机载电脑
Companion computers ("mission computers"), are separate on-vehicle computers that are connected to the flight controller, and which enable computationally expensive features like collision prevention.
下图显示了一个可能的无人驾驶架构，其中包括飞控和机载计算机。
飞控在 NuttX 上运行 PX4, 提供核心飞控和安全代码。机载计算机通常运行 Linux, 因为这是一个“通用”软件开发的更好平台。 They are connected using a fast serial or Ethernet link, and typically communicate using the MAVLink protocol or uXRCE-DDS.
Communications with the ground stations and the cloud are usually routed via the companion computer (e.g. using the MAVLink Router).
Pixhawk 自动驾驶仪总线载板与机载计算机
The following carrier boards make it easy to integrate Pixhawk flight controllers with a companion computer, significantly easing both hardware and software setup. The boards support the Pixhawk Autopilot Bus (PAB) open standard so you can plug in any compliant controller:
管理集成系统
以下集成的机载计算机/飞控系统默认使用受控/自定义版本的飞控和机载计算机软件。它们在这里列出，因为它们可以使用 "vanilla" PX4 固件进行更新，以进行测试/快速开发。
机载计算机选项
PX4 can be used with computers that can be configured to communicate via MAVLink or microROS/uXRCE-DDS over a serial port (or Ethernet port, if present). 以下列出了一小部分可能的替代方案。
高性能计算机：
小型/低功耗设备如：
INFO
The choice of computer will depend on the usual tradeoffs: cost, weight, power consumption, ease of setup, and computational resources required.
机载计算机软件
机载计算机需要运行能与飞控通信的软件，并将消息路由到地面站和云端。
无人机应用程序
Drone API 和 SDK 允许您编写能够控制 PX4 的软件。 Popular alternatives include:
- MAVSDK - libraries in various programming languages to interface with MAVLink systems such as drones, cameras or ground systems.
- ROS 2 to communicate to ROS 2 nodes (may also be used).
- ROS 1 and MAVROS
MAVSDK 通常更容易学习和使用，而 ROS 提供更多预先编写的软件，用于像计算机视觉这样的高级案例。 Drone APIs and SDKs > What API Should I Use? explains the different options in detail.
您还可以从头开始编写您的自定义 MAVLink 库：
- C/C++ example code shows how to connect custom code
- MAVLink also can also be used with many other programming languages
路由
如果您需要将 MAVLink 从载具桥接到地面站或 IP 网络，您将需要一个路由器。 或者如果您需要多个连接：
- MAVLink Router (recommended)
- MAVProxy
以太网设置
以太网是推荐的连接方式，如果飞行控制器支持的话。 See Ethernet Setup for instructions.
飞控特定设置
以下章节介绍了如何为特定的飞控设置机载计算机，特别是当您不是使用以太网连接时。