C3UV Template

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C3UV Template
Jared Wood October 27, 2008
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Outline

• Piccolo
• What were taking about?
• Piccolo process
• Cloudcap website
• Autopilot
• Payload
• Payload process

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Piccolo

• What are we referring to when we say piccolo?
• One autopilot.
• Software and hardware by Cloudcap.
• Lives in piccolo box.
• Low level flight stability controller.
• Two piccolo process.
• Software by C3UV.
• Lives on PC104.
• Exchanges information with autopilot (the real
  piccolo).
• This is why its called the piccolo process.
• Tell piccolo what to control.
• One and two communicate over serial port.

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Piccolo
PC104
Piccolo autopilot
QNX/Linux Piccolo process
Serial Port 1
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Piccolo Process
Send gimbal signal

• Check database for new gimbal pin values.
• If new then set pins to specified values.

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Piccolo Process
Send gimbal signal
Wait for input

• Wait for input from piccolo over serial port.

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Piccolo Process
Send gimbal signal
Wait for input
timeout
Write output

• If no input within specified wait time then
• Check database for new desired control commands.
• If new desired control commands then
• Write output to piccolo over serial port.

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Piccolo Process
input
Send gimbal signal
Wait for input
timeout
Write output
Read input

• If theres input from piccolo then read it.
• Then check and write new desired control to
  piccolo as before.

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Piccolo Process
input
Short wait
Send gimbal signal
Wait for input
timeout
Write output
Read input
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Payload Process

• Cloudcap provides second channel for custom
  communication.
• Payload process programmed by C3UV.
• Lives on PC104.
• Read/write over second serial port.
• Communication with custom ground station
  programs.
• IMPORTANT!
• All custom ground-based programs communicate with
  payload process.
• Exception wifi communication (ssh, Apache server
  for video, XViz).
• Task publishing and status updates.
• Processes health status.
• Optional processes operation flags (active, idle,
  kill).

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Payload Process
PC104
Ground Station Task status
QNX/Linux Payload process
Serial Port 2
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Payload Process
timeout
Wait for input
Write output
input
Read input
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Payload Process
timeout
Wait for input
Write output
input

• Payload port set slower than autopilot port.
• Payload process runs at lower sampling rate.

Read input
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Piccolo and Payload
PC104
QNX/Linux
Piccolo autopilot
Piccolo process
Serial Port 1
Ground Station Task status
Payload process
Serial Port 2
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Piccolo and Payload

• Piccolo
• Control communication between PC104 processes and
  autopilot.
• Ground tracker specifies desired turn rates
  piccolo sends them to autopilot.
• Telemetry and sensor data are sent from the
  autopilot to piccolo process.
• Payload
• Control communication between Ground Station
  processes and PC104 processes.
• Payload reads tasks from CSL and updates the
  status of tasks to CSL.
• Payload reports the activity/health of processes
  running on PC104.

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Transition to New Cloudcap Software

• New C comm class provided for working with
  autopilot.
• Handles serial port reads/writes.
• No need to figure out the packet structure of
  communication.