How Do Drones Work And What Is Drone Technology
What is a drone and how do drones work
is answered here in this easy to understand article. Drone technology is
constantly evolving as new innovation and big investment are bringing
more advanced drones to the market every few months.
Below, we discuss UAV technology on the
most popular drones on the market which have all the latest drone
technology. Most drones will have very similar systems incorporated.
Unmanned aerial vehicle technology covers
everything from the aerodynamics of the drone, materials in the
manufacture of the physical UAV, to the circuit boards, chipset and
software which are the brains of the drone.
One of the most popular drones on the
market is the DJI Phantom 3. This drone was very popular with
professional aerial cinematographers. While slightly old now, it uses
plenty of advanced technology which is present in the very latest
drones. This UAV is ideal to explain drone technology because it has
everything in one package. It includes the UAV, gimbal and camera and
uses some of the top drone technology on the market today.
In only a few months since writing this article, some new and highly advanced drones
such as the DJI Mavic, Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 have come to the
market. The fast pace of drone technological innovation is tremendous.
I’ve included these latest drone technology advancements in the below
article. So it is right up to date including the links.
How Drones Work
A typical unmanned aircraft is made of
light composite materials to reduce weight and increase maneuverability.
This composite material strength allows military drones to cruise at extremely high altitudes.
Drones are equipped with different state of
the art technology such as infra-red cameras (military UAV), GPS and
laser (military UAV). Drones are controlled by remote control system
also sometimes referred to as a ground cockpit.
An unmanned aerial vehicle system has two parts, the drone itself and the control system.
The nose of the unmanned aerial vehicle is
where all the sensors and navigational systems are present. The rest of
the body is complete innovation since there is no need for space to
accommodate humans. The engineering materials used to build the drone
are highly complex composites which can absorb vibration which decreases
the noise produced and also light weight.
What Is A Drone – UAV Technology
Below we examine the science and drone
technology behind the DJI Phantom 3 UAV. However, we also have plenty
of information on the latest drone technologies from the newest drones
on the market. There are plenty of links where you can read deeper into
various components of drone technology. For example, here is a
terrific drone components overview article. This gives you a breakdown of the individual components seen in most drones.
Drone Types And Sizes
Drones come in a wide variety of sizes,
with the largest being mostly used for military purposes such as the
Predator drone. The next in size are unmanned aircraft which have fixed
wings and require short runways. These are generally used to cover
large areas, working in areas such as geographical surveying or to
combat wildlife poaching.
Next in size of drones and are what is
known as VTOL drones. Many of these are quadcopters but not all. VTOL
drones can take off, fly, hover and land vertically. The exact meaning
of VTOL is “Vertical Take-Off and Landing”.
Many of the latest small drones such as the DJI Spark can be launched from the palm of your hand.
Radar Positioning & Return Home
- The flight radar displays the current position and location of the drone in relation to the pilot.
- Exceeding the control range of the remote control will trigger a ‘Return-to-Home’ feature, meaning the UAV will automatically fly back to its takeoff point and land safely.
Most of the latest drone have 3 types of Return to Home drone technology as follows;
- Pilot initiated return to home by pressing button on Remote Controller or in an app.
- Low battery level where the UAV will fly back automatically back to home point.
- Loss of transmission between the UAV and Remote Controller with the UAV flying back automatically to its home point.
- The Mavic Air slows down when an obstacle is sensed
- It will stop and hover, then fly backward and ascends upwards until no obstacle is sensed.
- Next the RTH process resumes and the Mavic Air will return to home point a the new altitude.
Gyro Stabilization, IMU And Flight Controllers
Gyro stabilization technology is one of the
components which gives the drone its smooth flight capabilities. The
gyroscope needs to work almost instantly to the forces moving against
the drone. The gyroscope provides essential navigational information to
the central flight controller.
The inertial measurement unit (IMU) works
by detecting the current rate of acceleration using one or
more accelerometers. The IMU detects changes in rotational attributes
like pitch, roll and yaw using one or more gyroscopes. Some IMU include
a magnetometer to assist with calibration against orientation drift.
The Gyroscope is a component of the IMU and
the IMU is an essential component of the drones flight controller. The
flight controller is the central brain of the drone.
Here is a terrific article which covers gyro stabilization and IMU technology in drones.
Drone Motor Direction And Propeller Design
The motors and propellers are the drone technology which get the UAV into the air and to fly in any direction or hover. On a quadcopter, the motors and propellers work in pairs with 2 motors / propellers rotating clockwise (CW Propellers) and 2 motors rotating Counter Clockwise (CCW Propellers).They receive data from the flight controller and the electronic speed controllers (ESC) on the drone motor direction to either hover or fly.
Onscreen Real-Time Flight Parameters
Keep track of current flight telemetry and see what your drone sees on your mobile device.
No Fly Zone Drone Technology
In order to increase flight safety and
prevent accidental flights in restricted areas, the latest drones from
DJI and other manufacturers include a “No Fly Zone” feature.
These no fly zones
have been divided into two categories: A and B. Manufacturers can
update and change this no fly zone drone technology using firmware
updates.
GPS Ready To Fly Mode Drone Technology
When the compass s is calibrated, the drone
then seeks the location of GPS satellites. When more than 6 are found,
it allows the drone to fly in “Ready To Fly” Mode.
Internal Compass & Failsafe Function
Allows the UAV and remote control system to
know exactly its flight location. Calibration of the Compass is
required to set a home point. The home point is the location where the
drone will return to in case of loss of signal between the drone and the
remote control system. This is also know as “fail-safe function”.
FPV Live Video Transmission Drone Technology
FPV means “First Person View”
and it is where a video camera is mounted on the unmanned aerial
vehicle and broadcasts the live video to the pilot on the ground. The
pilot is flying the aircraft as if they were on-board the aircraft
instead of looking at the aircraft from the pilot’s actual ground
position.
FPV allows the unmanned aircraft to fly
much higher and further than you can from looking at the aircraft from
the ground. First Person View allows for more precise flying especially
around obstacles.
It also allows for unmanned aerial vehicles
to fly very easily indoors, through forests and around buildings where
it would not be possible to fly from a fixed position on the ground
looking up at the drone in the distance.
The exceptionally fast growth and development of the drone racing league would not be possible without FPV live video transmission technology.
This FPV technology uses radio signal to transmit and receive the live video.
The drone has a multi-band wireless FPV transmitter built in along
with an antennae. Depending on the drone, the receiver of the live
video signals can be either the remote control unit, a computer, tablet
or smartphone device.This live video feed is related to the strength of the signal between the ground control on the drone. The latest drones such as the DJI Mavic and Phantom 4 Pro, can transmit live video up to 4.3 miles (7 km). The Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 use the latest DJI Lightbridge 2 transmission system.
Drones such as the DJI Mavic Pro use integrated controllers and intelligent algorithms to set a new standard for wireless high definition image transmission by lowering latency and increasing maximum range and reliability.
Live video and maximizing the range of the transmission is fascinating drone technology. Read this article entitled “Understanding FPV Live Video Transmission“.
FPV Over 4G / LTE Networks
In 2016, a new live video which transmits over the 4G / LTE network providing an unlimited range and low latency video. This drone technology is the Sky Drone FPV 2 and comprises of a camera module, a data module and a 4G / LTE modem.Firmware And Flight Assistant Port
The flight control system communicates with
a PC Assistant through a Micro-USB cable. This allows configuration of
the UAV and upgrade of the drone firmware.
A very simple description of a drone is
that it is a flying computer with a camera or sensor attached. Like
computers, drones have firmware which is software which commands the
physical components in the aircraft or remote controller.
Drone manufacturers release firmware
upgrades to fix bugs and add new features to the aircraft, remote
control unit or software if it is used to fly the drone.
LED Flight Indicators
These are found at the front and the rear
of the drone. The front LEDs are for indicating where the nose of the
drone is. The rear LEDs flight indicators light up to show the drones
current flight status when the flight battery is turned on.
UAV Remote Control System
This is the wireless communication device
using the 5.8 GHz frequency band. The drone and the remote control
system should already be paired when it leaves the factory.
UAV Remote Control Receiver
The location of the 5.8 GHz receiver technology link button is under the UAV.
Range Extender UAV Technology
This is a wireless communication device
which operates within the 2.4 GHz frequency. It is used to extend the
range of communication between the smartphone or tablet and the drone in
an open unobstructed area.
Transmission distance can reach up to 700 meters. Each range extender has a unique MAC address and network name (SSID).
Some of the latest drones out of the box
can fly using range to a distance of up to 4.3 miles (7km). Products
such as FPV range extenders are very popular which can push the distance
even further.
Smartphone App Featuring Ground Station Function
Many of the drones today can be flown by a
remote controller or from a smartphone app which can be downloaded from
Google Play or the Apple Store. The app allows for full control of the
drone.
Each manufacturer will have their own app such as the Go 4 app from DJI.
High Performance Camera
The latest drones from DJI, Walkera, Yuneec
and many other manufacturers now include cameras which can shoot film
in 4k video and can take 12 megapixel stills.
Many of the earlier drones used cameras which were not fully suitable for aerial filming. Many of these aerial videos had barrel distortion because of the wide angle lens.
However, the latest 4k video drones
such as DJI Inspire 1, Phantom 3 Professional and Phantom 4 have a
camera which is specifically designed for aerial filming and
photography.
Drones With Zoom Cameras
In 2016 and 2017, a number of integrated gimbals with optical and digital zoom came to the market.
DJI released the Zenmuse Z3, which is an
integrated aerial zoom camera and is optimized for still photography.
The Zenmuse Z3 which had a 7x zoom made up of 3.5x optical and 2x
digital lossless zoom creating a 22 to 77 mm equivalent focal length
range, making it ideal for industrial applications.
Then in October 2016, DJI released the Zenmuse Z30 camera. This
powerful Zenmuse Z30 is an integrated aerial zoom camera has a 30x
optical and 6x digital zoom for a total magnification up to 180x. This
allows for more industrial uses such as inspecting cell towers or wind
turbines to get a very detailed look at structures, wires, modules and
components to detect damage. The Zenmuse is compatible with DJI Matrice range of drones.
The Walkera Voyager 4
comes with an incredible 18x zoom camera. The 18X optical zoom camera
on the Voyager 4 has unobstructed 360 degree filming. It can film in 4K
at 30 frames per second. The high definition image transmission system
uses a 3-axis brushless stabilization gimbal technology.
Gimbals & Tilt Control
Gimbal technology is vital to capture
quality aerial photos, film or 3D imagery. The gimbal allows for any
vibration from the drone to not reach the camera. The gimbal allows you
to tilt the camera while in flight, creating unique angles. Many are 3
axis stabilized gimbals with 2 working modes. Non-FPV mode and FPV
mode.
Practically all the latest drones have
integrated gimbals and cameras. The leader in aerial gimbal technology
is DJI with their Zenmuse range. You can read further on drone gimbal design here.
Cinematography Drones Without Gimbals
At CES 2017 a company called Ambarella announced the H22 chip for cameras in drones.
This H22 chip allows the camera to film in 4K HD video and includes
electronic image stabilization, removing the need for camera gimbals.
Drones With Sensors
Multispectral, Lidar, Photogrammetry and Thermal vision sensors
are now being used on drones to provide 3D models of buildings and
landscape; Digital Elevation Maps (DEMS) of land, and provide precision
data on the health of crops, flowers, fauna, shrubs and trees.
In 2016, drones using Time-of-Flight sensors came
on the market. ToF sensors which can be used on their own or with the
above sensors to provide various solutions across many sectors.
ToF depth ranging camera sensors can be
used for object scanning, indoor navigation, obstacle avoidance,
gesture, track objects, recognition, measure volumes, reactive
altimeters, 3D photography, augmented reality games and much more.
With Lidar and photogrammetry mapping, the
drone will be programmed to fly over an particular area using autonomous
GPS waypoint navigation. The camera on the drone will take photographs
at say 0.5 or 1 second intervals. These photos are then stitched
together using specialized software to create the 3D images.
DroneDeploy is one of the leaders in the
creation of 3D mapping software for the agriculture sector. Their
latest software called Fieldscanner will work with most of the latest drones.
Obstacle Detection And Collision Avoidance Technology
Many drones are now equipped with collision avoidance systems. These drone vision systems use obstacle detection sensors to scan the surroundings while software algorithms and SLAM technology produce the images into 3D maps allowing the flight controller to sense and avoid the object. These systems are fusing one of more of the following sensors to sense and avoid obstacles;- Vision Sensor
- Ultrasonic
- Infrared
- Lidar
- Time of Flight (ToF)
- Monocular Vision
Anti-Drop Kit
Helps to keep the stabilizer and camera connected to the unmanned aircraft.
Video Editing Software
Having an excellent quality video software
is essential for post processing. Most of the latest drones can film in
Adobe DNG raw which means that all the original image information is
retained for later processing.
Operating Systems In Drone Technology
Some unmanned aircraft use MS Windows
operating systems. However more and more UAV innovators are now using
different versions of Linux. The Linux Foundation have a project
launched in 2014 called the Dronecode project.
The Dronecode Project
is an open source, collaborative project which brings together existing
and future open source unmanned aerial vehicle projects under a
nonprofit structure governed by The Linux Foundation. The result is a
common, shared open source platform for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
Drones in some ways are like flying
computers. With an operating system, flight controllers, main boards
with programmable code, they can also be hacked into. Like a computer,
you can also protect your drone from hackers.
Latest Innovative Technological Drones
DJI have a huge command of the consumer and
professional drone market. The latest advanced drones with patented
technologies are the following;
- DJI Spark – Small selfie drone which can take off from the palm of your hand.
- DJI Mavic Pro – Small fold up drone with front and downward collision avoidance sensors. Super stable flight and 4k filming capabilities.
- DJI Phantom 4 Pro – with “Vision” collision avoidance technology. Multi purpose drone including 4k aerial filming, photography and photogrammetry.
- DJI Inspire 2 – Patented design and motors. Multi purpose drone with gimbals for professional 5k aerial filming, photography, photogrammetry, multispectral and thermal imaging.
- Yuneec Typhoon H Pro – uses the patented Intel “Realsense” collision avoidance technology. Great for professional aerial photography and filming
- Walkera Voyager 4 – Professional drone with 18x optical zoom camera which makes it perfect for site surveying and search and rescue.
- DJI Matrice 200 Commercial Quadcopter – Inbuilt redundancy with dual battery, IMU and Satellite navigation systems. Can mount 2 cameras under the quadcopter (e.g thermal and zoom camera). Ability to mount a camera on top of Matrice 200 which makes surveying of bridges real easy. 6 directions of collision avoidance using ToF laser, Ultrasonic and Vision sensors.
Intelligent Flight Systems
All these latest drones have intelligent
flight controllers and modes such as Follow Me, Active Tracking,
Waypoints, Return To Home and many others. The latest Phantom 4 Pro
from DJI has the most autonomous intelligent flight modes of any
drone. The Phantom 4 Pro has the following intelligent flight modes;
- Active Track (Profile, Spotlight, Circle)
- Draw Waypoints
- TapFly
- Terrain Follow Mode
- Tripod Mode
- Gesture Mode
- S-Mode (Sport)
- P-Mode (Position)
- A-Mode (Attitude)
- Beginner Mode
- Course Lock
- Home Lock
- Obstacle Avoidance
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