Polish electronic engineering company UAVLAS develops sensors and software that provide a direct connection between drones and landing sites. The advanced systems ensure precise and safe landing in any conditions: absent or weak GPS signal, darkness, or complex weather conditions, such as gusting wind, fog and so on.
The system comprises two parts: the onboard receiver (10 grammes) and the ground unit (45 grammes). Its small size and the inclusion of several alternative interfaces facilitates integrating the landing system into almost all existing autopilots, and a simple protocol allows connecting autopilots as quickly as possible at the software level. Each module can be connected to a computer for device diagnostics as well as simple installation of fresh software updates.
The system does not require additional sensors for its work. The onboard unit can independently determine the distance to the landing site, which enables landing on platforms that are significantly elevated, or where the distance above the surface is significantly different from the actual height of the landing platform. The on-board receiver also does not require data from the drone inertial system and all changes do not depend on the inclination and speed of movement of the aircraft – this gives a stable work environment despite strong gusts of wind when the angular position of the drone changes very quickly.
Low power consumption (less than 0.3 watts for the onboard module and 1.1 watts for the ground module) allows the system to operate for a long time from a small power source. It is easy to change the approach path (to make it not vertical but at an angle) – which allows the vehicle to land in places where there is an obstacle to one side (for example, a balcony).
Thus, the UAVLAS system has a huge number of applications: indoors; landing on moving, vibrating or shaking objects, like cars and ships; different procedures with difficult-to-reach objects (such as windmills or turbines) and, of course, all types of drone delivery.
