveyor ring to connect and move all belts simultaneously with one servo
Designed payload holders to contain payloads before drop