Radio control
Radio control (often abbreviated to RC) is the use of
History
The idea of controlling unmanned vehicles (for the most part in an attempt to improve the accuracy of torpedoes for military purposes) predates the invention of radio. The latter half of the 1800s saw development of many such devices, connected to an operator by wires, including the first practical application invented by German engineer Werner von Siemens in 1870.[1]
Getting rid of the wires via using a new wireless technology, radio, appeared in the late 1890s. In 1897 British engineer Ernest Wilson and C. J. Evans patented a radio-controlled torpedo or demonstrated radio-controlled boats on the
In 1903, the Spanish engineer
In 1904, Bat, a Windermere steam launch, was controlled using experimental radio control by its inventor, [Jack Kitchen]. In 1909 French inventor [Gabet] demonstrated what he called his "Torpille Radio-Automatique", a radio-controlled torpedo.[13]
In 1917,
During World War I American inventor
The Soviet
The United Kingdom's World War One development of their radio-controlled 1917 'Aerial Target' (AT) and 1918 'Distant Control Boat' (DCB) using Low's control systems led eventually to their 1930s fleet of
Second World War
Radio control was further developed during World War II, primarily by the Germans who used it in a number of
The effectiveness of the
The German
Both the British and US also developed radio control systems for similar tasks, to avoid the huge anti-aircraft batteries set up around German targets. However, no system proved usable in practice, and the one major US effort,
Radio control systems of this era were generally electromechanical in nature, using small metal "fingers" or "
These systems were widely used until the 1960s, when the increasing use of
Radio-controlled models
The first general use of radio control systems in models started in the early 1950s with single-channel self-built equipment; commercial equipment came later. The advent of transistors greatly reduced the battery requirements, since the current requirements at low voltage were greatly reduced and the high voltage battery was eliminated. In both tube and early transistor sets the model's control surfaces were usually operated by an electromagnetic 'escapement' controlling the stored energy in a rubber-band loop, allowing simple on/off rudder control (right, left, and neutral) and sometimes other functions such as motor speed.[19]
Crystal-controlled superheterodyne receivers with better selectivity and stability made control equipment more capable and at lower cost. Multi-channel developments were of particular use to aircraft, which really needed a minimum of three control dimensions (yaw, pitch and motor speed), as opposed to boats, which required only two or one.
As the electronics revolution took off, single-signal channel circuit design became redundant, and instead radios provided proportionally coded signal streams which a servomechanism could interpret, using pulse-width modulation (PWM).
More recently, high-end hobby systems using pulse-code modulation (PCM) features have come on the market that provide a computerized digital data bit-stream signal to the receiving device, instead of the earlier PWM encoding type. However, even with this coding, loss of transmission during flight has become more common[citation needed], in part because of the ever more wireless society. Some more modern FM-signal receivers that still use "PWM" encoding instead can, thanks to the use of more advanced computer chips in them, be made to lock onto and use the individual signal characteristics of a particular PWM-type RC transmitter's emissions alone, without needing a special "code" transmitted along with the control information as PCM encoding has always required.
In the early 21st century, 2.4 gigahertz spread spectrum RC control systems have become increasingly utilized in control of model vehicles and aircraft. Now, these 2.4 GHz systems are being made by most radio manufacturers. These radio systems range in price from a couple thousand dollars, all the way down to under US$30 for some. Some manufacturers even offer conversion kits for older digital 72 MHz or 35 MHz receivers and radios. As the emerging multitude of 2.4 GHz band spread spectrum RC systems usually use a "frequency-agile" mode of operations, like FHSS that do not stay on one set frequency any longer while in use, the older "exclusive use" provisions at model flying sites needed for VHF-band RC control systems' frequency control, for VHF-band RC systems that only used one set frequency unless serviced to change it, are not as mandatory as before.
Modern military and aerospace applications
Remote control military applications are typically not radio control in the direct sense, directly operating flight control surfaces and propulsion power settings, but instead take the form of instructions sent to a completely autonomous, computerized automatic pilot. Instead of a "turn left" signal that is applied until the aircraft is flying in the right direction, the system sends a single instruction that says "fly to this point".
Some of the most outstanding examples of remote radio control of a vehicle are the Mars Exploration Rovers such as Sojourner.
Industrial radio remote control
Today radio control is used in industry for such devices as overhead
An industrial radio remote control can either be operated by a person, or by a computer control system in a machine to machine (M2M) mode. For example, an automated warehouse may use a radio-controlled crane that is operated by a computer to retrieve a particular item. Industrial radio controls for some applications, such as lifting machinery, are required to be of a fail-safe design in many jurisdictions.[20]
Industrial remote controls work differently from most consumer products. When the receiver receives the radio signal which the transmitter sent, it checks it so that it is the correct frequency and that any security codes match. Once the verification is complete, the receiver sends an instruction to a relay which is activated. The relay activates a function in the application corresponding to the transmitters button. This could be to engage an electrical directional motor in an overhead crane. In a receiver there are usually several relays, and in something as complex as an overhead crane, perhaps up to twelve or more relays are required to control all directions. In a receiver which opens a gate, two relays are often sufficient.[21]
Industrial remote controls are getting more and higher safety requirements. For example: a remote control may not lose the safety functionality in case of malfunction.[22] This can be avoided by using redundant relays with forced contacts.
See also
- Precision-guided munition
- Radio-controlled airplane
- Radio-controlled boat
- Radio-controlled car
- Radio-controlled helicopter
- Remote control
- Remote control vehicle
- Telecommand
- Teletank
Notes and references
- ^ H. R. Everett, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II, MIT Press - 2015, pages 79-80
- ^ H. R. Everett, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II, MIT Press - 2015, page 87
- ISBN 9780262029223.
- ISBN 0-471-71814-9, p. 276-278.
- ^ US 613809, Tesla, Nikola, "Method of and apparatus for controlling mechanism of moving vessels or vehicles", published 1898-11-08
- ISBN 0-471-71814-9, p. 97.
- ^ Torres, Leonardo, "GB190327073 (A) ― Means or Method for Directing Mechanical Movements at or from a Distance.", Espacenet, 10 December 1903.
- ^ Randy Alfred, "Nov. 7, 1905: Remote Control Wows Public", Wired, 7 November 2011.
- ^ A. P. Yuste. Electrical Engineering Hall of Fame. Early Developments of Wireless Remote Control: The Telekino of Torres-Quevedo,(pdf) vol. 96, No. 1, January 2008, Proceedings of the IEEE.
- ^ "1902 – Telekine (Telekino) – Leonardo Torres Quevedo (Spanish)". 2010-12-17.
- ^ H. R. Everett, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II, MIT Press - 2015, pages 91-95
- ISBN 9780262029223.
- ^ Naughton, Russell. "Remote Piloted Aerial Vehicles". www.ctie.monash.edu.au. Archived from the original on 2006-12-08. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ^ "A Brief History of Drones".
- ^ "The Dawn of the Drone" Steve Mills 2019 Casemate Publishers. Page 189 "In order further to safeguard against outside interference I may have a number of inertia wheels of variable speed, only one being correctly adjusted to pick up the timed signals and actuate the mechanism."
- ^ UK National Archives ADM 1/8539/253 Capabilities of distantly controlled boats. Reports of trials at Dover 28 - 31 May 1918
- ^ "John Hays Hammond, Jr - Lemelson-MIT Program". lemelson.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ "Coast Battleship No. 4 (ex-USS Iowa, Battleship # 4) -- As a Target Ship, 1921–1923". Online Library of Selected Images:U.S. NAVY SHIPS. Naval History and Heritage Command. 13 April 2003. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ http://www.rcmodelswiz.co.uk/users-basic-guide-to-radio-control-systems Archived 2015-04-03 at the Wayback Machine RC Models Wiz: Basic Guide to Radio Control Systems.
- ^ Autec srl. "Radio Remote Control Safety" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-03-10. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Tele Radio AB. "What is industrial remote control". Archived from the original on 2014-10-22. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Redundant circuits | Industrial remote controls". Industrial remote controls. 2016-05-03. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
Further reading
- Bill Yenne, Attack of the drones: a history of unmanned aerial combat, Zenith Imprint, 2004, ISBN 0-7603-1825-5
- Laurence R. Newcome Unmanned aviation: a brief history of unmanned aerial vehicles, AIAA, 2004, ISBN 1-56347-644-4,