Sensor Placement in Photography and Racing Drones

Sensor Placement in Photography and Racing Drones

Sensor placement is one of the most crucial elements of unmanned system design, and

the purpose of the unmanned system dictates exactly where and how critical sensors are 
placed.Quadcopter drones (the four-rotor helicopter drones that have become 
ubiquitous in electronics stores) all look similar from a distance, but vary wildly 
in their sensor placement depending on their purpose. Two such unmanned systems 
are photography drones and FPV racing drones, which superficially look similar 
but are actually worlds apart in both purpose and sensor placement.

           

DJI is one of the industry leaders in hobby and commercial photography drones, 
and their Phantom 4 drone stands at the top of their professional-level UAV 
catalog (Mellors, n.d.). According to Mellors (n.d.), the chief feature of the 
Phantom 4 is the 4K camera, which enables the user to record ultra-high 
resolution video. Below is an image of the drone:

This is a great example of the drone’s camera placement. It is mounted on a 
gimbal on the bottom of the craft, which gives it the ability to both rotate and 
pan up and down.  This allows the camera to adjust to a wide variety of 
positions while the drone is hovering in place, giving the pilot the ability 
to capture a wide variety of images and angles without having to reposition 
the drone. The gimbal also compensates for the UAV’s movement in the air, 
enabling the camera to record stable footage even if the craft is moving 
(Mellors, n.d.). Sensor placement is key in the DJI’s functionality as a
photography tool.

            

Camera drones aren’t the only quadcopters in the skies; first-person view (FPV)
racing drones are also becoming popular. FPV drone racing is a growing sport 
where competitors fly their drones through pre-built tracks (Drone Enthusiast, 2016). 
The “FPV” is the key term here; operators utilize displays which show a first-person 
view from the drone, almost as if the pilot is sitting in the drone’s cockpit. The 
FPV requirement dictates very specific mounting for the racing UAV’s camera, 
namely its nose:

This is the Walkera Rodeo 150 FPV racing drone. Just like the DJI Phantom 4, 
it is a quadcopter, but that is where the similarities end. The Rodeo is a lightweight 
craft; it only weighs a hundred and fifty grams, and is designed for indoor and 
outdoor racing (Brown, n.d.). According to Brown (n.d.), it is also designed for 
aerobatic flight.

            

Since this is an FPV racing drone, the camera is mounted to the UAV’s nose,
centered in such a way as to simulate a cockpit view. According to Brown (n.d.), 
the camera’s position is fixed in place, with the optics allowing for a wide-angle 
view of one hundred and ten degrees. As Brown (n.d.) points out, this is a suboptimal 
position for photography, which removes the drone from consideration for serious 
photographic work. However, in its intended use as an FPV viewfinder, the drone
works very well, with the UAV’s electronics transmitting the camera’s

data to a viewing device with almost no lag.

            

Sensor placement is a critical element of UAV design, and the drone’s purpose often

decides where key sensors are placed. The most important sensor on both a racing 
drone or a photography UAV is the camera, although camera placement varies wildly 
from one platform to another. The DJI Phantom 4 carries its camera on its belly in 
order to allow for maximum photographic flexibility; the Walkera Rodeo 150 carries 
its camera on its nose, in order to give its pilot the best possible view when careening 
through a racetrack at high speeds. Both drones work well in their intended roles, and 
sensor placement is key to their successful function.

                                                               References

Brown, J. Walkera Rodeo 150: a compact FPV quadcopter for racing. Retrieved from

    

     http://mydronelab.com/reviews/walkera-rodeo-150.html on 27 September 2018.

Drone Enthusiast (2016). FPV drone racing – the UAV sport about to hit the big time.
     
     Retrieved from https://www.dronethusiast.com/fpv-drone-racing/ on 

     27 September 2018.

Mellors, J. (n.d.). DJI Phantom 4 review for photographers. Retrieved from

     

     https://shotkit.com/dji-phantom-4-review-for-photographers/ on 27 September 2018.