UAS Sensor Placement

Assignment: UAS Sensor Placement - MS Unmanned Systems - Embry Riddle Aeronautic University
 

UAS Sensor Placement

One of the most important decisions in the design of unmanned systems is the sensor placement which is based on the objectives and challenges of the mission assigned to the unmanned system. The paper will be focused to show two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) of commercial use. One of these systems is the DJI-Phantom-4, which is equipped with camera to provide services of still pictures and full video less than 400 feet of height above ground level (AGL). The second system is the Hubsan-H107D-FPV-X4-Mini-RTF Quadcopter which is focused to act as First Person View (FPV) racer competitor.

DJI Phantom 4

The design of the DJI- Phantom-4 is focused to high quality photography and a full video similar to cinematography productions. As basic characteristics, the DJI-Phantom-4 drone avoids the obstacles automatically by using a system called ActiveTrack which tracks moving objects, let to fly it by using its Tap-Fly system with a finger’s tap, have smart return to home feature system that allow to avoid all kind of obstacles at the return time to home. The time flight of the Phantom-4 is of 28 minutes, the maximum control range is 5 Km (3.1 mi), the maximum speed is about 44 mph (72 kmh). “It has an integrated gimbal for camera stability and optimized vision positioning system for raise positioning altitude up to 10 meters” (DJI, 2016). Also, DJI-Phantom- 4 has integrated long range transmission of HD video downlink with great precision.

The cost of the basic unit of Phantom 4 is the USD $ 1399.00 and the recommended accessories such as Intelligent Flight Battery USD $ 169.00, Car Charger kit USD $62.00, Battery Charging Hub USD $ 90.00. The camera is included in the basic unit.

Aircraft characteristics
Weight of the Aircraft	1380 grams
Maximum speed of ascent	6 meters by seconds in sport mode
Maximum speed of descent	4 m/s
Maximum Speed	20 m/s
Maximum ceiling of service	19685 feet above sea level
Maximum time of Flight	28 minutes (Approximately)
Range of operating Temperature	32° -  104° F
GPS satellite system - setting mode	GLONASS
Diagonal length (Without Propellers)	350 mm

The camera of the DJI- Phantom-4 uses a sensor of 1/2.3” with 12 M of effective pixels and lens with field of view (FOV) of 94° 20 mm with CMOS technology to capture still photography, with max size of 4K x 3K, in different modes such as burst shooting of 3-5-7 frames, auto exposures bracketing (AEB), time-lapse, and HDR. Also, the camera captures videos in UHD, FHD, and HD modes in any of two formats; MOV which is an MPEG4 common multimedia file format that uses algorithms of compression developed by the company Apple and used with QuickTime application program; and MP4 which is a file with a common format MPEG4 that can be associated with the binary format for scenes also known as BIFS that gives a complete set of options for presentation of scenes in full motion.

The positioning system of the camera, which is controlled by a gimbal, has a range of control of the pitch motion of -90° to +30° and 3 axes for stabilization of the pitch, roll, and yaw movements of the aircraft.  The camera has a slot for Micro SD card that support cards of 64 GB, the basic unit comes with a card of 16 GB. Also, the camera has a USB data port that let download pictures and videos from a computer.  All functions of the camera can be controlled from the remote control unit.

DJI - Phantom 4

Hubsan-H107D-FPV-X4-Mini-RTF- Quadcopter

The Hubsan-H107D- FPV-X4-Mini-RTF Quadcopter is a First Person View (FPV) racer competitor system which come in a kit with a small LCD screen of 4.3’ integrated with a transmitter. Hubsan has a camera designed to transmit a real-time video signal. The cost of this drone is about USD $200 which is not inexpensive before the risk of damage or collision in the race and the investment loss.

The measure of the FPV is 4.5 inches diagonally, the battery has 3.7-volt 380-mAh and it is designed with lithium polymer and the time of charge is about 30 minutes via USB cable, the time of flight is around seven minutes. The camera is designed with a sensor of 0.3 megapixels and a resolution of 640 x 480 but displayed in a screen of 720 x 480. The control distance is 50 – 100 meters; the video of the flight can be recorded in SD card.

Hubsan-H107D-FPV-X4-Mini-RTF Quadcopter 

References

The Ultimate FPV System Guide 2016 - Best Drone Goggles. (2016). Retrieved June 20, 2016, from     http://www.dronethusiast.com/the-ultimate-fpv-system-guide/#

4K UHD Video Drones Creating Waves In Aerial Cinematography. (2016). Retrieved June 20,

2016, from http://www.dronezon.com/aerial-photo-and-video/aerial-filming/4k-ultra-high-definition-video-drones-creating-waves-in-aerial-cinematography/#

DJI Drone (2016).Retrieved June 20, 2016, from
http://store.dji.com/product/phantom-4?gclid=CM3y0aLkt80CFRY8gQodsZoM0Q

Phantom 4 User Manual V1.2. (2016 Mar). DJI.com. Retrieved from
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_4/en/Phantom_4_User_Manual_en_v1.2_160328.pdf