# senseFly Extended User Manual eBee and eBee Ag Revision 12 I September 2014 Copyright© 2010-2014 senseFly Ltd



## '\.,

\..>-, 

# ~enseFly

aParrot company

### GENERAL INFORMATION
READ THIS USER MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USING ASENSEFLY LTD PRODUCT. senseFlyLtd products are intended for professional use only. 

### Applicable Regulations senseFly Ltd products are subject to Civil Aviation regulations. Regulations may vary depending on the country where you intend to operate your product. ANY USE OF SENSEFLYLTD PRODUCTS IN BREACH Of THE LAW OFTHE COUNTRYWHERE YOU OPERATE THE PRODUCT IS UNDER YOUR SOLE RESPONSIBILITY. INFORM YOURSELF BEFORE USING THE PRODUCT. SOME COUNTRIES MAY HAVE LAWS THAT LIMIT THE USE Of UNMANNED AIRCRAFTTO 'LINE-Of-SIGHT' OPERATIONS AND/OR PROHIBITTHE USE Of UNMANNED AIRCRAFT AT ALL OR IN SPECIFIC AREAS. 

### Privacy Recording and circulating an image of an individual may constitute an infringement of their image and privacy for which you can be liable. Askfor authorization before taking pictures ofan individual, particularly ifyou wantto keep your recordings and/or circulate images on the Web or any other medium. Do not circulate degrading images or ones that could undermine the reputation or dignity ofan individual. Check that your use ofthe cameras on board senseFly Ltd products comply with the legal provision on privacy in the country where you operate your product. 

### Limited Warranty SenseFly Ltd warrants thatthe product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for aperiod oftwelve (12) months from the date ofdelivery. SenseFly Ltd further warrants that the product will perform substantially in accordance with its specification. During the warranty period senseFly Ltd's sole liability shall be at senseFly Ltd's sole option, either to repair or to replace the defective product with another product or aproduct with similar specifications, at no charge, or to reimburse the purchase price ofthe product, or ifrepair or replacement is not possible, issue a credit note; provided however, that the defect has been confirmed by senseF!y ltd and that the defective product is returned to senseFly Ltd In accordance with the support and repair form together with all required flight logfiles. Warranty does not apply, without limitation, in case: a) the products are not stored and used according to their specifications, b) the products are damaged due to carelessness, negligence, or wrong use by the user, and c) for defects due to normal wear and tear including, but not limited to, deterioration to the airframe after first flight, normal degradation, misuse, moisture or liquids, proximity or exposure to heat, accidents, excessive strain, abuse, neglect, misapplication, repairs or modifications made bythird party otherthan senseFlyLtd, damage due to manual operation, da1nage duetotake-offor landing location with obstacles, damage due to low altitudeflight, damagedue to loss ofdata radio connection, damage due to strong wind, rain or humidity, or other causes for which senseFly Ltd has no control.THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY Of MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND Of ANY OTHER OBLIGATION ON THE PART Of SENSEFLY LTD. 

### Limitation of liability TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BYAPPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENTWILL SENSEFLY LTD BE LIABLE FOR ANYLOSS Of REVENUE, LOSS Of PROFIT, LOSS Of DATA, OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN If SENSEFLY LTD HAS BEEN NOTIFIED Of THE POSSIBILITY Of SUCH DAMAGES, AND WHETHER THIS LIABILITY ARISES FROM ACLAIM BASED ON CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT OR OTHERWISE, WITH THE EXCEPTION Of GROSS NEGLIGENCE AND DEATH. YOU SHALL AT ALL TIMES OPERATE THE PRODUCT IN AREAS OR UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES SO AS TO GUARANTY SECURITY AND SAFETY OF PEOPLE, PROPERTY AND ANIMALS. 

### Copyrights senseFly Ltd reserves the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions contained in this document at any time without notice. Please consult www.sensefly.com for the latest release. Copyright© 2014 sensefly Ltd. All rights reserved. REPRODUCTION, USE OR DISCLOSURE Of ALL OR IN PART Of THIS MANUALTO THIRD PARTIES WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION Of SENSEFLY LTD IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

### Address senseFlyLtd Route de Geneve 38 1033 Cheseaux-Lausanne Switzerland Website: http://www.sensefiy.com


### Technical support Ifyou have questions on your eBee or accompanying software please consult senseFly Ltd's Technical support website at the following address: http://www.sensefiy.com/support/

# Welcome to your 

# eBee

Congratulations on your purchase ofthe eBee, a complex and powerful yet intuitive autonomous mapping system. Wetake greatcare to develop and design the best possible hardware and softwaretools for quick, high-quality and easy-to-use 2D and 3D aerial mapping.



# 0 Note: This manual refers totheversion 2.4ofeMotion and version 3.2 of Postflight Terra 30 software. Check the software version included in your package and consultthe Release Notes for potential changes included in more recent versions ofthe software.

## Package contents

eBee battery

packs spare propeller
remote control, cables and

propeller

-- attachment bands
ground modem



### EPP glue

wing eBee central body User manual battery charger

eBee battery --''--- cha r ger cable

camera

wingThe standard eBee package contains thefollowing items:
• 1 x carrying case with foam protection • 1 x eBee central bodywith built-in autopilot • 1 x pair ofdetachable wings • 1 x spare propeller • 1Ox spare propeller attachment rubber bands
• 2x Lithium-Polymer battery packs • 1 x Lithium-Polymer battery charger (including cables) • 1 x 2.4 GHz USB ground modem for radio data link (including USB cable) • 1 x 2.4 GHz remote control (including including 3 AA batteries) • 1 x still camera (including memory card, battery and charger) • 1 x USB cable for interfacing with camera and on-board autopilot
• lx EPP glue • 1 x eBee User Manual • 1 x camera User Manual Depending on your order, your package may also include other items, such as additional payloads. Please verify upon delivery that your package is complete. In case ofa missing item, please contact your eBee reseller immediately. 

# 0 Note: Camera user manuals are also available to download from sensefly.com/support/download.

### Hardwarefeatures

ground sensor

Bottomface of the central body Top face ofthe eBee

The 

### eBee is an autonomousflying drone comprised ofthe following components:

• Central body: This is the core ofthe 

### eBee and includes all the electronics, actuators and communications hardware on-board the drone.
• Wing: The two wings ofthe 

### eBee are detachable for storage and replacement. Each wing has two wing struts and two clips to hold it in place within the central body.• Winglets: These structures add aerodynamic stabilityto the drone while it is in flight.
• Ailerons: Used to control the eBee while in flight.
• Servo connection mechanism: The ailerons are connected to the servomotors within thecentral bodyofthe dronethrough this connection mechanism.
• Propeller: Used to generate thrust while it is in flight. Caution: When attached to the motor the prnpeller spins at high speeds and can be potentiallydangerousifitcomes into contactwith exposed skin. Be sureto always keepyourhandsclearofthepropeller whenthebattery is attached to the eBee.

• Battery compartment: The eBee is powered by a LiPo (Lithium Polymer) battery stored within the battery compartment. Caution: Propercare ofyour battery is essential. Please read section 'Properbatterycare' on page 135 before using yourdroneforthefirst time.

• Camera compartment: TheeBeefeatures abuilt-in camerafortaking aerial images stored within the camera compartment. • Data Link Antenna: Used by the drone to communicate with the eMotion software through the USB ground modem.
• Pitot probe: This is the sensor used by the eBee to detect airspeed, wind and altitude. It must be kept clean and clear of obstructions to function properly.
• Status LED: This coloured LED displays the current state ofthe eBee. It is housed underneath the pitot probe and thus illuminates the entire transparent probe in various colours depending on the drone's state.• Ground sensor: The ground sensor, composed of a high-speed optical sensor and lens assembly, is used to detect the proximity ofthe ground.

## Softwarefeatures The eBee package allows for the download and use of eMotion * and Postflight Terra 30 * at no extra cost. 

# eMotion 2 senseF/y

eMotion is the integrated software package that allows you to interact with your eBee. Its easy-to-use interface allows you to plan a mapping flight intuitivelyfrom the comfort ofyour office or directly in thefield. Once the drone is launched, you can use eMotion'swireless connectionwith your eBeetotrackits position, monitor the progress ofyour mapping flight and send commands ifdesired. 

# Postflight 

# ,;i 

# I Terra 

# 1 ...( Powered

### byPix40 Once your eBee returns after an aerial mapping flight it is the turn of Postflight Terra 30to process the captured images fully automatically. Postflight Terra 30 is afull-featured mapping solution: withjust afew mouse clicks it can create highqualitygeo-referenced 2D and 3D orthomosaics and digital elevation/surfacemodels (DEM/DSM). While you are still in thefield Postflight Terra 30analyses the qualityofthecaptured images and generates an easyto understand report, letting you know immediately ifthe data you captured meets your mapping requirements.


### * Software access terms and conditions apply. Postfiight Terra 3D is limited to eBee images only.

## Contents
Quick start guide 17 1 Planning and simulating aflight 18 1.1 Installing eMotion, Postflight Terra 30, and the ground modem drivers
. . . . . . . . 18 1.2 The eMotion interface
. . 19 1.3 Creating a new flight plan 21 1.4 The mission phase ofaflight
. 22 1.5 Simulating yourflight
. . . 24 1.6 Getting readyfor a mission 25 2 Executing aflight 2.1 Weather check 2.2 Preparing the eBeefor flight 2.3 The setup phase ofaflight
. 2.4 Take-off
.......... . 2.5 In-flight monitoring and control 2.6 Landing
........ . 2.7 Potential in-flight errors 3 Processing image data 3.1 Importing images and flight data 3.2 In-field image quality check
... 3.3 Creating advanced mapping products 27 27 28 37 41 44 

### 46 46 48 

### 48 51 53

### II 

### Advanced functionalities 4 Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee 4.1 Waypoints and their properties 4.2 Advanced polygonal mission area 4.3 3D mission planning using elevation data
. 4.4 Flightvisualization in Google EarthTM
... 4.5 Autonomous controller and modes offlight
. 4.6 Linear landing
............. . 4.7 Flying multiple drones at the same time 4.8 Individual photo targets and oblique imagery 5 eMotion in-depth guide 5.1 Toolbar
. 5.2 Simulator 5.3 Control Bar 5.4 Flight Monitoring tab 5.5 Setup Phase tab
... 5.6 Mission Planning tab
. 5.7 Mission Waypoints tab 5.8 Camera tab
..... . 5.9 Flight Parameters tab 6 Manual control ofthe eBee 6.1 Enabling manual control 6.2 Pre-flighttesting ofthe remote control 6.3 Full Manual mode
.......... . 

### 55 56 56 60 61 64 66 70 75 81 83 84 87 89 92 96 100 109 111 116 120 120 122 1236.4 Assisted Manual mode
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

### Ill Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting 

### 127 7 Maintenance and repair ofthe eBee 128 

### 7.1 Updating the eBee software 

### 128 7.2 Cleaning and storage
.... 

### 131 7.3 Full airframe and sensor inspection 

### 131 7.4 Repairing the eBee airframe 

### 135 7.5 Proper battery care . 

### 135 8 Troubleshooting 137 

### 8.1 Pre-flight errors . 

### 138 8.2 Take-offvetoes
. 

### 141 8.3 In-flight warnings 

### 143 8.4 Critical failures 

### .. 155 8.5 Resetting default camera settings 

### 158 8.6 Improving radio signal communication 

### 158 8.7 Losing and locating your eBee in the field 

### 159 8.8 Reporting a problem with your eBee
... 

### 160


### IV Specifications 

### 161 1 Software requirements 162 2 Drone specifications 163

### Part I 

# Quick start guide
The first part ofthis document introduces you to the 

### eBee and contains the basic information you will need to plan and execute asimple mapping project. A typical mapping project can be divided into three main phases: 1. Planning and simulating aflight: Every project begins with careful planning, whether it is a quick flight over a small area or a multi-stage flight in complex terrain. Section 'Planning and simulating aflight' on the next page describes howto usetheMission Planning featureto quickly generate aflight plan and to test it using the built-in simulator. 2. Executing a flight: Once planning is complete, it is time for the drone to perform its flight. In section 'Executing aflight' on page 27 you will learn how to prepareyour dronefor flight, connect itto 

### eMotion, and to monitor it in flight while it gathers images. Though the 

### eBee can complete aflight fully autonomously from take-offto landing, you can also modify its flight plan at any point during flight. 3. Processing imagedata: The last step in aproject is converting the images taken by your 

### eBee into usable products such as precise gee-referenced orthomosaics or 3Dterrain models. section 'Processing imagedata' on page48 leads you through the process oftransferring images from the drone to a computer, checking ifthe image quality suits your needs while still in the field and producing advanced 2D and 3D maps.Quick start guide 

## 1 Planning and simulating aflight

1.1 Goal ofthis section: This section introduces the eMotion software used to interfacewith the eBee. It describes thestepsxequiredto plan, simulate.and save a·.simple mapping flight.. Am.ore detailed
·. descripti9.nofe/\,1otionandit.s advancedfunctions ispresentedjn section'eMotion,)n-depth guide' onpage83. Installing 

### eMotion, PostflightTerra30,andtheground modem drivers You can download the latest version of eMotion and Postflight Terra 30at: www.sensefly.com/support/download Use the password provided with your eBeeto access the download section. We recommend thatyou download and install Google EarthTM to take full advantage ofthe features of eMotion. You can find more information at the following address: www.google.com/earth/ To install eMotion on Windows, simply execute the provided installers for eMotion and Postflight Terra 30 and follow the on-screen instructions. The eMotion and PostflightTerra 30softwarewill be available in the 'Start'menu. Driversforthe USB ground station ground modem will automatically be installed along with eMotion. In case aproblem arises after connecting the ground modem to the computerfor the first time you can find the drivers in one ofthe following directories (depending on your version ofWindows):

18 C:\Program Files\senseFly\eMotion 2\usb_driver\ C:\Program Files (x86)\senseFly\eMotion 2\usb_driver\Planning and simulating aflight
See section 'Updating the eBee software' on page 128 ifyou have any difficulty with software installation. 

### 1.2 The 

### eMotion interface Thanks tothe powerful tools available within eMotion, designing amapping flight for your eBee is asimple process. To get started, launch eMotion and choose what you would like to do
...

• To run a simulation, select the simulator, choose the drone you want to simulate and click OK. • To fly a drone, connect your ground modem to your computer and select Drone. Ifyou have morethan oneUSB device connectedto your PC, choose the ground modem you wantto connectto from the list and click OK. Otherwise,just click OK. • To process flight data you already created, select the Flight Data Manager and click OK. We recommend thatyou plan flights using asimulated drone. Once connected to areal or simulated drone you will see the main screen ofeMotion. The main screen of eMotion is split into four sections:

19Quick start guide

20 Map Area Flight Parameters tab -------, Camera tab

---- Mission Waypoints tab --~

Mission Planning tab --~ Setup Phase tab FlightMonitoring tab

;,..,.,,., ,. '""'" '"-"'· """"' '""""·"'"'

Sidebar

• Map Area: The Map Area of eMotion displays a map with the drone's current position, indicated by the 

### ?"t::i symbol. Asmall Status Panel floats besidethe symbol, indicating importantstatus information including the eBee's currentaltitude (both AbovetheTake-offAltitude, marked as ATO, 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 awaypoint orthe drone symbol).Planning and simulating aflight

• Control Bar: The Control Baris used to issue various commandsto the eBee while it is in flight, such as starting the mission phase or holding position. It is also used to display and acknowledge warnings that may occur either before or during aflight.
• Toolbar: TheToolbarcontains buttonsto control thelayers, sources ormap information and otherdisplay options related to theMapArea. eMotion can use many sources ofmapping 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 ofthe flight plan (referred to as the 'mission phase'). The last three tabs are used for advanced waypointplanning and parameter setting. You can hidetheSidebarby 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 30 space, and a set ofactions that can be performed at or in between waypoints, such as taking images, proceeding to the next waypoint or landing. Aflight plan is shown in the Map Area using circles to represent waypoints, lines to represent theflight path and arrows to showthe direction offlight. The large circle with athick border illustrates the working area boundaries within which the eBee will always remain. See section 'Waypoints and their properties' on page 56for more information on waypoints and thevarious symbols presented in the Map Area. Acomplete 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-offand landing. This phase is usually planned directly

21Quick start guide
in the field and is explained in detail in section 'The setup phase of a flight' on page 37. 

### 1.4 The mission phase of aflight The easiestwayto create amappingflightforthe systematic coverage ofan area is to usethe automatic mission planning feature of

### eMotion. By simply positioning a rectangle around the area you would like to cover, 

### eMotion will generate amission plan optimised for the ground resolution that you desire. Step 5: check in Google Earth Step 1:

Step 3: choose params Step2:

rotate, resize,, move mmo,oo Step4: upload 

# 0 Note: For more complex terrain and missions, 

### eMotion has.the ability to set polygonal mission areas ofany size and shape, and to automatically adjustwaypoint altitudes based on elevation data. These powerful features are described in more detail in section 'Advanced polygonal mission area' on page 60and section '3D mission planning using elevation data' on page 61, respectively. Follow these steps to automatically setup waypoints for amapping mission:

22 1. Select the Mission Planning tab from the Sidebar. Agrey zone will appear in the Map Area to designate the mission area to cover. Information suchPlanning and simulating aflight

as size and position is overlaid on the area. Amission plan, including the required waypoints, is automatically calculated and displayed to preview the mission plan that will be created.
2. Adjust the location, size, and shape ofthe mission area. The area can be relocated by dragging thegray zone. Thefour square handles on theedges ofthe 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. Adjustthe mapping and mission parameters in the Mission Planning tabto suityourterrain and quality requirements1. As afirst step, eMotion provides two predefined set ofparameters; 'Easy terrain' are the default parameters designed for simplerterrain, such as mines or agriculture, whereas 'Difficult terrain' is designed for complex areas, such as forests, and provides higher image overlap at the cost ofa 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. Clickthe@ button in theToolbarto open theflight plan in GoogleEarthTM2 • 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.

1 see section 'Mission Planning tab' on page 100 for a complete description ofavailable parameters 2 see section 'Flight visualization in Google EarthTM' on page 64
23

### Quick start guide
Caution: 

### eMotion as well asthe automatic mission planning toolare not aware of any obstacles that may exist in the area. In addition, when not using elevation data, the mission planning tool assumes thatthemission area is flatand atthe same altitudethan thetakesoff location. Itis also notaware ofanylegaJrestriction (such as mihimum ormaximum al.titude) that may existih your region. }he resulting flig.htplan shouldbecarefuUyreyiewedinorderto avoidanycollision .•V\'ith yne,ven lerrain•orJaiJ ·objects such asbuildings, andtocorpply

wlthJ.gcalregulations.
. The final step after you have prepared aflight plan is to save it to afile that you can load into the eBee when you are in the field. Selectthe Setup Phase tabfrom the Sidebar, clickon 'Save flight plan to file
..:, choose afilename and location and click 'Save'. 

### 1.5 Simulating your flight Simulating your flight gives you an idea ofthe 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-flightwaypoint editing and camera control, without putting your eBee at risk3

. 

### When eMotion is connected to a simulated drone an extra set ofbuttons appear in the Sidebar: fast-forward

# -----~I

_
1 ______ re-position take-offlocation play

---- initiate take-off pause --i 

## r-- instant recharge ofbattery Simulator Q \~Jind:.v:2.om/s ..... -:...,..·.31s~:...a.;


### You can setthetake-offlocation ofthe eBee by clicking on the 

### Oicon and placing the point on the map. This simulates the action of switching on the real drone

3 see section 'Simulator' on page 87 for a complete description ofthe simulator

24

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

### 1 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 theToolbar. You can monitor the stateofthedronewhile in flight usingthe FlightMonitoring tab and the Status Panel4

. 

### You may also monitor the flight in 3D in Google EarthTM 

### by clicking on the**~** 

### button in the Toolbar.



### 1.6 Caution

### :··The5imulato(is atool••designedtoaidwithflightplanning and tofamiliarise youwith the.advancedfunctionsofyoureBee.The·. sirnulatecl .Physics, ?owever,.arebasiqand do.not always accurately reflect thetrue behaviour ~fthe drone. i.n flight•..In particular, estimatesofbattery level andreacti()nS towindare difficljlt to Simulate with high accuracy, You shouldin no case depend on behaviours seen with asimulated drone to be reproduced exactlyin real flight. Getting readyfor a mission 

### Before leaving for thefield to perform aflight, be sure to fully charge all your eBee 

### batteries'. When delivered, the eBee 

### battery may not be fully charged. balance LEDs power cable LiPo Balance 

### "'11•1111 Charger l~...l!:Ll.---'"""111• 

### eBee battery pack status LEDs (notto scale) To charge an eBee 

### battery pack, connect it to the battery charger as illustrated above. During charge, the status LED on thecharger is solid red. Charging is complete when the status LED turns green. The charger provided independently balances the voltage of each ofthe 3cells contained in the battery packto ensures optimal performance and battery life. If

4 see section 'In-flight monitoring and control' on page 44 5 Consult your payload user manual to know ifthe payload battery is necessaryfor the fiight
25Quick start guide
any ofthe cells is unbalanced, its associated LED will be solid red during charging until it is re-balanced. Charging can take up to an hour, depending on the charge level ofthe battery and the required cell balancing work. See section 'Proper battery care' on page 135 for more information on maintaining your drone's batteries. Ifyou plan on performing aflight awayfrom an Internet connection it is useful to preload map tiles by selecting 'Download maps..: from the liiil File menu. More details on how to take advantage ofthe various map sources available in 

### eMotion can be found in section 'Toolbar' on page 84.

26Executing aflight 

## 2 Executing aflight


# 0

2.1 Goal ofthissection:This section describes howto prepareyour eBee for flight, launch, monitor and control from the air, and initiate an autonomous landing. 

## Note: We recommendthatyou perform your firs(flighfdn

# a large obstade-free.area and limit the length ofthe mission in order tofamiliarise yourselfwith the eBee in flight.
Weather check Before each flight, you should be aware ofthe 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 thatthe wind perceived at the surface is not always a good reference to estimate the wind at flight altitude. Cloud velocity ortall tree movements can help you to estimatethe wind speed once you are out in the field. Weatherforecasts may use various units to measure wind speed. As areference, 1m/s = 3.6 km/h= 2.24 mph= 1.94 kts. Caution: The eBee should notbe launched ifthewind speed exceeds 12 m/s (in other units: 43.2 km/h, 26.8 mph, 23.3 kts). Caution: The eBeeis notdesignedtofly in temperaturesabove 35° C. Avoid exposing the drone to high temperaturefor prolonged periods oftime. In particular, leaving the drone exposed to the sun or in acar should be avoided.

27Quick start guide


### 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 thatthe platform is best prepared for flight. 

# 0 Note: Remove the red .warning sticker from the motor beforeyour first flight.

Central body

top view CentraIbody bottom view 3

Wing~ detached Step 1: Perform a general inspection Visually inspectthe drone for damage or wear using thefollowing steps:

28 1. Check the foam central body and wings for cracks or other damage. 2. Verify thatthe pitot probe is properly attached to the airframe and thatthe holes in the probe are free ofobstructions. 3. Verify that the ground sensor is free ofobstructions and that the sensor's lens is clean.

### Executing aflight
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 tocarefully inspect the wing struts and tubes within the Central Bodybefore everyflight,asth.eymaycause acrash. i.fJhey are damagedJn
..any '-f,J~Y·· 

### This.is·•paJticUli!dy.i01portantif the wings wereJound separated from•the Central.Body aftera previous flight. 6. Verify thatthe powercables within the battery compartmentare well insulated and not damaged. 

# 0 Note: 

### Ageneral inspection shouldbeperformed before every flight. It is also good practice to perform a full airframe check regularly to keep your eBee

### ingood.shape, See section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131formore details.

29Quick start guide

# ~ propeller@ attachment**~** rubber bands

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 ofaging. 

# 0

30 Caution: Failureto usetwo rubberbands mayresultin the loss ofthe propeller in flight! Note: Afterextensive use, therubberbands maydevelopcracks. This is normal and is caused bytheageing oftherubbermaterial. Formaximum security, inspect the rubber bands regularly and discard them ifthey show cracks. 10 spare rubber bands are included in the package.Executing aflight

insert camera into

compartment plug in camera connector to camera plug

Step 3: Install the camera**~ ~**  i:;;;i 

# /

close camera compartment lid

Install the camera into the payload bay6 within the eBee and close the camera compartment lid. Ifthe camera connector is not already connected, plug it into the connector with the 

### l!J icon on the eBee. Caution: The eBee has not been designed tofly withoutthe camera. Attempting tofly withoutthecamera mayrenderthedrone unstable, which may eventually lead to a crash.

6 Some payloads may require a separate battery or SD card to operate properly. Please refer to the

User Manual ofthe camera or other payload for proper installation instructions.

31Quick start guide

ensure servo connection mechanism is aligned and engaged

Step 4: Attach the wings insert wing struts into central body

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.

32 Caution: Flying with damaged wing struts or abadly engaged servo connection mechanism may cause erratic flight and ultimately a crash. Be sure to properly inspect and attach the wings before flight.Executing aflight

connect battery and insert into compartment close battery compartment

Startup process: connect battery -+-- disconnect battery 

# i"- t status LED: 1 blue'
__ preflight check:.(~iled ,pulse I ,' d•• 

### I .,, , re • + - status LED:**\~~~~)** ready for star_!ll.!2 status LED:

# G;;;)
Step S: Install and connectthe battery Lay the eBee horizontally on the ground outside in the vicinity ofthe take-offlocation, with the topface up. To install the battery, begin by connecting the power cables to the battery. Insertthe connectors firmly to the end in orderto 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.

33

### Quick start guide

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 oftime when the drone is on the ground, as this may dischargethe batteries and cause irreparable damage
..When connected and not in flight, the eBee 

### will briefly move.its ailerons up and down every minute as areminderthat it is switched on. As soon as the battery is connectedthe eBee

### will perform an automatic self-check ofits sensors and acquire GPS signals. Be sure notto move the drone during these tests. Itis importantthatthedrone is notinclined morethan 1 O



### degrees in orderto startup properly. Pre-flightchecks may lastfrom afew secondsto several minutes in the case ofpoor GPS signal reception. As these satellite signals are required for the checks to complete, be sure to place the eBee

### outside with aclearview ofthe sky. During the pre-flight checks the status LED will pulse blue. Once the pre-flight checks are completethe eBee

### will flip its ailerons up and down and the status LED will turn solid green to indicate it is ready. You may already connectthe drone to eMotion (Step 6) before pre-flight checks are complete to get abetter idea ofthe status ofthe checks.

34 Note: 

### If there was any problem during the pre-flight checks performed bythe dronethis will be indicated byaPre-flighterrorin eMotion as well as abythe status LED blinking red. See section 'Pre-flight errors' on page 138for adescription ofpossiblePre-flight errors and how to handle them.Executing aflight

selecteBeeIeBeeAg om/Aro 174m.JAMSL i - Om/ATO lllID 0:00 

# o~@·,,..""""'

Idle _,'{//· UIIDO:OO. Ruoaln;-P<.,.filih«hecb •'&) :_ ·.··
----·------ l. · Idle ' 

# I -------:::.. / \

's.,,,.oo>,~. h . . 

### I w en position 

### I acquired / 

# I L
____J clickOK select FTDI port Step 6: ConnecttoeMotion Start by connecting the USB ground modem to yourcomputer. Then launch 

### eMotion, which will display the Connection window. Select the 

### eBee connection profile, choosethe corresponding FTDI port and click 'OK'. 

# 0 Note:. Every 

### eBee is paired With the ground modem it is delivered with, andwillonlyworkwith thatparticularmodem. The nameofthe FTDI port corresponding to the ground modem is labelled as 

### 'eBeeSERIAL; where SERIAL is the serial number ofthe drone it is paired with. When aconnection is established 

### eMotion will display a map and theStatus Panel indicating the current state ofthe drone. Ifthe 

### eBee has not yet detected its location the Status Panel will appear in the top right corner ofthe 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 ofthe drone will appear at its location on the map. Ifthe drone's location is not on the map you can click the·~·button from the Toolbarto 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.
35Quick start guide
You can now load aflight 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 aflight' on page 18.

36Executing aflight 

### 2.3 The setup phase ofaflight The setup phase ofaflight includes thewaypoints and actions related to thetakeoffand landing ofthe eBee and includes thefollowing locations:

• Take-offlocation: 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 OmlATO (ATO stands for above take-off); the altitudes ofall other waypoints, when defined in m/ATO, are referenced to the altitude ofthis location.
• Startwaypoint: Thefirst pointthatthe droneflies towards when launched (once it reaches the take-offtransition altitude).
• Home waypoint: The safe point for the drone to circle in case of emergency, as well as its landing position at the end ofaflight for both Linear and Circular landings.


### "' 

# .. "' Approach sector

obstacle-

. free zones

wind direction

37Quick start guide
It is importantto carefully selectthe take-offlocation, the Startwaypoint 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 atake-offlocation clear ofobstacles (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 thetake-offtransition altitude7
, at which point it will startflying towards theStart waypoint. By default, the Start waypoint is set to a distance of80 mWest ofthe initial position ofthe drone and an altitude of75 ml ATO. It is good practiceto movetheStart waypoint closeto and upwind from thetake-offlocation to allow asmoothtransition between take-offand waypoint-directed flight. You can move waypoints by clicking on them and dragging them within the Map Area'. The Home waypoint is used both as the landing location and as a safety position in case ofan 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 ofobstacles in a 1 Om radius. Choose one or several approach sectors that are free of obstacles for at least 60 mfrom the Home waypoint centre. You can drag the approach sectoraroundthe Homewaypointand change its width directly in the Map Area orfrom 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 ofthe 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 ofthe wind
7 By default the take-offtransition altitude is set to 20 rn. In difficult launch conditions you can set

both the take-off heading and the take-offtransition altitude in the Setup Phase tab, as described in section 'Setup Phase tab' on page 96. 8 see section 'Waypoints and their properties' on page 56 for a more detailed explanation on waypoints and how to modify them
38Executing aflight

atthe landing location and choose an approach direction as much againstthe direction ofthe wind as possible. Itwill thenfly downwind in the opposite direction ofthe approach direction, turn 180°and begin descending in the approach direction until it lands on the ground underneath the centre ofthe Home waypoint. The approach angle is around 20° and the drone will reverse its thrust ifneeded to maintain a suitable airspeed during this phase. Note: There are a number of requirements thatmust be fulfiJled to ensure a successful Unearlanding
.. Section 'Unear. landing' on page 70 describes in more detail the Linearlanding process and how to properly define approach sectors in more complex terrain. In particular, inJhecase of strong-wind conditions, low light orJowcontrast terrain, the precision ofthe.final landing location around the Home waypoint isreduced; Therefore,itis safer.to planformore clearance, especially alongthe pbssible landing axes. Ifthere 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 offits 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, ifthe ground is well textured and there is enough light. When it reaches an altitude of25 m above the ground the drone will level out, estimate the direction ofthe 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 daylightconditions aboveflatterrainthatcontains enough visual texture. Ifthese conditions are not metthedrone cannotensureatouchdown against the direction of the wind. Landing in the direction ofthe wind in strong-wind conditions may result in a high landing speed and damageto the eBee.

39Quick start guide
To prepare a Circular landing, place the Home waypoint in a location that has no obstacles within a radius of50 m (or 20 mmore 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 sensorto function properly. By default, the radius ofthe Home waypoint is 30 m. In high-wind conditions it is recommended to increase this diameter9 •



# 0 Caution: The radiusofthe Home wayppint, andthus ofaCircular landing, can be reducedto20 mbutshould onlybedone.in low wind conditions (<3 mis). Heducing the radjusofthe Home waypointbelow30 min moderate-orhighswindconditions can resultin damage tothedronewhen itcontactsthegroundduring alanding. As indicativevalues, the Home waypointradius shouldbe setto 30 mforwirid speeds belows 

### mis,40 mfor wind speeds between 5·8 

### mis, and to 50 mfor wind speeds.above 8m/s. Note: In case of strong-wind conditions, the drone may drifteven further than 50 mawayfrom thecenter ofthe Homewaypointwhen 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 of75 mlATO. In case a Go to Home Waypoint procedure is triggered during flight10 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 ofthe Home waypoint should be selected with care; it should be at least 20 mhigherthan the surrounding obstaclesto avoid the risk ofa crash, but should not be set too high to reduce the effect ofpotentially high winds and altitude and to preventthe drone from getting lost. Alternatively, you can changethe altitude transition behaviour within the Setup Phase tab. See section 'Waypoints and their properties' on page 56 for more information on alti-

- 9 see section 'Setup Phase tab' on page 96

' 0 either automatically due to an ln-fiight warning or manually using eMotion

40Executing aflight
tudetransition behaviours 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; Mal<esure

### to keepthepropellerareafree ofall obstructions atc1II times during the launch procedure,

status LED:
Step 1: Orient horizontally and againstthe wind Not horizontal!



### ,,- ( blue\ status LED: ,pulse I 

### _,,

Orient yourself against the direction ofthe 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 thefront ofeach wing as shown in thefigure. Hold the drone horizontally with the nose pointed againstthe wind and level wings.

41

### Quick start guide 

# 0 Note: 

### Ifthe drone detects aconditionthat prevents correcttake-off aTake-offveto will be displayed in eMotion 

### and the status LED 

### will start pulsing blue. Section 'Take-offvetoes' on page 141 

### describes the possibleTake-offveto messagesand the user action.that should be taken to removethem.For example, itthe drone isnororiented horizontally the status.LED 

### will.startpulsingblue until y9u re0

### orient it.horizontaUy,atwhich.pointthe s.tatusLEO tun1ss1Jlid·green.again. 

### Caution: It is imperative to launchlhedrpne directly against the wind, otherwiseitwill beunable to 9ainenoughspefd.dmingJakec ott·.and.1ike1y crash
.. Likewise, 1auncbing tbedrl)ne inhighwinds above the specified safe wind speed.ofo12

### mis is dangerous and can result in a crash.

no ho/cf, 10 ,I( 

### status LED: "o 

### ,-shake 3x

## ~ 

# i shake 3x


### motor startup begin ,'

# - blue\ 

### status LED: t ,pulse J



# - ,' 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. 

# 0

42 Note: 

### You do not needto hurryto launchthe drone. In caseyou want to shut off

### the motor,justrepeatthe backandforth actionthreetimes and the motor will stop.Caution: always orient the eBee against the wind for take-off! Step 3: Launch the eBee Executing aflight

/ 

# - I blue'\ status LED: ,pulse J 

# i -/
motor ready fortake-off 

## /g;;~~\ status LED: \ bl. k : 

# i ', ,n ,' place nose up 10° status LED: step forward and release

Once the motor is at full power the status LED will blink green. Orient the drone with approximately 1 O

degrees nose up and level wings. When the angle is correct the status LED will turn solid green, indicating thatthedrone is readyfor take-off. Launch the drone with agentle push by walking 1-2 stepsforward while releasing it with both hands in apurely 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-offtransition altitude, by default 20 m11 • At this point, it will switch into waypoint navigation mode and fly towards the Start waypoint. Once it reaches the Startwaypointlocation and altitude the drone will circle around the waypoint 1-2 times to estimate the wind and calibrate its sensors before starting the mapping mission 12.

11 see section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116 to change this parameter 12 The eBee may also be programmed to wait at the Start waypoint for a command before starting its

mapping mission. See section 'Setup Phase tab' on page 96 for more information.
43Quick start guide
Control Bar



### 2.5 In-flight monitoring and control FlightMonitoringTab 

## I I



# . ,--,.,



## -·""'

,...,,, ; lll1l)c •~:,,,,, Jlo:!5 !----'-'--=~~-+Estimated Picture Footprint

You can monitorand control your drone while in-flightthrough 

### 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. Asmall arrow and infobox show the speed and direction ofthewind as measured bythe 

### eBee. The Status Panel thatfollows 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
. 44

# 0 Executing aflight

Note: All waypoints, image locations and flight paths displayed in eMotion are a reflection ofthe 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 selectedautomatic landing, fully autonomously: Ifyou would like the drone to return to the Home waypointinstead of continuing its mission \/\/hen 

## itdetects .a loss of connecti.on you may set the appropriate parameterin th.e FlightParameters tab, as described in section'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116. During the Mission phase oftheflight the eBeewill automatically take pictures at pre-defined moments based on the parametersthatwere defined during mission planning. The estimated area captured on the ground is displayed in the form of acontinuously-updating polygon in the Map Area. 

# 0 Note:The eBeewill nottake a picture unless it is in the correctlocation.and altitude. Some reasons for nottaking an image are strong head wind, large .off-track distance or incorrect altitude. Acorresponding message is displayed in the Status Panel ifa picture is not taken. AtthetopoftheMapArea is theControl Bar, which can be used atanytimeto send commandsto your drone as well as to acknowledge warning and failure messages ifthey occur. During afully autonomous flight the eBee will control its flight autonomously from take-offto landing and you do not need to use any ofthe 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 ofthe buttons on the drone. Detailed descriptions ofthe buttons and their effects on the drone are described in section 'Control Bar' on page 89.

45Quick start guide 

### 2.6 Landing After finishing a mapping mission the dronewill, by default13
, return tothe Home waypoint and automatically initiate a landing sequence. During a Linear landing, the drone will land in astraight line according to the process described in section 'Linear landing' on page 70. In case ofa Circular landing the drone will land in a circle according to the process described in section 'The setup phase of aflight' on page 37. Disconnect the batteryfrom 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 48) before putting the eBee back in its case for storage. When disconnecting the wings, be sure to pull gently in the axis ofthewing struts to prevent damage tothewing struts. Checkthewing 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 oftime.



### 2.7 Potential in-flight errors The drone can encountertwotypes oferror messages whileflying: In-flightwarnings 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 areturn tothe Homewaypoint. In-flightwarnings appear in blue oryellow in the Flight Monitoring tab. Critical failures occur onlywhen the drone's abilityto fly is severely compromised, such as a loss ofGPS signals or an empty battery. The situation will be displayed in red in the Status section ofthe Flight Monitoring tab. When a critical failure arises, the drone will immediately perform an emergency landing.

n see section 'Setup Phase tab' on page 96 for information on changing the default behaviours ofthe

drone
46

# 0 Executing aflight

Caution:

### .We recommend thatyou familiarise yourselfwith the possible in-flighterrorsto have abetter understanding ofwhat happens ifthey occur in the field. A full list ofpossible In-flightwarnings and Criticalfailures and the drone'sreadion.to them is described insection 'ln°flightwarnings' on page 143 

### and section 'Critical failures' on page 155
.. Note: 

### Itis importanttokeeptra(kofthelo(ation ofthedroneduring 

### ii CriticalfaHure.untilthe momentitreachesthe ground,.lts position's rnordinates can3idjn fit)ding.it.afterwards. Instruction~ onhow to find.a lostdronecan befound in section 'Losing and locating .your eBee

### inthefield' on page 159.

47Quick start guide 

## 3 Processing imagedata

3.1 Goal ofthissection: In this sectionyotJ will learn how.to importimagesand flight data from your 

### eBee and create basicmapping products directly in theJield to gauge the quality.ofthe i111agesthatyou gathered.



### Importing images andflight data The next stepto creating mapping products, aftercompleting aflight, is to import the raw images and log files to acomputer. The 

### eBeerecords 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 flight14

. Asimilar eMotion Flight Log file is created within 

### eMotion during aflight 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 amapping mission. Open the Flight Data Manager by clicking on the Flight Data Manager icon when you load 

### eMotion. Alternatively, click on the liil button in theToolbar and select 'Flight Data Manager
..:.

" see section 'Reporting a problem with your eBee' on page 160
48Processing image data

clickOK

Follow these steps to import data from the drone:

• Step 1 - Select a flight: Ifthe 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. Alist of flights (including number ofimages taken) from that date will appear in the combo box, select the one you wish to import.

• Step2 - Create a directory: Choose a directory name that uniquely identifies your flight (e.g. the date, the name ofthe area, etc.).
49Quick start guide



### so 0 connect USB cable --+-- to autopilot

• Step3- Preparedatafor import: To importthe Drone Flight Log, connect the supplied USB cable to the eBee's autopilot, marked with a 

### Q icon. Connect the battery to the drone ifit 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 ofyour computer and select 'Import from SD-card reader'. Alternatively, transfer the images from the camera by lifting it out of its compartmentjust enough to connect aUSB cable to it and turn thecamera on. Copy all the images into atemporary 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 ifthey 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.

• Step 6- Selectoutputs: Choose the output actions to execute and files to create. Geotagging images is necessary to create geoinfo, KML and Postflight Terra 30files.Processing image data

• Step7: You may now disconnectthedrone. Ejectthe 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 thecamera, put it back properly into its compartmentand ensure that it is turned off. You can now open the KMLfile in Google EarthTM orthe project in Postflight Terra 30forfurther processing.



### 3.2 In-field image quality check PostflightTerra 30software15, available as afree download with the eBee package, can be used to rapidly create a Quality Report directly in the field. The Quality Reportthat is automatically generated as well as the orthomosaic provide immediate feedback on the quality ofthe images gathered during your mission. You can open aprojectfor processing in PostflightTerra 30directlyfrom the Flight Data Manager after importing your data by clicking the 'Open project in Terra' button. You will now see the main Postflight Terra 30 window. The position of your images will appear as red dots in the Map Area ofPostflight Terra 30.

15 powered by Pix4D, see section 'Installing eMotion, Postfiight Terra 30, and the ground modem

drivers' on page 18 for installation instructions
51Quick start guide
Automatic Reconstruction**~**.. a > :]TopToolbar**~**

## ~, Project Summary

Layers



### C:::,,1,-··------------=·-·--~lc~~~l~;~~~~~~~~i~Local Processing panel Step 1: select 1. Initial Processing, Rapid Check Map Area Step 2: click 'Start'

To create aQuality Report while in thefield bring up the local processing panel by selecting 'Local processing' from the 'Process' menu or by clicking the ,-, icon in the Toolbar. Select only the 'Initial project processing' checkbox and the 'Rapid' button. Ifyou wish to create a low-resolution orthomosaic while generating the report, check the 'Orthomosaic and DSM generation' checkbox. Click 'Start' to begin rapid processing. Postflight Terra 30 will now process the data and produce a report that includes the overall completeness and georeference quality ofthe images taken during your last mission. You may use this information to decide whetherfurther imaging flights are required while you are still in the field. The quality report will be displayed in a new window (clickthe icon in the Toolbar ifit does not appear).
52

### Processing image data


### 3.3 Creating advanced mapping products Beyond Quality Reports and low-resolution orthomosaics, Postflight Terra 30

### can generate geo-referenced high-resolution 2D orthomosaics, 3D point clouds, tri

### angle models and DSMs or exportto common third-party photogrammetry software such as Bingo, Orima orlnpho. Ground Control Points (GCP) can be added to increasethe geo-reference accuracy. PostflightTerra 30

### also includes amosaic and a rayCloud editor, giving you more control on the quality ofyour final mapping products, as well as measurement tools. Theresulting orthomosaic and DSM maythen beimported as custom background map and elevation data layers in eMotion 16• 

### This data can be used for advanced flight planning in complex or uneven terrain. 

# 0 

# 0 l'Jote: 

### youneedto•eitherenabl.etile setgeneratio.n ORchooseGe~- erate.Google MapsTHes and KMLfrom theprocessrnenu beforeyou can.push.the tilesetinto.eMotion··by choosing SendMap.to eMotion from

# theProcess menu. Alternatively, this data canbe.imported into eMotion; choose Import custom mapfrom eMotion's iiiil 

### File menu. Note: 

### The best wayto learn how to use the various features ofPostflightTerra 30

### isto lookatthecomprehensive ohline Knowledge Base at my.sensefly.com

16 see section 'Tool bar' on page 84 for more information on importing layers into eMotion
53

## Part II 

# AdvancedfunctionalitiesAdvanced functionalities 

## 4 Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

4.1 Goal ofthissection: Aerial mappingusingthe eBeeisdesignedto be simple and fully automatic, requiring very little inputfrom the user. Understanding the basics .ofaerial.navigati.on, however, can helpyou map.more.complex terrain·andyield·higher·quality results. This·sec.- tion explainsthebasicsofwaypoir:it-based navigation andthecontrol strategies used bythedrone forflight. 

### Waypoints and their properties The eBeeuses aflight plan consisting ofalist ofwaypointsto navigate. Awaypoint essentially consists ofacircle about agiven position and information that defines how the drone should behave when reaching them. The entire list ofwaypoints is stored in the drone autopilot and can be remotely edited using eMotion.

Altitude: Above Take-off location (mlATO) OR Above Mean Sea Level (m/AMSL) Position (GPS coordinates) In eMotion every waypoint is defined by the following parameters:

56 • ID: Every mission waypoint has a unique ID, beginning at 1. The eBee can store up to 50 mission waypoints. Setup phase waypoints (Start and Home) do not have an ID.Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

• Active: Indicates whether the waypoint is active or not. Deactivating a waypoint by clicking the checkbox beside its ID will remove itfrom the current flight plan. Setup phase waypoints (Start and Home) cannot be deactivated. • Current: Astatus that indicates ifthe waypoint is currently being circled or navigated toward (indicated by>< around the waypoint's ID). Only one waypoint is marked Current at atime. • Change altitude: This parameterdefines the way the drone transitions to the altitude ofthe current waypoint.

- Duringtransit: The drone will fly in the direction ofthe currentwaypointwhile simultaneouslychanging altitudebyclimbing ordescending in a linear fashion. If the required climb or descent rate is beyond physical limits, the drone will reach the destination and keep climbing/descending around the destination waypoint. This is typically used to achieve the best efficiency when the altitude between waypoints is not constrained.

- Before transit: The drone will first climb or descend at its current position until itreachesthealtitude ofthecurrentwaypoint, andthen fly in thedirection ofthe waypoint atits altitude. This is typically used for 3D mapping.

- Keep highest: The drone will first determine whether its current altitude orthe current waypoint's altitude is highest. Ifthe drone's current altitude is highest, it will first fly towards the waypoint and then descentto the waypoint's altitude in acircularfashion. Ifthe current waypoint's altitude is highest, the drone will begin by climbing at its current position until it reaches the waypoint's altitude and then fly towards the waypoint. This is typically useful to avoid hitting theterrain in mountainous landscapes and, in particular, for the Home waypoint when the mission altitude is below thetake-offlocation.
• Altitude: The altitude ofthe waypoint above the altitude reference. The waypoint is considered 'reached' only when the drone starts circling about it atthe waypoint's altitude.

57Advanced functionalities

• Altitude reference: The reference pointoftheAltitude value. When setto ml ATO, the Altitude value is an Above Take-off(ATO) altitude. When set to m/AMSL, theAltitudevalue is aAbove Mean Sea Level (AMSL).The altitudes ofSetup phase waypoints (Start and Home) are always setto m/ATO.
• Turn direction: Thedirection with which the drone circles around thewaypoint (clockwise or counter-clockwise).
• Radius: The distance at which the drone circles around the waypoint. 

# 0 Note: The eBee.has a limited turning radius. Setting this parameter lowerthan20mJnaycause.thedronetosignificantly deviatefrom its desired flight path.

• Auto-next: Indicates whether the drone should remain on the waypoint upon reaching it (until a new command is received) or automatically continue to the next active waypoint.
• Action: The action (ifany) to be performed upon reaching the waypoint. Supported actions include starting and stoppingContinuous photo mode". Setup phase parameters (Start and Home) do not have associated Actions.
• Position (coordinates): The precise latitude and longitude ofthe centre ofthe waypoint. Waypoints are represented in the Map Area as circles with their actual radius and an arrow to indicate their direction. The flight path ofthe drone around and in between waypoints is drawn as a line ofvarying opacity; the path ahead ofthe drone's current position is dark, becoming lighterthefurther it is from the current position in the flight plan. The path already traversed is a uniform light colour. If a waypoint's Auto-next parameter is disabled, the path directly after it will be dashed, indicating that a command must be sent for the flight to continue. Clicking a waypoint in the Map Area will display its characteristics (waypoint ID for mission waypoints or name for setup waypoints, altitude, radius and action) " see section 'Camera tab' on page 111
58Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

and will select it for modification. It will also activate the Mission Waypoints tab and highlightthe selected waypoint. Future Flight path Inactive Selected 

## •\Ji ~Zd'fligh< pa<h al<i<"de fligh< pa<h 

# "Ji
o, 

## I '!'? !·;:;\.;•;•;l•~••• ••••u•••••m• •110m/ATO•••••••••••••••••or•··

### 5 ····i• 

# ii1.l.r.·.1.:.'.·;·1K···.:,k~::· ' :~;:.· 

# C)_:.::D:~~;:::"'

.,.\'.·.;i;;i.;

# I. : ·{fflJ) 2:·17·. b=={~}-1'10m/ATO -----......,- •. 

### ;\:;ti/ /2 )'£nroute1owilypoint3J**~-~** ·.'.·.·.·.:·.'.·/:)·'·'·;··.·.,.·'.0"o ·~\.·.
.. .. · 00····.··.·"'°'·<•il!Om/A.O ii)t:";/il('.j:.;::::\;i(,\-:-,. :.·.i::;\<\:

., ,·,<.·>.· ,_'_.,- -·---_·-.-.. . '
___ , Current status 1 llOm/ATO
_ -,_-,,, START PHOTO
Traversed flight path You can modify the waypoint's parameters directly in the Map Area using your mouse using the following actions:
• Position: Change the position by left-clicking on the waypoint and dragging it around on the map. By default the waypoint snaps to a position inline with the current flight lines before and after the waypoint. Hold down the 'Alt' button while dragging to disable the snapping feature. • Turn direction: Hold down the 'Shift' button while left-clicking on awaypoint to toggle its turn direction. • Radius: Modifythe radius by left-clicking on the waypoint's perimeter and dragging it. • Altitude: Hold down the 'Ctrl' button while left-clicking on the waypoint and moving the mouse up or down to increase or decrease the altitude of the waypoint, respectively.
59Advanced functionalities

• Create newwaypoint: Right-clickanywhere intheMap Areathatdoes not contain a symbol to bring up the context menu, then select 'Add waypoint here' to add anew waypoint. • Context menu: Right-click on a waypoint to bring up the context menu. You can then selectthe following options:

- Go to: Selectwhile thedrone is in flightto make this the current destination waypoint.

- Auto-next: Toggle the Auto-next parameterofthe waypoint.

- Reverse turn direction: Toggle the Turn direction parameter ofthe waypoint.

- Change altitude: Set the transition behaviour ofthe drone when

flying towards the selected waypoint.

- Remove waypoint: Remove the selected waypoint. Any modification will be sentdirectlyto thedroneto update its onboard waypoint list. Ifthe message is not acknowledged by the drone (for example due to atemporary loss ofcommunication link), the waypoint will move back to its previous position on the map to accurately reflect the current waypoint list status within the drone's autopilot. 

# 0

4.2 Note: Modification offlight plan parameters can cause the drone to react in unexpected ways. In particular, the drone may have trouble following its flight path when the radius is set very low or ifthere is high wind. We highly encourageyou to testyour entire flight plan using the simulatortogetfamiliarwith thedrone's behaviours before going out into the field.
Advanced polygonal mission area The mission area defines the area ofinterest where the eBee will take photos. It appears as agrey rectangle when you selectthe 'Mission planning' tab and to calculatetheflight plan ofthedrone. Formany casesthe rectangular-shaped mission
60Understanding aerial mapping with the 

### eBee

area provides the simplest way to quickly create aflight plan. It can be modified as described in section 'The mission phase ofaflight' on page 22. For more complex areas 

### eMotion has the option ofusing polygonal-shaped missions areas. Begin by converting a rectangular area into a polygonal area by setting the 'Mission area'type to 'Polygonal' in the 'Mission planning'tab or by rightclicking on the area and selecting 'Convertto polygon'. Apolygonal mission area is set slightly differentlythan arectangular mission area:
• The edges ofthe rectangle now becomevertices ofthe polygon. Left-click on avertex to drag and reposition the vertex. • Left-click and drag anywhere on the edge ofthe polygon to create a new vertex and reposition it.
• Right-click on vertex and select 'Remove vertex' to remove a vertex. Alternatively, hold down the 'Ctrl' button and left-click on a vertex to remove it.
• Left-click and drag on the dark-grey area within the polygon to reposition the entire polygon.
• Left-click and drag the circle on the corner ofthe light-grey rectangle surrounding the polygon to rotate the direction ofthe resulting flight lines. You may also set a polygonal mission area directly from a KML file containing a polygon, such as those created by 

### Google EarthTM. Simply click on the

## <I icon in the 'Mission planning' tab, select 'Load mission area from KML file' and choose a KML file that contains the desired polygon. 

### 4.3 30 mission planning using elevation data eMotion has the ability to take into account elevation data to set the altitude of mission waypoints and the resulting flight lines ofa mapping mission. This not only improves the resulting ground resolution but also increases mission safety

61Advanced functionalities (particularly in uneven terrain) by keeping amore even heightbetweenthe drone and the ground. You can display elevation data by clicking on the~button in the Toolbar. eMotion's default Improved SRTM elevation data will be downloaded as tiles from senseFly Ltd servers and overlaid above the map as a colourmap 18

. You can adjust the scale and opacity ofthe colourmap by using the associated buttons in the bottom-right corner ofthe Map Area. Auto-adjustcolormap Elevation colourmap 

## l I I 

## I Change opacity

Caution: eMotion's defaultImproved SRTM.elevation daJauses a

## 3 arc~second (approx.90m resolution) digital elevation model derived from the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) datasetversibn 2.lcombined with other data sources (ASTER GDEM, SRTM30, cartographic data, etc.), This data covers nearly all emerged land .except the territories below 56° Slatitude and the territory ofthe Russian Federation above 60° Nlatitude. This data may contain inaccuracies of several meters, and does not contain data on obstacles such as buildings or trees. We highly recommendthatyou check yourflight plan thoroughly in GoogleEarthTMand ensuresufficientclearancebetween theflight plan and the ground. SenseFly Ltd provides no guarantee regarding theaccuracy ofthe elevation data and it is the operator's sole responsibilityto ensure asafeflighttrajectoryand altitude. Activate the 30 mission planning feature by selecting the 'Use elevation data to setabsolute waypoint altitudes' parameterinthe'Mission Planning'tab. Elevation data is used to adjust every mission waypoint altitude as follows: 1. The flight planner uses elevation data to find the maximal terrain elevation
18 eMotion tnust be connected to the internet. Once downloaded, elevation tiles are cached and can

then be used off-line.

62Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee
underthe current waypoint, the previous waypoint and the flight line that connects the two. 2. This maximum value is increased bythetarget altitude value, and the result is set as the altitude ofthe current waypoint. The altitude of every waypoint can always be manually adjusted in the Mission Waypoints tab. By default, the 'Change altitude' parameter for the first mission waypoint is set to 'Keep highest'. For all other mission waypoints the 'Change altitude' parameter is set to 'Before transit' so thatthe drone climbs or descends to the altitude ofthe next waypoint (and thus the next flight line) before transiting and taking pictures. It is important to understand that even ifeach flight line can have a different altitude, the altitude is constant along a given flight line. Ifthe terrain altitude is uneven along aflight line, the resulting imagery will have varying ground resolution and overlap. When the mission plannercomputesthe altitudes offlight lines it tries to ensure that the required amount ofoverlap is achieved, possibly leading to a lower ground resolution in some areas. During flight planning the range ofground resolution computed by the mission planner is displayed. For optimal results, it is best to set the orientation ofthe flight lines as parallel as possible to the terrain's contour lines. One way to increase the resolution and accuracy ofthe elevation data is to fly a first mission at high altitude and then create a dataset using Postflight Terra 30. You can then automatically import the data into eMotion by selecting 'Send DSM to eMotion' from the 'Process' menu within Postflight Terra 30. The dataset can then be enabled using the**~** menu in the Toolbar. eMotion will use this custom dataset (wherever it is available) to set waypoint altitudes instead ofits default Improved SRTM elevation data. 

# 0 Note: It is recommended to visually compare imported elevation datasets with the default Improved SRTM elevation layer of eMotion in order to detect possible mismatches. This comparison should be done with acolourmap opacity value of 100%. More advanced controls ofimported datasets are available in the 'Elevation data'

63Advanced functionalities panel ofthe Preferences pane of the • menu. From this panel you can add, remove, activate/deactivate or reorder overlays. eMotion uses the top-most elevation data layer to calculate altitude for each waypoint and flight line, with eMotion's default Improved SRTM elevation dataset always considered the bottom layer.

# I A···.1,····.,,
..".I pr.''.'.'.'."
..'."

.. (i) Cod:p,t (,{) !,hp,

,-~ _£1.~va).i~n
__ d~_!a. m

log iii folde, D Hightd,t, IJj Mr<sages ilti, Multi drones , The Mow"!)bt'*'°"'' the avililab'e custom eleva~oo : · dol,ats,'!Mrustc,md<cvaboo dat1,ret:1cmbct.ddenby

un,;hed.:mg the bo~ ne>)I' ,tsr.a_me, or,eMaedtose,t ~hid, da!.Y.etis fuffl! Qll lopof1heo!h..-~ (•f they oyerl~p),uW., !he arro"'S·

r:r~t"'~-~_<_a>cict.
__ lnoidei'toprovide ace.es,; tonetworke!e,-nent< when Offlne and ,ils,:, ton,d,,,ceJltemet trbfk, a_'n<:lw<.tl ,;,\'.he'lsused IQ )~n:,orar~y staer.<:bv<1d ~ont01Jtla<~y. Thls cacheautorna~c:afy~esaftet J monlhs, lmwe,·er itis!)'Y.sib!e to marualty lbshiih order tore-®l'lnload 11-,el,,~t<onlenl. CIIUTION:This r,pera!fo:'lc~nnotbe ..-ic!or,,,. 8,<h the r,etl'lork c.adie for the elevaton dot>: < •••· ····· 1 0K AwY: Custom elevation data

Networkcache



### 4.4 Flight visualization in Google EarthTM eMotion includes an interface with Google EarthTM to help with flight plan verification and visualization, particularly in uneven terrain. Clicking on the~ button in the Toolbar will open Google EarthTM and zoom to the current position ofthe drone. The current position ofdrone, its planned trajectory, the working area circle and all waypoints currently uploaded to the drone (including Take-Off, Start and Home) are displayed within Google Earth 1M. Any changes to waypoints or flight parameters within eMotion are updated accordingly within Google EarthTM. The interface with GoogleEarthTM is particularly useful to checkthe drone's trajectory with respect to obstacles in the area 19• The flight plan is projected onto the
19 While checking fiight plans in Google EarthTM is a goad safety practice, senseFly Ltd provides no
64

### Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee 

### ground in a darker colour, giving you an idea ofthe distance between the flight path and the ground. Ifyou connect to a simulated drone you can simulate the entire flight and follow the drone within Google EarthTM. 

# 0 Note: 

### To use this feature GoogleEarthTM

### has to be installed on the gro1.md station PC, as described in section'Installing eMotion, Paste flightTerra 3D, 

### and the groundmodeJn drivers' 

### 01'1 page.l8. Werecs ommendtousetheJatestversion ofthe Google EarthTfl1 

### software. ·

c_._·_a_·_._._u ___

### t_._iC>_-.· .. 

### n:__·_ ..·_A_.· flight tra_jecto
__ry_visuali;ze_d
__in G_o
____o

__g_·_Je_·_._ E_ a __ .r_·

__t_._h

__·. TM_

### re_p_r_e_s __e_._·_-_nt __s_._. theplannedtrajectory. Therealfljghtt;ajectorycanhedifferentfrorn theplanned due to flight conditions such as strong wind. Caution: 

### The terrain data•w.ithin GooglrE:arthTM,indudihghHls.and • bUildings,may contain significant errors.WhenplanningfliQh.tsover uneven terrain be sure to.keep sufficientdistance between the flight plan andtheterrain.

guarantee regarding the accuracy and completeness ofthe Google EarthTM terrain model.
65Advanced functionalities 

### 4.5 Autonomous controller and modes offlight Autonomous operation modes

Switch On 1-11--l Idle shake 3x and release Take-off plug in battery

Circular Landing

ifCircular after a few seconds on ground after climbing to take-off transition height Linear Landing ifLinear landing selected Circle HomeWa oint if'Goto start waypoint after mission' is enabled

when mission is completed Manual and emergency modes 

## ~--~ if'Wait on Start waypoint after

take-off' is

enabled
oint
automatically after 2 complete circles if'Restart mission

after mission'

is enabled

Assisted Manual Full Manual Hold Position Emergency Landing During atypical flight the autonomous controlleron the eBeewill switch between various modes depending on its flight plan and the commands that it receives from the Control Bar'0

. The controller changes between modes during atypical mission as shown in the figure above, and as described in more detail in the following list:
• After being switched on and running pre-flight checks the drone will enter Idle mode until it is ready to be launched. Shaking thedrone back andforth
20 see section 'Control Bar' on page 89 for details on the Control Bar
66Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee
three times initiates the take-off procedure21 and changes to the Take-off mode. • After take-offthe drone climbs with level wings22
, gaining altitude until it reachesthetake-offtransition altitude, bydefault 20 m 23abovethetake-off location. Atthis pointthe drone heads for the Start waypoint and changes to Circle Start Waypoint mode. • Once it reaches the Start waypoint, the drone circles the waypoint several timesto estimatethestrength ofthewind. Once itcalculatestheestimated wind the drone either:

- heads towards thefirst mission waypoint, if'Start mission' is selected in the 'After take-off' panel ofthe Setup Phase tab, and changes to Perform Mission mode.

- continues circling the Start waypoint until a command is received from the Control Bar (typically a 'START MISSION' command that is sent once aflight plan is finalized). • While in Perform Mission modethedroneflies between all enabled mission waypoints, taking images ofthe ground below. Once it reaches the final mission waypointthe drone either:

- heads towards the Home waypoint, if 'Land' or 'Go to Home waypoint' is selected in the 'After mission' panel ofthe Setup Phase tab, and changes to Circle Home Waypoint mode.

- heads towards the Startwaypoint, if'Go to Startwaypoint' is selected in the 'After mission' panel of the Setup Phase tab, and changes to Circle Start Waypoint mode.

- heads towards the first mission waypoint, if 'Restart mission' is selected in the 'Aftermission' panel ofthe Setup Phase tab, and remains in Perform Mission mode.
21 as described in section 'Take-off' on page 41 22 or in a given direction when using the Directional take-offfeature described in section 'Setup Phase

tab' on page 96 23 see section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116 for details on changing this altitude
67Advanced functionalities

• Once it reaches the Home waypoint (if in Circle Home Waypoint mode) the drone will either:

- begin a Linear landing procedure (as described in section 'Linear landing' on page 70) and change to Linear Landing mode, if 'Land' is selected in the 'After mission' list and 'Linear landing' is selected in the Landing type list ofthe Setup Phase tab.

- begin a Circular landing procedure and change to Circular Landing mode, if 'Land' is selected in the 'After mission' list and 'Circular landing' is selected in the Landing type list ofthe Setup Phase tab.

- circles the Homewaypointand remains in Circle HomeWaypoint mode until a command is sent.
• After completing a landing procedure and detectingthat it has successfully landed, the drone changes to Idle mode.

• Turning on the remote control will cause the drone to enter either Assisted Manual or Full Manual mode, depending on the setting in the Flight Parameters tab24• Turning offthe remote control will return the drone to its previous mode.
• Clicking the 'HOLD POSITION' button in the Control Bar at any time will cause the drone to start circling its current position and change to Hold Position mode until it receives a new command from the Control Bar. Alternatively, right-clicking in the Map Area and selecting 'Hold here' will direct the drone towards the selected position and then circle around that position in Hold Position mode. This mode is also enabled automatically after certain In-flight warning or Critical failure conditions25• • Clicking the 'LAND NOW' button in the Control Barthree times in quick succession will cause the drone to initiate a Circular landing procedure at its

24 see section 'Manual control ofthe eBee' on page 120 for information on the various manual control

modes 25 see section 'Troubleshooting' on page 137 for a full list ofIn-night warning and Critical failure conditions and the subsequent reactions ofthe drone
68Understanding aerial mapping with the 

### eBee

current location with its motor disabled and change to Emergency Landing mode.

69Advanced functionalities 

### 4.6 Linear landing Atypical Linear landing follows these steps:

70 1. The eBeefliestowardsthe Home waypoint (defined bythe userwithin eMotion;defaultaltitude is 75 mabovethe landing altitude). The altitudechange behaviour between the current location and the Home waypoint depends on the 'Altitude change' parameter ofthe Home waypoint. By default, it is defined as 'Keep highest'. which means that the drone will fly at the highest altitude between its current altitude and the Home waypoint's altitude, climbing in a spiral first ifneeded. 2. Once the Home waypoint is reached the drone circles the waypoint and descends to afixed altitude of75 mabove the landing altitude. 3. The dronecirclesto estimatethewind speed and direction. An approach direction isthencalculated as closeto theupwind direction as possiblewithin the allowable approach sectors (defined by the user within eMotion). 4. The drone flies downwind against the approach direction. After flying for a sufficient distance it turns around to align itselfwith the approach direction. 5. The drone glides down in the approach direction at acontrolled speed and descent angle of approximately 20°, braking by spinning its propeller in reverse ifnecessary. 6. When the drone detects aheight ofaround 20 mto the ground it begins to level out its descent. 7. When the drone detects a height ofaround 3 mto the ground it performs afinal brake to reduce its speed and lifts its nose. 8. The drone then glides for the final few metres in adeep stall until it lands.Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

Linear landing procedure, seen from the side 1. Aproach Home 

# ~-~---=--
4. Fly in calculated direction 

# C
. ~- 3.Circleto 

# C.I I 

# -->~ 5. Glide with controlled measure wind~·-',~7-Sm-above ~ngleand speed :landing altitude ',.,**~** I

....._ 6. Start level Lanping location ~-o~tat 20m belowlHome waypoint 

# ~-I 7. Final brake :

# i.

13.4m ~--·· . 1 8. Deep stall**~** at;Am I 1s· 

### :20··... · '··
. ~round 50m 50m

\al.culated upwind approach direction 60m 10m

71Advanced functionalities
The Linear landing process uses an optical-based sensor to detect the proximity ofthe ground. Anumber ofconditions on the environment and the positions of the Home waypoint and approach sectors must be met in order for the ground sensor to function correctly and ensure the accuracy ofthe Linear landing:

72 • Ifthe Linear landing location is not atthe same altitude as the Take-offlocation you must adjustthe Landing altitude parameter in the 'Setup Phase' tab, as the drone uses this altitude to level out and slow down before landing (Steps 6-8). Enablethe 'Land at adifferentaltitudethan take-off' checkbox and setthe altitude as an absolute value in AMSL. 

# 0 Note: When 'Land afa differentaltitudethantake-off' is enabledthe Homewaypoint'saltitude.wiljbecpnverteclto AMSLinstead.ofATO (by default75m above theJ;inding location). Caution: ln9orrectly settingthealtltudeofthe·Unear-landing location will decrease the accuracy ofthe Linearlanding and may re.suit in damagetothe eBee.
• ALinear landing can only be performed over flat terrain. Ensure that the ground is flat and at the same altitude as the Linear landing location for adistance ofat least 100 mfrom the Linear landing location within every approach sector. It is also recommended to have flatterrain in the opposite direction ofevery approach sector in case a Linear landing is aborted in its final stages. Caution: Attempting a Linear landing on sloped terrain, the top of a roof or the edge of a cliff.or any other terrain that is not flat will likely result in false detection ofthe height above the ground during the approach and may result in damage to the eBee. In particular, landing downhill may cause alarge overshoot and should always be avoided.Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

• Ensure that there are no obstacles within 60 m ofthe Linear landing location within all approach sectors and within a radius of 10 maround the Linear landing location. Ifthere are some obstacles in the distance, ensure that the top ofthe obstacles is at no more than a 15°angle from the point 60 mfrom the Linearlanding location, as indicated in thefigure on page 71. It is also recommended to not have any obstacles in the opposite direction ofall approach sectors, in case the Linear landing is aborted before completion. Cautio11:.Itisnotrecommendedtoperform Unearlandings between taHobstacl~s, as theymay disturb the GPS signals your eBeeneedsto be able to navigate.

• In order to limit the ground speed when landing and to achieve the best landing accuracy, the eBeeshould onlyperform aLinearlanding againstthe direction ofthe wind. Approach sectors should be as large as possible and in as many directions as possible to allow the drone to select the optimal approach direction based on its estimate ofthe wind. Ifall ofthe available approach sectors are in the direction ofthe wind an In-flight warning26will appear in eMotion when the drone calculates its trajectory (Step 3). Caution: Ifthedroneperforms aLinearlanding inthedirection ofthe wind during strongwind conditions orwith certain In-flightwarnings or Criticalfailures it may not be able to slow enough during its descent. It will likely overshoot the Home waypoint location and land at ahigh speed, potentially resulting in damage.

• The ground sensor must have sufficient light and texture to accurately detect the height above the ground. Ensure that the ground sensor lens is clearofdirt or otherobstructions. Only attempt Linear landings in full daylight conditions. Ensure that there is high-contrast surfaces in all the ap26 see section 'In-Right warnings' on page 143
73Advanced functionalities proach sectors. Do not define approach sectors over low-texture surfaces such as large bodies ofwater, snow or sand.
• During a Linear landing the drone requires sufficient energy to slow down its descent and perform its final brake (Steps 5-7). Ifthe Linear landing option is active and the battery descends below 20% an In-flightwarning will appear27 in 

### eMotion. To enable Linear landing select 'Linear landing' from the 'Setup Phase' tab. Asingle approach sector appears around the Home waypoint. Rotate and resize the approach sectorto define the directions around theHomewaypointthatare completely clear of obstacles. You can add additional approach sectors from within the 'Setup Phase' tab. These approach sectors will be used by the drone to plan its landing path while taking into account the wind. Defining multiple possible approach sectors can increasethechancethatthedrone selects afavourable landing against the direction ofthe wind. Be sure that there are also no obstacles in a 1Om radius circle around the Home waypoint, as the Linear landing process may be effected by wind or positioning imprecision ofthe on-board GPS. Approach sector;~: texture.d a~Q~~rtE}tr;,in,v· obstade-freezdneS\· .

"''''75 m/ATO Obstacle-free zoiM•···· below centre ofHomew;,ypoint

27 see section 'ln-fiight warnings' on page 143
74

# 0 Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

Note: The eBee's ground sensorcantypicallybegin detecting ground proximity at a distance of40 m. Ifthe drone reaches an estimate altitude of20 m/ATO (as estimated using the on-board GPS.and pressure sensor) without a signal on its ground sensor itassumes there is a malfunction withthe ground sensor, .This may be due to insufc ficient light or contrastin the en,vironment,dirt

# ohthe sensor's lens ossembly oraunearlanding.lQcati?n otadifferentaltitude thanthe Take-off Location. Inthis case the clronegerformsthe brakingiand stall.manoeuvre at an.altitude of20.minstead of3m. This increased timewh.ile stalledcan greatlyreducethea~curacy ofthefinalfanding position.and damageto the.drone. Ifthe Linear landing process is aborted (by clicking on the 'ABORT LANDING' button in the Control Bar) before completion the drone will turn on its motor in full thrust and gain altitude while continuing in a straight line in its approach direction. Once the altitude of40 m/ATO is reached the drone will turn towards the Home waypoint and continue climbing until it reaches an altitude of75 m/ATO. It then continues circling until it receives afurther command.



### 4.7 Caution: Do notabort a Linearlanding ifthere are obstacles in the approach direction behind the Home location, as thedronewill continue flying in a straight line.after an abort sequence while itgains altitude and may collide with those obstacles. Caution: It is not recommended to abort a Linear landing when the battery is low, as the drone may not have enough powerto attempt a second landing. 

### Flying multiple drones atthe same time Operating multiple drones at the same time enables the coverage oflarger areas in a shorter amount oftime. This can be useful when the mission time must be kept short, for example because ofvarying lighting conditions. To enable multi75Advanced functionalities
drone operation eMotion provides the following:

• When more than one drone is connected at a time, a dedicated interface calledthe Multi-drone panel is displayed to monitoreach drone and switch between them. • Anumberofsettings areofferedto keep relevantflight configurations (such as theStartand Homewaypoint) synchronised between all connected drones.

• Missions that require more than one flight can be automatically split and uploaded individually among all connected drones. • Anew Control Barappears atthe bottom ofthe Map Area. Commands sent using the buttons in this Control Bar, such as 'START MISSION' or 'GO LAND; are sent to all the drones currently connected to your computer.

• Collision avoidance is provided by eMotion28

. This is done by automatically changing the altitude oftheStartand Homewaypointsfor each drone in orderto separatethem. Also, the drones are automatically put on hold when there is acollision risk during the mission. When connecting to more than one drone at a time (real or simulated), a dedicated Multi-drone Panel is displayed nextto the Sidebar. Each drone is displayed with its name, batterylevel and status and can be selected. The restofthe Sidebar and its various tabs are associated to the currently selected drone, as indicated by the colour ofthe frame. The multi-drone interface also displays the relative altitude of all drones with respect to the selected drone. Since this is a relative altitude, a value close to Om means that a drone is at the same altitude as the currently selected drone. Right-clicking on adrone's tab in the Multi-drone Panel allows you to disconnectthe drone or change its colour.

28 ifthe option is selected in the Multi-drones preference pane
76Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

second drone connected to this computer drone shared through network

Multi-drone panel Sidebar One advantage offlying multiple drone drones at once isto covermore area in less time. eMotion can automatically upload a multi-flight mission to all connected drones in a single click. To achieve this, follow this procedure: 1. Go to the Mission Planning tab and preparethe required mission area (this can be done with any ofthe connected drone selected). Make sure that the number offlights required matches the number ofconnected drones. If needed, the 'Max flight time' option can be lowered to force the mission plannerto splitthe mission in several flights (see section 'Mission Planning tab' on page 100). 2. Select 'Upload to all' from the drop-down list ofthe 'Upload button'. 

# 0 Note: You can only split amission between drones of thesame model and that are using the same camera.

77Advanced functionalities Clicking on the 

### O icon in the Multi-drone panel allows you to either connect a new drone orto bring up the Multi-drones preferences pane.

Elcvationd,t, '"' l'olde, fligMdat• M«"9" Mul1<d1on
.. [I: Flgi!p;,,,~
..1

...**~** 1Zr-..p;mio!J CSrnlak• jtY_;Pr0>.1m1yi,,mng !({) Cot..iwlo~

I V1 /'&"11o~lli ~rs 'to ffl,;.y«ones / L;M:moiher<~<toc<n~dmrdr«re> : [!J See.'11 dr."""'! ""·mybutloelwork !/;~~-~~~.~toWn;;;_~ i r:_]st,,,emdotoi,mmrl=lnetnorl< Multi-drone coordination Traffic control Network sharing

eMotion provides Multi-drone coordination options to synchronise various waypoints and parameters among connected drones:

78 • Take-off: Synchronisingthetake-offapplies specificallyto Directional takeoffheading and transition altitude.
• Start waypoint: When the Start waypoint is synchronised, eMotion will usethe samelocation and altitudefortheStartwaypoint ofeach connected drone. Every modification to the Start waypoint ofone drone is thus transferred to all other drones. To prevent collisions between drones, eMotion will automatically create astackby incrementing the altitude ofeach drone that is currently circling the Start waypoints to ensure a 15 mseparation. The base altitude ofthe Start waypoint, which is the altitude ofthe lowest drone in the stack, can be set in the Multi-drone Panel.
• Home waypoint and landing: Similarly to the Start waypoint, when the Home waypoint is synchronised eMotion will us the same Home waypointUnderstanding aerial mapping with the eBee
for all connected drones. Astack will also be created to avoid collisions between multiple drones circling the Home waypoint.
Caution: As eMotion defines the Start and Home waypoints in ATO. Itistherefore critical for.all dronestotake offfrom theexact same locationtoachieve altitude separi!tion and collision avoidanceover thesetwo waypoints.

• Flight parameters: This option will synchronise all the parameters in the 'Flight parameters' tab across all drones. This includes the Working area radius and ceiling, take-offtransition altitude, Security action parameters, etc.
• Mission planning: This option will share the same Mission Area among all connected drones.
• Simulator: When checked, repositioning a simulated drone on the map will reposition all simulated drones at the same time. In addition to thealtitude separation on theStart and Home waypoints described above, eMotion provides two traffic control mechanisms to help avoid collision between drones in flight:

• Proximity warning: When enabled, a visual and audible warning will be emitted iftwo drones are on atrajectory potentially leading to a collision in less than 7seconds.
• Collision avoidance: When enabled, eMotion will constantly monitorthe trajectory ofthe connected drones and automatically put one drone in a temporary hold pattern (similar to the HOLD POSITION function, see section 'Control Bar' on page 89) until it is safe to resume the flight. Priority is given to drones with the lowest battery level, engaged in a landing procedure or with an active error or warning.

79Advanced functionalities
Caution: All collision avoidance mechanisms are implemented by 

### eMotion on the ground computer. The drones' autopilot do not communicate between themselves and do not have knowledge ofeach other'spositions. Itistherefore.criticalto keepalldronesconnected to eMotion at all times and remain well inside communication range. Note:While·eMotion strivestoavoid all collisions,theoperatoris ultimately responsible to ensure flight safety: In particular, situations involving more thattwo dronesin converging trajectories may not always be handled.automatkally.ina fully safe manner. It.is recommended to use slightly different altitudes for each dronewhenflyirig
. more than two drones at atime to lirnitthe risk ofcollision. In more advanced scenarios you may wish to share theposition and even thecontrol ofa drone across a local area network. 

### eMotion provides the following Network sharing options:

80 • Allow other computers to see my drones: All computers that are running 

### eMotion and are connected to the same network will be able to display the position, status and other parameters ofthe drones connected to your computer. • Allow other computers to control my drones: All drones currently connected to your computer are not only displayed, but can be fully controlled by other computers running 

### eMotion on the same network. • See all drones on my local network: Check this box to display the position and other parameters ofdrones connect to other computers on the same network. • Apply multi-drone coordination to local network: Check this box to synchronise all the selected parameters in the Multi-drone coordination preferences across all drones that are connected to the same network (provided that they have checked the 'Allow other computers to control my drones' option).Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee

• Share simulatorson mylocal network: Ifthis box is checked, all Network sharing options applyto both real and simulated drones connectedto your computer. In unchecked, they only apply to real drones. 

### 4.8 Individual photo targets and oblique imagery In some cases it may be interesting to take oblique photographs ofobjects, for example to provide a nice image for documentation or to increase the quality of3D models that contain vertical facades and surfaces. eMotion includes atool for defining photo targets with a specific distance, heading and pitch angle. The drone can then orient itselfand capturethe image using a patent-pending pitchdown manoeuvre. Capturing an oblique image can be done easily by following these steps: 1. Add anew photo target by clicking on the+button in the Cameratab. Use the cross-hairs to place the photo target on the location ofinterest in the Map Area. You may also right-click anywhere in the Map Area and select 'Add photo target here' from the contextual menu. The photo target will appear as a circle in the Map Area with an estimated image footprint, a manoeuvre zone and a status panel with estimated altitudes before and afterthe image is taken.

resize to change

- -- - ground resolution~~-,- manoeuvre zone 

# {,~\~-i-----t

l estimated , 

### I / photo target altitude

footprint

### ~ <llJ) ((/ photo target

~· ;, . move in the arrow direction 

# A . 

# i/'. to change pitch/persepctive
Altitude before photo:

# ,J--· rotate to change 101 mtATo , _ ,, • Altitu~r:llfterphoto: 

### V.•. estimated altitudes heading 8/ m/ATO, J

. ·, · before/after photo

81Advanced functionalities
2. Select the desired heading and pitch angles ofthe image by rotating the image footprint and moving the photo target arrow, respectively. The estimated image footprint can help you choose the required angles. You can also set the angles manually in the 'Photo targets' section ofthe Camera tab. 3. Define the desired ground resolution at the photo target within the Camera tab. You can also adjust the ground resolution by resizing the photo footprint in the Map Area. 

### Caution: Besuretodefine aground.resolutionthatis highenoughto aUowthedroneto recoverfroni.itspitchmanoeuvre by.paying close attention·tothe 'Minimum altitude after·photo'parameter, WerecornrnendthatyoUdo not define parameters thatresultin an 'Mini~ mum altitude after photo' ofJess than 30. m, in particularwhenSe0

### < lectin9ahighpitch angle. 4. Define the altitude ofthe photo target, ifit is not the same as the take-off altitude. You may use elevation data to define this altitude by enabling the 'Use elevation data to set absolute photo target altitudes' checkbox. Repeat the above steps to define multiple photo targets. After launching your drone, click on the 'Begin sequence' button in the Camera tab at any time to begin taking the images. The 

### eBee will fly to the location ofthe first photo location, measure the wind above the location, and perform a dive (pitching down) manoeuvre to take the oblique photo. It will perform this for all photo targets until it has completed the entire sequence. Taking aseries ofoblique images ofthe same photo target at regularheading and pitch intervals allows you to create a higher quality 3D model ofa photo target. You can usethe 'New phototarget increment'to define adesired incrementangle. Clicking on the+ button will then add a new photo target at the same location as the previous target but with an incremented pitch and heading value. Amore detailed description ofall the available options for taking images ofindividual photo targets can be found in section 'Camera tab' on page 111.

82

### eMotion in-depth guide 

## 5 eMotion 

## in-depth guide

Goal ohhissection: 

### eMotion is apowerful tool designed specifically to workwith your.senseFly Ltd mini-drones. This section includes a comprehensive guide toaUthe.functionalitiesi.n eMotiontohelpyou plan, simulateandmonitoryournext mapping flight.

Map Area Flight Parameters tab ----~ Camera tab

---- Mission Waypoints tab --~

Mission Planning tab**~** Setup Phase tab**~** Flight Monitoring tab

-**~** f41 tt#~~}}} il{til!'.ill§.i ;.C ,--, I'> -"-ii:GJ llil i. ,r...,,;,<,,//~; ;: ,,:

.. 9 '.'! "" Sidebar Status Panel

83Advanced functionalities
The main 

### eMotion interface is composed ofaMap Area, aToolbar and a Sidebar29

. The Map Area displays the current location ofthe 

### eBee, a Status Panel with important information on the drone's current status, and a Control Bar used to send commandsto the drone (section 'Control Bar' on page 89). The Toolbar above the Map Area includes the liii1 File menu, controls for selecting the sourceofmap data,thedisplay ofpicturefootprints and various othercontrols (section 'Toolbar'). The Sidebar is separated into six individual tabs that are used during different phases of planning and monitoring a flight. The Sidebar tabs can be hidden at any time by clicking on the left-hand edge ofthe Sidebar. Each tab is described in detail in the following chapter. The Sidebar also contains controls for the Simulator (section 'Simulator' on page 87) 

### 5.1 Toolbar

LFile 

# II

".·.-.··.··

.• ·.··.··_

•• ,_.·_.'.: 11111, l::JJ;!f'.'. IQ, Show/hide footprints Clearall footprints

Zoom 

## I I j?)ftJ 

# ~1 Follow drone position I 

# I I I Centeron drone Centeron coordinate Fullscreen----------------'
You can accessthe File menu byclicking on the liii1 button in theToolbar. Fromthis menu you can connectto or disconnectfrom adrone, access the Flight Data Manager, change 

### eMotion preferences or import custom maps. Clicking the**~** icon will launch 

### GoogleEarthTM and displaythecurrentflighttrajectories ofdrones connected to 

### eMotion, as described in detail in section 'Flightvisualization in 

### GoogleEarthTM' on page 64.

29 for an overview ofthe eMotion interface see section 'The eMotion interface' on page 19
84eMotion in-depth guide
You can selectthebackground map sourcefrom the drop-down list in theToolbar, and adjust its zoom level using the 

### fo and f:J buttons. eMotion can use many sources of commercially available and custom mapping information. Tiles from map sources with the icon (,.; are downloaded by eMotion from the Internet as required and locally cached on the hard drive. Dueto regulatory restrictions, map sources with the icon 

## ,,[i, cannot be saved locally and are not recommended for use in the field. Ifyou anticipate the use ofeMotion in conditions where connecting to Internet is impossible, you can preload the map data by selecting 'Download maps..: from the tiiiil File menu. Follow the instructions in the dialog box to select the zone of interest, map tile source and start downloading. eMotion can also import and display custom layers which may include KML files, custom map tiles and elevation data. To import a KML file, select 'Import KML..: from the tiiiil File menu and select your KML file. The resulting layer will now be available in theToolbar by clicking on the~ icon, and can be clicked to display or hide it. eMotion can display lines, polygons, paths and points saved in KMLformat. 

# 0 Note: KMLfiles,including associated icons orimagesincludedwithin them, are not copied to the eMotion directory and will no longer appear in eMotion ifthe original KML files are deleted. Custom map tiles can also be added as a layer in eMotion. Select 'Import custom map..: from the tiiii1 File menu and select the folder that contains the tile set. The tile set will then appear in the list oflayers in the Toolbar, accessible by clicking the~ button. 

# 0 Note: If you use Postflight Terra 30 (see section 'Processing image data' on page 48), a tile set can be generated for each project that is directly compatible with eMotion. You can therefore create your own map background using the eBee. You can generate the tile set by selecting 'Generate Google Maps tiles and KML.' from the 'Process' menu within Postflight Terra 30. Whenever the eBee takes a picture, eMotion records the location and orientation ofthe drone and computes the approximate span ofthe photo on the ground (or

85Advanced functionalities 'footprint'). All the footprints taken by a drone are added to a shaded polygon outlined with the drone's colour and displayed in the Map Area. This polygon represents an estimate ofthe area that has been photographed by the drone.

The footprints can be shown or hidden using the 

### 'II button. When hidden, the footprints are keptin memory and new photos continueto be recorded, but nothing is displayed in the Map Area. Footprints for all drones remain in the memory of

### eMotion, even when adrone is disconnected or

### eMotion is shut down. Clicking on the 

## 1'button removes all footprint polygons from the Map Area the memory of

### eMotion. New picture footprints will be created for subsequent pictures that are taken. 

# 0 0 Note: Clearing or hiding the footprints has no influence on what is logged by 

### eMotion and on-boardthe drone during theflight, such as the information required to geotag the images aftertheflight. Note: The footprints displayed on the map are only an approximate estimation ofthe actual ground coverage ofthe corresponding image. Cross-wind may introduce errors in the orientation ofthe displayed footprint compared to the actual coverage, whereas inaccurate elevation data may result inaccurate footprint size. The Toolbar also contains buttons for centering the Map Area on the current position ofthe drone(•;..· button), on asearchable location or coordinated•button) or to continually follow the position ofthe drone while it is in flight(® button). Finally you can view 

### eMotion in full-screen mode by clicking the~button.

86eMotion in-depth guide


### 5.2 

### Simulator Familiarising yourself with your eBee and its features will allow you to more efficiently plan and execute mapping flights, saving you time and improve your imaging results. The Simulator in eMotion is designed to help you testthevarious features ofthe drone and to better prepare a mapping mission before performing it in the field. Several simulated drones can be connected at the same time, allowing you to test multi-drone functionalities. fast-forward

# -----~I ~ 1 ______ re-position take-offlocation play ~--- initiate take-off pause ---i 

## r- instant recharge ofbattery II
wind speed ----' wind direction ------~ The Simulatorbar appears atthe bottom ofthe SidebarofeMotionwhen you connect to a simulated drone. The simulated drone will go through the same preflight checks as areal eBee, after which it will update the Hometo its current position (typically the last position that was used within the simulator) and the Start waypoint to 80 mWest ofthe Home waypoint. The various buttons available in the Simulator bar are described in table 1on the next page. Feel free to modify the wind speed, waypoint positions and other parameters in theToolbar and thevarious tabs ofthe Sidebarin eMotionto seetheireffecton the eBee while it is in flight. Also be sure to explore the effects ofthe various buttons in the Control Bar on the behaviour ofyour drone. Don't be afraid to push the boundaries! Aborting aflight or causing an emergency landing in the simulator will better prepare you for unexpected circumstances while in thefield.

87Advanced functionalities

Pause

Play
Fastforward
Re-position take-offlocation

Initiate take-off Table 1: Simulator bar buttons
Clicking the pause button will pause the simulation and thus stop the drone while in flight. This can be useful when you wish to change parameters or waypoints while the drone is already in flight. Note: this is a simulated action that is not possible with the real eBee. Instead of pausing while in flight we recommend that you use the 'HOLD POSITION' function to bettersimulate real flight conditions. Clicking the play button returns the simulation to actual speedfrom thepause orfast-forward conditions. Clicking this button increases the speed ofthe simulation to 4x actual speed. This allows you to shorten thetime required to simulate a complete mission. Clicking this button and then clicking on a location in the Map Area simulates the action of connecting the battery to the drone in a new location. The drone is returned to the ground at the new location and runs through its pre-flight checks before entering Idle mode. Clicking this button simulates a take-off procedure, including the motor power-up sequence and the hand launch30

.

30 see section 'Take-off' on page 41 for adescription ofthe take-offprocedure
88Instantrecharge of battery

Wind speed and direction



### 5.3 Control Bar

WARWNG START MISSION eMotion in-depth guide
Clicking this button will instantly recharge the battery ofthe drone. Note: This is a simulated action that is not possible with the real eBee while it is in flight. Thesefields are used to input asimulated wind speed and direction. Arandom wind speed and direction is set when eMotion connects to a simulated drone.

Command buttons

RESUME GOTO GOTO MISSION STARTWPT HOME Wf'T GO LANO HOID POSffiON AOOST lANO!NG 

# L Warning indicator The Control Bar includes buttons for sending commands to the drone and for acknowledging warnings while it is in flight. Certain buttons can only be used during specific flight modes 31 • The Command buttons allows the operator to directly control the drone while it is in flight. The various buttons are described in table 2on the following page.

31 see section 'Autonomous controller and modes offlight' on page 66 for more information on flight

rnodes
89Advanced functionalities

Table 2: Control Bar Buttons

WARNING 32 Active For yellow In-flight warnings, button text warning changes to 'ACK WARNING' and clicking will acknowledge the current warning. For red Critical failures, buttontext changes to 'CRITICAL FAILURE' and cannot be clicked. START No active Fly towards the first active waypoint in the MISSION Security action waypoint list and start the mission from the beginning. RESUME Not in Perform Return to the last position reached during MISSION Mission mode the mission and continue the flight plan. GOTO No active Fly towards the Start waypoint, circle and STARTWPT Security action waitfor next command. GOTO Anytime Fly towards the Home waypoint, circle and HOMEWPT waitfor next command. GO LAND Anytime Fly towards the Home waypoint and initiate landing procedure. HOLD No active Create avirtual waypoint atthe current locaPOSITION Security action tion and altitude, circle around this pointand wait for next command.

"see section 'Troubleshooting' on page 137 for a full description of In-night warnings and Critical

failures that may occur
90

### eMotion in-depth guide

LAND NOW Anytime Initiate a Circular landing around a 20 m raClick 3x dius waypoint at the current location. Must be clicked 3 times in quick succession to be engaged. ABORT During Cir- Circular or Linear landing: abort current LANDING cular Land- landing procedure, return to the altitude of ing, Linear the Home waypoint, circle the Home wayLanding, or point and waitfor next command. Emergency Emergency landing: (only available ifthere Landing mode is no active Critical failure) abort current (if no active landing procedure, return to the location Critical failure) wherethe Emergency landingwas triggered, circle and waitfor next command.

91Advanced functionalities 

### 5.4 Flight Monitoring tab

Drone status

Autonomy Flightdata

Instruments

Identification Payload information Advanced Instruments ~/fLPliRGa 0
GN55 ;s.telltesc a Ac=~,~= 1.tsom :Status: 511>1<.tatoo•JO The Flight Monitoring tab can be used to monitorthe eBeeduring a mapping mission and is the default tabthat is displayed when you click anywhere on the map area that does not have a symbol. The tab is split into the following sections:

92 • Drone Status: The status ofthe plane keeps you informed on what the drone is currently doing. This can include mission actions such as 'Taking photo' or 'Going to waypoint' as well as warning or failure messages such

### eMotion in-depth guide

as 'Out ofworking area' or 'High wind'33

. 

# () Note: The most impo.rtant status and warning messages are .reproduced .in the Status Panel in the<Map Area, and thus remain visible even when the Sidebaris hidden.

• Autonomy: The battery level displays the current charge and voltage of the battery. As the battery's charge level decreases, the voltage decreases as well. Afully charged battery has a voltage of 12.6 Vand is fully discharged when it reaches about 9 V 34• This section also displays the total time in flight, the straight-line distance to the Home waypoint, the estimated time required to return to the Home waypoint (based on estimated wind strength) and the quality ofthe radio data link between the ground modem and the drone. The strength and direction ofthe wind estimated by the drone is displayed with an arrow. Caution: Lithium polymerbatteries are chemical devices.whose performance depends on a numberofparameters, including temperature, lifetime, numbefofcycles, mechanical integrity, etc. Estimating the remaining capacity ofa battery can thus be tricky and the displayed value may occasionally. be inaccurate. It is the operator's responsibility to monitor batteryvoltage and flight time in addition to the battery level to make sure that endurance is sufficient to complete the mission.

• Flight data: This section includes additional information that may be useful during the flight, including ground speed and height, altitude Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL) and the absolute position detected by the GPS onboard the 

### eBee.

33 see section 'Troubleshooting' on page 137 34 see section 'Proper battery care' on page 135
93Advanced functionalities 

# 0 Note: The ground sensor height indicates the height above the ground detected by the ground sensor. The sensor can typically detect distances below.60 m, depending on available lightandsurface contrast. current heading in degrees 

## n

current air speed [ 

# J current altitude over 0

·0 · take-offlocation desired air speed [ o.o attitude with respect to artificial horizon 

# J desired altitude over take-offlocation

• Instruments: This display mimics the classical primary flight display used in manned aircraft. The column on the left displays the current air speed of the eBee as well as the desired air speed, in metres per second. The column on the right displays the drone's current altitude over take-offlocation, as well as the desired altitude overthe take-offlocation, in metres. The bar at the top displays the current heading ofthe drone35

. North is indicated as 0°, East as 90°, South as 180°and West as 270°. • Identification: This displays the serial number ofyour eBee and the number ofthe Drone Flight log for the current flight. This number can be used as a reference when importing flight data after aflight3 6

. • Payload information: This section displays the payload currently selected and the number ofphotos that has been taken since take-off 37

. 35 this feature is only accurate when in flight 36 see section "Importing images and fiight data' on page 48 37 see section 'Camera tab' on page 111 for instructions on changing the payload type
94

### eMotion in-depth guide

• Advanced Instruments: This section displays the current internal temperature ofthe drone, the number ofGPS signals detected and the estimated accuracy ofthe the position.

95Advanced functionalities 

### 5.5 Setup Phase tab

Startwaypoint
After mission and [

take-offactions Home waypoint 

### C:::
Landing
Setup phase reset

# L Flightplan actions [ Flight~tllp
. [,1_ Act,ate rl,rec!JOOaf toke-<:>ff Di'ectionaltsl:e-.>ffhead,ng j~;~t;,,,al!Jhrle; ji:!°] 2?_/<l/ATO

Startwaypoint

Ra(ios: Q :Longitrnle: Labtude; '24.0033517**~** 75m/ATO lamfing C Laming localiorJ allitude -· ""
---- ... ; Albl!Jcle,efurence: )~/A_T_<) Y)Om/ATO ..i.. Setab~le~alMude ba...ed o.o ekvabondatd

Resetf"gl.lplan tc,,.-Jf;gh!pt.,!lfromfi',e•.. s'.'.s''.': fi,~l~sn to fJe
... S8Vte fight p!.:,nirl &one
The Setup Phase tab is used to define the setup phase ofaflight plan. This phase includes the definition ofthe Home and Start waypoints and the actions to be taken before and after the mission phase ofthe flight plan. The Setup Phase tab is divided into the following sections:
• Take-off parameters: You can predefine atake-offheading and transition

96eMotion in-depth guide
altitude. To enable this feature, expand the 'Take-offparameters' box and checkthe 'Activate directional take-off' check box. Anew arrow is now displayed on the map. This arrow defines thetake-offheading, the drone will try to stay on thetrack defined by the arrow.

desired takeoff direction

You can now grab the arrow on the map in order to modify the take-off heading. Furthermore you can also pre-set the take-offdirection and the take-offtransition altitude in the Setup Phase tab. Default value: Unchecked, Heading: 0°, Transition altitude: 20m/ATO
Caution: Setting the take-offtransition altitude too low may cause the drone to perform a change ofdirection too early and may result in acrash. Setting thetake-offtransition altitudetoo high may cause the drone to drift sideways aftertake-offifthere is too much wind.

• Start waypoint: Here you set the position, change altitude parameter, altitude above take-off (m/ATO), turn direction and radius ofthe Start waypoint. You can setthe location by clicking the Q button and clicking on the desired location in the Map Area.

97Advanced functionalities

98 Default values: Change altitude: During transit, Altitude: 75 m/ATO, Turn direction: anticlockwise, Radius: 30 m, Location: 80 mWest ofthe position calculated from satellite signals on start-up
• After take-off: You can either command the drone to start the mission phase immediately after reaching the Start waypoint orto waitfor a command from eMotion. This second option is useful ifyou wantto modify the flight plan while the drone is already in flight. Defaultvalue: Start mission
• After mission: Use this panel to select the action you wish the drone to execute once itcompletesthemission phase. The eBeecan either automatically go to the Home waypoint and land, go to the Home or Startwaypoint and waitfor a command or to restart the mission phase. Default value: Land
• Home waypoint: Here you set the position, change altitude parameter, altitude (in m/ATO or m/AMSL if'Land at a different altitude than take-off' is selected), turn direction and radius ofthe Home waypoint. You can set the location by clicking the Q button and clicking on the desired location in the Map Area. Default values: Change altitude: Keep highest, Altitude: 75 m/ATO, Turn direction: anticlockwise, Radius: 30 m, Location: position calculated from GPS signals on start-up
• Landing: With this panel you can choose between a Circular landing or a Linear landing on the Home waypoint. Ifyou select 'Linear landing' the panel expands to show options on approach sectors. You can define up to four approach sectors, each ofwhich has a heading and a span, either by dragging in the map area or by manually setting parameters in the panel. See section 'Linear landing' on page 70 for details how to correctly select the Home waypoint and approach sectors. Defaultvalue: Linearlanding, Approach sectors: single sectorwith aHeading of0°and Span of20°eMotion in-depth guide

• Landing locationaltitude: You can also configurethealtitude ofthelanding location ifit is differentfrom theTake-offaltitude. Expand the 'Landing location altitude' panel and select an altitude in m/AMSL or in m/ATO. It is also possible to predefine the landing altitude based on elevation data by clicking on the 'Set absolute landing altitude based on elevation data' button. This button will pre-set the altitude each time it is clicked (i.e. ifthe landing position is changed,the altitude is not automatically pre-set based on the Improved SRTM model, the user has to press the button each time thatthe landing position is changed). Default value: Landing location altitude: 0m/ATO • Setup phase reset: Pressing the 'Reset all setup phase parameters' will reset the Home and Start waypoints to the take-offlocation and reset the rest ofthe parameters on the tab to factory defaults. Clicking the 'Reset all waypoints and photo targets' will remove all the waypoints and photo targets in the currently loaded in the drone. • Flight plan actions: Acomplete flight plan includes all the Setup phase (Start and Home waypoints, Take-off and Landing parameters, etc.), Mission phase (waypoints), Camera (camera model, photo targets, etc.) and Flight (working area radius and ceiling, Security actions, etc.) parameters. The 'Resetflight plan' resets the currentflight plan to default parameters38

. The 'Load flight plan from file
..: and 'Save flight plan to file
..: buttons load and save the current flight plan (both setup and mission phases) to aXML file for later reuse. You can also save the current flight plan to the eBee's on-board memory by clicking the 'Save flight plan in drone' button. Once a flight plan is saved in the drone's memory, it will become the defaultflight plan the next time the drone is started and appear in eMotion upon connection. The drone also keeps track ofits last waypoint during aflight; you can thus resume an incomplete flight after changing batteries. 

# 0 Note: It is not necessary to save aflight to the autopilot in order to fly! This is an advanced option meantto reduce the preparation time required when the same flight is performed many times.

38 this action is only available when the drone is not in fiight
99Advanced functionalities 

### 5.6 Mission Planning tab The Mission Planning tab is used to automatically define aset ofwaypoints based on amission area and a set ofimage parameters. Clicking on this tab will make a grey box appear in the Map Area that represents the mission area to be mapped. You can modify this area's location, size and rotation using the handles around it, as explained in section 'The mission phase ofaflight' on page 22.



# 0 

# 0

100 mission area

rotate, resize, displace -::;;;--"---- generated ·•······· . H-4: flight lines

Note: The quality ofthe output orthomosaic is usually lower on the outer edges ofthe area thatis photographed, as there is less overlap between images. The area photographed is thus always calculated to be biggerthan the mission areci selectedso as to ensure maximum image overlap within the mission area itself. Note: Ifthere is no flight plan overlaid on the mission area rectangle then the mission is too large and cannot be flown by the eBee. This can be for two reasons: either the distance between two waypoints is too long for the drone to cover in a single flight, or the waypoints are too far from the Take-offand landing locations.Mapping and mission parameters 

# ""'"'° pa,ame,e,; [

Mission plan actions 

# L

Resulting flight characteristics eMotion in-depth guide

N,ci,..-,offi.gits: fl\l',t!lrr,e: 00:07'13 T<>!illl'o;,!11.:l;ta<,o:1 5.Sl,n rotolgrouc,;!m,~,.,,., 12.oh<, r1ur,..berof_f'i,;f1!\nes: HO Rg\!l;w<~: 7l.7m 1~"'1fi,j,tlnesaft,11>Je i>bov~ *'"allondots: r-1>, !\~Onesalotude abow, eb·~~"'data., !4n 114,ttnesalblude ®'>l'OOO•oh<>1tlalo: D,:;tor"".b<lwetnphoto, 5'/lfie m,.gem,,erage: !1•~ofwb)'P')l('t\o.: Se,abm.i.1~ '"',,,.,~,· tJ7m(4.2r,r,f.,,.)

IM.3sl)S,9m • lm;;rn,ed 5RfM The Mission Planning tab is divided in several panels. The first panel, Mapping and mission parameters, contains the parameters that define the requirements ofaparticular mission:
• Difficult terrain: Clicking this button will fill in preset values to the rest ofthe parameters. The Difficult terrain preset is meant for imaging terrain with complexfeatures such as forests. High image overlap is recommended to increase the amount offeatures that can be matched between images, though at the cost oflower image resolution (due to higher altitude). • Easyterrain (default): This preset is meantfor simple terrain such as quarries or agricultural areas where high-resolution images can be taken with

101Advanced functionalities relatively low image overlap.

Not.e: Thepreset values are recommended
.settings that.have demonstrated good resultswhenimages are then.used in Postflight



### .. . ...TermJD to create orthomosalcs. Do not hesitate,however, to modifytheseparameters tosuitthe particularities ofthe terrainyou are 11Japping orthelocal regulations and airspcice constraints.

• Mission area: You can select either a rectangular mission area for simple terrain (as described in section 'The mission phase ofaflight' on page22) or apolygonal mission area for more complex terrain (as described in section 'Advanced polygonal mission area' on page 60). Default value: Rectangular

• Ground resolution: Thetargetground resolution to beachieved, expressed in centimetres per pixel. This parameter is directly linked to the flight altitude: a higher resolution (few cm/px) requires a lower altitude, while a lower resolution (many cm/px) requires ahigher one. Default value: 4.0 cm/px

• Camera: The camera payload that is currently selected39

. Make sure the correct camera model is set in the flight planner to correctly calculate the required flight line spacing and distance between photos.

• Desired altitude: The target altitude value is the desired altitude above the ground at which the drone will take images. It is automatically calculated based on the Ground resolution and the characteristics ofthe onboard camera.

39 see section 'Camera tab' on page 111 for details on changing the camera type
102eMotion in-depth guide 

# 0 Note: eBee has a minimum distance between images that depends on wind strength and direction. The maximum longitudinal overlap depends on this minimum distance as well as the calculated.altitude and the camera model. Ifthe calculated altitude is too lowthe drone may not be able to achieve the required longitlldinal overlap. This will be indicated by.a icon. Flying atan altitude ofless than 

### 40fo is potentiallydangerous and will be indicated byaOicon.
.
• Use elevation data to set absolute waypoint altitudes: Checking this box will enabletheflight plannerto adjustthe absolute altitudes ofall mission waypoints based on elevation data. This advanced planning mode is described in detail in section '30 mission planning using elevation data' on page 61. Default value: disabled
• Lateral overlap: The percentageofoverlap betweenthe ground coverage ofpictures from adjacent flight lines. For most mapping purposes, a minimum of50% is usually required. Higher coverage values may increase the mapping quality but will increase the flight duration. Default value: 60 % • Longitudinal overlap: The percentage of overlap between the ground coverage ofpictures taken consecutively in the same flight line. Default value: 70 % • Generate perpendicularflight lines: Checking this box creates a second pass over the desired area perpendicular to the first pass. This option will significantly increase the overall image overlap and therefore improve the resulting map quality in Postflight Terra 30. It is particularly useful for difficultterrain atthe cost ofdoubling the required flight time. Default value: disabled
• Reverse flight direction: By default, theflight plannerwill design aflight in which the drone begins a mission at the farthest waypoint and finishes

103Advanced functionalities
closer to the Home waypoint. Checking this box reverses the order ofthe planned mission waypoints. Be cautious, however, to ensure that there is enough reserve battery to return to the Home waypoint at the end ofthe mission. Defaultvalue: disabled
• Save parametersas default: Clicking this button will save thecurrent parameters ofthe Mission planning tab as the default ones in eMotion. The next panel contains advanced parameters used by the flight planner:
• Starting waypoint: The waypoint ID ofthe first waypoint used to implementthemapping mission, as organized in theWaypoint list in the Mission Waypoints tab. This option is useful when including morethan one mission area into asingleflight. The defaultvaluefor anew mission is 1. When planning for asecond area to be covered in the same flight, the 'After previous' button sets the startingwaypoint afterthewaypoints used forthe previous area. Defaultvalue: 1
• Wind estimate: The estimated wind speed and direction. Incorrectly setting the windspeed affects the estimated flight time ofthe eBee and may cause itto return to Home before completing the desired flight plan. Clicking the 'Use current wind estimate' button will copy the wind speed currently estimated by the drone to the Wind estimate field. Default value: direction: 0°, speed: O mis
• Max flight time: This parameter sets the maximum estimated flight time for asingle flight. Iftheflight planner estimates alongerflight time for the currently-selected Mission area it will split the mission into two or more flights. Default value: 40 min Thethird panel, Mission planactions,includes the 'Upload' button which is used to upload the resulting mission waypoints to the autopilot. Ifthere are multiple

104eMotion in-depth guide flights required this button becomes a drop-down list, and you can upload each flight individually. Caution: Clicking 'Upload' will directly modify the waypoints required for the flightplan in the eBee. Ifthe drone is flying towards or around one ofthesewaypoints,its navigation will be affected to reflettthenew waypoint"parameters. Clicking the 'More' button reveals several more options:

• Load mission area...: Click to load a previously-saved mission area and parametersfrom an Auto Flight Planner (.afp) file.
• Save mission area...: Click to save the current mission area and parameters to an Auto Flight Planner (.afp) file. This can be useful for example to mapthe same area with differentimage and mission parameters, orto save and restore a large mapping mission that requires multiple flights. Note thatthis saves only the mission area shape and location along with the associated mission and image parameters, not the actual list of waypoints that is then generated orthe camera payload model used to calculate the mission plan.
• Load last used mission area: Clicking will load the last mission area that was successfully uploaded to an eBeeautopilot, whetheritwas areal or simulated one. This option is useful when you wantto repeatyour last mission and did not explicitly use the 'Save mission area..: button.
• Load mission area from KML file: Usethis option to load apolygonal mission area directly from a KMLfile (produced in Google EarthTMfor example).
• Load mission area from map object: Use this option to load a polygonal mission area from apreviously-imported map object (see section 'Toolbar' on page 84).
• Reset mission area: Clicking will resetthe mission area to the default rectangular size and reposition it in the centre ofthe Map Area. Itwill also reset
105Advanced functionalities
all mapping and mission parameters to their last saved default values40

.
• Restore factory settings: Clickto restore all the parameters ofthis tab to their default settings. The last panel ofthis tab displays the characteristics oftheflight(s) resulting from the selected image parameters:

• Numberofflights: The resulting numberofflightsthatmustbe performed to coverthe chosen mission area. Ifthe mission area cannot be mapped in a single flight, eMotion will split it into the minimum possible number of flights. The estimated distance that can be covered in aflight is calculated assuming afully charged battery and an accurate wind estimate.

• Flighttime: This is the estimated flight time for 

### each oftheflights.

• Total flight distance: Thetotal distancethatwill beflown during allofthe flights.

• Total ground coverage: The total area that will be mapped during all of the flights.

• Number of flight lines: The total number offlight lines in the mission phase ofthe flight plan, not including flight lines to and from the Take-off or landing locations. The second number represents the flight lines perpendicular to the first number.

• Flight lines spacing: The required distance between parallel flight lines, calculated using the Lateral overlap and Ground resolution parameters.

40 Default values for mapping and mission parameters are set by clicking the 'Save parameters as default' button.
106

# 0 eMotion in-depth guide

Note: Iftheflight line spacing is low enough to cause your drone to overshoot thebeginning of a flight line, eMotion will automatically switch to an alternating flight line pattern. Your drone will fly along 

### every other flight line, then return to fill in the gaps. Ifthe spacing becomes.too small evenforanalternateflight lines, a will appear besidethis parametertoindicate thewaming. You can 

### remove this warning by decreasing thetateral overl<;1p orthe Groundresolution.

• Mean flight lines altitude above elevation data: Mean altitude difference between all flight lines and the ground altitude, based on the topmost elevation data layer (3D flight planning only).
• Max flight lines altitude above elevation data: Maximum altitude difference between a flight line and the ground altitude, based on the topmost elevation data layer (3D flight planning only).
• Min flight lines altitude above elevation data: Minimum altitude difference between aflight line and the ground altitude, based on the top-most elevation data layer (3D flight planning only).
• Distance between photos: The required distance between each consecutive phototaken in the sameflight line, calculated using the Longitudinal overlap, Ground resolution and Camera model parameters. The wind also has an influence as the ground speed increases with back wind. 

# 0 Note: The eBee has a minimum distance between photos that depends on th.e wind speed and direction. Ifthe calculated distance that is too shortwill be indicated with a icon. This is not critical for the flight, but it may reduce the longitudinal overlap ofthe images. Consider reducing the ground resolution (fly higher) to achieve the selected longitudinal overlap, or reduce the longitude overlap itself to 

### remove this notice.

• Single image coverage: The estimated ground area covered by a single

107Advanced functionalities image, based on the Altitude over take-offlocation parameter (assuming flat terrain).
• Number ofwaypoints: The total number ofwaypoints to cover the mission area. • Elevation data sources: The elevation data sources being used to calculatethe altitudes ofthewaypoints. This can be eitherthe default 'Improved SRTM' within eMotion or imported custom data sets, depending on which one is activated and is atthetop ofthelist in the 'Elevation data' Preference pane. The flight characteristics are updated automatically as you modify the mission area in the Map Area or the parameters in the first panel.

108

### eMotion in-depth guide 

### 5.7 Mission Waypoints tab

Selected mission waypoint parameters
Remaining mission waypoints Add orreset [

waypomts fJ ;, 1 <**~** 129m{ATO [1tl

NObY.!e: •..,..., L."'9m :....:..-! Altitudere_fe,eoce:imfATO
... ! "'!
Au10-ne>:1: Fil "" Actjon: ilmst"''.'.' •• ••-·.·.···,····· 9"\01191tude: )6.5538337 

### o...\~tirude., 8°' 129m/ATO tilr 129mfATO §r 129m/ATO

The Mission Waypoints tab contains a list of all mission waypoints currently on the drone autopilot. It can be used for finer control ofindividual waypoints in the current mission. The list ofwaypoints displays the ID, Change altitude parameter, Altitude and Action related to each mission waypoint. Clicking on amission waypoint in the list orin the Map Area will expand the panel to display all the parameters related to that waypoint. These parameters are explained in detail in section 'Waypoints and their properties' on page 56. Changes made to the selected waypoint are sent to the drone immediately after selecting an item in the popup menu or upon hitting the 'Enter' key in the text fields. You can reposition the waypoint by clicking the Obutton and then clicking at the desired position in the Map Area. You can make the selected waypoint the current waypoint by clicking the 

### C> button.
109

### Advanced functionalities
Caution: 

### Any change to the waypoints or their parameters are directlysenttothedrone and maytherefore impactitsflight behaviour. We recommend thatyou take greatcarebefore modifying waypoints while the drone is in flight. You can add new waypoints by clicking the+ button or by right-clicking on the Map Area and selecting 'Add waypoint here'. Clicking the 

### O button will remove all mission waypoints from the drone. 

### A. Note: 

### All modificationsmade tothewayppintHst wHI be losfwhen 

# v the drone is switched off,unless the listis explidtly saved into the autopilotusingthe'Saveflight planJn drone' bllttonintheSetup Phase tab (see Section 'Setup Phasetab' on page 96).

110

### 5.8 Camera tab

Camera model [

Individual photos

Camera control [
Camera parameters [ for mapping ID ;,,J.; 3.lcm/px o• -10•

Minm.n,albtude afte<prwto, 87m/,-TO
tolm :....-: o• ..._ P,td,: ,,.,.., -J~·
..... , AftihJ,je refere11<e; :,mfAT.O r..-getalu!ude: !_T!Om/ATO :;;_:' , ...0 ]tabt<rle, ;2-'l.0106 o,..;1.C»ghlde: (3Z.9'r!J Addal)<Wto!N~t:.f:-j:. Reset<lir:<wtot..-g,15:0 0 :14e),..'~to.~g~l"':"""'!.,«>t
__ 'tte~gir>:n,ment, T'Q'

,--, A<Jl»m.al>Ciilttres,,twgelsal~tudc

'bas,,donf5e>'ationdala O Can,era oontrol r .....·



### ,. eMotion in-depth guide



# J Photo sequence control

Photo targets 

# J New photo target increment

The camera tab is an advanced tabthat can be used to precisely control thefunctioning ofthe camera. It also contains controls for taking oblique imagery. It is split into several sections: 'Camera model'. 'Photo targets'. 'Camera control'. and 'Camera parameters for mapping'.

111Advanced functionalities
The 'Camera model' section is used to definethecamera or payload currently connected to the eBee. The list contains all payloads currently supported on the eBee. The 'Photo targets' section allows you to program a set ofphoto targets that the drone will capture with an oblique angle. You can define a photo target location, distance to the object and the heading and pitch ofthe photograph. The drone will then automatically calculate aflight plan in order to capture the photo with the desired parameters.

112 • Photo sequence control: Clicking the 'Start sequence' button will send the drone to thefirst photo target location and subsequently take images ofall thephototargets currently in the 'Phototargets'list. Clicking the 'Stop sequence' will send the drone backto the Home waypoint.
• Photo targets: This panel contains the list ofphoto targets to be taken in a sequence. Clicking the+ button will add a new photo target. You can set the location by using the cross-hairs and clicking in the Map Area. By default, thelocation ofa new photo target is the same as the previous one in the list. Clicking the

### O will remove all photo targets from the sequence list. Each photo target has the following properties:

- Change altitude: The way the drone transitions to the altitude of the current photo target. This parameter is set to 'Keep highest' for all photo targets and cannot be modified.

·· - Minimum altitude after photo: This is the calculated minimum altitudethe drone will reach atthe end ofaphoto capture manoeuvre, based on the desired ground resolution.

- Ground resolution: The desired ground resolution in the centre of the image that will be pointed at the photo target position. Distance: The calculated straight-line distance between the drone and the photo target, and the defined pitch angle. For a given distance, as the pitch angle increases, the distance to the ground decreases.

-- Heading: The heading angle with respect to North ofthe photo target.

### eMotion in-depth guide

- Pitch: The pitch angle with respect to vertical ofthe photo target.

- Altitude reference: The altitude reference ofthe photo target altitude, either ATO orAMSL.

- Target altitude: The altitude ofthe photo target.

- Position (Coordinate): The precise latitudeand longitudeofthe centre ofthe waypoint.
• New photo target increment: This panel makes it easier to make a series ofoblique photos ofthe sametarget with aregular angle increment in order to aid reconstruction ofa 3D model. Every new Photo target that is added using the+button will be placed at the same location as the previous one, but with an increment in heading and pitch angles defined bythe 'Heading increment' and 'Pitch increment' parameters, respectively. Defaultvalue: Heading increment: 0°, Pitch increment: 0°
• Automatically reset target altitude based on elevation data: Check this box to use elevation data to set the absolute photo target altitudes. Ifthis box is unchecked, photo targets are presumed to be at the same altitude as the take-offlocation. Default value: disabled The 'Camera control' section has the following functions:
• Take photo now: Clicking this button will send a command to the drone to take a single picture at its current location. This command can be sent during the mission phase ofaflight plan. 

# 0 Note: The 'Take photo now' button has no effectduring Take-off, Circular landing, Linear landing and Emergency landing modes.

• Continuous photo sequence: These radio buttons define how the drone is taking images. When the default option 'Auto' is selected the drone will start and stop continuous photo shooting based on the actions associated

113Advanced functionalities
with mission waypoints. Selecting 'On' overrides waypoint actions and enables continuous shooting. Conversely, selecting 'Off' will override waypoint actions and disable continuous shooting. Defaultvalue: Auto The 'Camera parameters for mapping' section is used to define detailed parameters related to the camera and has thefollowing functions:

• Pitch angle: By defaultthe eBeetakes images at a default estimated pitch angle of7° relative to the horizon. This angle provides the best compromise between image quality and flight endurance. In some cases, however, you may wish to change this value to suit your imaging needs. Increasing this angle to 15° provides a slightly more perspective view of a building. Note, however, that a higher pitch angle will cause the drone to slow down every time it takes an image, losing altitude and decreasing flight time and longitudinal overlap. Decrease the pitch angle down to 0° can capture more vertical images of the ground ifmapping precision at low altitudes is ofutmost importance. However, decreasing this angle will cause the drone to lose altitude with each image taken, requiring itto return to thetarget altitude before taking another image, once again decreasing both flight time and longitudinal overlap between images. Defaultvalue: 7°
• Distance between photos: Check the 'Use manual parameters' box to manually set the distance between photos in the direction offlight. This option may be used to override the automatic settings based on altitude and longitudinal overlap. Defaultvalue: Unchecked, Distance between photos: Automatic 

# 0 Note: Depending on the altitude and the wind the desired distance between images may not always be achievable. The minimum distance with no wind and at sea level is around 35-40 m.

114eMotion in-depth guide Clicking the 

### 0,button will provide further options:

• Save parameters as default in drone: Savesthe currently-set camera parameters to the eBee's autopilot's memory. • Restore factory parameters: Returns the parameters to their default values and automatically send them to the drone's autopilot.

115Advanced functionalities 

### 5.9 Flight Parameters tab

Flight parameters

General information 

# 1 r 

# ,~:~:q:~ (t;JI_~ ;fl ft,ght P3ra.°-1_et;e~ :]! ':3i; )'s'~rking /,fearad<.Js: ml; W"rl:ing are3 ceimg: Ai Manw\con!folmc,de: 

# II i

# ~tL::r01 I~l f ~::,] l11rJOfeRC~gnal,; _:g' 1[ i?JR.elllrnWH:)me_!n.Cllseofstrongwiod g, f [i]Returii'tr.,tk>im,.-,'i:Z/:;e,,'rpqofGf'Sa.,vera[le '.;JIf-.1?~ Return tohome ,..,case ofcamerarralfunction _'.~I [ LiReturn tu tk>rm! aftef 3Qsinaseo(fri:lcss :SI ;

·**~** Climblncriseo_fdetected_g,;oi•nd ~o><iro1ity (<~m) ill C f_Jj**~** grouod sensorfor lend,'1\l -$1: 

### ·,,, lo.i ~I: Jii :ili'I :·-";;
.. 

# ::1:-:::~tio~-;.~-~~~-~;9~- :~, i Boo~-adefver~; .:fl/a -~II owneserialnumOO': EB-01-:002. '.~ Autop,1ot_serial nll')iier:_nfa -~! Totalflightcooot: 3 '<I Tolalllightl>'ne: 00:Hl:Sl.% -'.II (".Y."'W ~-t-~~h~-~'." "\

The Flight Parameterstab includes someadvancedfunctionsthatgoverntheoverall behaviour ofthe drone while in flight. It is separated into two sections: 'Flight parameters' and 'General information'. The 'Flight parameters' section includes the following items:

116 • Working area radius: This is the radius ofthe working area around the take-offlocation. Flying outside ofthis area will create awarning and cause the drone to return to the Home waypoint. Default value: 500 m • Working area ceiling: This is the maximum altitude above the take-off location at which the drone can fly. Flying above this altitude will create a warning and cause the drone to return to the Home waypoint. Default value: 300 m/ATOeMotion in-depth guide

• Manual control mode: Selects between Full Manual control and Assisted Manual control when the remote control is turned on41

. Default value: Full Manual control • Securityactions: The next checkboxes are used to disable certain Security actions42• • Ignore RC signals: Checking this option will result in the drone ignoring any signals coming from a remote control (RC) transmitter on the ground. Default value: unchecked Caution: 

# In certain regions.it is illegal to disablethe remote rnntrol connection between thedrone and the operatoron the ground.
· Please checkthe laws inyour regionbeforeenabling this option,

• ReturntoHomein caseofstrongwind: Checking this boxwill enablethe Security action related to high wind strength (return to Home waypoint). Un-checking this box will disable the Security action, however the drone will continue to estimatethe wind strength and direction and the In-flight warning will continue to appear. Default value: checked Caution: The eBee is not designed to fly in winds above 12 

### mis. Flying in high-wind conditions increasesthechances ofacrash that may damagethe drone and is done atyour own risk.

• Return to Home in case ofpoor GPS coverage: Checking this box will enable the Security action (return to Home waypoint) related to poor GPS signal coverage. Un-checking this boxwill disablethe Security action, however the In-flight warning will continue to appear. Defaultvalue: checked
41 see section 'Manual control ofthe eBee'on page 120 for more information 42 see section 'In-flight warnings' on page 143 for more information on Security actions related to

specific ln-fiight warnings

117Advanced functionalities

• Return to Home in case of camera malfunction: Checking this box will enable the Security action (return to Home waypoint) related to acamera malfunction. Un-checking this box will disable the Security action, however the In-flight warning will continue to appear. Default value: checked
• Return to Home after 30s in case of link loss: Checking this box will enable In-flightwarnings and Security actions related to aloss ofthe communications uplink between 

### eMotion and the drone (return to Home after 30 s oflink loss). Un-checking this box disables both the In-flight warning and the Security action and will result in the drone continuing on its flight path even ifit does not re-connect with 

### eMotion. Defaultvalue: unchecked
• Climb in case of detected ground proximity (<30 m): The 

### eBee features aground sensorthatcontinuouslychecksthe presence ofthe ground. If this box is checked and the ground sensor detects a height above the ground ofless than 30 m, the drone will climb to a safe height of60 mbefore continuing the mission. Defaultvalue: checked
• Use ground sensor for landing: The 

### eBee uses its ground sensortogether with its estimate ofthe wind speed during its landing manoeuvre to calculate the ideal moment to perform afinal brake and enter deep stall. Ifthis box is unchecked the drone will ignore the ground sensor during its approach and will assume that the landing location is precisely at the same altitude as indicated in 

### eMotion. This will result in a landing precision that is decreased and dependent on the strength ofthe wind. Defaultvalue: checked 

# 0 Note: Un-checkingthisfeature is only recommended when performing a linear landing in uneven terrain where the height measured by the ground sensor during approach would imply an undesired approach slope correction.

118

### eMotion in-depth guide Clicking the 'More' listwill provide further options:

• Save parameters as default in drone: Saves the currently-set flight parameters to the 

### eBee's autopilot's memory. • Restore factory parameters: Returns the flight parameters to their default values and automatically sends them to the drone's autopilot. The 'General information' section displays information specific to your 

### eBee. This includes the currentfirmware and bootloader versions loaded into the autopilot, the serial numbers ofthe airframe and the autopilot, the total number offlights performed by drone and the total time spent in the air. 

# 0 Note:.The flighrcounteris incremented every time the.take-offpro 0 cedure is initiatedby shakingthe

### eBee backi!nd forth 3times, even if take~Offis.Subsequeritly aborted. Clicking 'View flight database
..: will bring up awindow that presents a summary ofall the flights performed by the drone using this computer.

119Advanced functionalities 

## 6 Manual control ofthe eBee

6.1 G.oal of.this section: This section describes how to use theremote control to manually control the drone, either in Full Manual. or Assisted Manual modes. caution: Operation
..of the eBee. ·in ·either Assistedur Full lv1anual mode requires the skills of an experienced R( aircraftpHot. Se9seFlyHd cannotbeheld responsiblefordamage caused by rpan-·· ual. controLofthe drone.Any damaged caused by manual controlof: the dronewill.void the•warranty. Enabling manual control By default, the eBeeflies autonomously and does not need the provided remote control to be operated. However, by using the remote control, it is possible to overridethedrone's autopilotby switchingto oneoftwo available manual modes: Full Manual or Assisted Manual. In Full Manual mode the sticks ofthe remote control directly setthe motor power and the angle ofthe ailerons ofthe drone. In Assisted Manual mode the sticks ofthe remote control are used to set the speed, turn rate and climb or sink rate. 

# 0 Note: Ensure thatthe 'Ignore RC signals' option in the Flight Parameters tab is unchecked43
, otherwise the drone will ignore the commandsfrom theremotecontrol and remain in autonomous operation mode. Turning on the remote control will cause the drone to change to either Assisted Manual or Full Manual mode, depending on the 'Enable assisted manual control' setting in the Flight Parameters tab44 of

### eMotion. Turning offthe remote control will cause the drone to return to the last autonomous operation mode it was in

44 see section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116 for more details on this setting
120Manual control ofthe eBee
before Manual mode was enabled. Caution: We recommend thatyou only.turn the remote control on when it is held by a pilot ready to take manual control ofthe drone, and .thatyou turn it offwhen putting the remote control down, Manual control ofthe eBeecan be achieved at anytime ifthedrone is within range ofthe remote45.
on: manual off: auto

FM: Full Manual AM: Assisted Manual AM: turn rate right stick

Caution: The remote control is preconfigured for use with the eBee. In particular, the trim dials, used to finely adjust the position ofthe drone's ailerons, are calibratedto ensure optimal flight characteristics and should not be adjusted. Changing the remote control's configuration, including the trim settings, may compromise the flight characteristics ofthe drone. If, for any reason, the preset settings should be lost, contact your eBeereseller.

45 see section 'Drone specifications' on page 163 for the range ofthe remote control
121Advanced functionalities


### 6.2 Pre-flight testing ofthe remote control Ifyou plan to use the remote controlduring aflight we recommend thatyou first test it on the ground. Ensure thatthe eBee is setto Full Manual mode46 and follow these steps: 1. Checkthatthe left stick on theremote control is in the low position to preventthe propellerfrom spinning. 2. Turn on the remote control. 3. Turn on the eBee by connecting the battery. Once the drone detects the signal from the remote control itwill change to one ofthe manual modes.
Caution:'The motbroftheeBeeisnowccmtrolled bythe remote control andwill beginspinning ifthe left stickis pushed up. Always keep the area around the propeller clear ofobstacles and body parts to prevent injury. 4. Movethe right stickon the remote control to verify proper reception bythe drone and correct servo direction. 5. Turn offthe remote control for take-off. 

# 0 Note: Ifthe remote control is switched on while it is performing preflight checks the ailerons will not move when the checks are completed and the GPS signals are acquired. For more information on using the remote control, referto the original user manual available in the downloads section ofthe senseFly Ltd website47

.
46 see section 'Enabling manual control' on page 120 47 http://www.sensefiy.com/support/download

122Manual control ofthe eBee 

### 6.3 Full Manual mode Full Manual mode allows you to have direct control overthe eBee's actuators, overriding all control from the on-board autopilot. The left stick controls the thrust. For safety reasons, the left stick should remain at the lowest position at all times, except during flight. The right stick controls the elevator and the ailerons in the same way as atypical aircraft control stick (or thejoystick with aflight simulator). Note that the drone uses its ailerons to fulfil the functions ofboth ailerons and elevator in a classical airplane. When the ailerons function in the same direction, they act as the elevator. When the function in opposite motion, they act as ailerons. We recommend you perform astandardtake-offprocedure in autonomous mode and only switch to Full Manual mode when the drone is in the air. Ifyou wish to take-offin Full Manual mode, however, you must use the following steps: 1. Prepare the drone for flight as described in section 'Preparing the eBeefor flight' on page 28 while keeping the remote control turned offand the left stick at its lowest position. 2. Turn on the remote control. You now have manual control over the main thrust motor and the servo-motors. Caution: The motor ofthe drone is now controlled by the remote control and will begin spinning ifthe left stick is pushed up. Always keepthe area around thepropeller clearofobstacles and body parts to prevent injury. 3. Firmly grasp the eBee horizontally with level wings using both hands, one hand on the front of each wing. Shake the drone back and forth 3times longitudinally (within approx. 3 seconds). The status LED will pulse blue while the drone's autopilot performs a start-up sequence. As the motor is now controlled by the remote control, it will not begin spinning. Once the sequence is complete, the status LED will turn green (solid or blinking, depending on the angle at which you are holding the drone).

123Advanced functionalities

Caution: Taking off without performing the motor power-up sequence will result in the eBee staying in Idle mode during the entire flight and is not.recommended. The dronewill no longer be able to enter automatic mode while in flight andmust land using manual control. 4. The eBee is now ready for manual take-off. Orient yourself into the wind, and confirm that the take-offdirection in front ofyou is free ofobstacles. We recommend thatyou take offatfull power and into the wind by setting the left stickto its highest position and releasing the dronewhen the status LED is solid green. 

### 6.4 Assisted Manual mode In Assisted Manual mode the sticks on the remote control set the desired speed, turn rate and climb or sink rate. These commands are then transferred to control signals for the individual actuators by the autopilot based on feedback from its sensors. This control scheme simplifies control ofthe eBee. Caution: Though it may.be easier to fly the eBee manually when in Assisted Manual mode itremains dangerous and should be used with care. In particular, the pilot must still be aware ofobstacles in the area, the altitude ofthe ground, the inversion ofcontrol commands when the drone is flying towards the pilot and the distance between the drone and the pilot. We recommend that you only try Assisted Manual mode when in a large open space with no obstacles and low wind. In this mode the left stick is used to set the desired speed ofthe eBee. Setting the left stick between 10% and 100% sets adesired speed between 10.5 and 20 

### mis. Setting the stick below 10% turns offthe motor, allowing the drone to slowly descend in a glide. The drone may even engage reverse thrust to limit its speed during descent. The right stick is used to set the direction offlight ofthe eBee. Moving the stick

124Manual control ofthe 

### eBee
left or right will set a left or right roll angle ofup to 45°

### Is, respectively. Moving the stick down will set a climb rate ofup to 3.5 mis. Moving the stick up will set a sink rate ofup to 3.5 mis. Releasing the right stick at any point will return the drone to astraightflight path at aconstant altitude. It is not possible to take-off in Assisted Manual mode. You may only switch to Assisted Manual mode after completing the standard take-offprocedure48

. Cautfon; There is

# no dearindica.tion during the take-off procedurethatthe

### eB~ewiH changetoAssisted Manual mode ratherthan Ci.rcleStart V\laypointmOde after the take-off transition altitude is rea.ched49• Fqrthisreasonwerernmmend thatyou do notturnonthe remote<control unless you are ready to manually control the drone rightaftertal<e,off, To perform amanual landing we recommend the following procedure: 1. The drone should always perform alinear landings into the wind. Face the downwind direction and confirmthatthere are no obstacles in an area ofat least 100 mdownwind and awidth of20 min either direction from downwind. 2. Set the drone to an altitude of around 50 mfrom the landing altitude by moving the right stick up or down. 3. Fly downwind until the drone is around 100 maway from the landing location. 4. Turn the drone upwind and towards the landing location by moving the right stick left or right. 5. Set the speed to a low value by moving the left stick down to around 25% ofits maximum value. 6. Bring the drone closer to the ground by controlling the sink rate with the right stick. Keep the drone descending until it is around 5-10 mfrom the ground.
48 as described in section 'Take-off' on page 41

125Advanced functionalities

126 7. Oncethe drone is around 5-1 Omfrom thelanding location, cutmotorpower using the left stick and allow the drone to glide down to the ground.

## Part Ill 

# Maintenance, Repair and TroubleshootingMaintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting 

## 7 Maintenance and repair ofthe eBee

7.1 Goal ofthis section: This section describes how to update accompanying software and on-boardfirmware, keep your drone in good workingcondition andperfonn srnaUrepairs such as cracks intheairframe. 

### Updating the 

### eBee software Occasionally, senseFly Ltd releases asoftware upgrade forthe eBeeto provide additional features to our users or to correct potential issues. As of version 2.0.2, eMotion will checkfor new versions during start-up50 and will display a message with update instructions ifa new version is available. We recommend, however, that you checkthe senseFly Ltd website regularly for updates to ensure you have the latestversion ofthe software. Caution: We are constantlyworking to improve the performance of our products and we are dedicated to providing our customers with the newest software as soonas itbecomes available. Sincethe highest levelofflight safety can only be achieved with the latest software release, senseFly Ltd can onlyofferwarranty servicefor productsthat have been properly updated. To upgrade eMotion or Postflight Terra 30to the latest version, download the installer from the senseFly Ltd website and follow the standard install procedure (see section 'Installing eMotion, PostflightTerra 30, andtheground modem drivers' on page 18). It is not necessary to uninstall previous version ofeMotion before installing the new one. Every version of eMotion is packaged with an accompanying firmware revision which must be installed on thedrone before itcan be used. To upgradethefirmware ofthe eBee follow these steps:

50 provided that there is an internet connection

128Maintenance and repair ofthe eBee
1. Connect the batteryto the drone. 2. Connectthe USB cable between the computer on which you installed eMotion and the autopilot ofthe eBee as shown in the figure. The connector is beside the camera connector and is marked with a Q icon. The status LED will turn white as soon as you connectthe cable.

129Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

3. Clickthe liiil icon and select 'Updater eBee
..: 51 • connect USB cable to autopilot

4. Click 'Update'to begin the updating process. Waituntil the process is complete, which is indicated by thetext 'File downloaded successfully'.



## 7 Click Update 

# -

Wait for update to complete File downloaded successfully 

# 0 Note: You may need to install adriverthefirsttimeyou upgradeyour firmware. The driverwill be installed automatically butmaycausethe firmware updateto fail. Ifthis is thecase, retrythe update process by clicking 'Update' again, without disconnecting the battery or cable from the drone or closing the 'Updater eBee'program.

51 also available in the 'eMotion' folder in the Start menu in Windows
130Maintenance and repair ofthe eBee
5. Disconnect the USS cable and the battery. It is important that both the drone and eMotion have the same software version for them to work properly together. Make sure that you keep both up-to-date. To check which version of eMotion you have installed, use the 'About eMotion
..: item in the 'Window' menu. The eBeefirmware version can be seen in the Flight Parameters tab once connected (see section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116).


### 7.2 Cleaning and storage Use adamp cloth to wipe offdirtfrom the eBee. In orderto avoid structural deformation ofthe wing, it is recommended to store the drone either in its transport case or on aflat surface at room temperature.



### 7.3 Caution: Never bring the eBee into directcontactwith water, as this may damagetheelectronics within the drone airframe.


### Full airframe and sensor inspection Beyond the general airframe inspection that is performed before every flight, we recommend that you perform a full airframe and sensor inspection regularly to keep your drone in good operating condition. Caution: The autopilot, sensors and actuators within the Central Body ofthe eBee are specially calibrated and should only be modified by your eBee reseller. Opening the Central Body ofthe eBee will void thewarranty. The inspection includes the following checks: Check 1: Motor and Servos The eBee uses a brushless DC motorto turn its propeller and generate thrust. The servos are the two actuators connected through a servo connection mechanism

131Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

to both ailerons. Damaged actuators can prevent the drone from flying correctly and thus it is important to ensure their properfunctioning.

servo connection mechanisms

To checkthe actuators, follow these steps: 1. The motor must be clean and spin smoothly without friction to function correctly. Ensure thatthere is no sand or otherobstructions within the motor. Ifthere is something blocking the motorfrom spinning smoothly blow some air through the motorto dislodge the obstruction. 2. Make sure the left stick ofthe remote control is all the way down to keep the motor off'. Place the eBee at the edge ofaflat surface and keep the area around the propeller clear. Caution: The propeller on the eBee spins at high speeds and can cause deep cuts if it comes into contact with exposed skin. Always wear gloves and glasses when any workis done requiring the battery to be connected to the drone.

52 see section 'Manual control ofthe eBee' on page 120 for details on using the remote control
132Maintenance and repair ofthe 

### eBee
3. Switch the drone on by connecting the battery. 4. Connect to 

### eMotion. Ensure that 'Manual control mode' is set to 'Full Manual control' and thatthe 'Ignore RC signals' setting is not checkeds3• 5. Switch the remote control on. 6. Move the right stick on the remote control and check the aileron motion. The ailerons must smoothly and quickly follow the stick. When the stick is not

### moved,theailerons must stay still. When travelling from oneend to the other, fast or slow, the ailerons must smoothlyfollow withouttwitching. 7. Hold down the drone against the flat surface with one hand to prevent it from moving. Gently 

### move the left stick on the remote control to spin up the motor and propeller. The motor should run smoothly without making excessive noise. 8. When done, switch the remote control off. In case ofdoubt, take ashortvideo and follow the instructions in section 'Reporting aproblem with your 

### eBee' on page 160for advice. Check 2: Inertial sensors The inertial sensors are used by the autopilot to computethe attitude (i.e. its orientation in space) ofthe drone. The attitude is displayed by the artificial horizon in the Flight Monitoring tab of

### eMotion. To checkthe inertial sensors, follow these steps: 1. Switch the 

### eBee on by connecting the battery and connectto 

### eMotion. 2. Putthe drone on aflat surface (typically an office floor) and checkthatthe artificial horizon is level. 3. Takethe drone with your hand and putitin different orientation. Make sure that the artificial horizon displays the corresponding orientation.

53 see section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116 for more details on these settings
133Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting
The artificial horizon should follow smoothlythe motion ofthe 

### eBee and it should not drift when the drone is not moving. In case of doubt, take a short video and follow the instructions in section 'Reporting a problem with your 

### eBee' on page 160 for advice. Check 3: Barometric pressure sensor The barometric pressure sensor is used to measure the altitude from the take-off location. To check it, follow these steps: 1. Switch the 

### eBee on by connecting the battery and connectto 

### eMotion. 2. Movethe dronefrom yourfeet to aboveyourhead (about 2 maltitude variation). 3. Checkthe altitude on thevertical bar right ofthe artificial horizon or in the Status Panel nextto the drone icon on the map). The displayed altitude should follow the drone motion, i.e. ifthe drone is raised by 2m, the altitude reading should increase by about 2m. When the drone is not moving, the altitude reading may slowly drift by up to ±10 m. Check 4: Air speed sensor The air speed sensor is connected to the pitot probe by a pair oftubes. To check it, follow these steps:

134 1. Visually check the pitot probe. Make sure that it is properly fixed to the airframe and that both tubes are properly attached and not damaged). The holes in the probe mustbe clear and free ofdirt orothersmall obstructions. 2. Switch the drone on by connecting the battery and connect to 

### eMotion. 3. Gently blow into the front opening of the pitot tube from a distance of around 5 cm. The airflow direction should match the natural flow experienced in flight. 4. Checktheairspeed displayed on thevertical barleft oftheartificial horizon.Maintenance and repair ofthe eBee
At rest, the displayed air speed should be close to zero (it may drift up to about 2 mis). When blowing in the pitot probe there should be an air speed indicated in the 'Flight Monitoring' tab ofeMotionthat should easily reach values above 8 mis. Check5: Ground sensor The ground sensor is composed ofa high-speed optical sensor and alens assembly. The lens assembly must be clean and unobstructed for the sensor to work correctly. 

### 7.4 Repairing the 

### eBee airframe Small repairs of cracks in the airframe can be done using contact glue such as UHU® POR glue. Take care to use only contact glues that are specifically designed for Expanded Polypropylene (EPP). If you have doubts about the extent ofthe damage, always contact your eBee reseller to verify ifthe damage can be easily repaired by yourselfor ifyou need to send your drone in for repairto. Caution: Neverfly your eBee ifit has cracks in the airframe,



### 7.5 Proper battery care Proper care ofyour eBee's battery is important to prevent damage to your drone and to maximize flight time. With a fully charged battery, the drone will fly for about 45 minutes. Frequent altitude changes, presence ofwind, use ofold batteries and/or frequent photo acquisition may significantly reduce the flight endurance. Batteries perform better at medium or high air temperature and it is normal to observe shorterflight times in cold weather. The eBee is powered by a Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery composed ofthree cells connected in series. Asingle LiPo cell can have a range between 3 V(empty) and 4.2 V(full) in its normal operating range. This results in an empty batteryvoltage of9Vanda fully-charged battery voltage of 12.6 V. Awell-balanced and healthy battery should have all three cells at a voltage very close to each other and be135Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

tween 3and 4.2 V. The charger delivered with your drone automatically checks for healthy voltages of all three cells and only attempts charging ifthey are within limits. Ifthe cells are out ofbalance, the charger will take care of balancing them. Ifthe charger detects avoltage outside ofthe allowable range it will indicate an error either by flashing the status LED red, or by the LED staying off. This means thatthe battery is over-discharged and should be discarded. Cauti<>n:Thebatteriesdelivered with yourdrone are designed to be chargedwith thechargerdeliyeredwithyour eBee. senseFly Ltd cannot beheld·responsibleJoranyconsequences.resulting fromusing a different charger. In particular, using a chargerimproperly configured or designed for othertypes ofbatteries may lead the battery packto bepermanentlydc1maged orto catch on fire. LiPo batteries do not exhibit any memory effect. We recommend thatyou always fully charge them after use even when they are only partially discharged. When not using the battery store it in the carrying case provided with your drone. Avoid leaving the battery in direct sunlight.

136 Caution: Ifany ofthecells ofyourbatterypackare overly discharged the battery may be irreversibly damaged and becomes dangerousto charge. Ifthe battery grows beyond its regular size or ifany ofthe cells are punctured it is also likely damaged and should be discarded. Forcefully charging a damaged battery may lead it to take fire. Do not attemptto charge an over-discharged or damaged battery. Dispose ofthe batterysafely.Troubleshooting 

## 8 Troubleshooting

Goal ofthis section: This section describes the various error messages that may be displayed during start-up or while the eBee is .in flightand providessometips on solvingthesimplestproblems
..Inthe case ofa moreserious problem, this section describes howto prepare the required data on the problem and report itto your eBeereseller. The eBee can generate several types of error messages depending on its flight mode. Some ofthese messages are minor and simply need to be acknowledged through eMotion, whereas others require more specific action from the user. As long asthedrone is connectedto eMotion, errormessageswill appearin theStatus Panel in theMap Area, as well as in the Drone Status panel ofthe FlightMonitoring tab.

ACK WARNING Status Panel

Error messages are divided into four categories: Pre-flight errors, Take-offvetoes, In-flight warnings and Critical failures.
137Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting 

### 8.1 Pre-flight errors As soon as the battery is connected to the drone it performs a series ofpre-flight checks to thoroughly test its on-board systems. The start-up process is described in detail in section 'Preparing the eBee for flight' on page 28. If an error occurs during these pre-flight checks the status LED will blink red and a description of the error will appear in 

### eMotion. In most cases, re-connecting the battery will sufficeto removethe error. Table 3 presents all the Pre-flighterrorsthatmay occur and possible actions to fix the error. Ifthe problem is related to the firmware in the on-board autopilot, try re-loading the firmware using instructions in section 'Updating the eBee software' on page 128. Ifan error persists after reconnecting the batteryseveral times we recommend you reportthe problem byfollowing the instructions in section 'Reporting a problem with your eBee'on page 160.

Incorrectfirmware detected Battery too low for take-off Drone flight log memory full Table 3: Pre-flight errors

There is an error with the current version of the firmware in the eBee's autopilot. User action: Re-load the correct firmwares4

. The battery level is too low to perform atake-off. User action: Re-connect afully-charged battery. The memory card used to store the Droneflight log is full. User action: Empty the memory card by following the instructions in section 'Importing images and flight data' on page 48.

54 see section 'Updating the eBee software' on page 128
138Troubleshooting

Pitot malfunction Ahigh airspeed was detected while on the ground. User action: Be sure to protect the drone from the wind and re-connectthe battery. Ifthe problem persists, perform Check 4 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. Ifthis does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller. High current A too high current was detected, which may be caused by an internal problem. User action: Re-connect the battery. Ifthe problem occurs twice, contact your eBeereseller. Magnetometer There is an errorwith the drone's magnetic field senmalfunction sor. User action: Re-connect the battery. Ifthe problem persists, contact your eBee reseller. EEPROM There is an errorwith the memory chip ofthe drone's malfunction autopilot. User action: Re-connect the battery. Ifthe problem persists, contact your eBee reseller. Barometer There is an error with the drone's barometer. malfunction User action: Be sure to place the drone on a flat surface, reconnect the battery and do not move the drone until pre-flight checks are complete. If the problem persists, perform Check 3in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. If this does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller.

139Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

De-calibrated The orientation sensors were not calibrated correctly. INS or Attitude User action: Be sure to place the drone on a flat malfunction surface, reconnect the battery and do not move the drone until pre-flight checks are complete. If the problem persists, perform Check2in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. If this does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller. Ground sensor There is an errorwith the drone's ground sensor. malfunction User action: Ensure that the ground sensor on the bottom ofthedrone is clearofdebris and is not damaged, then re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, perform Check4 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. Ifthis does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller. Invalid flight There is an error with the firmware in the drone's aucontroller gains topilot. User action: Re-connect the battery. Ifthe problem persists, contact your eBeereseller.

140Troubleshooting 

### 8.2 Take-offvetoes After successfully completing pre-flight checks the status LED becomes a solid green to indicate that the drone is ready for take-off. At this point the eBee continues to monitor its sensors and battery level. Ifat any point the drone detects a condition that prevents it from beginning the automatic take-off procedure it displays a Take-offveto in eMotion and the status LED changes to a blue pulse. Once theTake-offveto is cleared the status LED returns to a solid green colourto indicate thatthe drone is ready for take-off. Table 4on thefollowing page presents all theTake-offvetoes that may occur and possible actions to remove the veto. If aveto persists after performing the suggested action, we recommend you report the problem by following the instructions in section 'Reporting a problem with your eBee'on page 160.

141Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Drone not horizontal (roll or pitch) Motor is blocked
Battery too lowfor take-off Wings not detected

USB cable detected

142 Table 4: Take-offvetos
The eBee must be held horizontally with level wings to initiate take-off. User action: Hold the drone horizontally. Excessive currentwas detected from the motor. User action: Check that the propeller is mounted correctly and that the motor is freely turning and try the take-offprocedure again. The drone requires a fully-charged battery for the take-offprocedure. User action: Change the battery. The drone's wings are not attached correctly or the wing struts are damaged. User action: Ensure thatthe wings arefully inserted into the main body and that the wing struts are not damaged, as described in section 'Preparingthe eBee for flight' on page 28. The eBee has detected a USB cable connected to the drone's autopilot. User action: Remove the USB cable before take-off.Troubleshooting 

### 8.3 In-flightwarnings While itis in flightthe eBeecan generatetwotypes oferrors: warnings and failures. In-flight warnings occur when there is an event that requires user attention but does not compromise the drone's abilityto continue flying. When an In-flight warning is activated the warning will appear in yellow in eMo

### tion and cause the 'WARNING' button in the Control Barto change to 'ACK WARNING; turn yellow and activate. The drone will then perform a Security action depending on the active In-flight warning. Some In-flight warnings simply need to be acknowledged by clicking on the 'ACK WARNING' button. Others require action by the user before the warning is cleared and the drone can return to full functionality. The full list of possible In-flight warnings and required User actions can be found in table 5 on the next page. The In-flight warnings marked with a * can have their Security actions disabled, whereas the In-flight warnings marked with a ** can have both the warning and the Security action disabled. See section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116 for instructions on disabling warnings and Security actions. 

### Caution: TheSecurity action for most In-flightwarnings istofly back to the Home waypoint (if Circular landing is selected) or the Home waypoint(ifLinear landing is selected). As soon as this Security action is triggered the drone will fly in the direction ofthe selected landing waypoint while climbing or descending to the waypoint's altitude. It is thus important to ensure that there are no obstacles above the altitudeofthe selected landingwaypoint within the entireflightarea to prevent a collision resulting from this Security action.

143Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Failure occurred: (failure description)

Low battery Table 5: In-flight warnings

This warning ensures that the user is aware that a Critical failure has occurred 

### even ifit is no longer active55. Security action: The eBee flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). User action: Ensure that the failure condition is no longer present before acknowledging the error and continuing normal operation. The remaining batterylevel istoo lowto continuethe flight plan. Security action: The eBee flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest') and automatically initiates an expedited landing procedure (without performing a full wind estimation) once it reaches the waypoint. Useraction: Land as soon as possible. Re-chargethe drone battery before performing anotherflight.

55 see section 'Critical failures' on page 155 for a description of possible Critical failures
144Drone flight log malfunction

Flight controller malfunction

Camera sync malfunction Troubleshooting

There is an error saving data to the on-board memory card which will prevent the images from being geo-tagged. Images may still be geo-tagged using the eMotion Flight Log file but may be less precise. Security action: The drone continues normal flight. User action: Land as soon as possible. Once on the ground, connecttothe on-board memory card as described in section 'Importing images and flight data' on page 48 and re-format the memory card. The flight controller has encountered an unexpected state, such as an incorrect waypointtype. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, setto 'Highest'). User action: Land as soon as possible and re-start the drone. Ifthe problem persists, contact your eBee reseller. There is a problem with the wiring ofthe on-board camera. Security action: If required parameter set in the Flight Parameters tab, the drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). Otherwise it continues its mission withouttaking further images. User action: Land as soon as possible and re-start the drone. Reset the camera settings as described in section 'Resetting default camera settings' on page 158.

145Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Camera power malfunction

Barometer malfunction

146 The camera is no longer responding, most likely because it is no longer powered. Security action: If required parameter set in the Flight Parameters tab, the drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). Otherwise it continues its mission withouttaking further images. User action: Land as soon as possible. Checkthe cable connection between the camera and the drone and charge all the batteries before performing anotherflight. The barometer used to sense the current altitude is malfunctioning. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest') using altitude calculated from GPS signals only, potentially causing large fluctuations in altitude. User action: Land as soon as possible and perform Check 3 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131.Troubleshooting

Motor The motor is drawing too little or too much current. malfunction This may be caused by damaged wires or connectors leading tothemotororby sand orotherdebris within the motor. Security action: The drone attempts to re-start the motor. Ifthe first attempt fails a Failure: Motor malfunction Critical failure is announced56

. User action: Land as soon as possible and perform Check 1 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. Battery The sensor used to measure the battery voltage and malfunction current is registering invalid values, indicating that the sensor is de-calibrated or damaged. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). User action: Land as soon as possible and re-start the drone. Ifthe problem persists, contact your eBee reseller.

56 see section 'Critical failures' on page 155
147Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Airspeed The differential pressure sensor used to measure airmalfunction speed is registering invalid values. This may be due to adamaged sensor orto aclogged pitot probe. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest') at a constant thrust value instead of controlled speed, potentially resulting in low or high flight speeds depending on wind. Once itreachesthe Home waypoint it initiates alanding procedure. User action: Try to provide a maximum amount of approach sectors to ensure that the drone can land against the direction ofthe wind. Land as soon as possible and perform Check4 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. Low airspeed Detected airspeed is unusually low or close to zero. This may be due to a collision with the ground or a clogged airspeed sensor. Security action: The drone shuts offits motor and tries to continue its mission. User action: Ifthe warning is due to a clogged airspeed sensor it may be due to moisture in the air. Try commanding the drone to descend closer to the ground and out ofany cloud cover.

148Troubleshooting

Overspeed Detected airspeed is unusually high, possibly due to a loss ofcontrol. Security action: The drone applies a 50% reverse thrustto try to slow down. User action: Keep track of the drone's position in case it is unable to slow back down to a regular airspeed. Ground sensor The ground sensor used to detect the proximity of malfunction the ground is malfunctioning. Securityaction: The drone continues normal flight. User action: Land as soon as possible and perform Check 5 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131. Wings detection The sensor used to detectthe presence ofthe wings malfunction malfunctioning. Security action: The drone continues normal flight. User action: Land as soon as possible and inspect the wing struts as described in section 'Preparing the eBeefor flight' on page 28.

149Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Temperature out The temperature sensor on the drone is registering ofworking levels internal temperatures of less than -50° Cor more than 90° C. This may occur in extremely hot or cold environments or if the on-board autopilot is damaged. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). User action: Land as soon as possible. If the outside temperature is above 35°C or below -10°C, disconnect the battery and wait until the temperature changes to within these limits. Above working The drone has passed the vertical boundary ofthe area ceiling working area, defined by the working area ceiling. This may occur ifwaypoint altitudes are set close to or outside the working area or due to strong wind. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, setto 'Highest'). It also turns offits motor as long as it remains above the working area ceiling. User action: Limit the altitude of all waypoints to less than the working area ceiling.

150Troubleshooting

Out ofworking The drone has passed the lateral boundary of the area radius working area, defined by the working area radius. This may occur ifwaypoints are setclose to oroutside ofthe working area or due to strong wind. Security action: The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). User action: Limittheplannedflight path within the working area boundaries. Far outside of The drone has passedfar outside oftheworking area. working area This may be caused by very high winds ordue to mechanical failure. Securityaction: The dronetriesto orient itselfin the direction ofthe Home waypoint and begins descending immediately until it lands on the ground or returns within the working area. User action: Keep track ofthe location ofthe drone during landing. Ifthedrone lands outside ofviewfollow the instructions in section 'Losing and locating your eBee in thefield' on page 159.

151Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Poor GPS GPS signal coverage is low. This may be dueto mouncoverage* tains ortall buildings blocking satellite signals. If

### coverage degrades any more a Critical failure will be activated and an emergency landing will be initiated57

. Security action (if enabled): The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, setto 'Highest'). User action: Ifthis occurs once or twice, click 'ACK WARNING' and continue normal flight. Ifthis warning appears more often, land as soon as possibleand wait for better conditionsfor satellite signal reception. Alternatively, 

### move awayfrom objectsthatmaydisturb satellite signals such as mountains or cellular antennas. Data uplink lost** This warning occurs ifthe 

### eBee does not receive any (ifenabled) data from 

### eMotion for more than 30 s. This can be due to a large distance between drone and ground station, aproblem with the USB ground modem, antenna positioning or interference
.. Security action (if enabled): The drone flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to Highest). User action: Try to improve radio signal quality by following the instructions in section 'Improving radio signal communication' on page 158.

57 see section 'Critical failures' on page 155

152Ground proximity detected** (ifenabled)

Ground proximity not detected landing precision decreased** Troubleshooting

The ground sensor on the drone has detected a ground height above the ground of less than 30 m during normal flight. Note: thisfeature should not be depended on for avoiding obstacles, as the ground sensormayfail todetectobstacles in certain environmentalconditions58
, Security action (if enabled): The drone circles the currentposition while climbing to an altitude of60 m abovethedetected ground height. Oncethis altitude is reachedthedrone continuestowardsthe nextwaypoint but sets the waypoint's target altitude at 60 m above the last detected ground height. User action: Ensure thatthere are no obstacles such as hills orbuildings higherthan thewaypoints ofyour flight plan. The ground sensor on the eBeewas unable to detect the proximity ofthe ground during a Linear landing procedure. This may be due to an obstruction in the sensor, low ambient light or low contrast in the environment59. Security action: The drone continues the Linear landing procedure but will initiate its final brake at an estimated altitude of20 minstead of3 m (assuming the Linearlanding location is at the same altitude at the Take-offlocation), resulting in decreased precision in the landing location. User action: Be ready for the drone to overshoot its planning Linear landing location by preparing a larger obstacle-free zone around the location.

58 see section 'Linear landing' on page 70 59 see section 'Linear landing' on page 70
153Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Back wind, There are no approach sectors available against the landing precision direction ofthe wind. The eBee has calculated a Lindecreased*** ear landing approach direction in the direction ofthe (in blue) wind. Securityaction: The eBee continues normal flight. User action: Add a new approach sector againstthe direction ofthe wind, if possible, abort the landing and try landing again. If not, be ready for the eBee to overshoot its planning Linear landing location by preparing a larger obstacle-free zone around the location. Strong wind* The wind is too strong for the eBeeto navigate safely. Security action (ifenabled): The eBeeflies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, setto 'Highest'). User action: Land as soon as possible and wait for betterflight conditions. Cannot maintain The eBee cannot maintain the altitude that is comaltitude manded by theflight controller. This may be due to a damaged motor, airframe or ailerons or a strong vertical wind. Security action: The drone continues normal flight. User action: Ifthe condition persists during aflight, land and wait for the wind to decrease, as explained in section 'Weather check' on page 27. Ifthe problem occurs in low-wing conditions perform Check 2 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131.

154Pitch or Roll instability Troubleshooting

The orientation sensors on the 

### eBee detected unusually high pitch or roll values even after performing stabilization. This may be due to strong winds or damaged airframe. Security action: The drone continues normal flight whiletrying to stabilizethepitch as much as possible. User action: Ifthe condition persists during aflight, land and waitfor the wind to decrease, as explained in section 'Weather check' on page 27. Ifthe problem occurs in low-wing conditions perform Check 2 in section 'Full airframe and sensor inspection' on page 131.



### 8.4 Critical failures Acritical failure is an error that occurs in flight that prevents the continuation of normal flight. This is the most serious type of error that can occur with the 

### eBee, and is indicated in red in 

### eMotion. The 'WARNING' button in the Control Bar changesto 'CRITICAL FAILURE'. becomes red and cannot be acknowledged. When a critical failure occurs flight is aborted and the drone initiates an Emergency action in which it is immediately directed to the ground. The Emergency action for each Critical failure is designed to minimize the airspeed and thus impact energy with the ground using the sensors that are still functioning. Table 6 on the next page describes the critical failures that may occur and what action is taken bythe drone. In some cases it may be possible to manually control the drone using the remote control60

. Ifsuch a critical failure occurs that results in an Emergency landing we recommend that you keep track ofthe drone's last

60 see section 'Manual control ofthe eBee' on page 120

155Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

known position in the air and in 

### eMotion ifpossible and follow the instructions in section 'Losing and locating your 

### eBee in thefield' on page 159.

Failure: loss ofGPS signals

Failure: empty battery

Failure: INS malfunction

156 Table 6: Critical failures

Your 

### eBee can no longer calculate its position, making it impossible for itto know where it is and thus to navigate. Emergency action: The drone turns off its motor, sets a bank angle and glides in a large circle towards the ground. If there is a strong wind the drone may be pushed farfrom its current position. Ifsatellite signals are re-acquired the drone will abortthe landing procedure and go to the Home waypoint. The battery is completely empty. Emergency action: The drone turns off its motor and glides towards the ground in the direction ofthe Home waypoint. This error is always preceded by a Low battery In-flight warning. There is afailure with the orientation sensors which makes it impossible for the drone to stabilise itself and thus initiate a gliding emergency landing. Emergency action: The drone turns off its motor and fully deflects its ailerons which results in an uncontrolled descent with limited impact energy (deep stall or spin).Troubleshooting

Failure: motor The motor is not working even after an attempted malfunction re-start commanded by aMotor malfunction In-flight warning. Emergencyaction: The drone orients itselfin the direction ofthe Homewaypoint and glides towardsthe ground while continuously trying to re-start the motor. If motor re-start is successful the drone cancels the landing and flies towards the Home waypoint at an altitude defined by the Home waypoint's Change altitude parameter (by default, set to 'Highest'). Failure: CPU Over- The autopilot processor is overloaded and can no load longer control flight. The drone turns off its motor and fully deflects its ailerons which results in an uncontrolled descent with limited impact energy (deep stall or spin).

157Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting 

### 8.5 Resetting default camera settings In case ofunwanted configuration changes, the camera can be re-configured to a suitable state. Please referto your camera user manual in the download section ofour website for the procedure. 

### 8.6 Improving radio signal communication You may occasionally lose the data connection between eMotion and your eBee while in the field. Whether there is a loss in uplink or downlink communication, the drone will continue flying along its Flight Plan and should re-establish the connection as itflies closerto the base station or changes direction. Ifthe drone stops receiving messages from eMotion (uplink direction) for more than 30 syou will see a'Data uplinklost' In-flightwarning appear in eMotion. Iffor safety reasons you would like the eBee to automatically return to the Home waypoint when this warning appears, select the corresponding option in the Flight Parameters tab61

. Ifthere are no more messages received by eMotion from the drone (downlink direction), a 'Data downlink lost' message will appear in eMotion. Ifthere is still an active uplinkconnection you may still commandyourdroneto return to the Home waypoint using the Control Bar. Data connection range can be effected by many external factors such as antenna height, terrain and obstacles or radio interference. We recommend thefollowing tips to improve the range ofyour connection in the field: 1. Place the USB ground modem as high as possible (forexample, on top ofa car, ladder or nearby building). Aheight ofat least 2 mis recommended. 2. Ensure that the USB ground modem's antenna is pointing straight up. 3. Disable any 2.4 GHz-based communication devices (or put them into 'Airplane mode') in the vicinity ofthe USB ground modem. This includes all

61 see section 'Flight Parameters tab' on page 116 for more details
158Troubleshooting
Wifi and Bluetooth devices such as the ground station computer or mobile phones. The strength of the connection between the drone and eMotion is indicated in the Flight Monitoring tab62

. The three LEDs next to the antenna on the ground modem also indicate the strength ofthe connection. The connection is strongest when all three LEDs are a solid red, and weakest when a single LED is blinking. 

### 8.7 Losing and locating your eBee 

### in thefield We recommend thatyou write your address and phone number on your eBee (by putting your business card on top ofthe camera for example) in case it gets lost and subsequently found by athird party. In case you lose your drone in the field for whatever reason, whether from a loss ofcommunications, a Critical failure or an accidental collision, use the following stepsto try to recover it: 1. Do not disconnectthe connection in eMotion! Ifit is simply out ofcommunication range the drone should reconnect automatically as it returns to the Home waypoint after completing its mission. 2. Notethe last known location ofthedrone in eMotionby printing the screen or writing down the location displayed in the Flight Monitoring tab. 3. Move towards this last known direction with the computer running eMotion in the hope ofregaining aconnection. Be sure to take the remote control with you as well. 4. Ifyou have reached the last known location ofyour drone and have notyet found it, turn on the remote control. 5. Try moving both the control sticks around. Ifthe drone is within range it may start making noise with its main motor or servo motors. 6. Try moving downwind from the last known location in case the drone was pushed by the wind while still in the air.
62 see section 'Flight Monitoring tab' on page 92
159Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting


### 8.8 Reporting a problem with your 

### eBee Ifthere is a problem with your 

### eBee, whether it is a software malfunction, damaged airframe or any other problem, we recommend the following actions: 1. Ifthere is an error message displayed in 

### eMotion, begin by checking section 'Troubleshooting' on page 137 to see ifthere is asolution to the particular message. 2. Checkthe on-line Questions & Answers section on senseFly Ltd's website63 to see ifthere is asolution to your problem. 3. Ifyou have still not found asolution, contact your 

### eBee reseller. Please include the following information with your inquiry: • The serial number of your drone, in the format EB-XX-XXX. You can find this number inside the battery enclosure. • Ashort description ofthe problem. • The Drone Flight Log file ofthe flight that had aproblem 64 • • The eMotion Flight Log file ofthe flight that had aproblem. You can find this file in the eMotion/logs/ directory which is created in My Documents on Windows. • Photos or video ofthe 

### eBee airframe, if required. 

# 0 Note: In orderto provide support, senseFly Ltd may requesttheflight log files for inspection.

63 technical support can be found at http://www.sensefiy.com/support/ 64 see section 'Importing images and flight data' on page 48 for information on retrieving this file from

the eBee
160

## PartIV 

# SpecificationsSpecifications 

### 1 Software requirements eMotion has the following minimum software requirements:

Operatingsystem Hardware
Screen Windows XP I Vista I 7 I 8 1.6 GHz processor 2 GB RAM 500 MB free storage space recommended resolution: 1920x 1080 visible outdoors
Postflight Terra 30 has the following minimum software requirements:

Operatingsystem Hardware

Screen

162 Windows XP I Vista I 7 I 8, 64-bitonly 1.6 GHz processor (2 GHz Intel i5/i7 /Xeon recommended) 4 GB RAM (16 GB recommended for large projects) 10 GB free storage space (1 TB recommended for large projects) min. resolution: 1024x768Troubleshooting 

### 2 Drone specifications
Size Wingspan: 96 cm Wing area: 0.25 m 2 Weight withoutcamera andbattery approx. 0.41 kg

Nominal take-offweight (approx.) eBee: 0.69 kg (1.52 lbs) eBeeAg: 0.71 kg (1.56 lbs) (with standard camera & battery) Material EPP foam, carbon structure & composite parts Battery 3-cell Lithium-Polymer (0.14 kg) Nominalendurance (flight time}65 eBee: 50 minutes eBeeAg: 45 minutes (with standard camera) Propulsion Electric brushless motor Nominal static thrust: 0.63 kgf (6.2 N) Nominalcruise speed 40-90 km/h (11-25 m/s or 25-56 mph) Windresistance up to 45 km/h (12 m/s) Max. single flightcoverage66 eBee: 12 km2 (4.6 mi 2) eBeeAg: 10 km 2 (3.9 mi 2) (on a single battery charge)

65 can vary greatly depending on external factors such as wind, altitude change and temperature. 66 calculated based on the following test conditions: GSD of30 crn (11.8 in) per pixel, no wind, moderate air temp. (18 C/64.4 F), new fully-charged battery, fiight altitude of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) above ground &take offat approx. sea level from centre ofcoverage area.
163Specifications
Communication devices Ground modem: • Frequency: 2.4 GHz • Range67 : approx. 3 km • Certification: FCC Part 15.247, IC RSS210, CE Remote control: • Frequency: 2.4 GHz • Range: approx. 1km • Certification: CE, FCC Navigation Up to 50 waypoints GSD (perpixel) eBee: Down to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) eBeeAg: Down to 2 cm (0.8 in) Absolute horizontal eBee (with GCPs): Down to 3cm (1.2 in) accuracy eBee (no GCPs): 1to 5 m (3.3 to 16.4 ft) eBeeAg (with GCPs): Down to 4 cm (1.6 in) eBeeAg (no GCPs): 1to 5 m (3.3 to 16.4 ft) Absolute vertical eBee (with GCPs): Down to 5cm (2.0 in) accuracy eBee (no GCPs): 2to 5 m (6.6 to 16.4 ft) eBeeAg (with GCPs): Down to 7 cm (2.8 in) eBeeAg (no GCPs): 2to 5 m (6.6 to 16.4 ft) Relative orthomosaic/ 1-3 times GSD 30 modelaccuracy Carrycase dimensions 55 x45 x25 cm (21.6 x 17.7 x 9.8 in)

67 can vary greatly depending on external factors such as cruise altitude, presence of obstacles and

radio-frequency interference.
164Troubleshooting 

### Glossary AMSL Above Mean Sea Level Your eBee's altitude can be shown and set in eMotion using ATO or AMSL. Your drone uses the EGM96 mean sea level standard for navigation. ATO Above theTake-offAltitude Your eBee's altitude can be shown and set in eMotion using ATO or AMSL. Altitudes in ATO are relative to the place your eBee started its motorjust before take-off. DSM Digital Surface Model A3D digital representation ofa surface. FTDI Future Technology Devices International AScottish semiconductor device company specialising in Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology. FTDI cables allow serial connections through a USB cable. eMotion uses FTDI technology to connect to the ground modem. You can often connect a computerto a GNSS base station using FTDI. geo-reference Adata point associated with aspecific location on theearth's surface. GSD Ground Sampling Distance The distance measured on the ground between pixel centres in an image or DSM.The smallertheGSD, thehigherthe spatial resolution ofthe image. For example, a GSD of5 cm means that one pixel in the image represents 5cm on the ground. mosaic Asingle map or terrain model created from several map sections that have been placed side-by-side and merged together. orthomosaic Asingle, corrected image constructed either from several images taken from different angles, or from several orthophotos. Distortions due

165

### Specifications

to different camera positions, ground curvature and reliefare corrected for so that the image displays accurately in the given map projection. photogrammetry 

### A techniquein which measurementstakenfrom photographs are used to reconstruct a30 surface or a series ofpoints in space. point cloud 

### Aset ofdata points within acoordinate system. rayCloud 

### A feature uniqueto PostflightTerra

### 30thatcombinesthe 30 pointcloud with the original images. Multi ray matching with the rayCloud extends the stereo viewtriangulation and increases the accuracy of30 point estimates while providing afull understanding of30results. triangle model 

### An approximate representation of a surface, constructed from connected triangles.

166