International Journal of Unmanned UAV Ground Control Station

Systems Engineering (IJUSEng)

Technical Note
IJUSEng – 2016, Vol. 4, No. 1, 37-50
http://dx.doi.org/10.14323/ijuseng.2016.4

The UAV Ground Control Station:

Types, Components, Safety, Redundancy,
and Future Applications.
Karl P. Arnold
Unmanned Vehicle University, USA.

Abstract: Arnold KP. (2016). The UAV ground control station: Types, components, safety,
redundancy, and future applications. International Journal of Unmanned Systems
Engineering. 4(1): 37-50. As the use for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) gains
popularity, so would the demand and increase in aerial activity controlled from one or more
control stations. The UAV Ground Control Station (GCS) serves as critical part of the UAVs
mission and provides the facility for the human control of aerial vehicles. In military
applications, the GCS is as a hub for the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
(ISR) data generated by the unmanned aircraft’s payload even though the UAV and GCS
could be thousands of miles apart. As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presents
rules of operating UAVs in the National Airspace System (NAS), this opens the doors to
commercial applications, such as Custom Border Patrol and applications where swarming
techniques are used. These commercial applications will have the need for an efficient and
safely operated GCS. The objective of this article is to present the various types of GCS,
which include handheld, portable, mobile and fixed GCSs. The present article discusses
basic components, including software, display, and telemetry. In addition, the article covers
various types of aerial vehicles that are typically operated from a GCS. This article also
discusses UAV enhancements and improvements, emphasises its safety features and
addresses the importance of redundancy. Future GCS applications are suggested.
Copyright © 2016 Karl P. Arnold

Keywords: Automatic Frequency Hopping Digital System, Beyond line-of-site, Brain–computer

interface, Electro-optical, Infrared, Master controller, Uninterruptible power source.

INTRODUCTION
The Ground Command Station (GCS) plays a crucial role in supporting any mission for
manned and unmanned vehicles. This is where the control and intelligence behind the
operation resides regardless of whether the vehicles are surface, submersible or air bound.
The following focuses on the design and components of the GCS, but with an emphasis on
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The GCS is the essential link to the aircraft [1]. It serves
as the human interface to UAVs in the air. As such, it
must provide the user with two basic functions: control
Affiliation: over the flight of the UAVs themselves and easy
Unmanned Vehicle University
effective access to the data that the UAVs collect [2]. As
Correspondence:
UAVs operations increase and carry more functionality
Metro Area in the future, it is important that GCSs are designed so
Washington, DC USA that multiple UAVs can be controlled with the minimum
[email protected] amount of confusion [2]. Below are several common
basic components of the GCS.

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I. GCS TYPES
1.1 Handheld GCS
The more popular GCS are the handheld devices, which have many advantages. They are
sleek, compact, proven, reliable, lightweight, portable and very efficient. They have many
features, capable of many functions, and they are equipped with high-end processors to run
multiple applications at once. One such device is the Optional Handheld GCS by Dragonfly
Innovations Inc. The Handheld GCS incorporates all the features of both the handheld
controller and video base station in one compact and ergonomic package [3]. Due to many
functions built-in, a simply design for the operator was considered by Dragonfly Innovations
Inc. This keeps the operator focused on the mission, ensuring the chance of success. Such
simply design includes the integrated trackball, directional control pad, incorporated
telemetry display with altitude, GPS hold, and camera tilt pan and zoom functions [3].

1.1.1 Data
Many handheld GCS have a built-in 802.11n wireless network interface, which allows the
user to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots and IP cameras [3]. The Dragonfly GCS constantly sends
telemetry information to the UAV [3], and automatically logs each flight to a KMZ file. This is
helpful as KMZ files are compatible with Google Earth for example for viewing 3D maps [3].

1.1.2 DVR
Incorporated into a Handheld GCS can be a DVR, which supports video directly to its
internal solid-state memory. Video often is recorded in a standard format that can be easily
imported to almost any software program for editing or publication [3].

1.1.3 FPV
Commonly used with handheld GCS is First Person View (FPV). This means there is a video
camera mounted on the vehicle that broadcasts the live video to the pilot on the ground.
When the pilot uses FPV, it is as if the operator is on board the aircraft instead of looking at
the UAV from the pilot’s actual ground position [4]. FPV allows the pilot to fly much higher and
further than one can from the ground looking up at the aircraft in flight. The benefit of FPV is
that it allows for more precise and accurate flights around obstacles. This is especially true
with vehicles like quad copters, which can easily fly indoors and through wooded areas
where the pilot would not be able to see obstacles from a fixed position [4].

1.2 Portable GCS

For a more advanced UAV operator, a portable GCS may be a better choice due to its
flexibility. Although a portable GCS has many of the features and functions, they often
include additional features. The portable type of GCS is generally used for longer flight
operations, multiple mission tasks, dual antennas and display panels. One such example is
an off-the-shelf portable GCS by UAV Factory. It is a flexible and universal solution for
controlling unmanned vehicles and payloads [5]. Features include:

 System Status Monitoring

 Super Bright Touch Screen Display
 Modular Electronic Compartment
 Dual Hot-Swappable Batteries
 Dock able Laptop/Computing Devices
 Dual Antenna Pass-Through

The rapid expansion of UAV applications is posing new challenges for GCS designs. These
challenges must allow for the growth and demands of mission requirements. One such
challenge for GCS is to monitor and control UAVs during LOS operations as well as BLOS
operations [6].

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1.2.1 Pilot Station

The portable GCS is equipped with a research pilot station to fly the aircraft with a joystick,
pedals, and throttle handle all with the aid of three different monitors. One type of monitor is
a synthetic vision reproducing the external environment overlapped with a Heads-Up Display
(HUD). A flight instrumentation display shows all parameters of interest for the research
flight, and a third screen shows the live video transmitted from a camera mounted on the
nose of the aircraft [6].

1.2.2. Engineering Station

A second station called the Engineering Station allows the flight engineer to monitor the flight
conditions of the aircraft in real time. In addition, the software has the capability to change
flight conditions or inject failures depending on the purpose of the flight [6]. With the
appropriate software, the Flight Engineer can manage eight different flight modes that can
be combined to give the researchers a large variety of flight conditions to be tested. A flight
mode can be a particular condition to be tested, such as a surface failure or a sensor failure.
Eight additional buttons, or more, allow sending custom “Control Actions” to the aircraft [6].

A. Primary Flight Display: HUD shows pitch and roll information derived from an onboard
Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), which is a series of measurements observed over a period of
time. In addition, there are aircraft flow angles information, magnetometer information, three-
axis accelerations and angular rates data from the onboard IMU sensor. There is also air
speed and temperature data, which comes from the pressure sensors [6].

B. Overhead Map Display: The UAV provides an aerial view of the flight zone that tracks the
movement of the aircraft and the GCS position updated at 50 Hz.

C. Weather display: This display shows graphically all the information related to weather
conditions including wind direction, wind speed, barometric pressure, and air/ground
temperature.

D. Surfaces Display: This type of display shows graphically and numerically the surface
deflections for all channels of the aircraft; the display is designed to be adaptable, in fact it
shows also channels that the actual aircraft does not currently use, such as the flaps, and it
has also two spare configurable channels for eventual future uses.

1.3 Mobile or Fixed GCS

For larger operations where complex situations are involved, a mobile or fixed based
structure may be the appropriate type of GCS. It is expected that these GCS can do all of
what the handheld and portable GCS can do but have added functions or stations for
specific duties.

1.3.1 Air Vehicle Operator Station

This is a station operated by an Air Vehicle Controller who has access to UAV flight
parameters such as general display, UAV trajectory display and an optional video (payload)
data display. The station allows control of various UAV systems such as
joysticks/potentiometers and switches [7,8].

1.3.2 Payload Operator Station

This station provides features necessary for controlling the payloads carried by the UAV.
The controls include joysticks for operating the gimbal assembly, controls for TV/FUR, video
tracker, and other UAV sensors. This station incorporates one or more video monitors and
video recorders to monitor incoming video and to record the video with suitable data
annotation [8].

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1.3.3 Mission Commander's Station

This station provides facilities to edit/validate the mission plan and to monitor the system
operation during the UAV missions. Also, the means to monitor and operate the RF systems
is provided in this station [8]. For UAVs employing conventional take-off and landing, the
provision of an external pilot's console becomes mandatory [8]. Fig. 1 shows a multi station
GCS with both Pilot station and Air Vehicle Operator stations.

Fig. 1: Multi Station GCS (License: CC BY-SA 3.0)

1.3.4 Radar Operator's Station

The radar station incorporates controls for operating the tracking antenna systems and the
RF packages, such as the transmitter and receiver. In some GCS configurations, these
controls are duplicated in the mission commander's station for remote operation [8].

1.3.5. System Engineer's Station

The UAV GCS incorporates a separate system called system engineer's station capable of
online monitoring some specific system related parameters online. This system helps
determine the health of the airborne systems during UAV missions. The features of this
station include display of flight data in engineering units/graphs and warning displays [8].

1.3.6 Mission Planning

The GCS shall aid the UAV controller in planning the mission taking into account the
capabilities and limitations of the UAV systems. This function provides the controller the
required knowledge-based inputs to arrive at an optimum mission profile without jeopardising
the safety of the UAV [8].

II. GCS CONTROLLED VEHICLES

A large part of the GCS design involves consideration of the air vehicles that will be
controlled during operations from the GCS. Weather they are ground, submersible or
aircrafts worthy vehicles, a specially designed GCS can be used to carry out various
missions. Below are three basic types of air vehicle typically controlled by GCS operations.

2.1 Fixed Wing

A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft that does not rely on movement of the wings in relation to
the aircraft to generate lift. Though technically all aircraft wings flex, and some aircraft have
wings that can tilt, sweep back, or fold, if none of these movements are used to generate lift,
the wing is considered to be a "fixed-wing" [7]. Although the wing is used to generate lift,
thrust from a jet engine or a propeller is what moves the aircraft forward [8]. Fig. 2 displays a
fixed wing UAV.

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Fig. 2: Fixed Wing UAV

(Photo: U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

2.2 Rotary Wing

Rotary wing aircraft involves the movement of the lift surfaces relative to the aircraft to
generate lift [8]. Rotary wing aircrafts are lifted by the wings that revolve around a single mast
called the rotor to keep the aircraft in flight [8]. See the example displayed in Fig. 3, the
Aeryon Scout is currently used for commercial, public safety and military applications.

Fig. 3: Rotary Wing UAV (Image: Aeryon Labs Inc.)

2.3 Hybrid UAVs

2.3.1 Tilt Rotor - An example of a tilt rotor is the Bell Eagle Eye (Fig. 4). The UAV design
incorporates a tilting rotor configuration mounted to a fixed wing with two rotor systems and
transmission nacelles on each wing tip. The airframe includes forward fuselage, centre
fuselage, aft fuselage, wings and pylons [9].

2.3.2 Tilt Wing - In this configuration, the wing of the craft tilts from vertical to horizontal and
other angles in between. The tilt wing has an attached fixed rotor so thrust is directed based
on the angle of the wing. Currently under development is the MA THOR Skua UAV as seen
in Fig. 5, a hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) cruiser in a half-wing-tilt configuration.
It uses a mechanically synchronised rotor system that is powered by a single engine located
in the centre fuselage section [10].

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Fig. 4: Tilt Rotor UAV

(Photo: USAF)

Fig. 5: Tilt Wing UAV

(Photo: Marques Aviation Ltd)

III. FUNDAMENTAL GCS COMPONENTS

3.1 Display
Often a monitor or other form of display is used for operator viewing or for providing images
or streams of videos to others to observe. A display often used for line of site (LOS)
operations or beyond line of site (BLOS) operations. It is common to see a display as part of
a handheld GCS or mounted to a handheld GCS commonly seen in the field. These display
units can be attached to a handheld GCS, tablet computer, or be the display for wireless
devices such as a smart phone or similar device. The UAV’s camera sends images or
moving pictures back to the GCS and from there the images are sent to the display. The
display provides more than images; it provides the pilot all the relevant flight data, such as
UAV attitude, heading, speed and detailed engine parameters. With the appropriate
software, the display works in conjunction with the hand-help GCS [11].

3.2 Telemetry Interface

Using telemetry, the operator benefits from two-way communication between the UAV and
the GCS. Generally, telemetry is transmitted at a frequency of 2.5 GHz with several

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channels available using Automatic Frequency Hopping Digital System (AFHDS) or Direct-
sequence spread spectrum (DSSS). Typical information types provided by telemetry data
areas follows [1].

• Feedback in either English, metric, or nautical units where appropriate

• Mode of vehicle operation (Manual/Autonomous)
• Vehicle altitude(above sea level and above ground level)
• Vehicle position(Latitude, Longitude)
• Vehicle orientation(Pitch, Roll, Yaw)
• Vehicle velocity info (Air Speed, Ground Speed, Ground Track)
• Vehicle fuel levels and approximate flight time remaining
• Status of wireless communications link
• Diagnostic information, and more

3.3 Software
In order to command and control the operations of the UAVs, the right software is essential.
The GCS architecture is highly processor-oriented and hence the computer hardware and
software technologies play a major role in the realisation of this vital system [11]. The GCS
software is a combination of programs that are loaded onto the computing hardware within
the GCS. Together, they are used for recreational and commercial UAVs that support safe
and reliable flight operations. Each software program is unique with various features and
capabilities depending on how complex their mission design is.

3.4 Geo-fencing
Geo-Fencing is a boundary or region of interest in a geographical region. Geo-fencing is
used for many applications and it provides many benefits to operators. One of the major
applications for Geo-fencing is security [12] as it gives the operator the ability to map out and
clear a specific region of space for UAV flights. Flying outside this geo-fenced region is non-
authorized by flight programmers. Geo-fencing utilizes global positioning systems (GPS) or
radio frequency identification (RFID) to establish a virtual perimeter or barrier around a
physical geographical area [13].

3.5 Contingency
This feature instructs the UAV of what to do in certain situations. For example, in an
emergency scenario where the UAV experiences a loss of com-link, GPS connection failure
or low battery, the UAV carries out pre-flight instructions loaded in advance. Therefore, the
UAV knows what to do if any of these situations arise [14].

3.6 Mission Planning

The GCS is a command hub where missions are plans; however, flight missions can be
auto-generated, then simulated. Flight operators perform this to learn and predict behaviours
of a mission before actually implementing the mission. Once mission flight plans have been
checked and verified, the UAV is ready for upload of the flight plans and engage in the
operation [5]. There are many propriety and open source software, most available at no cost.
The software uses Point-and-Click waypoint entries and Google Maps, Bing
OpenStreetmaps and a custom interface platform. Such interface platform, like Airware’s
Wireless Management Suite (WMS), has been designed so that the operator can download
mission log files and analyse them to benefit future operations. Other examples of GCS
software include Airware, Mission Planner and OpenPilot.

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IV. ADDITIONAL GCS COMPONENTS

4.1 Telemetry
Telemetry involves a digital two-way transmission of data where data streams are sent to
and from a command station. In this case, the command station is the GCS and the remote
device a UAV.

4.2 Payload
UAVs carry a variety of sensors that need to be operated from a ground or command station
and their outputs need to be acquired and utilized [3]. These sensors, known as payloads,
are typically used to gather information such as streaming videos, images, or data of any
kind. Examples of payloads are listed below.

4.2.1 Small/Medium UAVs

 High Definition (HD) Video Camera –to obtain sharp images with high resolution
 Low Light Level Television (LLTV) - used in extremely low light levels
 Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) - detects infrared energy and allows for night vision
 Near-Infrared (NIR) - for soil property & moisture analysis

4.2.2 Advanced UAVs May Carry

 Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) - detect, identify and localize air, sea-surface,
and ground targets
 FLIR - detects infrared energy and allows for night vision
 Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) - detects and tracks objects which give off heat
 Infrared/Ultraviolet (IR/UV) Line Scanner – used for airborne oil spill remote sensing
 Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) - measures distance by illuminating a target

4.3 GPS
To aid in the navigation of UAVs from the GCS, GPS receivers work with orbiting satellites in
precise orbits that transmit signals back to earth. The GPS receivers capture these signals
and use trilateration to calculate the user's exact location [15].

V. RECENT GCS ENHANCEMENTS

5.1 Real-time Map
An important area of the GCS is real-time map display, which provides both feedback on the
status of the mission and a simple point-and-click means for changing the mission definition
[2]
. For feedback, the map displays the plane information (past and present locations,
heading, and assigned flight path) for each plane; all targets, search zones, no-fly zones,
and landscape features; and a background aerial image (which can be used to reference
locations against real-world object like runways and tree lines) [2].

5.2 Autonomous Flight Path Engine

The autonomous flight path engine is designed to use a set of user-entered targets and
calculate the shortest flight path to cover all known waypoints [2] which are sets of
coordinates that identify a point in physical space [16]. The autonomous feature is capable of
dividing these waypoints between multiple planes, if necessary [2].

5.3 System/Air Vehicle Diagnostics

Both the GCS and the UAV are very complex systems requiring an automatic test facility for
their effective maintenance and deployment [3]. Having a built-in self-diagnostic system gives
a GCS operator the capability to allow vital computer systems to detect and analyse an error
or malfunction within itself. The same function can be carried out by the UAV where it can
detect and identify a fault that could jeopardize the mission [3]. The faults can be sent back to
the GCS or a fix can be conducted while the mission continues.

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5.4 Multiple UAVs and Devices

A full-featured mobile or fixed UAS GCS can be designed and built to control up to three
UAVs or more simultaneously [17]. One such application is by the Office of Naval Research
(ONR) who announced recent technology and demonstrations of swarming UAVs which is
part of the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) program [18]. This new
development can be used on naval ships as well as by ground-based GCS. The LOCUST
can launch 30 rapidly launched UAVs within 60 seconds and can be controlled by a single
GSC or command station. Since the launcher and the UAVs themselves have a small
footprint, the technology enables swarms of compact UAVs to take off from ships, tactical
vehicles, aircraft or other unmanned platforms [18].

5.5 Simulations Stations Added to GCS

The flight simulation system can be regarded as a tool that can reduce the flight hours,
training cost and improve the safety of flight [19]. It is very much considered the flight training
technology and uses the basic techniques of the flight-training simulator used for manned
aircrafts. Adding such a station within the GCS enhances its ability as a multifunctional GCS.
It not only provides training but also the ability to test strategies of flight operations before
uploading to the flight systems. The availability of the flight simulation system in the GCS
can be beneficial when deployed in the field, and is ideal for large, mobile or fixed GCSs.

VI. SAFETY FEATURES

6.1 Fail Safe Mode
A fail-safe is a pre-programmed behaviour designed to prevent a crash in the event of an
unsafe situation [20]. The default fail-safe configuration is optimized for close-range manual
flight in open areas with strong GPS signal. For flying in areas with weak GPS signal or for
flying missions, it is recommended to use fail-safe settings for improved fault tolerance [20].

6.2 Return To Launch (RTL) Mode

RTL mode navigates a UAV from its current position to the home base location. Since RTL is
a GPS-dependent move, it is essential that GPS lock is acquired before attempting to use
this mode [21].

6.3 Flight Terminate

A flight operator choosing this option should do so when no other option is available. The
flight termination system option is utilized as a last resort to bring down an aircraft
expeditiously in order to maintain some level of safety to the public or property [22].

VII. REDUNDANCY
An important area that is not discussed often, especially among small UAVs, is redundancy
within the flight operation process. Redundancy must be looked at from both the GCS to the
remote vehicle and all in between. Before UAV and GCS designers first layout their plans to
construct reliable end-user flight operations, they must decide on what specific redundant
features are needed. There is no way to make the entire UAV or GCS redundant unless
there are multiple units of each. Therefore, engineers decide on specific areas of the design
to make redundant or follow the request of the customer needs, such as military specification
guidelines. Redundancy as a method is the duplication of critical components or functions of
a system with the intention of increasing reliability of the system, usually in the case of a
backup or fail-safe.

7.1 Redundancy for UAVs

Redundancy for the UAVs critical components should be considered in the UAV design. A
case in example is the Gemini autopilot system, which consists of two independent sets of
GPS/Compass and two independent auto pilot controllers [23]. Gemini autopilot is a complete
flight system for commercial and industrial applications. It utilizes high quality components

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that are precisely calibrated with temperature compensation in all the gyros and sensors. In
addition, it contains industry renowned flight algorithms in the autopilot proven in the field.
This allows the system to have precise flight location, enhanced manoeuvrability and easy
operability. The Master Controller (MC) combines and communicates with the other modules
and external electronic devices to carry out its function as a complete autopilot system. The
Slave Controller (SC) is the backup for the MC, and duplicates everything exactly.

Another system is a unique all-in-one system offering triple redundancy between the UAV
and GCS. The MicroPilot MP21283X includes provision for multiple communication links,
backup high current drivers, backup power supplies, and independently generated servo
signals [24]. The MP21283X performs as the UAV’s communication hub. Multiple radio
modems can be installed which offer multiple independent lines of communication between
the autopilot and the ground control station. Devices such as Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras (PTZ)
and aircraft transponders (which enable ground control to identify the UAV) can also be
connected to the autopilot. The MP21283X’s redundant data link between the UAV and the
ground control station ensures the UAV operator can continue to monitor and control the
UAV as well as other important on-board equipment even if one radio link fails. The
MP21283X switches its communication links when flight operation transfers from one
autopilot to another. This ensures the operator on the ground is always monitoring and
controlling the autopilot flying the UAV. Should any of these three systems fail, the remaining
two will take over [24]. Two radio modems can be installed which offer two independent lines
of communication between the autopilot and the ground control station [24].

The MP21283X product main points are:

 Flies both fixed-wing and rotary wing UAVs

 Supports multiple communications links
 Redundant data links to GPS
 16 independently-generated servo signals
 8 high current drivers controlled independently by each autopilot
 Pass or fail voting logic reliably selects the appropriate autopilot
 Configuration, state and waypoint synchronization among all three autopilots

7.2 Redundancy for GCS

Having redundancy at the site and within the GCS is becoming a must especially for medium
and large size operation using portable, mobile and fixed GCSs. Most people have a spare
key to the family car, extra key to the house and spare tire for long trips in the car. The same
principle applies to the GCS. Below are a few areas that should be considered for
redundancy.

7.3 Communication
For redundancy, an alternate antenna capable of two-way communication between the UAV
and the GCS is employed. Often there could be a damaged electrical cable leading to an
antenna or a radio receiver that was damaged due to debris in windy conditions. Having at
least one redundant com-link infrastructure could continue communication service between
the UAV and GCS. The following requirements are necessary to guarantee suitable
operatively and appear to be almost completely acknowledged by all state-of-the-art systems
[25]
.

 Operational range: up to 100 NM for tactical UAVs, up to 500 NM for MAE UAVs
 Availability over 90%
 Low bit error rate on Data Link (between 10−3 and 10−6 according to data type)
 Low intercept ability
 High resistance to Engine Control Module (ECM)

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 Low latency for UAV/Payload Command and Control Data

 Limited size, weight and power consumption (SWP)

Standard single communication links typically meet the requirements of the 90% uptime.
However, should a system stay up 90% of the time and down the other 10%, for example,
it’s during this down time that could be the time it needs to operate correctly. Having a
redundant communication link will solve this ensuring greater availability than 90%.

7.4 Battery String

The purpose of a string of batteries, or simple a battery string is to carry the load of the GCS
should a power outage occur. When the main feed of power is cut, power from the battery
kicks in immediately and directs the power to the main UPS connecting to the GCS. It does
this until the generator picks up enough energy to supply power to the GCS, once this
happens then the resources from the battery are no longer needed.

7.5 Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

Having the entire GCS connected to a main UPS is good principle, having the GCS
connected to a second UPS is even better in case the main UPS goes down. A UPS is an
energy system that provides emergency power to a load when the main power source fails
[26]
. Having these devices connected to the GCS in parallel is highly recommended.

7.6 Generator
During an outage, when the generator is in running it provides power to the UPS which then
supplies power to the GCS. Having two working generators ensures lots of power in case of
long power outages. A major storm that causes extensive damage to public utilities can be
one reason, another may be during military field operations where lack of utility infrastructure
may exist. In cases where one generator may fail, the second one is available. With more
than one generator, flight operators can be up for some time providing there is enough fuel
to keep the generators functioning.

7.6.1 Disadvantages
Although redundancy has many advantages, it should be apparent that setting up
redundancy requires added energy, weight, space and cost to deploy the system.

VIII. FUTURE APPLICATIONS

It is not hard to imagine that soon in the near future human UAV operators will be controlling
their vehicles using a special device called a brain–computer interface, or BCI. It is a non-
invasive system that allows an operator to control a robot or in this case a UAV by using only
their thoughts. An example would be if a controller is flying a UAV and wants to turn to the
left, the operator makes a fist with their left hand. An increase in altitude would be initiated by
making a fist with both hands. To achieve this, the controller simply imagines a movement
without actually carrying out the movement. Specific neurons in the brain’s motor cortex
produce electric currents. These currents detected by electrodes embedded within an
Electroencephalography (EEG) device, similar to device in Fig. 6, send the signals to a
computer. The computer translates the signal pattern into a command and sends it to the
UAV wirelessly [27]. Another example would be a right turn, this would be the operator
imagining creating a fist with their right hand [27].

The EEG device uses an Offline Analysis, which produces a feature map of a topography
value at each frequency and electrode, a topographical representation at a user-specified
frequency, and a single electrode representation value that varies with frequency [28]. In a
robotic quadcopter experiment using BCI control, an operator’s topography of 12 Hz
component uses the right and left sides of the brain. When there is a high value, it indicates

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a region in the 12 Hz band that activates differentially between the imagined motion and rest
state.

Fig. 6: EEG Device (Image: Douglas Myers)

IX. CONCLUSION
The GCS is the command centre for all UAV operations as long as humans continue to plan,
execution and control UAV missions. For the GCS to function effectively, it is important to
understand the GCS will always incorporate many technologies and have multiple functions.
Such technologies include communication, computer hardware and software, system
engineering and human factors design and engineering. As UAV flight operations advance
to include swarming and other complex applications, the GCS must evolve to ensure that
operations continue. Having redundancy built into the system is critical in case
communications are lost, as well as having fail-safe measures to ensure safety. Human
interaction is crucial, and so is the training and fine-tuning on how the operators and
engineers maintain and operates the GCS. It is apparent that the design of GCS depends on
its missions now and should have the ability to be flexible and scalable in its role to adapt
over for future missions and applications.

X. REFERENCES
1. Battle M, Elmore J, Lanctot S, Stuart M, Philips J, Elkins M, Youssef O and Young
B. (2012). Autonomous aerial vehicle and ground control system. Virginia
Commonwealth University. Pp. 1-16.
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unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle and ground control station. Virginia
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3. DraganFly Innovations Inc. (2016). Optional handheld ground control station.
http://tinyurl.com/pxsqd72
4. DroneFlyers. (2016). http://www.droneflyers.com/2013/02/what-is-this-fpv-stuff-all-
about/
5. UAV Factory. (2016). Portable ground control station.
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control station development for fault tolerant UAV research. AIAA Guidance, Navigation
and Control Conference. 13th – 16th August. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pp. 1-9.
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8. AeroLink Air Services. (2016). Difference between fixed-wing aircraft and a rotary wing
aircraft. http://www.aerolink.es/blog/difference-between-fixed-wing-aircraft-and-a-rotary-
wing-aircraft/

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9. NavalTechnology.com. (2016). Bell Eagle Eye tiltrotor UAV, United States of America.
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/belleagleeyeuav/
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Science Journal. 51(3): 229-237.
12. Copter. (2016). RTL mode. http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/rtl-mode/
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14. Airware. (2016). UAV ground control software for commercial operations.
https://www.airware.com/products/ground-control-software#/homepage-video
15. Garmin. (2016). What is GPS? http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/
16. Wikipedia. (2016). Waypoint. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waypoint
17. Drone America. (2016). Ground Control Station.
http://droneamerica.com/products/ground-control-station/
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future. http://tinyurl.com/ogxyzes
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overview/
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https://3drobotics.com/kb/failsafe-configuration/
22. ZeroTech. (2016). Gemini dual redundancy autopilot system.
http://www.zerouav.com/en/products/hpjzyt/GEMINI/
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rotors. http://tinyurl.com/pudmg4s
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mp21283x.htm
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28. LaFleur K, Cassady K, Doud A, Shades K, Rogin E and He B. (2013). Quadcopter
Control in Three-Dimensional Space using a non-invasive motor imagery-based brain–
computer interface. Journal of Neural Engineering. 10(4): 1-15.

XI. NOTATION

AFHDS Automatic Frequency GCS Ground Command Station

Hopping Digital System GPS Global Positioning Systems
BCI Brain–Computer Interface HD High Definition
BLOS Beyond Line Of Site HUD Heads-Up Display
ECM Engine Control Module IR/UV Infrared/Ultraviolet
EEG Electroencephalography IRST Infra-Red Search and
EKF Extended Kalman Filter Track
EO/IR Electro-Optical and Infrared LIDAR Light Detection and
DSSS Direct-sequence spread Ranging
spectrum LLTV Low Light TV
FLIR Forward Looking Infrared LOCUST Low-Cost UAV Swarming
FPV First Person View Technology

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LOS Line Of Site SC Slave Controller

MAE Medium Altitude Endurance SWP Size, Weight and Power
MC Master Controller Consumption
NAS National Airspace System UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
NIR Near-Infrared UPS Uninterruptible Power
NM Nautical Miles Source
ONR Office of Naval Research VTOL Vertical Take-Off and
RF Radio Frequency Landing
RFID Radio Frequency WMS Wireless Management
Identification Suite
RTL Return To Launch

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