F

APX-15 User Guide

© 2016, Applanix Corporation.

 About This Document
Text Conventions
The following text conventions are used in this manual:

• Referring to another manual or to a file name - italic font (e.g. ‘read the Power Requirements
manual’ or ‘locate the start.exe file’)

• Referring to a screen label - bold font (e.g. ‘press the OK button’)

• Menu statement - bold font (e.g. ‘select Insert, AutoText, Closing window menu’).

• Web address statement – underlined font (e.g. ‘select http://www.applanix.com from’).

References
PUBS-MAN-005351 Revision 1, APX-15 Hardware Integration Manual

PUBS-MAN-005355 Revision 1.2, APX-15 UAV Configuration Guide

© 2016, Applanix Corporation.

 Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction .................................................... 1-1

2.0 Installation and Data Collection .................... 2-2

2.1 Installation ......................................................................................... 2-2
2.2 Data Collection .................................................................................. 2-2

3.0 Connecting to the APX-15 ............................. 3-4

4.0 Receiver Status and SV Display ................... 4-6

5.0 Data Logging .................................................. 5-1

6.0 Receiver Configuration Menu ....................... 6-1

6.1 Antenna Configuration Submenu ...................................................... 6-1
6.2 Tracking and Position Submenus ..................................................... 6-1
6.3 General Submenu: Event and PPS Setup ........................................ 6-3
6.4 INS Submenu: Installation Parameters ............................................. 6-3

7.0 I/O Configuration Menu ................................. 7-1

Appendices
Technical Support and Service .............................................................. A-1
Contact Applanix ............................................................................... A-1
How to Reach Technical Support ..................................................... A-1
Evaluation Board .................................................................................... B-1
APX-15 Antenna PN 10005962 ............................................................. C-1
APX-15 2D Magnetometer Calibration Instructions ............................... D-2
Magnetometer Calibration, APX-15 Setup........................................ D-2
Magnetometer Calibration Procedure ............................................... D-2
Checking the Magnetometer Calibration .......................................... D-3

© 2016, Applanix Corporation.

 List of Figures
Figure 3.1 PC Configuration .......................................................................... 3-4
Figure 3.2 Login Credentials .......................................................................... 3-5
Figure 4.1 Receiver Status -> Identity submenu ........................................... 4-6
Figure 4.2 Satellites Tracking Graph and Track SkyPlot ............................... 4-6
Figure 4.3 Satellites Enable/Disable submenu .............................................. 4-7
Figure 5.1 Data Logging – Summary window ................................................ 5-1
Figure 5.2 Data Logging Configuration .......................................................... 5-1
Figure 5.3 View logged/logging file ................................................................ 5-2
Figure 5.4 Copy data through controller (left) or FTP (right) ......................... 5-3
Figure 6.1 Antenna Type and Measurement Method .................................... 6-1
Figure 6.2 Elevation Mask and Satellite Constellations................................. 6-2
Figure 6.3 Receiver Motion (rotor, fixed wing) ............................................... 6-3
Figure 6.4 Lever Arm settings and Receiver Reset ....................................... 6-4
Figure 7.1 I/O Configuration Menu (left) and Configuration window (right) ... 7-1
Figure 7.2 Input corrections through COM port ............................................. 7-1

© 2016, Applanix Corporation.

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1.0 Introduction
The APX-15 UAV is a single board GNSS-inertial solution designed to provide high-accuracy real-time
and post-processed position and orientation to support guidance and control, precision landing and
sensor georeferencing where there is a constraints on size, weight and power.

With 220 channels, the APX-15 tracks all current satellite signals including GPS L1/L2/L2C/L5 and
GLONASS L1/L2, QZSS, Beidou and Galileo. Other features include the availability of several
interfaces and supported network protocols, support for real-time differential corrections as well as
various navigation outputs. All options are configurable via a controller software using any web
browser.

This user guide is not intended to be an APX-15 manual, it only details workflows applicable to APX-
15 in terms of general setup and data collection. For full details, refer to the documents outlined under
References.

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2.0 Installation and Data Collection

2.1 Installation
The APX-15 UAV is to be mounted rigidly to the sensor (eg. Camera, LiDAR, etc.) to ensure there is
no relative motion between them, and the board should be isolated from high-frequency vibration
(>5Hz) through the use of dampers. The APX-15 does not currently support the integration with a
gimbal mount, thus if a mount is in use take care to install the antenna directly above the centre of
rotation with the reference point set as the centre of rotation.

Once the APX-15 UAV and antenna are installed on the UAV, the relative position and orientation of
the board with respect to the vehicle and GNSS antenna must be measured. In particular, the lever
arm and mounting angle installation parameters are required to obtain an accurate solution both in
real-time and in post-processing. The following lever arms and mounting angles are to be measured:

 Reference to Primary GNSS L1 antenna phase center: see Appendix C when using Applanix
antenna PN 10005962.
 Reference to IMU sensing center: as defined in PUBS-MAN-005355
 Reference to IMU mounting angle: if the IMU is rotated w.r.t. reference frame it requires the
proper rotation angles here. See PUBS-MAN-005355 for IMU orientation definition
 Vehicle to Reference mounting angle: commonly set to zero, but can also be changed if
required.

2.2 Data Collection

The maximum operational height is 18,000m and speed of 515m/s. Before using the APX-15 for
mission data collection it is recommended to perform the Magnetometer Calibration procedure outlined
in Appendix D.

The APX-15 employs MEMS inertial sensors, which require some dynamics to resolve the heading of
the system. The steps outlined below should be followed during every data collection to ensure the
best real-time performance as well as to allow the POSPac post-processing software to successfully
process the entire dataset.

 No static data on the ground is required as the system does not perform gyrocompassing
o When using the magnetometer there is no harm in collecting static data if desired.
 Once airborne make sure the data is logging

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 Once logging is started the INS requires alignment

o Fly at top speed (4m/s or faster) in the vehicle frame X-direction for a minimum of 10
seconds, make a 180-degree turn, and fly back to the starting position before
proceeding with mission data collection
 The straight flight is mainly for course heading alignment
 Flying fast curves/turns is to ensure fine alignment.
o Alternatively flying a Figure-8 at top speed can also accomplish alignment
 Collect at least 10 minutes of data before landing

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3.0 Connecting to the APX-15

The APX-15 is preconfigured for a static IP address 192.168.53.100 with Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0.
In order to communicate with the APX-15 the following settings should first be made to the PC:

 Turn off the PC wireless capability

 Open the PC Local Area Connection Status and select Properties, TCP/IPv4

 Choose a static IP address in the same subnet as the APX-15, i.e. 192.168.53.XXX with the
same Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0 (Figure 2.1).

Figure 3.1 PC Configuration

Once the PC that will be used to communicate with the APX-15 is configured according to these steps,
connect to the APX-15 through the Ethernet port on the Evaluation board that is provided with the
system (See Appendix B for details on the Evaluation board).

Open any web browser and in the address line enter the IP of the APX-15. This will bring up a login
window in which the default credentials are:

Username: admin

Password: password

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Figure 3.2 Login Credentials

Once logged in, there are various menus that can be accessed to enter lever arms and mounting
angles, set logging preferences, etc. These topics are discussed in the following sections.

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4.0 Receiver Status and SV Display

The first menu, Receiver Status, offers information on the constellations and specific satellites being
tracked, while the Identity submenu offers product information including serial number, IP address, as
well as hardware and software versions (Figure 4.1).

Figure 4.1 Receiver Status -> Identity submenu

Detailed information about tracked satellites can be found under the various Satellites submenus
(Figure 4.2) including the option to enable or disable the use of specific satellites (Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2 Satellites Tracking Graph and Track SkyPlot

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Figure 4.3 Satellites Enable/Disable submenu

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5.0 Data Logging

The raw data can be logged to internal memory (6Gb) or to an external USB device. The data format
is a proprietary format with extension T04, and to setup the logging for the APX-15 click on the Data
Logging menu.

Figure 5.1 Data Logging – Summary window

In the top section of the Data Logging window there is an option to set up the Auto Delete function,
which will clear the selected File System when full. To start/stop logging the Enable box can be
checked or unchecked (see Figure 5.1). To configure the logging details click the Configure button.

Figure 5.2 Data Logging Configuration

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The Data logging Configuration allows the user to make changes to several settings:

o Enable: Manually start or stop logging

o Auto Log: When this option is checked the system will start logging when the system
is powered on.
o Schedule: There are several options available
 Manual: This will log only one file of size Duration
 Continuous: This will log many files of size Duration
o Duration: Specify the duration of file(s) to be logged

All options in the middle section of the Data Logging Configuration Window (Figure 5.2) are
recommended to be left as default as they are not applicable for use for the APX-15. The final section
of this window allows the user to specify if logging will be to the internal card or external USB.

To view and copy the logged files, select the Data Logging Data Files submenu.

Figure 5.3 View logged/logging file

Files can be saved by right-clicking on the T04 files and selecting the option “Save Link As”. Another
way to obtain the logged data is through FTP (ex: FileZilla or CuteFTP) where the IP address of the
APX-15 is used as the ftp name/host, and the username and password for the FTP are “admin” and
“password” respectively (Figure 5.4)

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Figure 5.4 Copy data through controller (left) or FTP (right)

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6.0 Receiver Configuration Menu

This menu has several important submenus that will be reviewed in this section. Please note that the
Web Controller is a universal controller and thus not all menus and/or functions are applicable for use
with the APX-15 UAV product.

6.1 Antenna Configuration Submenu

Use this submenu to select the antenna type in use. If the antenna is not available from the list select
“Unknown External”. As discussed in Section 2.1 the lever arm is measured to the antenna phase
center and thus this option must be selected as the Antenna Measurement Method.

Figure 6.1 Antenna Type and Measurement Method

6.2 Tracking and Position Submenus

Various tracking options such as Elevation mask and satellite constellation selection can be
enabled/disabled in the Tracking submenu. For the APX-15 the defaults are to be kept for Everest as
well as Clock Steering.

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Figure 6.2 Elevation Mask and Satellite Constellations

If SBAS is enabled only GPS satellites will be used for real-time navigation solution. Other satellites
(e.g. GLONASS, Beidou etc…) will be used for real-time navigation if SBAS is disabled.

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One important setting must be checked in the Position submenu, which is the Receiver Motion
(Dynamic model) field. Select the appropriate model based on the UAV in use to avoid any effects on
performance. Select either Airborne rotor or Airborne fixed wing from the drop-down menu:

Figure 6.3 Receiver Motion (rotor, fixed wing)

The DGNSS Age Correction in this same window refers to how long the system will wait between
correction updates. If the specified time is elapsed then the solution will exit DGNSS mode and return
to C/A mode.

6.3 General Submenu: Event and PPS Setup

The General submenu is where the Event 1 and 2 settings are specified, as well as the 1PPS output
signal. It is recommended to always have all signals enabled. Select the appropriate slope for the input
Event(s), i.e. Positive or Negative, to make sure there are no timing errors.

6.4 INS Submenu: Installation Parameters

The lever arms and mounting angles are entered in the INS submenu of the Receiver Configuration
menu. It is recommended to enter a 1-sigma value of 0.01m for the lever arms and to have MAG
enabled. When MAG is not enabled or the Magnetometer Calibration outlined in Appendix D has not
been performed, the web controller will have no solution while on the ground or in a lab environment.
The reason for this is the inertial navigator does not perform gyrocompassing and thus the system
cannot resolve its heading. To allow testing while in these situations the user can enter a simulated

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heading by selecting to enable Static Bench Testing and entering a simulated value in the Heading
field.

*Turn off the Static Bench Testing function before flight

Once changes are made in the INS Tab, select OK and the software will bring up a Receiver Reset
window. Only select the Reboot Receiver option – never select any of the other options (Figure 6.4)

Figure 6.4 Lever Arm settings and Receiver Reset

6-4 © 2016, Applanix Corporation.

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7.0 I/O Configuration Menu

This menu allows the user to configure the input and output options for the APX-15. To configure a
port click on the name (ex. COM1) to open an I/O Configuration window:

Figure 7.1 I/O Configuration Menu (left) and Configuration window (right)

The top row of the I/O Configuration window shows the port on which the message(s) will be output as
well as the selected message type, while the Baud field relates to the COM port setting which must
match any input message.

The APX-15 can accept various differential corrections, and depending on the quality of the incoming
corrections the positioning mode will change to DGPS or RTK. The COM port must be configured to
the appropriate Baud rate, after which it will recognize any input corrections automatically. Note that
corrections can also be sent over Ethernet and the APX-15 will also automatically detect and use the
input corrections.

Figure 7.2 Input corrections through COM port

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APPENDICES

© 2016, Applanix Corporation.

 APX-15 user guide

Appendix A

Technical Support and Service

Contact Applanix
Applanix Corporation
85 Leek Crescent
Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
L4B 3B3
Tel: (905) 709-4600
Fax: (905) 709-6027
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.applanix.com

How to Reach Technical Support

For technical support on POS regarding installation or operation, contact Applanix technical support
via email, or at the numbers listed on our Web site. On the home page, select Support. If voice
communication is required, select the Contact link. For general inquiries, please visit our Web site,
email, or call (905) 709-4600.

© 2016, Applanix Corporation.

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Appendix B

Evaluation Board
This Appendix provides some details regarding the various connections that are for use with the APX-
15. Please note this is a universal board and thus not all functionality are for the specific application of
the APX-15.

A1 – Evaluation Board

The majority of the input can be self-explained by referencing Figure A1. In terms of the Graceful
shutdown switch, this is used to make sure logging has been stopped (all files closed safely) after
which the power switch can be used to remove all power. To turn the system back ON, the Graceful
shutdown switch must be returned to the ON position first after which the power switch can be used to
power on the system.

Once the APX-15 is placed on the Evaluation board (Figure A2) the small white GNSS cable must be
attached to the APX-15 receiver. After the power switch is turned ON the LEDs will start to turn on.
The four LED represent the following (with reference to A2 orientation):

 Bottom Right: power LED – Green when ON

 Top Right: SV LED – Rapid flashing when less than 5 SV, slow flashing when greater
 Top Left: IMU LED – IMU status, 1 Hz once aligned

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 Bottom Left: RTK LED – Flashes when using corrections

A2 – Evaluation Board with connections

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Appendix C

APX-15 Antenna PN 10005962

Antenna phase center to be used when measuring Reference to GNSS lever arm.

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Appendix D

APX-15 2D Magnetometer Calibration Instructions

The APX-15 needs to be preconfigured prior to performing the magnetometer calibration. The
procedure below outlines these preliminary steps.

Magnetometer Calibration, APX-15 Setup

1) To use magnetometers - minimum requirement for FW on the APX-15 is 5.12

2) Make sure that the reference to IMU mounting angles are set up correctly under “Receiver
configuration” -> “INS”, the calibration relies on the correct definition of these parameters. If
the orientation of the APX on the platform is changed the calibration has to be repeated.

3) In the same window (“Receiver Configuration” -> “INS”) – check the “Mag Enable” checkbox
and make sure to disable “Static Bench Testing”

4) Make sure that APX is tracking GNSS as Gyro measurements are not available until after the
receiver’s clock has been synchronized with GPS time. Raw gyro measurements are used to
determine when to start and stop collecting magnetometer measurements for the calibration.

5) Before starting the calibration – restart the APX unit, make sure that the platform is fully static
for first a minute after the power is applied.

Magnetometer Calibration Procedure

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 The calibration requires for the unit to be rotated at least 3 times clock wise and 3 times
counter clock wise around the z-axis (as defined by installation parameters in #1 above)
 The calibration algorithm is initiated automatically when the receiver is rotated about the Z‐axis a
minimum of 0.6 degrees / second.
 The maximum angular rate cannot exceed 40 degrees / second. It should therefore take at least 9
seconds to complete a full 360 degree rotation about one axis
 Depending on the type and size of the UAV there are a number of ways to perform the calibration:
o For a rotor platform – the calibration can be performed by rotating the unit on one spot
while in flight – following the guidelines stated above (for example it can be
accomplished using an autopilot)
o For a fixed wing UAV one option is to fly the platform in large circles - performing flat
turns (again with help of an autopilot)
o Alternatively if the platform is small, the calibration can be performed by spinning
around in one spot while holding the UAV flat. We recommend to have all the systems
on the UAV turned on during this calibration – to ensure that the magnetic
environment of the platform is accounted for in the calibration

Checking the Magnetometer Calibration

In order to check that the calibration was successful:

1) Once the calibration sequence is complete, power cycle the system

2) Once the unit reboots, go to: “Receiver Status” -> “INS Status” - if calibration was
successful the “INS Mode” should read “Degraded” and the heading should now initialize
when static

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3) If the heading is unable to initialize – the calibration was not successful and the procedure has
to be repeated

Please note: if the magnetometer calibration was successful, the calibration will time out and the
system will not allow for another one to be completed for 10 minutes (turning the system on and off
does not change this).

D-4 © 2016, Applanix Corporation.