Large solar photovoltaic (PV) sites cover extensive areas and contain many modules that require inspection. During inspection missions, onboard systems collect flight data, visible-light imagery and thermal imagery for transmission to the ground. The ground control station (GCS) receives this data so operators can monitor the mission and review inspection information. Dividing data preprocessing and analysis between airborne and ground nodes helps reduce network traffic and centralized processing workloads. Each computing platform must therefore be selected for its role, with appropriate consideration for space, I/O and thermal requirements.
PCOM-BC00 for Airborne Mission Computing and Data Preprocessing
The airborne computing node preprocesses inspection data and connects to imaging and sensor peripherals. Size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C), together with thermal constraints, limit airborne mission computing. The platform must provide the I/O needed for imaging, sensors, data links and storage within a compact footprint and a limited power budget.
Based on SMARC 2.2, PCOM-BC00 measures 82 × 50 mm and offers processor configurations from 6W to 15W, making it suitable for airborne environments with limited space and power. Up to 16GB LPDDR5 and 256GB eMMC provide memory and local storage for image preprocessing, data filtering and temporary buffering. USB 3.2, PCIe, UART, GPIO, I²C and dual 2.5GbE interfaces can be routed through a custom carrier board to connect cameras, sensors and communications equipment, with additional mission-specific interfaces tailored to onboard peripheral requirements.
PCOM-B65B for Ground Mission Monitoring and AI-Assisted Analysis
After the airborne node collects and preprocesses data, the GCS presents the incoming information to operators and supports further analysis. A GCS for solar PV inspection must support telemetry and mission management while handling multilayer geographic information system (GIS) visualization, visible-light and thermal imagery, and real-time AI-assisted analysis.
PCOM-B65B combines the COM Express Type 6 Compact form factor with the Intel®Core™ Ultra platform. An industrial wide-temperature option supports operation from -40°C to 85°C. Its heterogeneous computing architecture allows workloads to be distributed across the CPU, GPU and NPU. The CPU can handle mission and telemetry tasks, while the integrated GPU supports GIS visualization and video processing. Through OpenVINO™, the NPU can accelerate supported AI inference workloads. This division of work addresses the GCS requirements for mission management, information display and AI-assisted analysis.
With up to 128GB DDR5 and PCIe Gen4 expansion, PCOM-B65B is suitable for integration into portable GCS computers used outdoors, balancing computing performance, power consumption and system expansion requirements.
Portwell DMS for Inspection System Integration
Airborne data preprocessing and ground monitoring and analysis involve different computing roles, installation constraints and peripheral integration requirements. Pairing appropriate computing modules with custom carrier boards addresses the distinct space, I/O and thermal needs of airborne equipment and the GCS. Through its Design and Manufacturing Service (DMS), Portwell supports BIOS and firmware development, mechanical and thermal design, and system validation. These capabilities help customers integrate computing modules with application requirements to create modular computing platforms that support customization, volume production and future upgrades.
