Week 5: How Drone Net Works - Hardware Pt. 1 - Cameras and Architecture

By -
Hello Everyone! This week, I have been reading many related research papers, continuing my study of C++ and experimental design. Because I am still learning about the advanced software engineering, the majority of my recent contributions have been in experimental design.

This week , I would like to dive into a discussion of the Drone Net hardware:

How is the Drone Net's camera system configured?

The camera system includes a Tegra K1 SoC, wireless 802.11, Ethernet wired, USB3, a PCIe card interface, and is able to support 2 USB3 visible cameras and between one and four analog cameras including long-wave infrared. 

The Drone Net operates on an open architecture. You may remember this term from earlier posts on this site. Generally, a computer is an open architecture if it is designed to allow its parts to be easily swapped out and modified. For example, an Apple iPhone is a closed architecture, because it utilizes a proprietary system to transfer data between processors and other pieces of hardware. 

For the Drone Net, the hardware is a "system composed of sub-systems that can be upgraded and the features and function of the SDMSI are totally defined by the software and capabilities of the components in terms of resolution, optics, and frame rates, spectral and dynamic range" (Sam Siewert, AIAA SciTech).

That set up design means that cameras can be instantly upgraded and modified to suit the dynamic needs of the Drone Net as a salient object detector.

Basic architectural schematic of drone net

Next week, we will discuss the first part of the drone net's software specifications.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1: All About Drones

By -
Image
Hello Everyone! I have been working with Professor Siewert and the research team from ERAU and UC:Boulder. During this week, I have been trying to catch up with the graduate-level mathematics and software engineering knowledge required to perform experiments with the Drone Net. Initially, I wasn't sure how to approach these weekly posts, but I guess I should start my research project by asking a decent question. For week 1, I would like to answer the following: What is a drone? Now, this question is deceptively simple. The word "drone" is just slang for any unmanned aerial system. Military and commercial/recreational drone are the two main types of drones currently in production. Below, you will find two infographics that display the diversity of drone design. Military drones are typically much larger than any other type of drone. Recreational and commercial drones have generally simpler designs. In terms of design elements, recreational and commercial
Read more

Week 7: How The Drone Net Works - Software Pt. 1 - Code

By -
Image
Hello Everyone! This week, I have been coordinating resources for the upcoming Drone Net tests. Because Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is only 1/4 mile from the Prescott airport, the research team has to file a flight plan in order to fly drones on the campus. Also, we can't fly the drones while classes are in session, so the tests are quite unique, designed to quickly gather data on drone flight patterns. This week, I would like to begin a discussion of the Drone Net software. What software does Drone Net utilize? Currently, Drone Net utilizes an open-source computer vision library as the foundational library for its software. This library is called OpenCV  and the current language of the Drone Net code is C++.  Computer vision describes the ways that computers can gain an 'understanding' of digital images or videos. Let's take a minute to discuss this concept. A computer obviously does not see things as we humans see things; therefore, we must design
Read more

Week 4: How Drones Broke Airspace Security

By -
Image
Hello Everyone! This week, I began designing range experiments to the test the limitations of the Drone Net and its software. Because I am still learning about the advanced software engineering, the majority of my recent contributions have been in experimental design. For week 4, I will answer the following questions: How do we currently secure our airspace? It might be prudent to discuss the concept of 'airspace' before anything else. Airspace is defined as any space, immediately above the surface of the earth, available for use by aerial systems, such as planes, balloons, drones, etc.  This guide describes different types of airspace and how they are defined. In order to prevent collisions between aircraft, air traffic control (ATC) operators monitor the airspace and direct air traffic around the clock. In general, the tools used by ATC are the only tools available to secure our airspace. Primary Radar (PR) is the most well-known type of radar. An ATC t
Read more