I was a core team member in the R&D Electronics department at SDE and have worked extensively on the entire SkyDock product life cycle.
SkyDock is an environmentally protected launching and charging station which keeps the UAV in ready to fly condition 24/7 and launches the UAV at the push of a button, and thereafter aids in precision landing after completing its mission. After landing it automatically starts charging the UAV and is then ready for its next mission. SkyDock is aimed at automating the complete process of flying a UAV and minimizing the response time.
Our work was granted a patent by US, Denmark, European Patent Office, Australia and Finland (US-11772819-B2).
My responsibilities included
– Conceptualizing the initial prototype, designing, and building the hardware for all the electrical and electronic components of SkyDock and its embedded code.
– Designed switching DC-DC converter, li-ion battery management system, electrical panel, and other electronic circuits for SkyDock.
– End-to-end production of the PCB’s, BOM generation, vendor negotiations/management for procurement for the production of SkyDock.
– Set up the SMT assembly process – configuring the pick and place machine, hand assembly, solder paste handling and printing, reflow, cleaning, inspection, and testing.