A gyroscope on a drone is a sensor used to measure and control the vehicle's attitude. It detects rotational motion and provides accurate orientation and angular data to the flight control system.
Main functions of the gyroscope
1. Attitude control: The gyroscope measures a drone's attitude, including roll, pitch, and yaw, and supplies accurate angular data to the flight control system. These data are used to execute flight maneuvers such as stabilization, turning, and rolling.
2. Attitude stabilization: The gyroscope monitors attitude changes in real time and enables the flight controller to adjust output signals to maintain stable flight. Stability is important for aerial imaging, precision flight tasks, and safe operation.
3. Navigation and positioning: The gyroscope provides heading and orientation data that support navigation and positioning. When fused with other sensors, such as accelerometers and magnetometers, it contributes to higher-accuracy positioning for indoor and outdoor flight.
Principles of drone control systems
The basic principle of a drone control system is to compare sensor measurements with predefined targets and generate control commands based on that comparison so the drone can perform the required maneuvers and missions.
Key components
1. Sensors: Drones are equipped with multiple sensors, including gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, barometers, and GPS. These sensors measure the drone's state and flight parameters, such as attitude, position, velocity, and altitude.
2. Flight controller: The flight controller is the core of the control system. It receives sensor data and applies control algorithms to process the data and make decisions. A flight controller may be an embedded controller, a microcontroller, an FPGA, or another computing device.
3. Control algorithms: Control algorithms compute control commands from sensor data and desired targets. Common algorithms include PID control, model predictive control (MPC), and adaptive control, chosen and tuned according to specific control requirements.
4. Actuators: Actuators generate the physical movement on the drone, such as electric motors, servos, and propellers. The flight controller sends commands to actuators to control heading, pitch, roll, and altitude.
5. Communication system: The control system communicates with a ground station or operator to transmit telemetry and receive mission commands. Wireless methods such as radio or Wi-Fi are commonly used.
Typical control loop
1. Sensors continuously collect the drone's state, such as attitude, velocity, and position.
2. Sensor data are processed and analyzed by the flight controller to determine the current state.
3. The flight controller compares the current state with the set target and computes appropriate control commands.
4. Control commands are sent to the actuators, which produce the required motions to achieve the target.
5. This loop repeats continuously so the drone can maintain control and adjust its state to accomplish the mission.
Additional considerations include sensor calibration, data filtering, and fault detection and tolerance to ensure stability, reliability, and safety of the system.
