Autopilot Interface Computer for Platform Precision Autopilot

摘要

The NASA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) program is developing a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for ground measurements. The C-20A Gulfstream III (C-20A/GIII) (Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Georgia) airplane is being used as an interim platform for the SAR prior to integration onto an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The Platform Precision Autopilot (PPA) is used to fly precision trajectories required by the SAR on the C-20A/GIII airplane. The embedded computer component of the PPA is referred to as the Autopilot Interface Computer (AIC). Design criteria for the AIC include low cost, high-performance, simple programming interface, environmental qualification, plus small size and low power for possible transfer to the UAV platform.