Drones and positioning

The drones also contained many hi-tech solutions when they appeared, but in the last two or three years, artificial intelligence has already helped them work. A drone is made intelligent by the built-in software and hardware. By hardware, we mean primarily the various sensors with which the drone can collect data from its environment during flight or even on the ground. And the software evaluates this data and manages it accordingly. The drones currently commercially available are already extremely intelligent. We find a lot of solutions in them that, on the one hand, increase flight safety and, on the other hand, provide functions that would be difficult to implement with freehand control.

Perhaps the most important of the solutions that increase security is built-in positioning. Using this, the drone knows exactly where it is. This is important in several ways. On the one hand, when we fly with it, it may not be in exactly the same place in the air because the weather conditions, especially the wind, can drift the flying structure. Therefore, it is important that the built-in satellite positioning and other gyroscopic, ultrasonic, optical solutions allow the drone to maintain its position in all conditions. The best-equipped drones can already use three satellite positioning systems. By using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo together, positioning with an accuracy of a few centimeters can be achieved. The software responds immediately to the received data and corrects even small displacements immediately, which will result in the drone floating at the same point despite all weather conditions. Another very important role of positioning is that we always know, or the drone knows where it started, where the person in charge is. This is especially important for the automatic return function (RTH). In several cases, the drone may need to return to the starting point automatically or on its own. For example, if we lose control for some reason, the connection is lost. This is detected by the drone and automatically returns to the point from which we started. Another case is when the drone detects that it needs to return because its battery is running low. An automatically executed RTH will then ensure that we do not lose.

When returning to the starting point, it is very important that the drone can avoid any obstacles that may be involved. Therefore, it usually ascends to a preset height before starting the return and begins the return there. However, even then, a taller building, tree, or hill may be in the way. These can be bypassed by several sensors. Ultrasonic and optical sensors analyze the flight environment and if the drone detects an obstacle at a certain distance, it will try to get out of some direction. These proximity sensors can also be important in the case of manual control so that we cannot accidentally lead the drone to a building or landmark. Many drones also feature a downward-facing “sensor,” which helps keep you from hitting the ground with great force when landing.