SENSEFLY EBEE Drone User Manual 2

SENSEFLY Drone 2

Contents

User Manual 2

Planning and simulating a flightSidebarMap AreaControlBarToolbarStatusPanelFlight Parameters tabCamera tabMission Waypoints tabMission Planning tabSetup Phase tabFlight Monitoring tabcurrent altitude (both Above the Take-off Altitude, marked as ATO, and AboveMean Sea Level, marked as AMSL), battery level, flight time, and status. TheStatus Panel can be hidden by clicking on the drone. Moving around themap is done by clicking and dragging at any place not occupied by a sym-bol (such as a waypoint or the drone symbol).•Control Bar: The Control Bar is used to issue various commands to the eBeewhile it is in flight, such as starting the mission phase or holding position.21
Quick start guideIt is also used to display and acknowledge warnings that may occur eitherbefore or during a flight.•Toolbar: The Toolbar contains buttons to control the layers, sources or mapinformation and other displayoptions related to the Map Area. eMotion canuse many sources of mapping information.•Sidebar: The Sidebar is split into several tabs, each with a particular func-tion. The Flight Monitoring tab is used for monitoring the drone while inflight. The Setup Phase tab controls the take-off and landing portions ofa flight plan (referred to as the ‘setup phase’) whereas the Mission Plan-ning tab defines the image acquisition portion of the flight plan (referredto as the ‘mission phase’). The last three tabs are used for advanced way-point planning and parameter setting. You can hide the Sidebar by clickingon its left edge. The Sidebar also contains controls for the simulator whenconnected to a simulated drone.1.3 Creating a new flight planEvery mapping flight requires a flight plan, which is a path defined by a set ofwaypoints, or points in 3D space, and a set of actions that can be performed at orin between waypoints, such as taking images, proceeding to the next waypointor landing. A flight plan is shown in the Map Area using circles to represent way-points, lines to represent the flight path and arrows to show the direction of flight.The large circle with a thick border illustrates the working area boundaries withinwhich the eBee will always remain. See the eBee Extended User Manual for moreinformation on waypoints and the various symbols presented in the Map Area.A complete flight plan for an eBee is divided into two separate phases: the setupphase and the mission phase. The mission phase includes waypoints and actionsrelated to mapping and capturing images. The setup phase includes waypointsand actions related to take-off and landing. This phase is usually planned directlyin the field and is explained in detail in section ‘The setup phase of a flight’ onpage 38.22
Planning and simulating a flight1.4 The mission phase of a flightThe easiest way to create a mapping flight for the systematic coverage of an area isto use the automatic mission planning feature of eMotion. By simply positioning arectangle around the area you would like to cover, eMotion will generate a missionplan optimised for the ground resolution that you desire.missionareaStep 1: open tab and selectStep 2:rotate,resize,moveStep 3:chooseparamsStep 4:uploadStep 5: check in Google Earth correct cameraNote: For more complex terrain and missions, eMotion has the abil-ity to set polygonal mission areas of any size and shape, and to au-tomatically adjust waypoint altitudes based on elevation data. Thesepowerful features are described in more detail in the eBee ExtendedUser Manual.Follow these steps to automatically setup waypoints for a mapping mission:1. Select the Mission Planning tab from the Sidebar. A grey zone will appearin the Map Area to designate the mission area to cover. Information suchas size and position is overlaid on the area. A mission plan, including therequired waypoints, is automatically calculated and displayed to previewthe mission plan that will be created.23
Quick start guide2. Adjust the location, size, and shape of the mission area. The area can berelocated by dragging the gray zone. The four square handles on the edgesof the area can be used to resize it and the round handles on the corners ofthe area can be used to rotate it. As you adjust the area the mission planpreview is continuously updated.3. Adjust the mapping and mission parameters in the Mission Planning tab tosuit your terrain and quality requirements². As a first step, eMotion providestwo predefined set of parameters; ‘Easy terrain’ are the default parametersdesigned for simpler terrain, such as mines or agriculture, whereas ‘Difficultterrain’ is designed for complex areas, such as forests, and provides higherimage overlap at the cost of a lower resolution. Be sure to include an esti-mated wind speed and direction, as this has an effect on the area that canbe covered in a single flight. Once again, the mission plan preview will becontinuously updated as you modify the parameters.4. Check the resulting flight characteristics in the tab. Once you are satisfied,upload the mission plan to the simulated drone by clicking the ‘Upload’button.5. Click the button in the Toolbar to open the flight plan in Google EarthTM³.Review the flight plan to ensure that there is sufficient clearance betweenthe flight plan and the ground. Any updates to the flight plan that youmake within eMotion will be reflected directly in Google EarthTM.² see the eBee Extended User Manual for a complete description of available parameters³ see the eBee Extended User Manual24
Planning and simulating a flightCaution: eMotion as well as the automatic mission planning tool arenot aware of any obstacles that may exist in the area. In addition,when not using elevation data, the mission planning tool assumesthat the mission area is flat and at the same altitude than the take-offlocation. It is also not aware of any legal restriction (such as minimumor maximum altitude) that may exist in your region. The resultingflight plan should be carefully reviewed in order to avoid any collisionwith uneven terrain or tall objects such as buildings, and to complywith local regulations.The final step after you have prepared a flight plan is to save it to a file that youcan load into the eBee when you are in the field. Select the Setup Phase tab fromthe Sidebar, click on ‘Save flight plan to file...’, choose a filename and location andclick ‘Save’.1.5 Simulating your flightSimulating your flight gives you an idea of the position and size of images thatwill be taken during the flight. In addition, it allows you to learn to use advancedfunctions, such as in-flight waypoint editing and camera control, without puttingyour eBee at risk⁴. When eMotion is connected to a simulated drone an extra setof buttons appear in the Sidebar:re-position take-off locationinitiate take-offinstant recharge of batteryfast-forwardplaypauseYou can set the take-off location of the eBee by clicking on the icon and placingthe point on the map. This simulates the action of switching on the real drone⁴ see the eBee Extended User Manual for a complete description of the simulator25
Quick start guideand letting it acquire GPS signals. You can test your flight plan by clicking theicon, simulating a take-off manoeuvre. The eBee will then go through its flightplan in the same way it would in the field. You can pause, play or speed up thesimulation by clicking the corresponding buttons in the Toolbar. You can monitorthe state of the drone while in flight using the Flight Monitoring tab and the StatusPanel⁵. You may also monitor the flight in 3D in Google EarthTM by clicking on thebutton in the Toolbar.Caution: The simulator is a tool designed to aid with flight planningand to familiarise you with the advanced functions of your eBee. Thesimulated physics, however, are basic and do not always accuratelyreflect the true behaviour of the drone in flight. In particular, esti-mates of battery level and reactions to wind are difficult to simulatewith high accuracy. You should in no case depend on behavioursseen with a simulated drone to be reproduced exactly in real flight.1.6 Getting ready for a missionBefore leaving for the field to perform a flight, be sure to fully charge all your eBeebatteries⁶. When delivered, the eBee battery may not be fully charged.eBee battery packpower cable321StatusLiPo BalanceChargerbalance LEDs(not to scale)status LEDsTo charge an eBee battery pack, connect it to the battery charger as illustratedabove. During charge, the status LED on the charger is solid red. Charging is com-plete when the status LED turns green.The charger provided independently balances the voltage of each of the 3 cellscontained in the battery pack to ensures optimal performance and battery life.⁵ see the eBee Extended User Manual⁶ Consult your payload user manual to know if the payload battery is necessary for the flight26
Planning and simulating a flightIf any of the cells is unbalanced, its associated LED will flash red during charginguntil it is re-balanced. Charging can take up to an hour, depending on the chargelevel of the battery and the required cell balancing work. See the eBee ExtendedUser Manual for more information on maintaining your drone’s batteries.If you plan on performing a flight away from an Internet connection it is useful topreload map tiles by selecting ‘Download maps...’ from the File menu. Moredetails on how to take advantage of the various map sources available in eMotioncan be found in the eBee Extended User Manual.27
Quick start guide2 Executing a flightGoal of this section: This section describes how to prepare your eBeefor flight, launch, monitor and control from the air, and initiate anautonomous landing.Note: We recommend that you perform your first flight in a largeobstacle-free area and limit the length of the mission in order to fa-miliarise yourself with the eBee in flight.2.1 Weather checkBefore each flight, you should be aware of the weather conditions. The eBee isa small drone that cannot fly in heavy rain or strong wind conditions. In case ofdoubt, make sure to check a weather bulletin including wind estimations in theflight area. Note that wind is often stronger at higher altitudes and that the windperceived at the surface is not always a good reference to estimate the wind atflight altitude. Cloud velocity or tall tree movements can help you to estimate thewind speed once you are out in the field.Weather forecasts may use various units to measure wind speed. As a reference,1 m/s = 3.6 km/h = 2.24 mph = 1.94 kts.28
Executing a flightCaution: The eBee should not be launched if the wind speed exceeds12 m/s (in other units: 43.2 km/h, 26.8 mph, 23.3 kts).Caution: The eBee is not designed to fly in temperatures above 35◦C.Avoid exposing the drone to high temperature for prolonged periodsof time. In particular, leaving the drone exposed to the sun or in a carshould be avoided.2.2 Preparing the eBee for flightThe eBee’s simple design means it can go from the box to being ready for flightin minutes. We recommend that you perform the following 6 steps before everyflight to ensure that the platform is best prepared for flight.Note: Remove the red warning sticker from the motor before yourfirst flight.Central bodybottom viewCentral bodytop view Wing - detached3425629
Quick start guideStep 1: Perform a general inspectionVisually inspect the drone for damage or wear using the following steps:1. Check the foam central body and wings for cracks or other damage.2. Verify that the pitot probe is properly attached to the airframe and that theholes in the probe are free of obstructions.3. Verify that the ground sensor is free of obstructions and that the sensor’slens is clean.4. Verify that the wing struts are not split or damaged in any way.5. Verify that the tubes within the Central Body that hold the wing struts arenot cracked or damaged in any way.Caution: It is vital to carefully inspect the wing struts and tubeswithin the Central Body before every flight, as they may cause a crashif they are damaged in any way. This is particularly important if thewings were found separated from the Central Body after a previousflight.6. Verify that the power cables within the battery compartment are well insu-lated and not damaged.Note: A general inspection should be performed before every flight.It is also good practice to perform a full airframe check regularly tokeep your eBee in good shape. See the eBee Extended User Manualfor more details.30
Executing a flightmotorpropellerpropellerattachmentrubber bandsmotorStep 2: Install the propellerMount the propeller on the motor axis. Secure the propeller using two attach-ment rubber bands as illustrated above. Ensure that the propeller is lying flatagainst the motor mount, and that the rubber bands do not show cracks or anyother sign of aging.Caution: Failure to use two rubber bands may result in the loss of thepropeller in flight!Note: After extensive use, the rubber bands may develop cracks. Thisis normal and is caused by the ageing of the rubber material. For max-imum security, inspect the rubber bands regularly and discard themif they show cracks. 10 spare rubber bands are included in the pack-age.31
Quick start guideinsert camera intocompartment plug in camera connector to camera plugclose cameracompartment lidStep 3: Install the cameraInstall the camera into the payload bay⁷ within the eBee and close the cameracompartment lid. If the camera connector is not already connected, plug it intothe connector with the icon on the eBee.Caution: The eBee has not been designed to fly without the camera.Attempting to fly without the camera may render the drone unstable,which may eventually lead to a crash.⁷ Some payloads may require a separate battery or SD card to operate properly. Please refer to theUser Manual of the camera or other payload for proper installation instructions.32
Executing a flightensure servo connectionmechanism is alignedand engagedinsert wing struts into centralbodyStep 4: Attach the wingsAttach the wings to the central body by inserting the wing struts into the re-ceptacles in the central body. Ensure that the ailerons are properly aligned withthe servo connection mechanism before pushing the wings fully into the centralbody.Caution: Flying with damaged wing struts or a badly engaged servoconnection mechanism may cause erratic flight and ultimately acrash. Be sure to properly inspect and attach the wings before flight.33
Quick start guidepreflight checks failedbluepulsestatus LED:greensolidstatus LED:ready for startupconnect batteryredblinkstatus LED:disconnect batteryconnect battery andinsert intocompartmentclose batterycompartmentStartupprocess:Step 5: Install and connect the batteryLay the eBee horizontally on the ground outside in the vicinity of the take-off lo-cation, with the top face up. To install the battery, begin by connecting the powercables to the battery. Insert the connectors firmly to the end in order to avoid un-desired disconnection when in flight. Once connected, insert the battery into itscompartment and close the compartment lid.Caution: Take care to keep the propeller area clear, in case it sud-denly starts spinning.34
Executing a flightNote: Only connect the battery cables to the drone when you areready for start-up. Do not leave the battery connected for extendedperiods of time when the drone is on the ground, as this may dis-charge the batteries and cause irreparable damage. When connectedand not in flight, the eBee will briefly move its ailerons up and downevery minute as a reminder that it is switched on.As soon as the battery is connected the eBee will perform an automatic self-checkof its sensors and acquire GPS signals. Be sure not to move the drone during thesetests. It is important that the drone is not inclined more than 10 degrees in order tostart up properly. Pre-flight checks may last from a few seconds to several minutesin the case of poor GPS signal reception. As these satellite signals are required forthe checks to complete, be sure to place the eBee outside with a clear view of thesky.During the pre-flight checks the status LED will pulse blue. Once the pre-flightchecks are complete the eBee will flip its ailerons up and down and the status LEDwill turn solid green to indicate it is ready. You may already connect the drone toeMotion (Step 6) before pre-flight checks are complete to get a better idea of thestatus of the checks.Note: If there was any problem during the pre-flight checks per-formed by the drone this will be indicated by a Pre-flight error in eMo-tion as well as a by the status LED blinking red. See the eBee ExtendedUser Manual for a description of possible Pre-flight errors and how tohandle them.35
Quick start guide / eBee AgStep 6: Connect to eMotionStart by connecting the USB ground modem to your computer. Then launch eMo-tion, which will display the Connection window. Select the eBee connection pro-file, choose the corresponding FTDI port and click ‘OK’.Note: Every eBee is paired with the ground modem it is deliveredwith, and will only work with that particular modem. The name of theFTDI port corresponding to the ground modem is labelled as ‘eBee-SERIAL’, where SERIAL is the serial number of the drone it is pairedwith.When a connection is established eMotion will display a map and the Status Panelindicating the current state of the drone. If the eBee has not yet detected its loca-tion the Status Panel will appear in the top right corner of the Map Area with thetext ‘GPS: Waiting for signals...’. During this time the status LED on the drone willpulse blue.Once your drone has set its position using GPS signals, an icon of the drone willappear at its location on the map. If the drone’s location is not on the map you canclick the button from the Toolbar to centre the map on the drone. The drone’sstatus on eMotion will be displayed as ‘Idle, Ready to take-off’ and the status LEDwill become solid green.36
Executing a flightYou can now load a flight plan you prepared earlier by selecting the Setup Phasetab from the Sidebar, clicking on ‘Load flight plan from file...’ and selecting yourflight plan file. Alternatively, you can plan the entire mission in the field, followingthe same process outlined in section ‘Planning and simulating a flight’ on page 19.37
Quick start guide2.3 The setup phase of a flightThe setup phase of a flight includes the waypoints and actions related to the take-off and landing of the eBee and includes the following locations:•Take-off location: The point from which the drone is launched, automat-ically set to the location calculated from GPS signals by the drone whenit is launched. This location defines the altitude of 0 m/ATO (ATO standsfor above take-off); the altitudes of all other waypoints, when defined inm/ATO, are referenced to the altitude of this location.•Start waypoint: The first point that the drone flies towards when launched(once it reaches the take-off transition altitude).•Home waypoint: The safe point for the drone to circle in case of emer-gency, as well as its landing position at the end of a flight for both Linearand Circular landings.winddirectionobstacle-free zones40mtake-off transitionaltitude reached10m60mTake-off locationHomewaypointStartwaypointApproachsector38
Executing a flightIt is important to carefully select the take-off location, the Start waypoint and theHome waypoint to ensure your drone remains at a safe distance from obstacles.The eBee should always be launched against the wind. Select a take-off locationclear of obstacles (buildings, rocks, power lines, hills, trees, etc.) within a distanceof at least 40 m in the upwind direction. Immediately after takeoff it will keepits wings level and climb in the general direction it was launched until it reachesthe take-off transition altitude⁸, at which point it will start flying towards the Startwaypoint.By default, the Start waypoint is set to a distance of 80 m West of the initial posi-tion of the drone and an altitude of 75 m/ATO. It is good practice to move the Startwaypoint close to and upwind from the take-off location to allow a smooth transi-tion between take-off and waypoint-directed flight. You can move waypoints byclicking on them and dragging them within the Map Area⁹.The Home waypoint is used both as the landing location and as a safety positionin case of an In-flight warning. The eBee can perform either a Linear or a Circularlanding. Linear landing is the default and recommended landing type, especiallyin high winds. To prepare a Linear landing, place the Home waypoint centre ata location that is at the same altitude as the take-off location and is clear of ob-stacles in a 10 m radius. Choose one or several approach sectors that are free ofobstacles for at least 60 m from the Home waypoint centre. You can drag the ap-proach sector around the Home waypoint and change its width directly in the MapArea or from within the Setup Phase tab. Make the approach sector(s) as wide aspossible to maximize the chance that the drone can subsequently land againstthe direction of the wind. Ensure that the terrain within the approach sector isflat and contains visual contrast to allow the ground sensor to function properlyduring landing.When a Linear landing is initiated (either automatically or by pressing the ‘GoLand’ button in the control bar) the drone will fly towards the Home waypoint,circle the waypoint (at 75 m/ATO by default) to measure the direction of the wind⁸ By default the take-off transition altitude is set to 20 m. In difficult launch conditions you can setboth the take-off heading and the take-off transition altitude in the Setup Phase tab, as describedin the eBee Extended User Manual.⁹ see the eBee Extended User Manual for a more detailed explanation on waypoints and how to modifythem39
Quick start guideat the landing location and choose an approach direction as much against the di-rection of the wind as possible. It will then fly downwind in the opposite directionof the approach direction, turn 180◦and begin descending in the approach direc-tion until it lands on the ground underneath the centre of the Home waypoint.The approach angle is around 20° and the drone will reverse its thrust if neededto maintain a suitable airspeed during this phase.Note: There are a number of requirements that must be fulfilled toensure a successful Linear landing. The eBee Extended User Manualdescribes in more detail the Linear landing process and how to prop-erly define approach sectors in more complex terrain. In particular, inthe case of strong-wind conditions, low light or low-contrast terrain,the precision of the final landing location around the Home waypointis reduced. Therefore, it is safer to plan for more clearance, especiallyalong the possible landing axes.If there are no suitable approach sectors to perform a Linear landing the dronecan also perform a Circular landing around the Home waypoint. When initiatinga Circular landing around the Home waypoint the drone will switch off its motorand glide down while circling around the Home waypoint at the waypoint’s ra-dius. During the Circular landing procedure the drone uses its ground sensor tomeasure the height above the ground, if the ground is well textured and there isenough light. When it reaches an altitude of 25 m above the ground the dronewill level out, estimate the direction of the wing and resume its descent so as totouch down against the wind while remaining on the circle defined by the Homewaypoint.Caution: The ground sensor can only provide usable feedback indaylight conditions above flat terrain that contains enough visual tex-ture. If these conditions are not met the drone cannot ensurea touch-down against the direction of the wind. Landing in the directionof the wind in strong-wind conditions may result in a high landingspeed and damage to the eBee.40
Executing a flightTo prepare a Circular landing, place the Home waypoint in a location that has noobstacles within a radius of 50 m (or 20 m more than the Home waypoint radius)to give the drone enough space to land. Ensure that the entire landing area isflat to allow the ground sensor to function properly. By default, the radius of theHome waypoint is 30 m. In high-wind conditions it is recommended to increasethis diameter¹⁰.Caution: The radius of the Home waypoint, and thus of a Circularlanding, can be reduced to 20 m but should only be done in low windconditions (<3 m/s). Reducing the radius of the Home waypoint be-low 30 m in moderate- or high-wind conditions can result in damageto the drone when it contacts the ground during a landing. As indica-tive values, the Home waypoint radius should be set to 30 m for windspeeds below 5 m/s, 40 m for wind speeds between 5-8 m/s, and to50 m for wind speeds above 8 m/s.Note: In case of strong-wind conditions, the drone may drift evenfurther than 50 m away from the center of the Home waypoint whenperforming a Circular landing. Therefore, it is safer to plan for evenmore clearance in the downwind direction.By default, the Home waypoint is set to an altitude of 75 m/ATO. In case a Go toHome Waypoint procedure is triggered during flight¹¹ the drone will, by default,determine the highest altitude between its current altitude and the Home way-point’s altitude, and climb in a circle towards that highest altitude (if required).Once it reaches this highest altitude it will then fly towards the Home waypoint.Due to this behaviour, the altitude of the Home waypoint should be selected withcare; it should be at least 20 m higher than the surrounding obstacles to avoid therisk of a crash, but should not be set too high to reduce the effect of potentiallyhigh winds and altitude and to prevent the drone from getting lost. Alternatively,you can change the altitude transition behaviour within the Setup Phase tab. Seethe eBee Extended User Manual for more information on altitude transition be-¹⁰ see the eBee Extended User Manual¹¹ either automatically due to an In-flight warning or manually using eMotion41
Quick start guidehaviours and how to modify them.2.4 Take-offOnce you’ve planned your mission and the eBee status LED is solid green you canlaunch it using the procedure on the following pages.Caution: Make sure to keep the propeller area free of all obstructionsat all times during the launch procedure.no holding zonedanger zonegreensolidstatus LED: bluepulsestatus LED:Not horizontal!Step 1: Orient horizontally and against the windOrient yourself against the direction of the wind, and confirm that the take-offdirection in front of you is free of obstacles. Firmly grasp the drone with bothhands, one hand on the front of each wing as shown in the figure. Hold the dronehorizontally with the nose pointed against the wind and level wings.42
Executing a flightNote: If the drone detects a condition that prevents correct take-off aTake-off veto will be displayed in eMotion and the status LED will startpulsing blue. The eBee Extended User Manual describes the possibleTake-off veto messages and the user action that should be taken toremove them. For example, if the drone is not oriented horizontallythe status LED will start pulsing blue until you re-orient it horizontally,at which point the status LED turns solid green again.Caution: It is imperative to launch the drone directly against thewind, otherwise it will be unable to gain enough speed during take-off and likely crash. Likewise, launching the drone in high windsabove the specified safe wind speed of 12 m/s is dangerous and canresult in a crash.shake 3xno holding zonedanger zoneshake 3xmotor startup begingreensolidstatus LED:bluepulsestatus LED:Step 2: Switch the motor onShake the eBee back and forth 3 times longitudinally (within approx. 3 seconds)to begin the motor power-up sequence. The status LED will pulse blue until themotor is at full power and ready for take-off.Note: You do not need to hurry to launch the drone. In case you wantto shut off the motor, just repeat the back and forth action three timesand the motor will stop.43
Quick start guidemotor ready for take-offgreenblinkstatus LED:bluepulsestatus LED:greensolidstatus LED:step forward and releaseCaution: always orient the eBeeagainst the wind for take-off!place nose up 10°10°danger zoneStep 3: Launch the eBeeOnce the motor is at full power the status LED will blink green. Orient the dronewith approximately 10 degrees nose up and level wings. When the angle is correctthe status LED will turn solid green, indicating that the drone is ready for take-off.Launch the drone with a gentle push by walking 1-2 steps forward while releasingit with both hands in a purely forward motion.After take-off, the drone tries to maintain its initial direction, or follow the direc-tional take-off heading you set, by keeping its wings level with full thrust untilreaching the take-off transition altitude, by default 20 m¹². At this point, it willswitch into waypoint navigation mode and fly towards the Start waypoint. Onceit reaches the Start waypoint location and altitude the drone will circle around thewaypoint 1-2 times to estimate the wind and calibrate its sensors before startingthe mapping mission¹³.¹² see the eBee Extended User Manual to change this parameter¹³ The eBee may also be programmed to wait at the Start waypoint for a command before starting itsmapping mission. See the eBee Extended User Manual for more information.44
Executing a flightControl BarStatusFlight Monitoring TabWind speed and directionEstimatedPanelPictureFootprint2.5 In-flight monitoring and controlYou can monitor and control your drone while in-flight through eMotion using theMap Area and the Flight Monitoring tab in the Sidebar.The Map Area displays the current position of your drone, updated live as thedrone executes its flight. A small arrow and infobox show the speed and directionof the wind as measured by the eBee. The Status Panel that follows the position ofthe drone displays basic flight information including battery charge, flight timeand altitude, both above the take-off location (ATO) and above mean sea-level(AMSL). This same information is reproduced in the Flight Monitoring tab, alongwith other useful flight data .45
Quick start guideNote: All waypoints, image locations and flight paths displayed ineMotion are a reflection of the data contained within the drone au-topilot. If at any point the connection between eMotion and thedrone is lost, the drone will by default continue its planned flight,including the imaging mission and the selected automatic landing,fully autonomously. If you would like the drone to return to the Homewaypoint instead of continuing its mission when it detects a loss ofconnection you may set the appropriate parameter in the Flight Pa-rameters tab, as described in the eBee Extended User Manual.During the Mission phase of the flight the eBee will automatically take pictures atpre-defined moments based on the parameters that were defined during missionplanning. The estimated area captured on the ground is displayed in the form ofa continuously-updating polygon in the Map Area.Note: The eBee will not take a picture unless it is in the correct loca-tion and altitude. Some reasons for not taking an image are stronghead wind, large off-track distance or incorrect altitude. A corre-sponding message is displayed in the Status Panel if a picture is nottaken.At the top of the Map Area is the Control Bar, which can be used at any time to sendcommands to your drone as well as to acknowledge warning and failure messagesif they occur. During a fully autonomous flight the eBee will control its flight au-tonomously from take-off to landing and you do not need to use any of the con-trol buttons. They can however be useful in unexpected situations to temporarilyhold position by pressing the ‘HOLD POSITION’ button or to send the drone tothe Home or Start waypoints with the ‘GO TO HOME WPT’ or ‘GO TO START WPT’buttons, respectively. Alternatively, you can direct your drone to any location byright-clicking in the Map Area and using the contextual menu. We recommendyou use the simulator to learn the effects of the buttons on the drone. Detaileddescriptions of the buttons and their effects on the drone are described in theeBee Extended User Manual.46
Executing a flight2.6 LandingAfter finishing a mapping mission the drone will, by default¹⁴, return to the Homewaypoint and automatically initiate a landing sequence. During a Linear landing,the drone will land in a straight line according to the process described in the eBeeExtended User Manual. In case of a Circular landing the drone will land in a circleaccording to the process described in the eBee Extended User Manual.Disconnect the battery from the drone before picking it up. We recommend youimmediately import the images and flight data after each flight (see section ‘Im-porting images and flight data’ on page 49) before putting the eBee back in itscase for storage. When disconnecting the wings, be sure to pull gently in the axisof the wing struts to prevent damage to the wing struts. Check the wing struts forany damage before putting them into the storage case. Remove the propeller ifyou don’t plan on using the eBee for an extended period of time.2.7 Potential in-flight errorsThe drone can encounter two types of error messages while flying: In-flight warn-ings and Critical failures. In-flight warnings typically indicate a dangerous situa-tion such as a low battery or strong winds and typically result in a Security actionsuch as a return to the Home waypoint. In-flight warnings appear in blue or yellowin the Flight Monitoring tab. Critical failures occur only when the drone’s ability tofly is severely compromised, such as a loss of GPS signals or an empty battery. Thesituation will be displayed in red in the Status section of the Flight Monitoring tab.When a critical failure arises, the drone will immediately perform an emergencylanding.Caution: We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the pos-sible in-flight errors to have a better understanding of what happensif they occur in the field. A full list of possible In-flight warnings andCritical failures and the drone’s reaction to them is described in theeBee Extended User Manual.¹⁴ see the eBee Extended User Manual for information on changing the default behaviours of the drone47
Quick start guideNote: It is important to keep track of the location of the drone duringa Critical failure until the moment it reaches the ground. Its position’scoordinates can aid in finding it afterwards. Instructions on how tofind a lost drone can be found in the eBee Extended User Manual.48
Processing image data3 Processing image dataGoal of this section: In this section you will learn how to import im-ages and flight data from your eBee and create basic mapping prod-ucts directly in the field to gauge the quality of the images that yougathered.3.1 Importing images and flight dataThe next step to creating mapping products, after completing a flight, is to importthe raw images and log files to a computer. The eBee records flight data onboard ina special Drone Flight Log file. The Drone Flight Log tracks important informationthroughout a flight, such as sensor data, location and control inputs. The file isrequired for assigning location information (geotags) to the images taken by thedrone. The file is also required and must be sent to senseFly Ltd in case an issueoccurred during the flight¹⁵. A similar eMotion Flight Log file is created withineMotion during a flight and serves as a backup in case the Drone Flight Log filecannot be recovered.eMotion features a Flight Data Manager to help you transfer and consolidate allthe data related to a mapping mission. Open the Flight Data Manager by clickingon the Flight Data Manager icon when you load eMotion. Alternatively, click onthe button in the Toolbar and select ‘Flight Data Manager...’.¹⁵ see the eBee Extended User Manual49
Quick start guideclick OKselect FlightData ManagerFollow these steps to import data from the drone:•Step 1 - Select a flight: If the flight was monitored from the computeryou are using to import images then the flight is saved within the localdatabase. Select the date that the flight took place. A list of flights (in-cluding number of images taken) from that date will appear in the combobox, select the one you wish to import.•Step 2 - Create a directory: Choose a directory name that uniquely iden-tifies your flight (e.g. the date, the name of the area, etc.).50
Processing image dataconnect USB cableto autopilot•Step 3 - Preparedata for import: To import the Drone Flight Log, connectthe supplied USB cable to the eBee’s autopilot, marked with a icon. Con-nect the battery to the drone if it is not already connected. The status LEDwill become white and a new storage drive will appear on your computer.To import images, remove the SD card from the camera, insert it into theSD card reader of your computer and select ‘Import from SD-card reader’.Alternatively, transfer the images from the camera by lifting it out of itscompartment just enough to connect a USB cable to it and turn the cameraon. Copy all the images into a temporary folder on your computer. Select‘Import from a specific folder’ and choose the temporary folder.•Step 4 - Import flight logs: Confirm that the Drone and eMotion FlightLogs found by the Flight Data Manager are correct. You may select logsmanually if they are not correctly detected.•Step 5 - Import images: Confirm that the images corresponding to yourflight were found and matched to the Drone Flight Log correctly.51
Quick start guide•Step 6 - Select outputs: Choose the output actions to execute and files tocreate. Geotagging images is necessary to create geoinfo, KML and Post-flight Terra 3D files.•Step 7: You may now disconnect the drone. Eject the SD-card drive and thedrone drive before removing the SD-card and the USB cable, respectively.Disconnect the battery and USB cable from the drone. Insert the SD-cardback into the camera, put it back properly into its compartment and ensurethat it is turned off. You can now open the KML file in Google EarthTM or theproject in Postflight Terra 3D for further processing.3.2 In-field image quality checkPostflight Terra 3D software¹⁶, available as a free download with the eBee package,can be used to rapidly create a Quality Report directly in the field. The QualityReport that is automatically generated as well as the orthomosaic provide imme-diate feedback on the quality of the images gathered during your mission.You can open a project for processing in Postflight Terra 3D directly from the FlightData Manager after importing your data by clicking the ‘Open project in Terra’button. You will now see the main Postflight Terra 3D window. The position ofyour images will appear as red dots in the Map Area of Postflight Terra 3D.¹⁶ powered by Pix4D; see section ‘Installing eMotion,Postflight Terra 3D, and the ground modemdrivers’ on page 19 for installation instructions52

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