Skip to main content

GPS Navigation Ground Test #2 - Heading Error Computation Algorithm

This one is going to be quite short. Yesterday was the turn of the heading error algorithm to be tested. This heading error is calculated based on the heading the between two waypoints and heading measurement from the GPS module. This error will then be fed into a the roll controller as an input for roll command to reduce it to zero. But for the roll controller to work accordingly, the input must be right and within certain bounds.

Same as the previous ground test, waypoints were loaded unto the autopilot and serial debug data was monitored using my Asus TF101 Tablet. It's worth saying that I managed to get serial data output straight from the LINUX command line. So the command line integration with VIM is complete. So it takes approximately under 10sec to upload and start debugging data of the autopilot. Sweet!

Anyway, it was found that the GPS accuracy should be considered at 10-12m. Anything less than that and you'll be running for trouble. That is not a real concern as over a range of a few kilometres (goal for the UAV) that's an error of less than 1%. The heading error computation works well. I realised that I need to add extra functionality in the event a waypoint has been missed, to carry on tracking the next one. This is determined by a maximum distance error of 200m and the heading error being close to 175 degrees.\

With the heading error and waypoint tracking ground tests done, I turn my attention back to the roll and pitch controller that needs to be finalized. I've also started working on a speed controller to optimize the use motor for longer flight times.

See you soon!

Comments

  1. I have goen through your site, this is a good one.for more information please follow our blog:-If you are looking for a UAV autopilot aircraft which can be used as the Best Police Drone, or can be useful while using it as a Tower inspection drone, then we are there to provide you. We basically make our drones in such a way, thus it can used to capture best quality aerial videos and photos. We also provide certified Drone Repair Service to help you at the maximum level.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have gone through your post . It is very informative. I would like to share this.

    It is without doubt that the Phantom Drone has renewed interest in the use of technology in social security. The New Phantom drone is exceptional in many ways indeed. The fpv transmitter will need to be improved as it will help the persons sending and receiving data. It is therefore of big importance that the drone autopilot keeps in mind that the signal sending should be full of clarity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have gone through your post . It is very informative. I would like to share this.

    It is without doubt that the Phantom Drone has renewed interest in the use of technology in social security. The New Phantom drone is exceptional in many ways indeed. The fpv transmitter will need to be improved as it will help the persons sending and receiving data. It is therefore of big importance that the drone autopilot keeps in mind that the signal sending should be full of clarity.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Setting up the Tarot T4-3D gimbal on the Pixhawk 2.4.8 with Specktrum dx6 Gen2 toggle switch

So i took the challenge of setting up the Tarot gimbal not just for inherent stable video footage but also the flexibility of controlling it from the radio control. However, I encountered quite a few challenges which made me aware that I'm not the one only in this battle . It's quite clear that the setup of the Tarot gimbal using its own software is completely different from how it's been described in the Ardupilot/Arducopter webpage and in mission Planner. In Mission Planner and it's associated site makes one believe that it should be done through software, only to realize that in actual fact the setup is more complex than that.  After two evenings of trying various combinations, I realized the getting the pixhawk Aux channels to communicate with the T4 gimbal requires the following steps: - The Pixhawk Pin9 (Aux1) needed to be activated to pass through user-chosen channel from the transmitter. For the Dx6 Gen2 it was the channel 6, which can assigned the

Matlab to C/C++ code development - Some learning points

Over the last few years, the engineers at the company have invested both their time and sleepless nights in formulating a process for the development of Machine learning algorithms that will satisfy real-time constraints with minimal RAM usage. This is quite a tall task as per default, that would force one to do their development directly in C language. Although that seems like the right choice, the downside is the direct correlation of the debugging time with algorithm complexity.  Such a time could have been rather used in optimizing the algorithm within the MATLAB environment which has excellent tools for the analysis, plotting and debugging. So it was decided to rather learn the Code generation process with the hope that future algorithm could be designed in a similar fashion without the hassle of the compiler-specific run-time issues. The development of this machine learning algorithm would eventually be implemented in a 32bit, 160Mhz speed, 260KB RAM microcontroller.

The hard climb of innovation

For the last couple of months, our design team has been hard at work at detail development of our drone concept which we hope to make public early 2021. These have been unprecedented times with so many changes within our company: people moving countries, stuck at airports, universities closing and transitioning to online classes and exams; all in the space of one year! Nevertheless, one of the fundamental challenges facing the drone industry in developing countries next year, is how to operate within an environment where shipping of critical parts (amongst other things) has been disrupted due to the covid-19 pandemic. If the most critical items (propellers, batteries, sensors, etc. ) of the system are also associated with the longest lead time, this has a significant impact on the operating cost and service coverage that can be achieved. Unfortunately, there's no easy way of solving this issue except if it was envisioned as part of the development process. But this is seldom the ca