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2023 System Architecture

2023 System Architecture

Competition Year

2022-2023 Aerial Evolution of Canada Student Competition

Team

Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group

Architect(s)

@Anthony Luo

Status

V2.0 - Final competition hardware list

Last date updated

Apr 1, 2023 - Airside Power Architecture with Specific Rails and Limits

On this page

 

Summary

This page describes the top-level view of the 2023 competition airframe, and contains references to sub-pages with implementation specific details. This page will be finalized as of Nov 6, 2022. Any changes after that point must follow the formal RFC proces. Ping Anni for more details.

Please make ur RFC using the following link: https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ARCHS22/pages/2132148287

Acronyms & Links

[The Drone] - The drone as a whole, including electronic components and integrated software systems.

[(the) Airframe] - Fuselage, wings, control surfaces, & mechanical components used to connect them

[ZPSW] - ZeroPilot Software https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ZP/pages/2110390371

[ZPHW] - ZeroPilot Hardware

[IMU] - Inertial Measurement Unit

[GPS] - Global Positioning System (device to capture GPS data)

[ESC] - Electronic Speed Controller, Motor Controller

[GS] - Groundstation

[Tracking Antenna][Antenna Tower][Tracking Tower] - all tracking antenna systems.

[T_Telem] - telemetry tracking tower

[T_VRX] - video receive tracking tower

[GSPC] - groundstation PC

[GS_SW] - groundstation software

[GUI] - groundstation gui (software gui for user).

[OSD] - on screen display (attitude information overlayed over video feed

[MUX] - Video Mux

[rfd900x] - RFDesign RFD900x Modem (singular)https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/l/cp/LPn8hwCv

[Competition Design Outline] [CDO]https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ARCHS22/pages/2114748417

[Competition Requirements] [CR]https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ARCHS22/pages/2103836983

[VN-300] [VectorNav VN-300] https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ARCHS22/pages/2210529520

 Architecture

Pictorial representation of the drone’s active states. This is for visualization purposes only; the written documentation supersedes this diagram.

The architecture of a drone can be found in the [Competition Design Outline]. <# iterations> iterations of the drone will be created, at <#milestones>. <# final copies> of the drone will be created in “competition spec”. Our system will meet the requirements in [Competition Requirements].

Our general architecture has the following hardware elements:

Airside Components:

All components marked “Optional” will not be present for the May 2023 Competition

  • Airframe (Wings, Fueselage, tail)

Power:

Propulsion:

Compute

Mandatory:

Optional:

Peripherals

Mandatory

Optional

Groundside Components:

Telemetry & Control

Video

Optional Tracking Antennas

Airside Architecture

Now that we know what components are going on our drone, let’s talk about how they’re going to be laid out on the drone itself. This page will be finalized on Nov 6, 2022. After that date, any changes must go through a formal RFC process involving all subteam leads.

Airframe Design

Mech to add information about the airframe design, with information about the wings, coating process, dimensions, structural tidbits, links to relevant pages for files / assembly instructions / operational limits & capabilities / etc.

Propulsion

lift, push, offsets, spacing?

Wings

wongs.

Servo locations? numbers? gg

Tail Section

Rudder/elevator

Fuselage

Fuselage is main passenger compartment?

Avionics Compartment

The avionics compartment will house all the airside compute. The compartment should be weather resistant, but be mounted on the drone in a way such that all electronics are easily accessible and serviceable with minimal effort (ideally no screws removed to plug/unplug connectors from any of the onboard computers.

The avionics compartment should allow for airflow and cooling over critical components. The Pixhawk should be mounted center with the COG, and peripherals should be mounted as explained below.

Sensors may be placed in the avionics compartment, but they should be mounted where they make sense. See below

Landing Gear

Design, limitations, etc.

Lighting

Airside Hardware Layout

System Level Electrical Placement & Routing Guidelines/Information:

  • The frame should not be electrically connected (aka should be at floating potential)

    • Complies with: UL1740

    • This can be checked with a DMM (when the system is not powered)

    • This means that if a PCB we are using has electrically connected mounting holes we need to take proper steps to achieve isolation

      • Sometimes PCB mounting holes are electrically connected to a GND plane for thermal reasons so we should also approach thermals with caution on sensitive electronics

  • Conformal Coating can be used within reason

    • The pro of conformal coating is waterproofing and makes it harder to accidentally should with a screw driver

    • The con of conformal coating is it prevents heat from leaving a PCBA

      • So anything that is conformal coated should receive a thin layer at most

    • Another con is that it can be annoying to remove in the case of reworking a PCBA

    • For example it would be fine to conformal coat a flight controller that runs cool

    • However, for example an RF transmitter we would want to approach with more caution

      • We could place a large heatsink on the primary chip(s) using thermal paste

      • Then we could consider conformal coating the other portions of the board

  • Cables, especially longer cables, should be within sheaths when reasonable

    • This offers protection against abrasion during natural flight vibrations

    • Exception to this rule is shorter cables that are placed further from anything that could be abrasive, specifically cables purely within the avionic compartment of our aircraft

  • Avoid loops in cable runs if possible

  • Varying conductor types should be separated when reasonable

    • Generally we consider four different types of cables: Digital, Analog, Power, & Coax/Rf

      • Digital: Characterized by signals with fast edges

        • Definition of a fast edge in this context and some examples to be added by an EE

        • Generally transcieving in 0 and 1 states asynchronously or synchronously

        • I.E. a GPS module’s cable connection to our flight controller is digital

        • An IMU is an example of a particular digital device that is sensitive to external noise.

      • Analog: Characterized by signals with slow edges

        • Definition of a slow edge in this context and some examples to be added by an EE

        • Generally transcieving data in varying voltage states

          • Though some protocols we consider analog will also transmit some digital data as well

        • I.E. a hobby fpv analog video camera has an analog data output

        • An analog video feed out of an analog camera is an example of a particular digital device that is sensitive to external noise.

      • Power: Characterized by constant voltage varying current designed for power transmission

        • Generally the voltage is constant though higher frequency noise may be present

        • These conductors can have significant current pulses

        • I.E. a connection from a battery to an ESC

      • Coax/Rf: Characterized by oscillating signals across the spectrum (~20kHz to ~300Ghz) intended for wireless transmissions and notably contained within a coaxial cable

        • A coaxial cable, specifically for our applications utilizing an SMA or RP-SMA connector, is generally used to guide sensitive RF signals between transceivers & antennas.

          • It is also worth noting antenna placement is critical, this is noted below in more detail

          • SMA & RP-SMA connector info should be found in the corresponding connectors arch doc section.

        • Because coaxial cables offer strong noise immunity the routing constraints of these cables are looser than others

          • Coax cables are very good at eliminating outside noise

        • For further information see: Coaxial cable

    • Each of these type of conductors should be physically grouped together, however, each type should be separated

      • I.E. All power stuff near each other, all digital near each other, but power separated from digital

      • This grouping and separation is physical distance, though of course there are other factors

      • Within PCBAs these groups may be mixed, this is fine, we will assume the PCB designer has taken the proper care to avoid issues as necessary

  • RF Transceiver Care

    • An RF transmitter should not be turned on (given input power) without a proper antenna connected as this can permanently damage the transmitter

      • Possible violations of this policy should be reported in Discord and transmitters should be labelled as damage (notably degraded performance) may not be immediately evident. We don’t want to blame each other, stuff happens, we just want to note it for the future! If you do not feel comfortable stating this publicly feel free to DM a lead you’re comfortable speaking to who can relay the message without naming names.

    • Transmitters generally get warm

      • They require a lot of power and therefore require some cooling

      • They are sometimes designed to be mounted outside an airframe for ambient cooling of wind passing the frame. As we may not be doing this we need to approach this with caution.

      • Notes regarding conformal coating are above.

    • The lower the frequency the longer the distance we can get for the same output power generally

    • The higher the frequency means more bandwidth generally

  • Antenna mounting

    • GPS sensors in particular are to our 900 MHz and 1.3 GHz transceivers and should be mounted away from antennas operating at these frequency ranges

      • GPS frequencies are fixed frequencies are1100MHz and 1500MHz

      • Our transceivers will hop around frequencies around their range looking for available channels so they are capable of hopping close to GPS frequencies and causing issues

      • For context it’s worth noting a 900MHz and 1.3GHz transceiver are capable of stepping on each others frequencies as well

      • For further reference see Guide: 1.2GHz -1.3GHz FPV Video System - Oscar Liang & GNSS Frequencies and Signals

    • Radio waves do not like to change medium

      • Specifically they do not like to pass through materials of varying dielectric constant

        • Passing waves through some varying materials may be fine, but be careful!

        • At the frequencies WARG operates at (6 GHz and below) foam will not have a considerable impact on signal integrity

        • Rain will have a measurable impact on signal integrity

      • This means mounting antennas outside of cases/airframes and providing LOS when reasonable

    • Antenna polarity should be deliberate

  • (Antenna Mounting Continued)

    • Ground antenna should be mounted with as much distance away from the ground as possible

      • This is to reduce ground reflection and has a considerable effect on reliability of an RF link

    • Antenna spacing should be minded

      • Any device with diversity (multiple antenna inputs) should have it’s antennas mounted with some spacing between them. Always follow manufacturer guidance here.

        • IE our VN-300 has specific manufacturer recommendations regarding recommended spacings and clearances

      • Different devices should have their antennas spaced out

        • See notes about frequencies and channels above.

  • Some notes about lightning

    • This entire section can be ignored for WARG purposes on nice days and the odds of a lightning strike are relatively low so don’t worry too much about these guidelines

    • As long as the current from a lightning strike is allowed to pass through your structure relatively unimpeded it will not harm the system

      • Notably isolating important electronics from the structure is important for this, see above.

      • To ensure this is possible having a somewhat conductive frame helps

        • This is not possible for composite frames and thus more complex techniques can be employed

    • Lightning likes to, if possible, enter and exit through sharp points

      • Ensuring that the sharpest points on a region of the system are all not electrical elements (notably antennas) will ensure lightning passes where we want it to!

      • A side safety note is that people are also relatively sharp points sticking out of the ground, however, unlike structures, you aren’t replaceable.

        • Be sure in lightning prone weather that people are not the path of lowest impedance for a lightning strike! This can be done easily by ensuring taller, pointier, grounded structures are nearby humans.

    • For ground equipment (towers and stations) grounding rods can be used

      • Notably this may not be possible for ecological reasons as well as if our ground station is on pavement

      • Grounding rods should connect into the earth (with a pointed end) electrically to the sharpest point at the peak of the structure

        • Ideally, as mentioned above, the entire structure is conductive which makes this easier to achieve.

Layout Introduction

The plane will be comprised of 5 main sections: the fuselage, cabin, avionics compartment, wings, and tail. The avionics + passenger compartment will be part of the main fuselage, while the wings & tail will house more electronics. All mandatory airside compute & airside peripherals must be mounted.