Unmanned Systems Technology 017 | AAC HAMR UAV | Autopilots | Airborne surveillance | Primoco 500 two-stroke | Faro ScanBot UGV | Transponders | Intergeo, CUAV Expo and CUAV Show reports

84 Show reports | Intergeo, CUAV Expo and CUAV Show Both families also come with an RF spectrum analyser installed at the firmware level, to help UxV developers to better identify during new vehicle development whether any onboard systems might be interfering with the GNSS signal. SinoGNSS from China showcased its range of GNSS solutions, including the A100 ruggedised receiver for GPS L1/L2, Beidou B1/B2, GLONASS L1/L2, Galileo and SBAS. The 132 (diameter) x 72 mm aluminium-magnesium alloy housing integrates an OEM receiver board and an antenna with RTK and PPK processing available. “The A100 system is generally used in agriculture, providing guidance for UGVs. With two RS-232 ports and a CAN bus, it can be mounted on ground vehicles and also to vehicles such as tractors for improved autonomy,” said Andy Yin. The 700 g receiver accepts input voltages from 6 to 36 V DC to account for the range of different-sized ground vehicles that can adopt it. It has been tested to the IP68 rating for dust and water protection, and can survive being dropped from up to 2 m onto concrete. MetaSensing Radar Solutions displayed its capabilities in differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements, a technique that uses two SAR images of the same topographical area to process, detect and quantify any changes in terrain. The Dutch company’s MetaSAR payload uses frequency-modulated continuous-wave functionality to provide calculations of distance and speed, operating on multiple frequencies from the P band to the Ka band, in a 15 kg system that consumes 200 W and is tested up to 7000 m operating altitude. “We use it for monitoring the displacement and velocity of slow terrain movements – from a few millimetres a year to several centimetres a day – in erosion, subsidence and so on,” said Linda Corucci. “We carried out test flights of the system on the L band earlier in 2017 over two campaigns, successfully processing images of up to 15 km swathes on both occasions.” Drone-X exhibited the Dronedome, a wireless inductive charging station for multicopter systems to land autonomously and replenish their battery energy before returning to flight. “To keep the drones alive as they charge, in ambient temperatures between -20 and +40 C, requires technology such as air conditioning and heating,” Florian Krutemeyer said. “The Dronedome is therefore designed with an upper and lower hemisphere.” “Our test DJI S-1000 drone is equipped with four receiving spools, with transmission spools in the lower hemisphere that automatically synchronise wherever the drone lands on the circular platform. The four spools receive about 250 W/h, while weighing 0.5 kg altogether,” he added. In its current design, the lower hemisphere’s environmental and charging systems are powered by a four-stroke engine running on liquid petroleum gas. The upper hemisphere December/January 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology Septentrio’s Altus NR3 antenna for RTK GNSS applications The Dronedome wireless inductive charging station from Drone-X