Planning and simulating a flight

Map Area Sidebar

Control

Bar

Toolbar

Status

Panel

Flight Parameters tab

Camera tab

Mission Waypoints tab

Mission Planning tab

Setup Phase tab

Flight Monitoring tab

current altitude(both Above the Take-off Altitude, marked asATO, and Above

Mean Sea Level, marked as AMSL), battery level, flight time, and status. The

Status Panel can be hidden by clicking on the drone. Moving around the

map is done by clicking and dragging at any place not occupied by a symbol (such as a waypoint or the drone symbol).

• Control Bar: The Control Bar is used to issue various commands to the eBee

while it is in flight, such as starting the mission phase or holding position.

21
Quick start guide

It is also used to display and acknowledge warnings that may occur either

before or during a flight.

• Toolbar: The Toolbar contains buttons to control the layers, sources or map

information and other display options related to the Map Area. eMotion can

use many sources of mapping information.

• Sidebar: The Sidebar is split into several tabs, each with a particular function. The Flight Monitoring tab is used for monitoring the drone while in

flight. The Setup Phase tab controls the take-off and landing portions of

a flight plan (referred to as the ‘setup phase’) whereas the Mission Planning tab defines the image acquisition portion of the flight plan (referred

to as the ‘mission phase’). The last three tabs are used for advanced waypoint planning and parameter setting. You can hide the Sidebar by clicking

on its left edge. The Sidebar also contains controls for the simulator when

connected to a simulated drone.

1.3 Creating a new flight plan

Every mapping flight requires a flight plan, which is a path defined by a set of

waypoints, or points in 3D space, and a set of actions that can be performed at or

in between waypoints, such as taking images, proceeding to the next waypoint

or landing. A flight plan is shown in the Map Area using circles to represent waypoints, 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 within

which the eBee will always remain. See the eBee Extended User Manual for more

information 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 setup

phase and the mission phase. The mission phase includes waypoints and actions

related to mapping and capturing images. The setup phase includes waypoints

and actions related to take-off and landing. This phase is usually planned directly

in the field and is explained in detail in section ‘The setup phase of a flight’ on

page 38.

22
Planning and simulating a flight

1.4 The mission phase of a flight

The easiest way to create a mapping flight for the systematic coverage of an area is

to use the automatic mission planning feature of eMotion. By simply positioning a

rectangle around the area you would like to cover, eMotionwill generate a mission

plan optimised for the ground resolution that you desire.

mission

area

Step 1: open tab and select

Step 2:

rotate,

resize,

move

Step 3:

choose

params

Step 4:

upload

Step 5: check in Google Earth correct camera

Note: For more complex terrain and missions, eMotion has the ability to set polygonal mission areas of any size and shape, and to automatically adjust waypoint altitudes based on elevation data. These

powerful features are described in more detail in the eBee Extended

User 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 appear

in the Map Area to designate the mission area to cover. Information such

as size and position is overlaid on the area. A mission plan, including the

required waypoints, is automatically calculated and displayed to preview

the mission plan that will be created.

23
Quick start guide

2. Adjust the location, size, and shape of the mission area. The area can be

relocated by dragging the gray zone. The four square handles on the edges

of the area can be used to resize it and the round handles on the corners of

the area can be used to rotate it. As you adjust the area the mission plan

preview is continuously updated.

3. Adjust the mapping and mission parameters in the Mission Planning tab to

suit your terrain and quality requirements2. As a first step, eMotion provides

two predefined set of parameters; ‘Easy terrain’ are the default parameters

designed for simpler terrain, such as mines or agriculture, whereas ‘Difficult

terrain’ is designed for complex areas, such as forests, and provides higher

image overlap at the cost of a lower resolution. Be sure to include an estimated wind speed and direction, as this has an effect on the area that can

be covered in a single flight. Once again, the mission plan preview will be

continuously 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 between

the flight plan and the ground. Any updates to the flight plan that you

make within eMotion will be reflected directly in Google EarthTM.

2 see the eBee Extended User Manual for a complete description of available parameters

3 see the eBee Extended User Manual

24
Planning and simulating a flight

Caution: eMotion as well as the automatic mission planning tool are

not aware of any obstacles that may exist in the area. In addition,

when not using elevation data, the mission planning tool assumes

that the mission area is flat and at the same altitude than the take-off

location. It is also not aware of any legal restriction (such as minimum

or maximum altitude) that may exist in your region. The resulting

flight plan should be carefully reviewed in order to avoid any collision

with uneven terrain or tall objects such as buildings, and to comply

with local regulations.

The final step after you have prepared a flight plan is to save it to a file that you

can load into the eBee when you are in the field. Select the Setup Phase tab from

the Sidebar, click on ‘Save flight plan to file...’, choose a filename and location and

click ‘Save’.

1.5 Simulating your flight

Simulating your flight gives you an idea of the position and size of images that

will be taken during the flight. In addition, it allows you to learn to use advanced

functions, such as in-flight waypoint editing and camera control, without putting

your eBee at risk4. When eMotion is connected to a simulated drone an extra set

of buttons appear in the Sidebar:

re-position take-off location

initiate take-off

instant recharge of battery

fast-forward

play

pause

You can set the take-off location of the eBee by clicking on the icon and placing

the point on the map. This simulates the action of switching on the real drone

4 see the eBee Extended User Manual for a complete description of the simulator

25
Quick start guide

and letting it acquire GPS signals. You can test your flight plan by clicking the

icon, simulating a take-off manoeuvre. The eBee will then go through its flight

plan in the same way it would in the field. You can pause, play or speed up the

simulation by clicking the corresponding buttons in the Toolbar. You can monitor

the state of the drone while in flight using the Flight Monitoring tab and the Status

Panel5. You may also monitor the flight in 3D in Google EarthTM by clicking on the

button in the Toolbar.

Caution: The simulator is a tool designed to aid with flight planning

and to familiarise you with the advanced functions of your eBee. The

simulated physics, however, are basic and do not always accurately

reflect the true behaviour of the drone in flight. In particular, estimates of battery level and reactions to wind are difficult to simulate

with high accuracy. You should in no case depend on behaviours

seen with a simulated drone to be reproduced exactly in real flight.

1.6 Getting ready for a mission

Before leaving for the field to perform a flight, be sure to fully charge all your eBee

batteries6. When delivered, the eBee battery may not be fully charged.

eBee battery pack

power cable

3

2

1

Status

LiPo Balance

Charger

balance LEDs

(not to scale) status LEDs

To charge an eBee battery pack, connect it to the battery charger as illustrated

above. During charge, the status LED on the charger is solid red. Charging is complete when the status LED turns green.

The charger provided independently balances the voltage of each of the 3 cells

contained in the battery pack to ensures optimal performance and battery life.

5 see the eBee Extended User Manual

6 Consult your payload user manual to know if the payload battery is necessary for the flight

26
Planning and simulating a flight

If any of the cells is unbalanced, its associated LED will flash red during charging

until it is re-balanced. Charging can take up to an hour, depending on the charge

level of the battery and the required cell balancing work. See the eBee Extended

User 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 to

preload map tiles by selecting ‘Download maps...’ from the File menu. More

details on how to take advantage of the various map sources available in eMotion

can be found in the eBee Extended User Manual.

27
Quick start guide

2 Executing a flight

Goal of this section: This section describes how to prepare your eBee

for flight, launch, monitor and control from the air, and initiate an

autonomous landing.

Note: We recommend that you perform your first flight in a large

obstacle-free area and limit the length of the mission in order to familiarise yourself with the eBee in flight.

2.1 Weather check

Before each flight, you should be aware of the weather conditions. The eBee is

a small drone that cannot fly in heavy rain or strong wind conditions. In case of

doubt, make sure to check a weather bulletin including wind estimations in the

flight area. Note that wind is often stronger at higher altitudes and that the wind

perceived at the surface is not always a good reference to estimate the wind at

flight altitude. Cloud velocity or tall tree movements can help you to estimate the

wind 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 flight

Caution: The eBee should not be launched if the wind speed exceeds

12 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 periods

of time. In particular, leaving the drone exposed to the sun or in a car

should be avoided.

2.2 Preparing the eBee for flight

The eBee’s simple design means it can go from the box to being ready for flight

in minutes. We recommend that you perform the following 6 steps before every

flight to ensure that the platform is best prepared for flight.

Note: Remove the red warning sticker from the motor before your

first flight.

Central body

bottom view

Central body

top view Wing - detached

3

4

2

5

6

29
Quick start guide

Step 1: Perform a general inspection

Visually 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 the

holes in the probe are free of obstructions.

3. Verify that the ground sensor is free of obstructions and that the sensor’s

lens 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 are

not cracked or damaged in any way.

Caution: It is vital to carefully inspect the wing struts and tubes

within the Central Body before every flight, as they may cause a crash

if they are damaged in any way. This is particularly important if the

wings were found separated from the Central Body after a previous

flight.

6. Verify that the power cables within the battery compartment are well insulated 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 to

keep your eBee in good shape. See the eBee Extended User Manual

for more details.

30
Executing a flight

motor

propeller

propeller

attachment

rubber bands

motor

Step 2: Install the propeller

Mount the propeller on the motor axis. Secure the propeller using two attachment rubber bands as illustrated above. Ensure that the propeller is lying flat

against the motor mount, and that the rubber bands do not show cracks or any

other sign of aging.

Caution: Failure to use two rubber bands may result in the loss of the

propeller in flight!

Note: After extensive use, the rubber bands may develop cracks. This

is normal and is caused by the ageing of the rubber material. For maximum security, inspect the rubber bands regularly and discard them

if they show cracks. 10 spare rubber bands are included in the package.

31
Quick start guide

insert camera into

compartment plug in camera connector to camera plug

close camera

compartment lid

Step 3: Install the camera

Install the camera into the payload bay7 within the eBee and close the camera

compartment lid. If the camera connector is not already connected, plug it into

the 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 the

User Manual of the camera or other payload for proper installation instructions.

32
Executing a flight

ensure servo 

connection

mechanism is 

aligned

and engaged

insert wing struts into central

body

Step 4: Attach the wings

Attach the wings to the central body by inserting the wing struts into the receptacles in the central body. Ensure that the ailerons are properly aligned with

the servo connection mechanism before pushing the wings fully into the central

body.

Caution: Flying with damaged wing struts or a badly engaged servo

connection mechanism may cause erratic flight and ultimately a

crash. Be sure to properly inspect and attach the wings before flight.

33
Quick start guide

blue preflight checks failed

pulse status LED:

green

solid status LED:

ready for startup

connect battery

red

blink status LED:

disconnect battery

connect battery and

insert into

compartment

close battery

compartment

Startup

process:

Step 5: Install and connect the battery

Lay the eBee horizontally on the ground outside in the vicinity of the take-off location, with the top face up. To install the battery, begin by connecting the power

cables to the battery. Insert the connectors firmly to the end in order to avoid undesired disconnection when in flight. Once connected, insert the battery into its

compartment and close the compartment lid.

Caution: Take care to keep the propeller area clear, in case it suddenly starts spinning.

34
Executing a flight

Note: Only connect the battery cables to the drone when you are

ready for start-up. Do not leave the battery connected for extended

periods of time when the drone is on the ground, as this may discharge the batteries and cause irreparable damage. When connected

and not in flight, the eBee will briefly move its ailerons up and down

every minute as a reminder that it is switched on.

As soon as the battery is connected the eBeewill perform an automatic self-check

of its sensors and acquire GPS signals. Be sure not to move the drone during these

tests. It is important that the drone is not inclined more than 10 degrees in order to

start up properly. Pre-flight checks may last from a few seconds to several minutes

in the case of poor GPS signal reception. As these satellite signals are required for

the checks to complete, be sure to place the eBee outside with a clear view of the

sky.

During the pre-flight checks the status LED will pulse blue. Once the pre-flight

checks are complete the eBee will flip its ailerons up and down and the status LED

will turn solid green to indicate it is ready. You may already connect the drone to

eMotion (Step 6) before pre-flight checks are complete to get a better idea of the

status of the checks.

Note: If there was any problem during the pre-flight checks performed by the drone this will be indicated by a Pre-flight error in eMotion as well as a by the status LED blinking red. See the eBee Extended

User Manual for a description of possible Pre-flight errors and how to

handle them.

35
Quick start guide

 / eBee Ag

Step 6: Connect to eMotion

Start by connecting the USB ground modem to your computer. Then launch eMotion, which will display the Connection window. Select the eBee connection profile, choose the corresponding FTDI port and click ‘OK’.

Note: Every eBee is paired with the ground modem it is delivered

with, and will only work with that particular modem. The name of the

FTDI port corresponding to the ground modem is labelled as ‘eBeeSERIAL’, where SERIAL is the serial number of the drone it is paired

with.

When a connection is established eMotionwill display a map and the Status Panel

indicating the current state of the drone. If the eBee has not yet detected its location the Status Panel will appear in the top right corner of the Map Area with the

text ‘GPS: Waiting for signals...’. During this time the status LED on the drone will

pulse blue.

Once your drone has set its position using GPS signals, an icon of the drone will

appear at its location on the map. If the drone’s location is not on the map you can

click the button from the Toolbar to centre the map on the drone. The drone’s

status on eMotion will be displayed as ‘Idle, Ready to take-off’ and the status LED

will become solid green.

36
Executing a flight

You can now load a flight plan you prepared earlier by selecting the Setup Phase

tab from the Sidebar, clicking on ‘Load flight plan from file...’ and selecting your

flight plan file. Alternatively, you can plan the entire mission in the field, following

the same process outlined in section ‘Planning and simulating a flight’ on page 19.

37
Quick start guide

2.3 The setup phase of a flight

The setup phase of a flight includes the waypoints and actions related to the takeoff and landing of the eBee and includes the following locations:

• Take-off location: The point from which the drone is launched, automatically set to the location calculated from GPS signals by the drone when

it is launched. This location defines the altitude of 0 m/ATO (ATO stands

for above take-off); the altitudes of all other waypoints, when defined in

m/ATO, are referenced to the altitude of this location.

• Start waypoint: The first point that the drone flies towardswhen launched

(once it reaches the take-off transition altitude).

• Home waypoint: The safe point for the drone to circle in case of emergency, as well as its landing position at the end of a flight for both Linear

and Circular landings.

wind

direction

obstaclefree zones

40m

take-off 

transition

altitude reached

10m

60m

Take-off 

location

Home

waypoint

Start

waypoint

Approach

sector

38
Executing a flight

It is important to carefully select the take-off location, the Start waypoint and the

Home 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 location

clear of obstacles (buildings, rocks, power lines, hills, trees, etc.) within a distance

of at least 40 m in the upwind direction. Immediately after takeoff it will keep

its wings level and climb in the general direction it was launched until it reaches

the take-off transition altitude8, at which point it will start flying towards the Start

waypoint.

By default, the Start waypoint is set to a distance of 80 m West of the initial position of the drone and an altitude of 75 m/ATO. It is good practice to move the Start

waypoint close to and upwind from the take-off location to allow a smooth transition between take-off and waypoint-directed flight. You can move waypoints by

clicking on them and dragging them within the Map Area9.

The Home waypoint is used both as the landing location and as a safety position

in case of an In-flight warning. The eBee can perform either a Linear or a Circular

landing. Linear landing is the default and recommended landing type, especially

in high winds. To prepare a Linear landing, place the Home waypoint centre at

a location that is at the same altitude as the take-off location and is clear of obstacles in a 10 m radius. Choose one or several approach sectors that are free of

obstacles for at least 60 m from the Home waypoint centre. You can drag the approach sector around the Homewaypoint and change itswidth directly in the Map

Area or from within the Setup Phase tab. Make the approach sector(s) as wide as

possible to maximize the chance that the drone can subsequently land against

the direction of the wind. Ensure that the terrain within the approach sector is

flat and contains visual contrast to allow the ground sensor to function properly

during landing.

When a Linear landing is initiated (either automatically or by pressing the ‘Go

Land’ 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 wind

8 By default the take-off transition altitude is set to 20 m. In difficult launch conditions you can set

both the take-off heading and the take-off transition altitude in the Setup Phase tab, as described

in the eBee Extended User Manual.

9 see the eBee Extended User Manualfor a more detailed explanation onwaypoints and how to modify

them

39
Quick start guide

at the landing location and choose an approach direction as much against the direction of the wind as possible. It will then fly downwind in the opposite direction

of the approach direction, turn 180◦and begin descending in the approach direction 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 needed

to maintain a suitable airspeed during this phase.

Note: There are a number of requirements that must be fulfilled to

ensure a successful Linear landing. The eBee Extended User Manual

describes in more detail the Linear landing process and how to properly define approach sectors in more complex terrain. In particular, in

the case of strong-wind conditions, low light or low-contrast terrain,

the precision of the final landing location around the Home waypoint

is reduced. Therefore, it is safer to plan for more clearance, especially

along the possible landing axes.

If there are no suitable approach sectors to perform a Linear landing the drone

can also perform a Circular landing around the Home waypoint. When initiating

a Circular landing around the Home waypoint the drone will switch off its motor

and glide down while circling around the Home waypoint at the waypoint’s radius. During the Circular landing procedure the drone uses its ground sensor to

measure the height above the ground, if the ground is well textured and there is

enough light. When it reaches an altitude of 25 m above the ground the drone

will level out, estimate the direction of the wing and resume its descent so as to

touch down against the wind while remaining on the circle defined by the Home

waypoint.

Caution: The ground sensor can only provide usable feedback in

daylight conditions above flat terrain that contains enough visual texture. If these conditions are not met the drone cannot ensure a touchdown against the direction of the wind. Landing in the direction

of the wind in strong-wind conditions may result in a high landing

speed and damage to the eBee.

40
Executing a flight

To prepare a Circular landing, place the Home waypoint in a location that has no

obstacles 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 is

flat to allow the ground sensor to function properly. By default, the radius of the

Home waypoint is 30 m. In high-wind conditions it is recommended to increase

this diameter10.

Caution: The radius of the Home waypoint, and thus of a Circular

landing, can be reduced to 20 m but should only be done in low wind

conditions (<3 m/s). Reducing the radius of the Home waypoint below 30 m in moderate- or high-wind conditions can result in damage

to the drone when it contacts the ground during a landing. As indicative values, the Home waypoint radius should be set to 30 m for wind

speeds below 5 m/s, 40 m for wind speeds between 5-8 m/s, and to

50 m for wind speeds above 8 m/s.

Note: In case of strong-wind conditions, the drone may drift even

further than 50 m away from the center of the Home waypoint when

performing a Circular landing. Therefore, it is safer to plan for even

more clearance in the downwind direction.

By default, the Home waypoint is set to an altitude of 75 m/ATO. In case a Go to

Home Waypoint procedure is triggered during flight11 the drone will, by default,

determine the highest altitude between its current altitude and the Home waypoint’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 with

care; it should be at least 20 m higher than the surrounding obstacles to avoid the

risk of a crash, but should not be set too high to reduce the effect of potentially

high winds and altitude and to prevent the drone from getting lost. Alternatively,

you can change the altitude transition behaviour within the Setup Phase tab. See

the eBee Extended User Manual for more information on altitude transition be-

10 see the eBee Extended User Manual

11 either automatically due to an In-flight warning or manually using eMotion

41
Quick start guide

haviours and how to modify them.

2.4 Take-off

Once you’ve planned your mission and the eBee status LED is solid green you can

launch it using the procedure on the following pages.

Caution: Make sure to keep the propeller area free of all obstructions

at all times during the launch procedure.

no holdingzone

d anger zone

green

solid status LED: bluepulse status LED:

Not horizontal!

Step 1: Orient horizontally and against the wind

Orient yourself against the direction of the wind, and confirm that the take-off

direction in front of you is free of obstacles. Firmly grasp the drone with both

hands, one hand on the front of each wing as shown in the figure. Hold the drone

horizontally with the nose pointed against the wind and level wings.

42
Executing a flight

Note: If the drone detects a condition that prevents correct take-off a

Take-off veto will be displayed in eMotion and the status LED will start

pulsing blue. The eBee Extended User Manual describes the possible

Take-off veto messages and the user action that should be taken to

remove them. For example, if the drone is not oriented horizontally

the status LEDwill 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 the

wind, otherwise it will be unable to gain enough speed during takeoff and likely crash. Likewise, launching the drone in high winds

above the specified safe wind speed of 12 m/s is dangerous and can

result in a crash.

shake 3x

no holdingzone

d anger zone

shake 3x

motor startup begin

green

solid status LED:

blue

pulse status LED:

Step 2: Switch the motor on

Shake 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 the

motor is at full power and ready for take-off.

Note: You do not need to hurry to launch the drone. In case you want

to shut off the motor, just repeat the back and forth action three times

and the motor will stop.

43
Quick start guide

motor ready for take-off

green

blink status LED:

blue

pulse status LED:

green

solid status LED:

step forward and release

Caution: always orient the eBee

against the wind for take-off!

place nose up 10°

10°

danger zone

Step 3: Launch the eBee

Once the motor is at full power the status LED will blink green. Orient the drone

with approximately 10 degrees nose up and level wings. When the angle is correct

the 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 releasing

it with both hands in a purely forward motion.

After take-off, the drone tries to maintain its initial direction, or follow the directional take-off heading you set, by keeping its wings level with full thrust until

reaching the take-off transition altitude, by default 20 m12. At this point, it will

switch into waypoint navigation mode and fly towards the Start waypoint. Once

it reaches the Start waypoint location and altitude the drone will circle around the

waypoint 1-2 times to estimate the wind and calibrate its sensors before starting

the mapping mission13.

12 see the eBee Extended User Manual to change this parameter

13 The eBee may also be programmed to wait at the Start waypoint for a command before starting its

mapping mission. See the eBee Extended User Manual for more information.

44
Executing a flight

Control Bar

Status

Flight Monitoring Tab

Wind speed and direction

Estimated Panel

Picture

Footprint

2.5 In-flight monitoring and control

You can monitor and control your drone while in-flight through eMotion using the

Map Area and the Flight Monitoring tab in the Sidebar.

The Map Area displays the current position of your drone, updated live as the

drone executes its flight. A small arrow and infobox show the speed and direction

of the wind as measured by the eBee. The Status Panel that follows the position of

the drone displays basic flight information including battery charge, flight time

and altitude, both above the take-off location (ATO) and above mean sea-level

(AMSL). This same information is reproduced in the Flight Monitoring tab, along

with other useful flight data .

45
Quick start guide

Note: All waypoints, image locations and flight paths displayed in

eMotion are a reflection of the data contained within the drone autopilot. If at any point the connection between eMotion and the

drone 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 Home

waypoint instead of continuing its mission when it detects a loss of

connection you may set the appropriate parameter in the Flight Parameters tab, as described in the eBee Extended User Manual.

During the Mission phase of the flight the eBee will automatically take pictures at

pre-defined moments based on the parameters that were defined during mission

planning. The estimated area captured on the ground is displayed in the form of

a continuously-updating polygon in the Map Area.

Note: The eBee will not take a picture unless it is in the correct location and altitude. Some reasons for not taking an image are strong

head wind, large off-track distance or incorrect altitude. A corresponding message is displayed in the Status Panel if a picture is not

taken.

At the top of the Map Area is the Control Bar, which can be used at any time to send

commands to your drone as well as to acknowledge warning and failure messages

if they occur. During a fully autonomous flight the eBee will control its flight autonomously from take-off to landing and you do not need to use any of the control buttons. They can however be useful in unexpected situations to temporarily

hold position by pressing the ‘HOLD POSITION’ button or to send the drone to

the 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 by

right-clicking in the Map Area and using the contextual menu. We recommend

you use the simulator to learn the effects of the buttons on the drone. Detailed

descriptions of the buttons and their effects on the drone are described in the

eBee Extended User Manual.

46
Executing a flight

2.6 Landing

After finishing a mapping mission the drone will, by default14, return to the Home

waypoint 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 eBee

Extended User Manual. In case of a Circular landing the drone will land in a circle

according to the process described in the eBee Extended User Manual.

Disconnect the battery from the drone before picking it up. We recommend you

immediately import the images and flight data after each flight (see section ‘Importing images and flight data’ on page 49) before putting the eBee back in its

case for storage. When disconnecting the wings, be sure to pull gently in the axis

of the wing struts to prevent damage to the wing struts. Check the wing struts for

any damage before putting them into the storage case. Remove the propeller if

you don’t plan on using the eBee for an extended period of time.

2.7 Potential in-flight errors

The drone can encounter two types of error messages while flying: In-flight warnings and Critical failures. In-flight warnings typically indicate a dangerous situation such as a low battery or strong winds and typically result in a Security action

such as a return to the Home waypoint. In-flight warnings appear in blue or yellow

in the Flight Monitoring tab. Critical failures occur only when the drone’s ability to

fly is severely compromised, such as a loss of GPS signals or an empty battery. The

situation 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 emergency

landing.

Caution: We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the possible in-flight errors to have a better understanding of what happens

if they occur in the field. A full list of possible In-flight warnings and

Critical failures and the drone’s reaction to them is described in the

eBee Extended User Manual.

14 see the eBee Extended User Manual for information on changing the default behaviours of the drone

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Quick start guide

Note: It is important to keep track of the location of the drone during

a Critical failure until the moment it reaches the ground. Its position’s

coordinates can aid in finding it afterwards. Instructions on how to

find a lost drone can be found in the eBee Extended User Manual.

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Processing image data

3 Processing image data

Goal of this section: In this section you will learn how to import images and flight data from your eBee and create basic mapping products directly in the field to gauge the quality of the images that you

gathered.

3.1 Importing images and flight data

The next step to creating mapping products, after completing a flight, is to import

the raw images and log files to a computer. The eBee records flight data onboard in

a special Drone Flight Log file. The Drone Flight Log tracks important information

throughout a flight, such as sensor data, location and control inputs. The file is

required for assigning location information (geotags) to the images taken by the

drone. The file is also required and must be sent to senseFly Ltd in case an issue

occurred during the flight15. A similar eMotion Flight Log file is created within

eMotion during a flight and serves as a backup in case the Drone Flight Log file

cannot be recovered.

eMotion features a Flight Data Manager to help you transfer and consolidate all

the data related to a mapping mission. Open the Flight Data Manager by clicking

on the Flight Data Manager icon when you load eMotion. Alternatively, click on

the button in the Toolbar and select ‘Flight Data Manager...’.

15 see the eBee Extended User Manual

49
Quick start guide

click OK

select Flight

Data Manager

Follow these steps to import data from the drone:

• Step 1 - Select a flight: If the flight was monitored from the computer

you are using to import images then the flight is saved within the local

database. Select the date that the flight took place. A list of flights (including number of images taken) from that date will appear in the combo

box, select the one you wish to import.

• Step 2 - Create a directory: Choose a directory name that uniquely identifies your flight (e.g. the date, the name of the area, etc.).

50
Processing image data

connect USB cable

to autopilot

• Step 3 - Prepare data for import: To import the Drone Flight Log, connect

the supplied USB cable to the eBee’s autopilot, marked with a icon. Connect the battery to the drone if it is not already connected. The status LED

will 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 the

SD card reader of your computer and select ‘Import from SD-card reader’.

Alternatively, transfer the images from the camera by lifting it out of its

compartment just enough to connect a USB cable to it and turn the camera

on. 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 Flight

Logs found by the Flight Data Manager are correct. You may select logs

manually if they are not correctly detected.

• Step 5 - Import images: Confirm that the images corresponding to your

flight were found and matched to the Drone Flight Log correctly.

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Quick start guide

• Step 6 - Select outputs: Choose the output actions to execute and files to

create. Geotagging images is necessary to create geoinfo, KML and Postflight Terra 3D files.

• Step 7: You may now disconnect the drone. Eject the SD-card drive and the

drone drive before removing the SD-card and the USB cable, respectively.

Disconnect the battery and USB cable from the drone. Insert the SD-card

back into the camera, put it back properly into its compartment and ensure

that it is turned off. You can now open the KML file in Google EarthTM or the

project in Postflight Terra 3D for further processing.

3.2 In-field image quality check

Postflight 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 Quality

Report that is automatically generated as well as the orthomosaic provide immediate 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 Flight

Data 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 of

your 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 modem

drivers’ on page 19 for installation instructions

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