On November 7, 2016, Howard Loewen, President of MicroPilot Canada, came to Beijing to have an exclusive interview with the UAV Channel of the World Wide Web. Mr. Loewen said that he is very optimistic about the Chinese drone market, and introduced the difference between the flight control system of the industrial-grade UAV and the consumer level, and put forward some suggestions and advice to the drone entrepreneurs; domestic engineer Liang Jianhua carried out Technical details explained.
Founded in 1994, MicroPilot Canada produces only flight control systems for drones. Its flight control products are sold in more than 70 countries around the world, including NASA, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. The flight control system is the core system of the whole flight process of the drone to complete take-off, air flight, mission execution and return-to-field recovery. The flight control is equivalent to the driver's role in man-machines for the drone, and is considered to be the most drone. One of the core technologies.
Optimistic about the future of China's drone industry
The reporter learned that the main market of MicroPilot flight control is still Europe, North America and Israel. The Chinese market does not have a large share. In the past, MicroPilot was generally an ordinary employee to inspect the Chinese market or maintain customers, and this time it is the president. Howard Loewen came to China personally. Mr. Loewen told the reporter of the World Wide Web Drone Channel: "I am very optimistic about the Chinese market and will pay attention to other markets like the rest of the world."
Mr. Loewen just returned from the Zhuhai Air Show and has more confidence in the Chinese drone industry: "This is not the first time I have come to China. Every time I feel that China's drones and even the entire aviation industry have made great progress." He also said: I am very envious of China's policy. China's policy has fewer restrictions on the UAV industry than the United States and Europe, so I believe that China's unmanned opportunities are better developed and used than Europe and America. To this end, MicroPilot has released the Chinese version of the ground station software.
Industrial-grade flight control and consumer-grade worldMicroPilot only produces industrial-grade UAVs for industrial applications, and its price exceeds the price of consumer-grade flight control by an order of magnitude. Mr. Loewen made it clear that MP flight control was born for industry applications, not for hobbyists.
Industrial-grade flight control is “completely different†from the consumer class. Mr. Loewen said that consumer drones are more like mobile phones, while industrial-grade drones are similar to cars. The gyro used in industrial-grade flight control is 300 dollars, while the consumer-grade drone is only 3 dollars; the chip used in industrial-grade flight control will be produced in 10 years, and the consumer-grade chip will not last more than 5 years. .
Industrial-grade flight control has passed more stringent tests. The PCB version of MP flight control has reached the military-grade IPC3 standard, and the special process can also ensure the solder joint is firm and reliable. The program will also undergo software testing, simulation and strict verification. And each line of code in the flight control program is written by who, and who has modified it. In addition, the MP flight control algorithm also supports differential GPS and professional PTZ access.
The domestic MicroPilot flight control technical support engineer Liang Gong added: Some professional functions of industrial-grade UAV flight control are also more suitable for practical use in various industries. The control radius can be extended by means of multiple radio relays, the three-dimensional route can be set in an environment where the altitude is undulating, and the route file corrected in actual flight can be re-exported; a plurality of drones can be controlled by one ground station, and then Formation flight can be achieved.
Look at the "wonderful" type drone
There are many series of MP flight controllers. Currently, it can support traditional types of UAVs such as multi-rotor, fixed-wing, and helicopter. Currently, the matching of vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing is also carried out. It is expected that the end of the year can be matched successfully. Nowadays, the innovation enthusiasm of the drone market is getting higher and higher. The models of coaxial reversing helicopters, cross-rotor helicopters, rotorcrafts, flapping machines, and oil-driven direct-drive multi-rotors are emerging one after another. Mr. Loewen said that these are more complicated. The aircraft needs to be specially customized for flight control in cooperation with aircraft manufacturers.
Mr. Loewen also indicated to the UAV channel that the MP flight control in addition to the computer ground station of the Windows system, but also plans to support the Linux system, and even the Android/ios mobile phone ground station software.
Advice: focus and patienceAs an "old driver" in the drone industry, Howard Loewen also offered two advice to entrepreneurs in the drone industry. The first is focus. He advises entrepreneurs to find the right areas and customers, then focus on this area, only to achieve the ultimate in this field, not to be too broad; the second is patience, now everyone is optimistic People in the man-machine industry, some real estate and other industries also want to come in to make money. He hopes that practitioners can have the patience to do things well, not just thinking about making money. MicroPilot used to work with domestic pure commercial companies and was not happy, so now it is more willing to work with engineers who are working hard.
The UAV channel of the World Wide Web also hopes that the domestic drone companies and practitioners can concentrate on and work hard, promote the advancement of technology with the spirit of artisans, and promote the application of drones in various industries.
Monitor Stand For Computer Screens
Shenzhen ChengRong Technology Co.,Ltd. , https://www.nblaptopstandsupplier.com