Open Source Autopilot | Drone GPS Module

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CubePilot drives the Future of unmanned systems with innovative hardware solutions. As a prominent player in the field of hardware and embedded software ecosystems, CubePilot actively contributes to the ever-evolving civilian unmanned systems industry.

The CubePilot team recognizes the diverse challenges addressed by unmanned systems and understands the significance of customizing these systems to suit specific applications. This flexibility is the key to maximizing the potential of this cutting-edge technology.

With open-source and community collaboration at its core, CubePilot embodies the principles of reliability and validity, consistently introducing top-tier hardware solutions to the market. CubePilot has emerged as a reliable source of premium hardware, and its impact on the industry is unmistakable.

The CubePilot ecosystem revolves around the Cube Autopilot range, positioned as the central component. This range is complemented by a wide variety of accessories and carrier boards, all developed with substantial support from both the community and industry. CubePilot’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and quality has made it a driving force in the unmanned systems sector, shaping the industry’s future.

Cube Orange+ – Open-Source Autopilot

Autopilot control system for drones and unmanned vehicles

The Cube Orange+ is an advanced open-source autopilot for drones and robotic vehicles.

Based around ARM Cortex M7 and M4 CPUs and an M3 failsafe co-processor, the compact and lightweight unit features triple-redundant temperature-stabilized and vibration-resistant IMUs (inertial measurement units). It is ideal for a wide range of unmanned systems, including fixed-wing and multirotor UAVs, UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles), USVs (unmanned surface vessels) and UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles).

The system includes an ADS-B carrier board with an integrated uAvionix 1090 MHz receiver for enhanced situational awareness.

This ADS-B functionality allows drones to receive information from commercial aircraft in the surrounding airspace, increasing safety and providing effective detect-and-avoid (DAA) capabilities.

The flight control system enables a variety of modes of operation, including waypoint following, loitering and altitude hold. It provides built-in flight logging and real-time flight data transmission, and supports the widely-used Mission Planner and QGroundControl ground control station software.

The Cube Orange+ autopilot can be easily connected to customised carrier boards, allowing it to support specific unmanned vehicle applications, and supports Ardupilot and PX4 open source flight controller firmware.

The unit’s PWM output supports switching between 3.3V and 5V signal levels, allowing versatile compatibility with external peripherals.

More information: Cube Orange+ – Open-Source Autopilot

Ardubee

Open-source drone platform for research & education

The Ardubee is an open-source miniature drone development platform that is compatible with the CubePilot Ecosystem and incorporates the same H7 MCU flight controller as the Cube autopilot.

Based on the ArduPilot open–source drone autopilot firmware, the compact modular platform features a dual-core wifi module, IMU, compass, barometer, GPS and other high-quality electronic components. Ideal for STEM education, research, and swarming drone light shows, it can also be used to develop other unmanned vehicles including UGVs, USVs and UUVs.

More information: Ardubee – Open-source drone platform

Here3 – RTK-enabled GNSS Module

RTK-GNSS positioning for UAVs and robotics

The Here3 is an RTK-enabled GNSS module providing high-precision positioning for drones and robotics down to centimetre-level. Based around the u-blox M8P GNSS chipset and an ARM Cortex CPU running a real-time operating system (RTOS), the lightweight module is enclosed in a dust-and water-resistant housing and features an integrated magnetometer and compass.

The compact drone GPS module has been designed around an in-house developed fully-supported software framework for enhanced reliability and extendability.

The system architecture uses CAN protocol for higher data rates, noise immunity and real-time capabilities.

More information: Here3 – RTK-enabled GNSS Module

HereLink – HD Video Transmission System

UAV ground controller with HD video

The HereLink is a compact handheld drone ground controller providing smooth, low-latency HD video transmission over long distances.

With a range of up to 20 km, it supports video formats of 720p at 30 fps and 1080p at 30 or 60 fps. The controller includes detachable directional and omni-directional antennas, and both an integrated GPS antenna and an interface for external antennas.

The UAV flight controller integrates a datalink unit, remote control link and video display unit into a single device. With an eight-core processor and powerful GPU, it features rapid image, video and data processing capabilities, as well as a MicroSD card slot for up to 64 GB of storage.

The HereLink is built on customized Solex and QGC Ground Control Station software, with MAVLink support for the Ardupilot and PX4 open-source autopilot platforms. It supports installation of custom and OEM Android images, allowing users to customize a range of elements such as system configuration, Android applications and boot animations.
The ground controller can take advantage of Over the Air (OTA) updates via Wi-Fi, providing faster downloading and installation and reducing bandwidth usage.

More information: HereLink – HD Video Transmission System

HereFlow – Optical Flow Sensor

Optical flow sensor for UAV navigation

The HereFlow is a drone navigation solution incorporating a time-of-flight LiDAR sensor, an optical flow camera and a six-degree-of-freedom IMU. Weighing just 1 gram, the ultra-low-SWaP board is ideal for aiding UAV precision landing as well as navigation in GNSS-denied environments such as indoor facilities, tunnels and under bridges.

The HereFlow can be conveniently installed at any node in a CAN bus, providing protection against signal noise, superior anti-interference capabilities, real-time operations and high-performance error handling.