Monday, April 11, 2016

UAS Sensor Placement











 





Unmanned Aerial Systems Sensor Placement
by
Stanley D. Pebsworth
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
April 2016






A Research Project Submitted to the Worldwide Campus in partial fulfillment of the requirements for course UNSY 605, Unmanned Systems Sensing, Perception, and Processing

Unmanned Aerial Systems Sensor Placement
            In the world of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) the consumer has a wide range of choices and uses.  Uses range from aerial photography to First Person View (FPV) racing and the choices may seem endless.  This paper will focus on my two favorite systems for use in aerial photography and FPV racing as well as describe the many sensors used on each system and their purpose.
Aerial Photography
            In the world of aerial photography, the consumer must determine what type of camera system they wish to use.  In one case you could simply use a gimbaled GoPro camera and in another case you could use your own DSLR camera.  For those wishing to produce both aerial photography and aerial video the DJI Spreading Wings S1000+ is a great choice.
            The Spreading Wings S1000+ has the capability to fly your personal DSLR camera such as the 5D Mark III from Canon.  Coupled with the DJI A2 flight controller which has built in IMU, radio receiver, and GPS receiver, the S1000+ has intelligent orientation control, point of interest, landing gear control, auto return to home, and a fault detection capability in the event of a motor failure.  This sensor is mounted centrally to the system with the GPS antenna mounted on the top of the system for clear line of sight with satellites (DJI.com, n.d.).
            As mentioned, the S1000+ has retractable gear.  This function coupled with the Zemuse Z15 gimbal allows for full 360-degree unobstructed freedom of you DSLR camera.  The S1000+ utilizes a 2.4Ghz full HD digital video downlink system called Lightbridge.  This allows to user to view what the camera sees allowing for the best viewing angles and video capture.  This system costs all in at around $4,500.00 US.  For the user that wishes to get into the professional aerial photography business, the S1000+ provides professional grade sensors and control (DJI.com, n.d.).
First Person View Racer
            For the consumer wishing to get into the hobby of FPV racing, there again are many options to choose from.  A new emerging technology is the capability of the FPV racer to tilt its rotors.  This means that in high speed forward flight, the camera system mounted on the system is not looking at the ground.  One of these FPV racers with this capability is the Walkera Furious 320.
            There are several Furious 320 packages to choose from; specifically, the GPS Edition 2.  This package includes the DEVO-10 radio transmitter, 1080p camera, OSD, and GPS.  The camera sensor on the 320 is placed on the nose of the racer.  This allows for the best FPV and the GPS antenna and sensor are mounted on top of the racer for best GPS signal reception (Walkera.com, n.d.).
            With the Furious 320, GPS signals are used to both navigate and return to a known location as well as continually compute the remaining battery life and the distance it needs to fly back to the home point.  All in and ready to fly, the Walkera Furious 320 costs $609.00 US.  For a great FPV racing experience, the Furious 320 provides modern technology, professional design, and quality sensors usage (Walkera.com, n.d.). 


References
DJI.com. (n.d.). Spreading Wings S1000+. Retrieved 11 April 2016 from http://www.dji .com/product/spreading-wings-s1000-plus
Walkera.com. (n.d.). Furious 320. Retrieved 11 April 2016 from http://shop.walkera.com /en/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=257

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