Abstract
This paper describes the design and testing of a modular docking station for a fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing drone to be used in conjunction with an unmanned ground vehicle. The solution enables autonomous engagement and disengagement of payloads through a controlled rail-guided system and visual docking with a quick response marker using a binocular camera module. A novelty of the proposed module lies in the fact that the primary mounting mechanism does not remain integrated with the drone after deployment; instead, it is designed as an integral part of the transport module itself and is released together with it. This approach distinguishes the system from conventional solutions in which the main attachment structure stays onboard the aerial platform, and it expands the flexibility of payload delivery and deployment scenarios. The payload assembly was designed in Autodesk Fusion 360 and manufactured in polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified plastic using fused deposition modeling 3D printing on a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon printer. Structural analysis using finite element methods was performed to evaluate the displacement, stress, strain, and reaction forces of the module’s structure under operational loads. Advanced simulations suggest that the design satisfies mechanical protection requirements, additional proof will be gathered through flight testing. The system could be implemented to deploy unmanned ground vehicles from the air or for a drone to land on mobile ground vehicles, demonstrating its versatility in robotics and automation.