Android Application Design as Ground Control

Station (GCS) and Waypoint Navigation in

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

XXX-X-XXXX-XXXX-X/XX/$XX.00 ©20XX IEEE

Mochamad Mobed Bachtiar[1], Fernando Ardilla[2], Abdi Alghifara Felinanda[3]
Department of Informatics and Computer Engineering
Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya
Surabaya, Indonesia, 60111
mobed@pens.ac.id [1]; nando@pens.ac.id [2]; abdialghi@gmail.com[3];
 Abstract— The
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) device consists of
several core systems, one
of which is the avionics
system. This system is
part of aircraft control,
and the technology
developed is a flight
controller,
communication and
Ground Control Station
(GCS). Of the three
technologies developed in
the Avionics system, the
development of GCS
technology that is used
for monitoring UAV
conditions and mission
input is still using a lot of
personal computers so
that it is felt to be less
efficient for user mobility.
Android-based GCS
application development
has begun to be
developed for UAV device
developers. From these
problems in this study, a
solution was made to
create an android-based
GCS application that can
monitor aircraft
conditions, remote
control controls and can
provide waypoint
instructions for
navigation and storing
flight history data. There
are 13 types of data that
are processed for
monitoring, with a range
of communications using
module telemetry within
a maximum radius of
100-150 meters without
obstacles or obstructions.
Receiving data with an
accuracy of 96.12% and a
precision level of 0.7%,
the average delay
obtained is 0.303 s. For
maximum video
streaming distance that
can be reached 100
meters with the fastest
streaming speed of 3
Mbps and the longest
application can be
connected with the flight
controller for 60 minutes.
Keywords— UAV,
Android, GCS, Waypoint,
Navigation
I. INTRODUCTION
The use of
Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) devices
is increasingly being
used every day in
various fields, ranging
from the fields of
research, industry, film,
agriculture to the
general public. Some
countries have also
begun to develop UAV
device products,
especially in the
avionics system. This
system consists of flight
controllers,
communication
networks, and ground
control station (GCS)
monitoring applications.
The use of open-source
flight controllers is
increasingly being used
by developers to meet
research needs based on
certain fields such as
agriculture, disasters,
and industry. With the
many uses of the flight
controller, the
developers also have to
use GCS that has been
provided to monitor
UAV devices. In
monitoring and
providing input
instructions, GCS plays
an important role to
make it easy for users to
communicate with UAV
devices.
The current GCS
application software that
is being developed and
continues to be
developed is a product
from Ardupilot, namely
Mission Planner and
products from Multiwii
which also collaborates
with EZ-GUI. Most of
the GCS applications
still run on the Personal
Computer (PC)
platform. The use of a
desktop or PC-based
GCS is considered less
efficient where mobility
will certainly be limited
and several other factors
such as the still needed
power source to turn on
a PC which of course
does not last long. And
for the use of Android-
based GCS, for now, it
is only used for UAV
manufacturers that are
closed source or cannot
be modified as needed.
Developers from within
the country themselves
still use desktop-based device. The UAV device
GCS from open-source used as an example of a
flight controller vehicle for retrieving
developers who sensor information data
collaborate with other is the quadrotor UAV
parties. So it's time for model. Quadrotor
the development of this consists of several parts
GCS application to be including mechanical
developed into the design, then the input
android platform [1]. device from the remote
One of the GCS control, flight controller
applications that has device, a sensor device,
been developed by and an output device in
Multiwii still has several the form of a motor. In
disadvantages including this study, the focus will
still being run on a PC, be on data
the absence of location communication systems
information displayed between GCS and
on the map, and the quadrotor that use two
close communication types of data
distance between UAV communication, namely
devices and GCS telemetry and UDP
because of using cables. protocol[2][3].
The design of the User quadrotor information
Interface (UI) in the that will be sent via
easy-to-understand and communication
informative GCS telemetry is the location
Android application will monitored with GPS
play a role in making it sensors, roll, pitch, yaw,
easy for users to speed, and battery
communicate with UAV condition. For UDP
devices. communication, it will
The research will be used to send
make an android-based streaming video data
GCS application that from the camera paired
can display information to the quadrotor. After
on the condition of the
all information data is
UAV device through an obtained GCS will also
easy-to-understand UI be able to give
so that it can maximize instructions to carry out
the function of the GCS
a mission in the form of
as a UAV monitoring
determining the
media. The GCS
application created will waypoint and changing
also play a role in some parameters on the
providing navigation aircraft control system
information to find out Fig. 1.
the location of the UAV
device on the map and
be able to configure the
flight controller such as
setting PID.
II. GENERAL SYSTEM
DESIGN
This section
discusses about the
general system design of Fig. 1. System Diagram
this research. Fig. 1 is shown in a
diagram structure that
A. System Diagram shows the type of sensor
connected to the flight
The Android GCS
controller. To connect
application is designed
the flight controller with
to monitor the
an android smartphone,
conditions of a UAV
in this study using the
3DR 433 MHz function to access data Application access
telemetry module. This that has been processed permissions that need to
module was chosen by flight controller, then be activated on a
because it is commonly sent to the android GCS smartphone are WiFi
used in the application application through access, document
of UAV devices and communication from storage and images and
selects the frequency of 3DR radio telemetry location from a
433 MHz because devices. smartphone device[4].
according to some
The features that are
sources and some users
TABLE 1 applied to the
of the 915 MHz
frequency are widely Sensor Device application include
used for television Spesification monitoring conditions
antennas so that it can Sensor GY-521 MPU6050 that are displayed
cause interference. As Chipset MPU-6050 through UI animations,
for video sending Axis accessing
3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis the camera
gyroscope
communication, in this Voltage 3.3 – 5 Volt DC using the RTSP
study using an IP- Com I2C up to 400kHzprotocol, and
Camera from Xiaomi Sensor BMP180 monitoring the position
that supports access via Chipset BMP180 and track path that has
wireless with a 2.4 GHz been passed by the UAV
Pressure 300hPa to 1100hPa (+9000m to
frequency and the Fig. 2. Multiwii hardware device. Development
shield details of quadrotor Range -500m)
connection with GCS is
to use an outdoor access Voltage 1.8 – 6 Volt DC uses the default SDK
from Android Studio by
point with a 2.4 GHz Fig. 2, it shows the Com I2C
adding an SDK to
frequency. position adjustment GPS U-Blox NEOM8N
access USB-OTG and
scheme of each Channel GPS, Glonass, Beidou and Galileo
SDK VLC to access the
B. Hardware of component device Com I2C (SDA, SCL) and UART (TX, RX)
camera[5][6].
Unmanned Aerial needed. This scheme is Voltage 3.3 – 5 Volt DC
Vehicle Multirotor then used to create a Anthena GA25F3-60U
This research shield device that will
implemented testing on be connected to the Flight controller
the Multiwii flight Multiwii Arduino functions to read
controller. To access Mega2560 flight existing sensor data. The
Multiwii, another device controller. sensor will show the
is needed to be able to condition of the
use the Multiwii serial multirotor device. The
protocol. The sensor conditions referred to
data accessed is the GY- are rolling roll, pitch
521 MPU6050, movement, yaw
BMP180, and GPS U- movement, altitude
Blox NEO sensors. The position, location based
sensor is a common on latitude and
sensor that is used on longitude coordinates,
UAV devices so they firmware mode and
can know the condition monitoring of remote
of the device. control inputs. Fig. 3
shows the hardware
configuration when
applied to a multirotor
vehicle.

C. Software
Development
Fig. 3. Overview of the
quadrotor Software
development is done
At Fig. 3 shows the using Android Studio
shield device that is with the JAVA
made according to the programming language.
scheme in Fig. 2. Sensor The application was
devices that will be developed to
accessed by Multiwii communicate with UAV
arduino Mega2560 devices through a radio
flight controller for telemetry module device
processing and arduino that is connected via
Nano on the shield USB-On The Go.
 navigation by the application from control is
Fig. 4. Flow chart diagram on locations[8]. the devices. While the functioning properly.
software system
control bar is a set of  Monitoring altitude:
III. BUILDING SUB- buttons that are used to to find out the height
The flow chart in SYSTEM control applications of the UAV device.
Fig. 4. a GCS including connection
The purpose in The function used is
application display commands and menu
designing this GCS is to a progressBar that is
design is created that switching.
show the condition of configured with a
can provide data
the UAV. This condition range of 0: 100
information in the form is obtained from sensor meters. The
of a user interface[7]. data sent to the android progressBar display
The display will be in GCS application and will move up when
the form of an animation displayed in the form of the data has values>
movement so that users a user-interface. The 0 and when it has a
can more clearly know design of the application value <0 then what
how the UAV is. display has been made changes to show the
so that it is then applied
value is the textView.
to the application. The
application has several
features, namely A. Communication
monitoring the condition System
of the movement of the
The communication
UAV, monitoring by
accessing the IP-Camera Fig. 7. Monitoring menu of system architecture
Android GCS app design in this study will
and monitoring the
location and location of consist of two types of
Fig. 7 is a communication media
the waypoint.
monitoring menu namely Telemetry in the
display on the GCS form of UART
application has several communication (TX,
sections including: RX) using a frequency
Fig. 5. GCS application UI  Monitoring attitude: of 433 MHz for data
design to find out the transfer and a Local
attitude of the UAV Area Network (LAN) in
In Fig. 5 a UI design device. Such as the the form of 2.4 GHz
is made that will be tilt and direction wireless frequency for
applied to the GCS facing the device. IP-Camera
application. There are The data obtained in communication. The
several sections such the form of angles in following is an
as : the range of values - illustration of the design
 Status bar: 180 °: 180 °. The of a communication
contains Fig. 6. Main menu of Android system utilizes the system architecture to
GCS app
information about RotateAnimation be applied:
the name of the function with
flight controller In Fig. 6 there are
DegreeStart = 0 ° as
device, the active several parts including
the starting point
mode on the flight the status bar, main
which will then be
controller, flight menu, and control bar.
reduced or added
time, UAV battery The status bar contains
based on the latest
voltage and information about
angle.
application logo. communication status
 RC Monitoring: to
between the application
 Button control: find out how much
and the UAV device,
contains several the value of the
such as the type of
buttons that signal sent by the
device connected, the
function to connect remote control. The
mode that was active on
applications with range of signal data
the device, how long the
UAV devices using obtained is 900: Fig. 8. Communication
communication lasted
button connect and 2000. To show how diagram
and the name of the
button disconnect, much the change in
application. Then, the In Fig. 8 the
and there is a signal value, the
main menu is the main communication media
button to activate system uses the
area in the application between GCS and UAV
the waypoint menu progressBarAnim
that provides the main consists of two types,
and monitoring function to indicate
collection of namely radio telemetry
menu. each change in
information from data and local network.
 GMap navigation: value. And make
that has been received Radio telemetry will act
display a map of sure that the remote
 in half-duplex, which C. Monitoring System Fig. 9 is an example GHz frequency wireless
means that both devices of Android GCS of how to observe communication on a
can act as transmitters Based on the the attitude of a UAV local network. Which
and receivers alternately analysis of needs that device. Where the then to access the
according to the needs have been carried out, movement of a roll, camera application
needed by there are some pitch, yaw, and needs to enter the IP
communication on the information and data throttle can be address that has been
system. needed in designing a described. given via the RTSP
monitoring system, b. Location monitoring protocol. An example of
including: This monitoring writing the camera
B. Data Protocol
aims to determine address used is rtsp: //
To be able to receive IP-address: 8554 /
a. Monitoring the the location of the
the correct data unicast.
information, a protocol Attitude of UAV UAV shown in
is needed that contains Conditions GMap navigation.
the order of data to be To find out the The data used is
received. This protocol attitude of the latitude and
is needed to prevent aircraft, the data longitude obtained
errors in receipt of the needed from the from GPS sensors.
information received by flight controller is Besides that, what is
the GCS application
the data obtained needed is to know
before it is processed
and displayed. from the IMU sensor the height of the
in the form of UAV by reading data
TABLE 2 angular values x, y from the barometer
Data Protocol Order and z. from the sensor.
Data angular value it is c. Monitoring Flight
Description
Order
necessary to show Time
Header = ID of the flight controller used. MW for
MW/EF Multiwii and EF for Efalcon the attitude of the This monitoring
Roll Roll movement data -180° : 180° UAV device, namely, aims to determine Fig. 10. Video stream system
Pitch Pitch movement data -180° : 180° roll the value of the the length of time
Yaw Directional data -180° : 180° x angle to determine communication Fig. 10 shows the
Latitude Latitude Coordinate Data flow of the video
the slope of the between UAVs and
Longitude Longitude coordinate data streaming system.
Altitude Altitude data plane, pitch the GCS applications.
This is so that users Starting from the IP-
Channel 1 Data RC 1000-2000 angle value y to
Camera which records
Channel 2 Data RC 1000-2000 indicate the direction also know how long
images from the
Channel 3 Data RC 1000-2000 of the plane up or the UAV flies and is
Channel 4 Data RC 1000-2000
surrounding
down, and y the connected. environment then the
Battery Battery power
value of z angle to d. Monitoring Remote encoding process is
Mode The active mode on the flight controller
Tail = \n End of protocol indicate the direction Control carried out with the
of the UAV. This monitoring RTSP protocol and then
In the data aims to find out the sent to the server. From
transmission protocol value sent by each the GCS application
sequence, each data is server, the client
channel on the RC.
separated by a "," which decodes by calling the
So that the user can RTSP protocol IP
is also used to calculate know each function
how much data is address so that the
on the RC channel recorded environment
received by the
application. The GCS used. This data is can be displayed on the
application will only obtained from an RC GCS application frame
accept data in the order receiver that is screen.
of the protocol if true connected to the IV. EXPERIMENTAL
the data will be sent and flight controller and RESULT
separated to be included
then passed through In this section, we
in each GCS monitoring
application function. telemetry to be sent will show the results of
Otherwise, the to the GCS testing on the android
monitoring system will application. GCS application. Where
not function. testing will prove that
D. Access IP-Camera the application can
Fig. 9. Attitude of multirotor IP-Camera devices communicate with the
are connected with flight controller. Also,
applications through 2.4 the data received will be
displayed through UI and data speed every required to be in the
animations so that users time it is updated. same local network area.
are expected to be able The farther the distance
to understand between devices, the
information regarding faster the video
the condition of the streaming will be. To
UAV. The data that will prove that the Android
be displayed is the latest GCS application can be
data update and also the connected to a flight
speed of data updates controller, there will be
received by the android several sample graphs of
GCS application. data received by the
application with the
Fig. 12. User interface layout
speed of updating any
from Android GCS App for data changes when
monitoring received by the
application.
Fig. 11. Testing data protocol Fig. 14. IP-Camera access
Fig. 12 it can be
noted that the movement TABLE 3
In Fig. 11 the first conditions of the UAV Data Roll
experiment, for testing can be seen. Where the Data Data Tim
data reception, the GCS direction of direction, Data Roll
Measuring Roll Del
application can receive slope, position and GCS App
Instrument GCS PC GCS A
data based on the data height are displayed by (°)
(°) (°) (s)
protocol arrangement the user interface. Also,
which is then processed 15 15 15 0,10
each data will be stored
in the monitoring as a datalog file on the 30 31 31 0,11
function to be displayed. storage media from the 45 45 45 0,23
Fig. 7 shows the results smartphone, precisely in
of data received from Fig. 15. IP-Camera access 60 62 62 0,30
the document folder.
the flight controller. The 75 75 75 0,23
amount of data sent is In Fig. 14 and Fig.
91 91 0,22
13 data separated by a 15, it shows that 90
applications can access 105 105 105 0,1
"," sign. The result of
this test is that the GCS IP-Camera using the 120 123 123 0,33
application can receive RTSP protocol and 136 136 0,37
135
updated data according H.264 format video
compression. After 150 151 151 0,23
to what was sent.
Problems will only connecting the recorded Data Data
Data Roll
Tim
appear if the data order video can also be savedMeasuring Roll
GCS App
Del
is damaged so that it after pressing theInstrument GCS PC
(°)
GCS A
cannot be displayed.
Fig. 13. Datalog on capture button located (°) (°) (s)
smartphone
After the data next to the play button. -15 -16 -16 0,23
protocol is received In Fig. 13 the -30 -32 -32 0,33
correctly, then the data datalog serves to store -45 -45 0,16
-45
is displayed through the the track record of each
user interface on the -60 -61 -61 0,28
movement of the UAV
application. Data roll in the form of a sensor -75 -76 -76 0,33
and yaw are displayed data list. Data recorded -90 -93 -93 0,37
using rotation animation is obtained every time a
-105 -106 -106 0,1
than for altitude data data transfer update
and RC monitoring occurs and file naming -120 -120 -120 0,21
using the slider bar. has a -135 -136 -136 0,21
PIGEON_LOG_DDMM -151 -151 0,16
-150
YY_HHMM Fig. 16. Video streaming speed
arrangement in the form chart for distance
The data in Table 3
of a * txt file. And after
shows the angle
one minute, a new The reach of
comparison of the
datalog document will communication
measuring instrument
be created every minute. applications with IP-
with the desktop and
The stored data is ID, Camera as shown in Fig.
Android GCS
roll data, pitch data, yaw 16 depends on the radius
applications. The angle
data, altitude data, of reach of wireless
value that is read
latitude coordinates, connections because
between the gauge and
longitude coordinates both devices are
 the GCS desktop -20 -22 -22 80 83 83 V. CONCLUSION
application has a Applications can be
-25 -27 -27 90 92 92
difference with the connected to the
average error range -30 -31 -31 100 103 103
Multiwii flight
obtained by 1 ° with a -35 -36 -36 -10 -11 -11 controller as evidenced
precision level of 0.8% -19 -19 by the data acquisition
-40 -41 -41 -20
and an accuracy of and sending of both
98.9%. And if you look -45 -47 -47 -30 -29 -29
devices in half duplex.
at the GCS Android -50 -53 -53 -40 -40 -39 To access the telemetry
application the angle -50 -51 -51 module, an Android
values read tend to be The data in Table 4 smartphone device that
-60 -60 -60
the same as those that shows a comparison of has USB Host and On
have been read on a the angle of the gauge -70 -71 -71
The Go features is
desktop GCS with the desktop and -80 -82 -82 needed. From the test
application, this is of Android GCS data obtained by GCS
-90 -92 -92
course due to the GCS applications. The angle Data has an accuracy of
android accessing data Data
value that is read Measuring Data Yaw 96.12% with a precision
from the same flight Yaw
between the gauge and Instrument GCS App level of 0.7% so it can
controller at the same GCS PC
the GCS desktop (°) be concluded that the
time. The possibility of (°) (°)
application has a GCS Android
differences in reading of difference with the -100 -102 -102
application can read
values between the two average error range of accurately. In addition,
applications will occur 1.2 ° with a precision The data in Table 5 the application can
when the flight level of 0.66% and an shows the angular display navigation by
controller moves accuracy of 97.8%. The comparison of showing the location
quickly and causes angle values read on the measuring devices with point based on latitude
delays in receiving data GCS Android desktop and Android data and longitude data.
on the GCS Android application tend to be GCS applications. The Whereas for IP-Camera
application so that the the same as those read angle value that is read which is integrated with
data appearance update on the desktop GCS between the gauge and the GCS application
is also late. And for the application, this is of the GCS desktop through the local WiFi
time being the delay in course due to the application has a network, it still has a
receiving and processing android GCS accessing difference with the low coverage where in
data on the GCS data from the same average error range of the range of 0-100
Android application has flight controller at the 1.8 ° with a precision meters. And the
an average delay of same time. The level of 1.16% and an directional angle
0.235 seconds. difference in data accuracy of 95.6%. The transmits the access
readings in the GCS angle values read on the point signal by 60 °.
TABLE 4 application is due to GCS Android
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