Surveillance and Navigation Autopilot (SNAP) - Miniature UAV Autopilot
The ultimate enabler for Unmanned Air Vehicles.
The Surveillance and Navigation Autopilot (SNAP) is a high end miniature UAV autopilot with considerable processing power and a versatile, open architecture.
Available as an OEM module or in a sealed enclosure, SNAP has flown unmanned missions on platforms as diverse as 500mm wingspan electric-powered Micro Air Vehicles, Coanda effect "flying saucers", rocket launched UAVs weighing in excess of 150kg and unmanned sea planes. It is currently scheduled to fly a hybrid airship demonstrator, as well as a novel research UAV with fluidic control devices.
A flexible interface to Matlab Simulink allows for rapid development, tuning and flight testing of bespoke control laws. This has enabled SNAP-equipped vehicles to conduct such diverse tasks as vision-based formation flight, complex surveillance and tracking, automated launch (hand, rail and rocket) and automated landing (skid and parachute).
From the dust of the Californian desert to the waters of the North Atlantic, SNAP has proven its reliability and versatility time and again.
Specification
| Processor | 400 MHz Xscale and additional microcontroller for H/W interfacing |
| External I/F | D-Subminiature for power and interfacing; USB |
| Onboard sensors | 3 gyros, 3 accelerometers; absolute and differential pressure; external and board temperature; source voltage |
| Actuator I/O | 8 TTL PWM inputs; 8 TTL PWM outputs |
| Data I/O | 4 serial communication ports; 3 x 16 bit analogue inputs; 12 discrete IOs;I2C bus |
| Storage | Logging and storage on MMC/SD card |
| Control Law I/F | Simulink RTW target |