Development of a design methodology for rotors of small multirotor aerial vehicles

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As a world leader in small unmanned autonomous systems Aeryon Labs strives to serve its existing customers base and expand to new markets. As a consequence, their quadcopter designs are used for applications that were not originally envisioned and, at times, are limited by the aerodynamics. Therefore, to advance the utility of small multirotor aerial vehicles and increase their marketing chances, improved design methodologies are needed that are suitable for small rotor systems. Aeryon Labs wants to expand the flight envelope of its SkyRanger quadcopter to better respond to customer needs. Thus, the Ryerson University Applied Aerodynamics Laboratory of Flight (RALF) will develop a design methodology for exploring innovative rotor systems for small multirotor aerial vehicle. The novel method will be used to design new and specialized rotors that are optimized for particular missions of the SkyRanger quadcopter, such as to improved hover or high-speed flight performance. The novel design methodology will be valuable to respond to current and future customer needs. The Ryerson University team will use a combined theoretical-experimental approach. The theoretical portion will adapt an advanced rotor analysis method to the needs of small multirotor aerial vehicles, such as with regards to the small-scale aerodynamics. Furthermore, the coupling with modern optimization algorithms will help to explore the design space. The experimental validation will make use of the large subsonic wind tunnel at Ryerson University. The subsequent rotor designs will provide customers of Aeryon Labs with quadcopters with improved mission capabilities. The anticipated customer demand is significant and will open up new markets for Aeryon Labs. Subsequently, Aeryon will be able to continue to grow as a successful Canadian company that serves a rapidly expanding worldwide market.