Professional Drone Autopilot 4x

Description

Control

Veronte Autopilot 4x includes a series of tools for the customization of the control & navigation strategy. The Programs module permits to generate block diagram flows for defining the control laws & other programs in the system. Block libraries like PIDs, Adaptive Control, Energy Control, maths & logical operations are available.

In configurations where onboard computer vision or extended data processing capacity is needed, it is possible to interface a Mission Computer with the Veronte Autopilot 4x. It permits to exchange telemetry data between both computers & send commands & routes to the autopilot from the external source.

eVTOL & UAM

Redundancy & high-reliability assurance is a must when doing manned flight operations or flying over populated areas. For this, Professional Autopilot 4x is the first drone & eVTOL autopilot including 4x redundancy & compliance with the DO178C & DO254 aviation standards up to DAL-B (DAL-A Ongoing).

For eVTOL operations, Veronte Autopilot 4x can be directly connected to an onboard stick & a mission computer running the user interface. Buttons & sticks can also be connected, configuring a custom aircraft cabin. Flight modes can easily be configured according to pilot skills & aircraft capabilities.

MALE & Critical UAV

Professional Autopilot 4x has been successfully installed in a wide range of Tactical, MALE & HALE UAVs. This redundant control system includes advanced tools for these scenarios, such as, fly-by-camera or communications silence. Fully autonomous operation from vessels or moving vehicles is possible thanks to the Rendezvous & Relative Mission algorithms.

In configurations where onboard computer vision or extended data processing capacity is needed, it is possible to interface a Mission Computer with the Veronte Autopilot 4x. It permits to exchange telemetry data between both computers & send commands & routes to the autopilot from the external source.

Redundancy

Professional Autopilot 4x is the redundant version of the Veronte Autopilot 1x. It embeds three complete autopilot cores plus one dissimilar arbiter board managing the redundancy. This redundant flight controller has been designed so there is no single point of failure & custom voting strategies can be configured.

An external autopilot core can be installed by connecting it to the multiplexing stage & entering to the voting strategy. The 4th core can be configured as the main flight computer so the Veronte Autopilot 4x acts as a FTS solution or it can be a dissimilar backup unit.

Certification

DO178C / ED-12 & DO254 aviation design standards are followed during the Professional Autopilot 4x development (DAL-B). It permits to ensure the hardware & software reliability in the redundant autopilot for eVTOL & UAV certification. In addition, DO160 & MIL-STD-810 test permits to ensure robustness to adverse environmental conditions.

A robust Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) is followed during the manufacturing process. Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) phase subjects the autopilot to temperature & vibration cycles for the detection of latent failures. This documentation, together with the DO Certification Data packs provides the evidence needed for UAV or eVTOL certification.

Advanced Functions

In these applications where failure is not an option, Professional Autopilot 4x includes extended reliability & fail-operational functions. The automations module in Veronte permits to customize the aircraft performance upon a system failure or a risk to the operation (Low battery, datalink loss, GNSS loss, obstacle detection, flight envelope…).

Onboard & control station data loggers are available within the autopilot & in the control station for post flight analysis. In addition, the eVTOL & UAV flight controller includes: worldwide DEM, curve based navigation, GNSS-attitude estimation, relative missions, RTK, adaptive control, sensor fusion, situational awareness, fly-by-camera…

Long Range Operations

A wide variety of communication channels can be used for interfacing the Professional Autopilot 4x with the GCS (Ground Control Station). Veronte Tracker is the preferred solution for long range communication but third party LOS, 4G/LTE & Satcom datalink modules can be used for communications with no range limitations.

The use of Veronte Cloud & the embedded 4G module in the UAV / eVTOL control system enables UTM integration by interfacing with online databases for air traffic & weather information. Sense & Avoid functions are also possible by installing an obstacle data source, such an, ADS-B, a radar or a LIDAR sensor.

Extended I/O

RS232, RS485, PWM, GPIO… ports

Professional Autopilot 4x includes a wide variety of inputs & outputs. RS232, RS485, CAN Bus, I2C, PWM, Analog, Digital I/O… are available & can be easily configured for interfacing with all kinds of devices. A dedicated connector is available for the connection of an external 4th autopilot core.

The Veronte CEX module is designed for large vehicles so the number of I/O available can be easily expanded & complex system architectures can be defined. The redundant CAN Bus provides a robust communications channel for long cables, converting the signals to PWM, I2C… once near the device requiring it.