Xipiter Test Bench

Caroline Ruth HillKalab HolcombLayne Johnson

Thomas McCalla

Agenda•Problem

•Constraints

•Approach

•Progress

•References

•Questions

Meet the Team

Advisor and Team Members

Team MembersCaroline Ruth Hill

Computer Engineering

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

● Team Lead

● Aviation Cockpit

● Website Construction & Maintenance

Kalab HolcombElectrical Engineering

Meridian, Mississippi

● Software/Hardware-in-the-loop (HITL)

● Documentation

Team MembersLayne Johnson

Electrical Engineering

Madison, Alabama

● Antenna tracker

● Documentation

Thomas McCallaComputer Engineering

Columbus, Georgia

● Software/Hardware-in-the-loop (HITL)

● Website Construction & Maintenance

Team AdvisorDr. J.W. Bruce

Associate Professor

Mississippi State University

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2000

• M.S., Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1993

• B.S., Electrical Engineering, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 1991

Problems & Solutions

Problem

Untested hardware and software lead to

crashes.

Solution

Simulate flight before actual flight to ensure

success.

Problem

Old trainer cockpits that aren’t useful

anymore and don’t have a purpose.

Solution

First-person cockpit flight

simulator capable of training pilots.

Problem

Weak connections between UAV and

ground control station make communication

difficult.

Solution

Azimuth-elevation antenna tracking system allows for

stronger connection and better

communication with UAV and Ground Control Station.

Constraints

Movement Detection• Controls should be read with miniscule degrees of change

Compact Design• Hardware components must fit inside of the cockpit with room to

move controls

Technical ConstraintsFirst Person Cockpit

Antenna Accuracy• Tracking system must ensure the antenna keeps UAV in range of

the main lobe

Operating Distance• Operate within line of sight and have an unobstructed view

Tracking Mechanics• Gimbal must cover a range of 360C azimuth and 90C elevation

within 40 seconds

Technical ConstraintsAntenna Tracker

Practical ConstraintsSustainability

• The connections and software used for the product will not constrict the systems ability to add new devices.

• Must not be specific to the Xipiter team and must allow for minimal hardware to adapt for the new devices.

• This implementation will add versatility to the system.

Practical ConstraintsEconomic

• Cockpit system: upgrade.

• HITL: open source software.

• The antenna tracking system: compatibility with the Xipiter team.

• Working with the Xipiter team gives additional access to parts.

Approach

System DiagramHITL and Antenna Tracker First-person Cockpit Controller

ApproachAntenna Tracking System Controller

Pixhawk:• 32bit STM32F427 Cortex M4 core with

FPU168 MHz256 KB RAM2 MB Flash32 bit STM32F103 failsafe co-

processor• 14 PWM/Servo outputs• ST Micro L3GD20H 16 bit gyroscope• ST Micro LSM303D 14 bit

accelerometer / magnetometer• Invensense MPU 6000 3-axis

accelerometer/gyroscope• Servo rail high-power (max. 10V) and

high-current (10A+) ready• Open Source

[2]

ApproachCockpit Microcontroller

Arduino Uno Arduino Leonardo

• ATmega328P CPU• 5V operating voltage• 14 digital I/O pins

6 PWM channels6 analog input channels

• 32KB flash memory• 2KB SRAM• 16MHz clock speed• Weight: 25g• Cost: $21.35

[3]

• ATmega32u4 CPU• 5V operating voltage• 20 digital I/O pins

7 PWM channels12 analog input channels

• 32KB flash memory• 2.5KB SRAM• 16MHz clock speed• Weight: 20g• Cost: $25

[4]

ApproachGround Control Station

Mission Planner

• Popular open source software

• Xipiter team uses when planning missions

• Compatible with Pixhawk

ApproachFlight Simulator

FlightGear X-Plane

● Mac, Windows, and Linux support● Weather modeling and real world airports● Allow system failures● Aircraft customization or creation [5]● 2.0 GHz quad core processor● 2-4 GB RAM● 1024-2048 MB video card compatible with

OpenGL 2.1 or higher● Allow UDP connection to JSBSim● Price: $0.00 [6]

● Mac, Windows, and Linux support● Weather modeling and real world airports● Allow system failures● Aircraft customization or creation [7]● 3.0 GHz quad core processor● 16-20 GB RAM● 4 GB video card compatible with DirectX-11● Allow UDP connection to JSBSim [8]● Price: $60.00 [9]

Progress

TimelineAugust September October November December

Research

Order Parts

Hardware Assembly

Software Development

Testing

Finalize Prototype

Cockpit Hardware Progress

Cockpit Hardware Progress

Antenna Tracker Progress

Software Progress

References

[1] http://www.kuder.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Money-clip-art.jpg

[2] PixHawk: http://pixhawk.org/modules/pixhawk

[3] Uno: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno

[4] Leonardo: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/arduinoBoardLeonardo

[5] FlightGear Feat: http://www.flightgear.org/about/features/

[6] FlightGear: http://www.flightgear.org/hardwarereq.html

[7] X-Plane Feat: http://www.x-plane.com/desktop/meet_x-plane/

[8] X-Plane System Req: http://www.x-plane.com/desktop/system-requirements/

[9] X-Plane Cost: http://www.x-plane.com/store/landing/

Questions?