Sentera PHX Manuale utente

PHX® Terrain Following

Feature User Guide

Engineered in Minneapolis, MN

May 3, 2021

Doc # 17030 Rev –

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The information contained herein is subject to change without notice and is not warranted to be error-free. If you find any

errors, please report them to us in writing.

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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Content

1 Terrain Following Feature..................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 When to Use Terrain Following Feature....................................................................................... 1

1.1.1 Analytics Data Collection......................................................................................................... 1

1.1.2 Flight Safety............................................................................................................................. 1

1.1.3 Other Data Collection.............................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Limits............................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2.1 Obstacles ................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2.2 Accuracy .................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2.3 Mission Size............................................................................................................................. 2

2 Using the Terrain Following Feature..................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Enabling the Terrain following Feature ........................................................................................ 4

2.2 Recommended Settings ................................................................................................................ 6

2.2.1 Defaults ................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2.2 Tolerance................................................................................................................................. 7

2.2.3 Max Climb Rate ....................................................................................................................... 7

2.2.4 Max Descent Rate ................................................................................................................... 7

2.3 Best Practices................................................................................................................................ 7

2.3.1 Planning................................................................................................................................... 7

2.3.2 Ground Setup and Area of Operation ..................................................................................... 8

2.3.3 In-Flight Operation .................................................................................................................. 8

2.3.4 Landing .................................................................................................................................... 8

2.4 Using a Terrain Following Enabled Mission Plan .......................................................................... 8

2.4.1 Uploading the Mission to the Drone....................................................................................... 8

2.4.2 The Terrain Bar........................................................................................................................ 9

2.5 Offline Maps................................................................................................................................ 11

2.5.1 Downloading Terrain Elevation Data .................................................................................... 12

3 Glossary............................................................................................................................................... 12

4 Support................................................................................................................................................ 13

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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1Terrain Following Feature

The terrain following feature uses published terrain data to plan changes in altitude during flight to

maintain a more constant height above ground.

1.1 When to Use Terrain Following Feature

The terrain following feature should be enabled when flying PHX in areas with terrain variation. The

terrain following feature can be useful in several situations:

1.1.1 Analytics Data Collection

Using the terrain following feature can improve FieldAgent processing and analytics results by

maintaining a more consistent GSD value during the data collection.

1.1.2 Flight Safety

Some areas have changes in terrain altitude that can be hazardous during low altitude (150-200ft AGL)

flights. Using the terrain following feature can help compensate for the changes in elevation that may

lead to unplanned obstacle interactions.

1.1.3 Other Data Collection

If the data being collected is sensitive to changes in GSD the terrain following feature can be enabled for

improved results.

1.2 Limits

The terrain following feature has limits in its total capability. These limits are as follows.

1.2.1 Obstacles

The terrain following feature is not an obstacle avoidance feature. It will not account for, detect, or

avoid obstacles such as trees, buildings, and powerlines.

New construction or recent elevation changes may not be captured in the terrain elevation database.

Use caution when using the terrain following feature near recent construction (or similar) areas.

1.2.2 Accuracy

The terrain following feature is limited in accuracy by the supplied terrain elevation data and the

accuracy of the aircraft navigational sensors.

1.2.2.1 RTK

The accuracy of the terrain following feature cannot be improved with RTK GPS. The PHX does not

currently use RTK GPS information for navigation. RTK GPS information may improve the height above

ground information in the image metadata but will not improve GSD consistency.

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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1.2.3 Mission Size

When the terrain following feature is enabled more waypoints are added to the mission plan to

command the changes in altitude. The number of added waypoints is dependent on the tolerance

setting described in Defaults section and the terrain elevation variation of the area being flown over. See

the example mission plans below.

It is recommended not to exceed 2000 waypoints when planning a mission for the PHX.

1.2.3.1 No Terrain Following Enabled

The mission plan contains 272 waypoints, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Mission Plan

1.2.3.2 Terrain Following Enable and Tolerance Set to 30 Feet

The mission contains 317 waypoints, as shown in Figure 2.

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Figure 2: Waypoints

1.2.3.3 Terrain Following Enabled and Tolerance Set to 0 Feet

The mission contains 916 waypoints, as shown in Figure 3.

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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Figure 3: Waypoints

2Using the Terrain Following Feature

This section contains information on how to enable terrain following and the associated best practices.

2.1 Enabling the Terrain following Feature

Fly PHX does not use terrain/elevation data by default. The feature must be enabled during mission

planning.

1. Plan the take off and survey mission items, as shown in Figure 4.

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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Figure 4: Survey Mission Items

2. Press Done Adjusting, as shown in Figure 5.

3. Then reselect the Survey mission item to open the survey details menu.

Figure 5: Done Adjusting

4. Select the Terrain menu. Then check the Vehicle follows terrain checkbox, as shown in Figure 6.

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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Figure 6: Checkbox

Note: Terrain following is not enabled by default for the survey planned in the

mission item. This process will need to be for each survey mission item in the

planned mission. This process will also need to be done for each unique mission

plan.

2.2 Recommended Settings

A description of how to use the terrain following settings.

2.2.1 Defaults

The default settings for terrain following, as shown in Figure 7.

PHX Terrain Following Feature User Guide Rev – Doc # 17030

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Figure 7: Defaults

2.2.2 Tolerance

The tolerance value is used to set the threshold that determines if there is a large enough change in

reported elevation between adjacent terrain tiles to command a change in flight altitude.

A 15-foot tolerance is recommended for use with PHX.

2.2.3 Max Climb Rate

The default setting is recommended

2.2.4 Max Descent Rate

The default setting is recommended.

2.3 Best Practices

The best practices for using the terrain following feature.

2.3.1 Planning

When planning a mission with the terrain following feature enabled, do not assume that all terrain

elevation and obstacles are accounted for automatically (see Limits section for information on the limits

of the terrain following feature).

Trees, power lines, and fences are not accounted for in the terrain elevation database.

Check the backside of hills and tree lines for obstacles that may be hidden from sight.

Plan accordingly and check the area(s) that will be flown over during the mission to ensure there are not

obstacles that may interfere with the drone while in flight.

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