Alpha Unmanned Systems Vessel Control Station (VCS)

Alpha Unmanned Systems supports the Vessel-Based Control Station (VCS) for tracking any device compatible with the MAVLink V1 or V2 protocol.

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The gyrostabilized mobile tracking antenna includes four Ethernet ports: one port for connecting to the radio link, and three ports for connecting the GNSS, joystick, and PC. The system tracks automatically the target when a GPS position from the UAV is received through the radio links and the local position received by the installed GNSS. Radio links are redundant and selected automatically by the system or by the user.

System Pack

System Setup

The VTA (Vessel-based Tracking Antenna) is the main system of a Mobile or Vessel-based Control Station, but to be fully operational, it must be coupled with the following systems:

  • UAV Operator laptop (or fixed PC)

  • Payload operator laptop (or fixed PC)

  • Joystick Ethernet

  • AC/DC power supply

  • Optional backup battery (output voltage must be below 24V: 18-23V)

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Connection Diagram

The system is composed of 4 ETH connectors available for the connection of external systems. They are:

  • ETH 0 – VIDEO: This is the only ETH port for payload connection. It is not connected to the ETH Switch, but directly to the data link. Normally, this port would be connected to the payload control laptop or PC. This port does not have POE (Power Over Ethernet).

  • ETH 2 & 4 – CS/JY: Port for the connection of the control station laptop or UAV control Joystick. This port does have POE.

  • ETH 5 – IMU & GNSSCOMPASS: This port is reserved for the connection of the IMU & GNSSCOMPASS module. This port does have POE.

../_images/aus_vcs_connectors.png

Data output

The VTA main processing unit has its own proprietary ICD to feed other systems (C2 or UAV ground control software) with its status information. This information can be streamed in parallel with other streams like NMEA 0183/NMEA 2000 output or the GNSS and compass IMU information.

Note

More information about the specific communications protocol (ICD) can be requested from Alpha Unmanned Systems.

VCS Installation and integration on vessels

Vessels are equipped with a variety of RF equipment, typically including radars and satcom devices. As they may interfere with the communications between the VTA and the UAV, there are some general rules for finding a good spot for installation on the vessel:

  • VTA antennas or secondary radios must be as far as possible from the radar and, if possible, in a different horizontal plane to avoid being under the RF interference of the radar.

  • The GNSS compass and IMU must have a clear view of the sky to correctly receive the signal from GNSS satellites.

  • If some area between the VTA and the UAV’s flight zone would be shadowed by the vessel’s mast or any other vessel structure, this can be solved by installing the 900MHz antenna or secondary radio systems and antennas at a different location. A schematic overview of potential locations can be found below.

../_images/vessel_installation_schematic.png

  • BLUE circles represent potential spots for the installation of the main VTA.

  • RED circles represent the potential installation points of the 900 MHz antennas, secondary radio or secondary VTA.

  • BLUE lines are ETH cables to be routed from one system to the other.

Integration steps

  1. Antenna location definition: based on line of sight and RF compatibility with other systems.

  2. Operators location definition: the permanent location for the operator must be defined taking into consideration that EP will require visual access to the UAV during take-off and landing. Operators room must be able to accommodate 2 operators with 2 laptops and it is desirable to have extra screens.

  3. Antenna Interface definition: interface between antenna and vessel is defined. Normally it will be a mast with a plate on top matching the holes pattern of the base of the VCS antennas.

  4. Distances: lengths between all the components (antenna, center of heli-deck and operators room) must be defined. These lengths will be used to define reference offsets and to manufacture the cables with the appropriate measure.

Vessel Based Tracking Antenna Requirements

The tracking antenna has the following requirements that must be taken into consideration:

  • Power supply: the antenna utilizes 220 V AC power supply; it can include a 24V DC backup power source but normally on a vessel the AC power source would be integrated with a UPS system. From the control room, the power supply of the VTA must be able be switched on and off by means of a switch as the ON/OFF button of the system will not be accessible.

  • Cables routing: 2 ETH cables and one power supply cable must be routed from the antenna to the operator’s room. One more ETH cable must be routed from the antenna to the flight deck for the control joystick of the external pilot.

System Configuration

By default the device has internally the following IP configurations to connect between the different systems:

Parameter

Value

vcsIp

192.168.0.15

gcsIp

192.168.0.11

gcsPort

1976

gnssIp

192.168.0.45

mask

255.255.255.0

gateway

192.168.0.1

Ground PC IP must be configured to be the same as gcsIp to connect, then the user can configure these IPs connecting by UDP to the following parameters with any UDP terminal such as ScriptCommunicator or Putty:

Parameter

Value

localport

1999

remoteIP

192.168.0.15

remotePort

1999

Once connected to the VCS, the following commands allow to change any of the mentioned parameters:

System Parameters

Command

Description

help

This command shows all the available commands. When followed by another command it shows a brief description of how to use the command.

getConfig

This command is used to show the current network configuration.

default

This command returns all the configurable parameters to their default values.

reboot

This command reboots the VTA. Some parameters, like all the network parameters, require the VTA to reboot for the changes to take effect.
Network Parameters

Command

Description

vcsIp

This command configures the VCS IP.

vcsPort

This command configures the Port used to send the Alarms to Visionair.

gcsIp

This command configures the IP of the PC running Visionair.

gcsPort

This command configures the Port used to send the Autopilot Telemetry to Visionair.

gnssIp

This command configures the IP of the GNSS module.

gnssPort

This command configures the Port used by the GNSS to send the …

mask

This command configures the MASK used by the network.

gateway

This command configures the GATEWAY of the network.

In case some of those parameters are incorrect and the PC cannot connect to the system after reboot, the user can connect through a USB cable to a side USB port to send the default command mentioned previously.

../_images/aus_vcs_usb_connector.png

Note

For advanced GNSS configuration, please contact Alpha Unmanned Systems for detailed instructions.

To connect the links mentioned to the UAV’s autopilot, at least one of these links must be active.

Each link will be connected via a serial RS232 interface to either TELEM1 or TELEM2 on the aircraft autopilot. Since these ports operate with UART, a TTL-RS232 converter is required.

Both air and ground links must be configured based on the manufacturer’s instructions. When both air and ground links are configured, the VCS uses the main link as the active link by default and, in case this link is lost, automatically changes to the backup link (900MHz radio).

The corresponding connections are shown in the diagram below:

../_images/aus-vcs-air-link.png

In Mission Planner, connect the autopilot and configure the baud rates for TELEM1 and TELEM2 by adjusting the following parameters:

The VCS will receive information from both links and transmit it over Ethernet via port 1976. Connect the PC, acting as the ground station, to the VCS and open Mission Planner. Then, connect to UDP port 1976.

../_images/aus-vcs-mp-conn.png

If all the radios are linked and configured, Mission Planner should receive autopilot configuration data. Additionally, the system provides a Mission Planner plugin to monitor the real-time status of the VCS, links, GNSS, and user commands such as link switching, storage mode, reset, and static position tracking.

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Note

Both VCS configuration terminal and plugin must not be active at the same time due to connection interferences to internal ports.

For more information, please contact Alpha Unmanned Systems.