Unmanned Systems Technology 008 | Alti Transition UAS | Ground control systems | Xponential 2016 report | Insitu Orbital N20 | UAVs | Solar power | Oceanology International 2016 report

38 possible before the data is converted into IP packets. Once the data is converted into the IP protocol, serial and Ethernet cables can be used to link to the GCS over a considerable distance without issues with slip rings and rotary joints in the pan-and-tilt mechanism of the antenna. This avoids problems with running the coax cables directly to the GCS for converting the signal, which can limit the rotation and positioning of the dish. Portability For a portable GCS system, other design considerations include the backpack to carry all the elements, the sunshade design, the equipment cases, soft case, external power, all the batteries and charging – and all combined to make the GCS as easy to use for the operator as possible. Larger GCS system developers supply a foldable frame or table to create a workstation for long-endurance missions, that can last for more than ten hours. With three teams of flight operators operating aircraft in two shifts in closed airspace, one GCS operator has found that the best way to have an operator working efficiently for an eight-hour shift is to have the video on the larger screen and control and mapping on the smaller, second screen. Cloud resources Control of a craft by a third party other than the operator via a comms link means customers can control the camera through the Ethernet port on the GCS. This is being developed for military applications, as is using a dedicated channel to keep the data secure. However, it uses the same IP packets that would be used in a public cloud computing implementation. This brings in a lot of delay issues, and the software in the GCS has to distinguish between critical commands for the craft and lower priority streams such as video. That means the packets in the stream have to be prioritised. For high-end gimbals with a fast response, the latency of the signal in the cloud can be a problem. With a fixed-wing craft for example, if the control signal is delayed by a couple of seconds then it has already moved on. Some additional smart functionality, such as a moving target monitor on the craft that can automatically re- engage with a target and track it, is therefore needed. The latency can also be addressed with dedicated comms channels in the cloud, coupled with dedicated cloud computing resources. You still need the local GCS though, as an operator needs to prepare the aircraft before take-off, and they will be responsible for flying the craft safely. This means operating the UAV can be simplified down to packing and unpacking the aircraft, rather than training an operator in how to use a payload such as a particular camera. As a result, for example, a customer in London can examine an oil or gas rig off Aberdeen. Here, the operator of the UAV gets paid for the video received rather than the time it takes to capture that video. This changes the business model between the customer, who knows what video they want, and the operator, who knows the complexities of the aircraft system. Swarm control GCS developers are also looking at how to control a number of different types of craft, from UAVs to ground vehicles, all with different payloads, in a swarm. In one scenario currently being tested, the GCS mission software controls five small UAVs at a time, calculating the position and type of their cameras relative to the target and flight time. The GCS then coordinates the images coming back from all five, for example four with an electro-optic day camera and one with a thermal camera. The images are loaded into the GCS software, and a mission that needs a thermal camera for example then knows to use a specific UAV for a specific target. A flexible GCS design means interfaces for unmanned ground systems such as robots can be added to the system. This allows swarm control algorithms on the central June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology The design of the GCS has to take into account the connection to the tracking antenna (Courtesy UAV Factory)