Trillium Skylink Update: 24.2

Trillium Engineering is excited to unveil Version 24.2 of our Skylink software, a major update that brings a suite of powerful enhancements designed to elevate the performance and usability of our systems. This release introduces advanced image enhancements across LWIR, MWIR, and EO systems, new multi-track feature, onboard video record, secondary datastream capability, KLV compliance, and customizable joystick settings.

Version 24.2 is compatible with all Trillium gimbal types and aligns with our updated software release convention. For more details and downloads, visit our Integration Documents page.

Image Enhancements

SkyLink’s image enhancements reduce imagery noise and improve dynamic range within LWIR, MWIR, and EO systems. No additional hardware or integration changes are required for this change.

• LWIR - features decreased imagery noise, better contrast, and dynamic range, providing more detail and image clarity.
• MWIR - exhibits extended dynamic range providing differentiation in finer details and smaller temperature ranges. This, coupled with reduced overall image noise, provides better contrast and fewer image artifacts.
• Visible (EO) - improved performance in low light situations. Improvements include reduced imagery noise, removal of artificial sharpening artifacts, and better image brightness with automatic gain control improvements. This applies to select systems only.

Multi-Track Feature

The new multi-track feature is a significant upgrade from the previous single-object tracking capability, enhancing operational effectiveness, particularly in dynamic environments where multiple objects need to be monitored and analyzed. New features include:

• Tracking for 1 primary and up to 4 secondary objects in the scene - improving situational awareness, the gimbal follows the primary track while the tracking software maintains precise position and path estimation of all 5 tracks
• Enhanced tracking data – offering more accurate geo-location, along with estimated heading and speed for all 5 tracked objects
• Cursor On Target (COT) messages for each tracked object (output by Skylink software) enable real-time export of tracks to third-party applications.
• Tracks are shown on the map, and can be seen even after they leave the field of view of the camera, enabling the operator to visually see the history of a tracked object

Onboard Video Record

Onboard video record enables users to save files on the gimbal that include encoded video data for each imager, selectable bitrate independent of primary video stream, KLV metadata for active imager, and gimbal native protocol data.

Dedicated Secondary Video Stream

This secondary datastream supports a customizable video bitrate separate from the primary video stream. This can be utilized for onboard aircraft computers and AI applications or can be used for low bandwidth backhaul datalinks. With this new feature, users will be able to:

• Independently select which imagers to include in stream
• Stream h.265 video for each selected imager
• Select bitrate independent of primary gimbal video stream

KLV Compliance

The latest update ensures that all Trillium systems meet stringent government requirements, achieving full compliance with STANAG 4609 Ed 5 and MISP 2019.1 standards. Users can select between asynchronous or synchronous KLV metadata. Now, metadata is matched with the image, ensuring synchronization between the data and the actual imagery captured. Legacy KLV encoding is still supported for systems that rely on it.

Customizable Joystick Settings

After a long-standing request, users are now able to customize joystick settings to better suit their specific application needs. Rather than rely on a set of supported joysticks, SkyLink now allows generic joystick support as well. This added flexibility ensures that users can tailor joystick functionality to their preferences, improving overall usability and efficiency in their tasks.