Sounding Better!
MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
by Connor MacDonald
As the use of autonomous vehicles for data collection is increasing, HYPACK is adding features to
support these devices. One such feature that is being heavily developed is the LINE EDITOR.
A goal of HYPACK is to support mission planning for autonomous vehicles with the LINE EDITOR, and
now HYPACK® supports exporting and importing waypoint files generated by MAVLink software such
as QGroundControl and ArduPilot’s MissionPlanner.
1.
Select MISSION PLANNING>MISSION PLANNER MODE in the LINE EDITOR.
FIGURE 1. Setting the LINE EDITOR to Mission Planner Mode
2.
Load an LNW (planned line) file. Load any previously made LNW files to have
waypoints automatically generated at each point. If you do not have a LNW file already,
you can use the cursor tool to create a line in HYPACK®. In the LINE EDITOR, you will
see MAVLink commands have been inserted at each point.
FIGURE 2. Mission Planner Mode
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MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
MANAGING MAVLINK COMMANDS
Manage your MAVLink Commands in the Command Editor:
To open the Command Editor, double-click on the Command List of a waypoint where you would like
to add, modify or delete commands.
In the Command Editor, select a command on the left to see its description on the right.
FIGURE 3. Command Editor
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To add a command for the selected point, double-click on the required command. The
editor appends the selected command at the end of the command list.
To edit a command, click on the parameter sections of that command in your list. The
Command Description given by the MAVLink protocol for the command parameter
appear, and you can modify the parameters.
MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
FIGURE 4. Editing Command Parameters—Before (top)
FIGURE 5. Editing Command Parameters—After (bottom)
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To reorder the commands, click and drag the command by its name to its new position
in the command list.
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MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
FIGURE 6. Ordering Commands—Before (top)
FIGURE 7. Ordering Commands—After (bottom)
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To delete a command, either drag the command you would like to delete below the
delete row, or drag the delete row at the bottom above the command you would like to
delete.
MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
FIGURE 8. Deleting the First Command by Dragging it Below the Delete Row—Before (top)
FIGURE 9. Deleting the First Command by Dragging it Below the Delete Row—After (bottom)
If a MAVLink command requires latitude, longitude, and depth, you can use the autofill box on the
bottom-left to copy this information into the parameters you choose of the last-selected command.
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MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
FIGURE 10. Filling Latitude, Longitude and Depth with the Autofill Feature—Before
FIGURE 11. Filling Latitude, Longitude and Depth with the Autofill Feature—After
When you are done, click [OK] and the commands will be stored at that point.
EXPORTING AND IMPORTING WAYPOINTS TO THE MISSION
PLANNER
Under the Mission Planning menu, you can export your current mission to a waypoint file or import a
waypoint file into the LINE EDITOR.
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MAVLink Support in the LINE EDITOR
FIGURE 12. Exporting and Importing Waypoints
Expect to see more on autonomous vehicle support from HYPACK in the future!
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