Unmanned Small Vehicle Designs Get a Boost
Many of the most predominant small unmanned crafts, including unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), unmanned surface vehicle (USV; water), and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designs for military or commercial use, can benefit from simple, modular designs for vehicle control. Such a design methodology would enable diversification while still speeding time to market.
The UxV/35TM standard from the RMS Consortium supports fast-track small unmanned craft designs by providing compatible, open-source flight and vehicle control with snap-together systems and minimized wiring. With the UxV/35 approach, finished-goods manufacturers can focus on what differentiates their products while using standard, enabling embedded computing technology. Samtec became involved with this standard because these UxV/35 compatible systems require a stacking connector that is also reliable and cost-effective.
Standard Serves Multiple Design Types
The UxV/35 standard specifies a modular assembly approach for unmanned systems that minimizes wiring and increases assembly success while using components from multiple vendors. Kairos82nd, for example, is a robotics company that specializes in modular, stackable boards designed according to the UxV/35 standard. Figure 2 shows some of their boards that feature Samtec connectors.
The goal of the standard is to bring order and interoperability to some common components in small unmanned craft. The open-system UxV/35 standard enables multiple vendors to create modules that can then be plugged together to function in application-specific configurations, such as flight controllers, electronic speed controls (ESC), power distribution, and communications.
According to the standard, UxV/35 boards can be grouped into five categories: Mission Boards (control the movement and behavior of the UAV, UGV, or USV), Platform and Power Boards (direct power to components in the stack), Stack Management Boards (allow designers to rotate, reverse, or rearrange the stack for best fit), Interoperability Boards (adapt the connectors on open-source boards from multiple vendors), and Test Boards (for testing the boards in the field or at the bench). Detailed information on the standard can be found at UxV/35 Standard — RMS Consortium.
A Stackable, Reliable Connection
Samtec, in collaboration with members of the RMS Consortium, developed a series of durable interconnect systems, UxV/35-FleXYZTM ESQT, based on a 2 mm grid with a 3×3 pin configuration. These connectors are designed to stack and nest, forming a vertical 9-pin bus that adjusts to different design sizes and configurations. Specifically, there are three 9-pin connectors and one 8-pin connector that acts as a keying guide for assembling the units.
To help indicate that they are U.S.-sourced, the connectors feature a distinctive blue housing. Numerous test reports, including power integrity, severe environmental, and solder heat resistance testing are available on the Samtec product page: UXV/35 Standard Products.
