computer science

LibrePilot

LibrePilot is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LibrePilot rather than just read about it. In short: LibrePilot is a Free software unmanned aerial vehicle project for model aircraft aimed at supporting both multi-rotor craft as well as fixed-wing aircraft. Initially founded by David Ankers, Angus Peart and Vassilis Varveropoulos in late 2009, under the name OpenPilot, it was conceived as both a learning tool and to address areas the developers perceived were lacking in other small UAV platforms.

Key takeaways

LibrePilot belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LibrePilot to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LibrePilot from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

LibrePilot is a Free software unmanned aerial vehicle project for model aircraft aimed at supporting both multi-rotor craft as well as fixed-wing aircraft. Initially founded by David Ankers, Angus Peart and Vassilis Varveropoulos in late 2009, under the name OpenPilot, it was conceived as both a learning tool and to address areas the developers perceived were lacking in other small UAV platforms. In July 2015 OpenPilot, was forked to create LibrePilot. The OpenPilot open source autopilot software could be combined with hardware such as an inertial navigation system board, a main control board, a GPS receiver, and a 2.4 GHz serial communications link with the ground station. The OpenPilot software is released under the GPL version 3 license.

Components The OpenPilot project consisted of two component parts, these are the on-board firmware and the ground control station (GCS). The firmware part of the project is written in C whilst the ground control station is written in C++ utilizing Qt.

Hardware The current on-board hardware is based on the STM32 microcontroller. There are two physical boards that are part of the hardware, the first is the main OpenPilot board which contains the core microcontroller, SD socket, barometer plus servo connectors and second, the AHRS board which contains the sensor hardware. In other words, the hardware consists of two boards: the microcontroller board (the core) and the sensors board (the AHRS).

AHRS The OpenPilot AHRS was a 9DOF unit and contains MEMS gyroscopes, accelerometers and a 3 direction magnetometer. Combined with the sensors, the OpenPilot AHRS contains its own Cortex M3 microcontroller which runs a Kálmán filter. Filtered orientation data and inertial measurements are presented back to the main OpenPilot board using an SPI interface. The OpenPilot AHRS contained the following components:

STM32 F1 Onboard (STM32F103C8) 3× ADXRS610 Rate Gyros 1× HMC5843 Magnetometer 1× LIS344ALH 3-Axis Accelerometer

See also Open-source robotics ArduCopter Paparazzi Project open-source autopilot PX4 autopilot Slugs (autopilot system)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LibrePilot

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LibrePilot claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LibrePilot before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LibrePilot ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LibrePilot

In research: LibrePilot appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LibrePilot in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LibrePilot is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 software, Avionics computers, Free software programmed in C, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LibrePilot outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LibrePilot in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LibrePilot means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LibrePilot out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LibrePilot in simple terms?

Why does LibrePilot matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LibrePilot?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LibrePilot.