Piccolo system user guide - Unmanned Aircraft & Drones

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flight termination system. The deadman output can also be controlled as a function of the
mission limits. The deadman has a global enable which is controlled by the user, and flags to
drop the deadman output in the event of:
• Lost communications (controlled by timeout)
• Lost GPS (controlled by timeout)
• Lost GPS AND lost communications.
• Engine kill is asserted by the user (see section 4.6).
The deadman logic can also be used to assert the engine kill state if the deadman is dropped.
Hence for vehicles which do not have a convenient flight termination system (like an ignition)
the engine can be driven to zero throttle if the communications or GPS fails.
4.10 Sensors
The sensors page gives the current sensor readings and calibration information for each sensor.
It is normally only used during the setup process. On the left of the page each sensor is listed as
a radio button. Select the radio button corresponding to the sensor calibration you wish to view.
Push the Request All button to trigger the avionics to download all of the sensor information.
Figure 10. Sensor calibrations
4.10.1 Sensor calibrations
The sensors are calibrated using a linear relationship which is based on an offset and gain
number. The calibrated output is the raw signal minus the offset, times the gain. The offset and
gain number is displayed top center in the sensor calibration page.
In order to extend the temperature range over which the avionics can function the sensors are
temperature compensated. This compensation takes the form of an offset shift and a gain
multiplier that depends on the temperature of the board. The table of offset shift and gain
Piccolo User’s Guide Page 23