Thermal Infrared and Multi-spectral Dual Sensor Integration for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

This paper describes the development and integration of a dual sensor payload into an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for agricultural remote sensing. The dual sensor payload is comprised of a FLIR Tau 2 thermal infrared sensor linked to a TeAx ThermalCapture processor and a MicaSense RedEdge 5 band multi-spectral sensor. Sensors were mounted into a UASUSA Tempest fixed wing unmanned aircraft using a 3-D printed mount. The sensors were integrated such that a single trigger signal from a BlackSwift Technologies SwiftPilot autopilot activated both sensors simultaneously. Payload system design, development, implementation, power supply, and installation considerations are discussed along with a review of the dual sensor system performance.