Veronte Autopilot 1x flight control system

The Veronte Autopilot 1x is a flight control system from Embention for drones and eVTOL aircraft. It combines the flight controller, navigation sensors, communications and a set of input and output ports in one enclosure, and is configured for multirotor, fixed-wing, VTOL and other airframes through its control-law tools.

The unit executes the flight control laws, manages automatic routines and handles the flight phases of the mission. Its operating modes are autonomous, assisted and manual. Control laws and flight phases are configurable, so the same hardware serves different vehicle layouts. A configurable internal flight-data recorder stores flight data for analysis, and a companion computer can be connected for payload or perception tasks. The mission is prepared and monitored in the ground control software Veronte Ops. The platform classes listed for the product are eVTOL, ground and marine vehicles in addition to aircraft, and the airframe type is not restricted.

The sensor suite is built in: two IMUs, two magnetometers, two barometers, a pitot input and two GNSS receivers, combined by sensor fusion. The unit is of simplex architecture, so it is one control core with redundant sensors; architectures that need redundant control computers combine several units at system level. A separate safety microcontroller can trigger a flight termination system, for example a parachute, on a major failure of the main processor or on operator command.

The main figures are a mass of 208 g and dimensions of 76 x 65 x 40 mm, a supply range of 8 V to 54 V DC and a typical power consumption of 5.6 W. The operating temperature range is -40 °C to 65 °C and the enclosure is rated IP67. These values let the integrator size the power bus, the thermal budget and the mounting location without extra protection in most outdoor installations.

For integration, the autopilot provides 8 actuator outputs and the following interfaces: CAN, CAN FD, I2C, RS-232, RS-485, UART, PWM, analog inputs and discrete I/O. The RTCM 3 protocol is supported for differential GNSS corrections. Servos, ESCs, smart actuators, datalinks, payloads and a companion computer are connected through these ports, with the wiring planned per airframe.

On certification, Embention states that the hardware and software were developed in compliance with DO-178C and DO-254, and the design assurance level is listed as DAL B. The product is in production and aimed at dual-use programs, from certification-driven eVTOL and unmanned aircraft projects to ground and marine robots.