Extended User Manual

eBee RTK

Revision 1 / September 2014

Copyright © 2010-2014 senseFly Ltd
GENERAL INFORMATION

READ THIS USER MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USING A SENSEFLY LTD PRODUCT.

senseFly Ltd 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 SENSEFLY LTD PRODUCTS IN BREACH OF THE LAW OF THE COUNTRY WHERE 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 AIRCRAFT TO ‘LINE-OF-SIGHT’ OPERATIONS AND/OR PROHIBIT THE 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. Ask for authorization before taking pictures of an individual, particularly if you want to 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 of an individual. Check that your use of the 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 that the product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of twelve

(12) months from the date of delivery. 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 a product with similar specifications, at no charge, or to reimburse the purchase price of the product, or if repair or replacement is not possible,

issue a credit note; provided however, that the defect has been confirmed by senseFly 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 by third party other than senseFly Ltd, damage due to manual

operation, damage due to take-off or landing location with obstacles, damage due to low altitude flight, damage due

to loss of data 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 A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND OF

ANY OTHER OBLIGATION ON THE PART OF SENSEFLY LTD.

Limitation of liability

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL SENSEFLY LTD BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS 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 A CLAIM 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

MANUAL TO THIRD PARTIES WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF SENSEFLY LTD IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Address

senseFly Ltd

Route de Gen`eve 38

1033 Cheseaux-Lausanne

Switzerland

Website: http://www.sensefly.com

Technical support

If you have questions on your eBee RTK or accompanying software please consult senseFly Ltd’s Technical support website at the following address:

http://www.sensefly.com/support/
Welcome to your eBee RTK

Congratulations on your purchase of the eBee RTK, a complex and powerful yet

intuitive autonomous mapping system. We take great care to develop and design

the best possible hardware and software tools for quick, high-quality and easy-touse 2D and 3D aerial mapping.

The eBee RTK is a fully autonomous survey-grade mapping drone (UAV, RPAS or

UAS). It is capable of in-flight processing of RTK corrections from most leading

brands of GNSS/RTK base stations via its supplied eMotion flight control software

and ground modem. The built-in high-performance GNSS receiver in the eBee RTK

can process GPS and GLONASS L1 and L2 signals. The RTK coordinate correction

data it receives via its ground modem enables precise navigation and the storage of image metadata with RTK-level positional accuracy, without the need for

Ground Control Points (GCPs).
Note: This manual refers to version 2.4 of eMotion and version 3.2

of Postflight Terra 3D software. The eBee RTK requires eMotion 2.4. If

you installed eMotion before purchasing your drone, check the version and upgrade if necessary. You can consult the Release Notes for

changes included in more recent versions of the software.
Package contents

eBee RTK

battery packs

wing eBee wing

central body

spare propeller

camera

user manual

ground

modem

eBee RTK

battery charger

EPP

glue

GNSS antenna,

remote control,

cables and propeller

attachment bands eBee RTK battery

charger power

adapter

camera

charger
The standard eBee RTK package contains the following items:

• 1x carrying case with foam protection

• 1x eBee RTK central body with built-in autopilot

• 1x pair of detachable wings

• 1x detachable GNSS antenna

• 1x spare propeller

• 10x spare propeller attachment rubber bands

• 2x Lithium-Polymer battery packs

• 1x Lithium-Polymer battery charger (including cables)

• 1x 2.4 GHz USB ground modem for radio data link (including USB cable)

• 1x 2.4 GHz remote control (including including 3 AA batteries)

• 1x modified IXUS/ELPH still camera (including memory card, battery and

charger)

• 1x USB cable for interfacing with camera and on-board autopilot

• 1x EPP glue

• 1x eBee RTK User Manual

• 1x 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 of a missing item, please contact your eBee RTK reseller immediately.
Caution: The built-in GNSS receiver in the eBee RTK makes it heavier

than the standard eBee. You must therefore only fly your eBee RTK

with the IXUS/ELPH camera provided. senseFly Ltd cannot be held

responsible for any loss or damage caused by flying an eBee RTK with

a different camera installed.

Note: Some of the operating modes of the eBee RTK require

a GNSS/RTK base station or access to a subscription-based Ntrip

stream. These are not provided in the eBee RTK package.

Note: Camera user manuals are also available to download from

sensefly.com/support/download.
Hardware features

Top face of the eBee

battery compartment

aileron

winglet

propeller

servo connection

mechanism

data link antenna

pitot probe, status LED

wing

camera compartment

central body

Bottom face of 

the central body

ground

sensor

camera lens hole

Detachable

wing

wing

struts

GNSS/RTK antenna

The eBee RTK is an autonomous flying drone comprised of the following components:

• Central body: This is the core of the eBee RTK and includes all the electronics, actuators and communications hardware on-board the drone.

• Wing: The two wings of the eBee RTK 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 stability to the drone while it

is in flight.

• Ailerons: Used to control the eBee RTK while in flight.

• Servo connection mechanism: The ailerons are connected to the servomotors within the central body of the drone through this connection mechanism.

• Propeller: Used to generate thrust while it is in flight.

Caution: When attached to the motor the propeller spins at high

speeds and can be potentially dangerous if it comes into contact with

exposed skin. Be sure to always keep your hands clear of the propeller

when the battery is attached to the eBee RTK.

• Battery compartment: The eBee RTK is powered by a LiPo (Lithium Polymer) battery stored within the battery compartment.

Caution: Proper care of your battery is essential. Please read section

‘Proper battery care’ on page 151 before using your drone for the first

time.

• GNSS/RTK Antenna: The advanced GNSS antenna, capable of capturing

several GNSS signals, is used for navigation and to increase geo-tagging

precision.

Caution: Proper care of your GNSS antenna is essential. Please read

section ‘Proper antenna care’ on page 152 before using your eBee RTK

for the first time.

• Camera compartment: The eBee RTK features a built-in camera for taking

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 RTK 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 of the eBee RTK. 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 of the ground.
Software features

The eBee RTK package allows for the download and use of eMotion * and Postflight

Terra 3D * at no extra cost.

eMotion is the integrated software package that allows you to interact with your

eBee RTK. Its easy-to-use interface allows you to plan a mapping flight intuitively

from the comfort of your office or directly in the field. Once the drone is launched,

you can use eMotion’s wireless connection with your eBee RTK to track its position,

monitor the progress of your mapping flight and send commands if desired.

Once your eBee RTK returns after an aerial mapping flight it is the turn of Postflight

Terra 3D to process the captured images fully automatically. Postflight Terra 3D is

a full-featured mapping solution: with just a few mouse clicks it can create highquality geo-referenced 2D and 3D orthomosaics and digital elevation/surface models (DEM/DSM). While you are still in the field Postflight Terra 3D analyses the quality of the captured images and generates an easy to understand report, letting you

know immediately if the data you captured meets your mapping requirements.

∗ Software access terms and conditions apply. Postflight Terra 3D is limited to eBee images only.

Contents

I Quick start guide 19

1 Planning and simulating a flight 20

1.1 Installing eMotion, Postflight Terra 3D, and the ground modem

drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

1.2 The eMotion interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.3 Creating a new flight plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1.4 The mission phase of a flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

1.5 Simulating your flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1.6 Getting ready for a mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

2 Setting up RTK 31

2.1 Base station compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

2.2 Setting up your GNSS/RTK base station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

2.3 Setting up reference points for your GNSS/RTK base station . . . 32

2.4 Setting up virtual reference broadcasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

3 Using RTK 36

3.1 Using a local base station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

3.2 Using your eBee RTK with a virtual reference broadcaster . . . . . 39

3.3 Using your eBee RTK in standalone mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

4 Executing a flight 40

4.1 Weather check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.2 Preparing the eBee RTK for flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

4.3 The setup phase of a flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

4.4 Take-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4.5 In-flight monitoring and control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

4.6 Landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

4.7 Potential in-flight errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

5 Processing image data 62

5.1 High precision geotagging with the eBee RTK . . . . . . . . . . . 62

5.2 Importing images and flight data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

5.3 In-field image quality check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

5.4 Creating advanced mapping products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

5.5 Transforming coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

II Advanced functionalities 71

6 Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK 72

6.1 Waypoints and their properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

6.2 Advanced polygonal mission area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

6.3 3D mission planning using elevation data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

6.4 Flight visualization in Google EarthTM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

6.5 Autonomous controller and modes of flight . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

6.6 Linear landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

6.7 Flying multiple drones at the same time . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

6.8 Individual photo targets and oblique imagery . . . . . . . . . . 97

7 eMotion in-depth guide 99
7.1 Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

7.2 Simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

7.3 Control Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

7.4 Flight Monitoring tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

7.5 Setup Phase tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

7.6 Mission Planning tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

7.7 Mission Waypoints tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

7.8 Camera tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

7.9 Flight Parameters tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

8 Manual control of the eBee RTK 136

8.1 Enabling manual control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

8.2 Pre-flight testing of the remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

8.3 Full Manual mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

8.4 Assisted Manual mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
III Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting 143

9 Maintenance and repair of the eBee RTK 144

9.1 Updating the eBee RTK software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

9.2 Cleaning and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

9.3 Full airframe and sensor inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

9.4 Repairing the eBee RTK airframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

9.5 Proper battery care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

9.6 Proper antenna care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

10 Troubleshooting 154

10.1 Pre-flight errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

10.2 Take-off vetoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

10.3 In-flight warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

10.4 Critical failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

10.5 Resetting default camera settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

10.6 Improving radio signal communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

10.7 Losing and locating your eBee RTK in the field . . . . . . . . . . . 177

10.8 Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

IV Specifications 179

1 Software requirements 180

2 Drone specifications 181

3 Onboard GNSS/RTK receiver 183
Part I

Quick start guide

The first part of this document introduces you to the eBee RTK and contains the

basic information you will need to plan and execute a simple mapping project. A

typical mapping project can be divided into three main phases:

1. Planning and simulating a flight: 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 a flight’ on the following

page describes how to use the Mission Planning feature to quickly generate

a flight 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 a flight’ on page 40 you will learn

how to prepare your drone for flight, connect it to eMotion, and to monitor

it in flight while it gathers images. Though the eBee RTK can complete a

flight fully autonomously from take-off to landing, you can also modify its

flight plan at any point during flight.

3. Processing image data: The last step in a project is converting the images

taken by your eBee RTK into usable products such as precise geo-referenced

orthomosaics or 3D terrain models. section ‘Processing image data’ on page 62

leads you through the process of transferring images from the drone to a

computer, checking if the image quality suits your needs while still in the

field and producing advanced 2D and 3D maps.
Quick start guide

1 Planning and simulating a flight

Goal of this section: This section introduces the eMotion software

used to interface with the eBee RTK. It describes the steps required

to plan, simulate, and save a simple mapping flight. A more detailed

description of eMotion and its advanced functions is presented in section ‘eMotion in-depth guide’ on page 99.

1.1 InstallingeMotion, PostflightTerra 3D, and the groundmodem drivers

You can download the latest version of eMotion and Postflight Terra 3D at:

www.sensefly.com/support/download

Use the password provided with your eBee RTK to access the download section.

We recommend that you download and install Google EarthTM to take full advantage of the 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 3D and follow the on-screen instructions. The eMotion and

Postflight Terra 3Dsoftwarewill be available in the ‘Start’ menu. Driversfor the USB

ground station ground modem will automatically be installed along with eMotion.

In case a problem arises after connecting the ground modem to the computer for

the first time you can find the drivers in one of the following directories (depending on your version of Windows):

C:\Program Files\senseFly\eMotion 2\usb driver\

C:\Program Files (x86)\senseFly\eMotion 2\usb driver\

20
Planning and simulating a flight

See section ‘Updating the eBeeRTK software’ on page 144 if you have any difficulty

with software installation.

1.2 The eMotion interface

Thanks to the powerful tools available within eMotion, designing a mapping flight

for your eBee RTK is a simple 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. If you have more than one USB device connected to your PC (for

example, you have a ground modem and GNSS base station), choose the

ground modem you want to connect to 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 that you plan flights using a simulated drone. Once connected to

a real or simulated drone you will see the main screen of eMotion.

21
Quick start guide

Map Area Sidebar

Control

Bar

Toolbar

Status

Panel

Flight Parameters tab

Camera tab

Mission Waypoints tab

Mission Planning tab

Setup Phase tab

Flight Monitoring tab

The main screen of eMotion is split into four sections:

• Map Area: The Map Area of eMotion displays a map with the drone’s current position, indicated by the symbol. A small Status Panel floats beside the symbol, indicating important status information including the eBeeRTK’s

current altitude(both Above the Take-off Altitude, 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

22
Planning and simulating a flight

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

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

eBee RTK 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 a flight.

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

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

use many sources of mapping information. You can also choose your RTK

source from the pulldown menu and click to Set Up RTK.

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

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

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

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

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

connected to a simulated drone.

Your eBee RTK’s operating modes

Your eBee RTK can operate in several different modes:

Local Base, Precisely Known Coordinates

Create DSMs and orthomosaicswith high absolute coordinate accuracy using your

precisely measured base station position as a GCP. Useful when a survey has already been done and reference points are already marked out. No post-processing

is needed to achieve RTK-level geo-tag accuracy.

• Place your base station on a known reference point.

23
Quick start guide

• In eMotion, select the base station, set the reference point and base station

height.

• eMotion streams correction data to the drone through the ground modem.

Local Base, Unknown or Imprecise Coordinates

Create DSMs and orthomosaics with geo-tagging relative to an approximate base

station position, then post-process GNSS data to reach high absolute coordinate

accuracy. Useful for green-field surveying when no GCPs have been set, when

in-field time is limited or it is impractical to survey beforehand.

• Position your base station in a convenient location.

• Have eMotion obtain, or set your base station’s approximate position.

• eMotion streams correction data to the drone through the ground modem.

• Your base station’s position is corrected to a high level of absolute accuracy

in post-processing, using raw GNSS/RTK base station and reference station

files.

Virtual Reference Station

Create DSMs and orthomosaics using reference station networks to achieve very

high precision absolute geo-tags. Used when you want to benefit from the high

absolute precision achievable from sophisticated Ntrip networks, or when surveying equipment is unavailable or inconvenient.

• Configure your drone’s eMotion software to receive VRS/Ntrip correction

data (Internet connection and VRS/Ntrip subscription required).

• Correction data is streamed to the drone via its eMotion flight control software and ground modem.

24
Planning and simulating a flight

Standalone

Use to create maps and DSMs when high relative precision is enough or when

RTK corrections are unnecessary or unavailable. Take only the eBee RTK, ground

modem and computer and come back with high-quality DSMs and orthomosaics.

• You can operate the eBee RTK without RTK corrections. In this standalone

mode you can still expect a higher level of absolute coordinate accuracy

than a senseFly drone equipped with a standard GPS antenna. See section

‘Onboard GNSS/RTK receiver’ on page 183 for details.

Note: If you select one of the modes that requires a real or virtual

base station, and a connection to that base station is unavailable, a

take-off veto will be displayed in eMotion and the status LED on your

drone will start pulsing blue. Section ‘Take-off vetoes’ on page 158

describes the possible messages and the user action that should be

taken to remove them.

1.3 Creating a new flight plan

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

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

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

or landing. A flight plan is shown in the Map Area using circles to represent waypoints, lines to represent the flight path and arrows to show the direction of flight.

The large circle with a thick border illustrates the working area boundaries within

which the eBee RTK will always remain. See section ‘Waypoints and their properties’ on page 72 for more information on waypoints and the various symbols

presented in the Map Area.

A complete flight plan for an eBee RTK is divided into two separate phases: the

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

actions related to mapping and capturing images. The setup phase includes waypoints and actions related to take-off and landing. This phase is usually planned

25
Quick start guide

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

on page 51.

1.4 The mission phase of a flight

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

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

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

plan optimised for the ground resolution that you desire.

mission

area

Step 1: open tab and select

Step 2:

rotate,

resize,

move

Step 3:

choose

params

Step 4:

upload

Step 5: check in Google Earth correct camera

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

powerful features are described in more detail in section ‘Advanced

polygonal mission area’ on page 77and section ‘3D mission planning

using elevation data’ on page 78, respectively.

Follow these steps to automatically setup waypoints for a mapping mission:

1. Select the Mission Planning tab from the Sidebar. A grey zone will appear

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

26
Planning and simulating a flight

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

required waypoints, is automatically calculated and displayed to preview

the mission plan that will be created.

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

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

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

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

preview is continuously updated.

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

suit your terrain and quality requirements1. As a first step, eMotion provides

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

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

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

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

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

continuously updated as you modify the parameters.

4. Check the resulting flight characteristics in the tab. Once you are satisfied,

upload the mission plan to the simulated drone by clicking the ‘Upload’

button.

5. Click the button in the Toolbar to open the flight plan in Google EarthTM2.

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 116 for a complete description of available parameters

2 see section ‘Flight visualization in Google EarthTM’ on page 80

27
Quick start guide

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

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

when not using elevation data, the mission planning tool assumes

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

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

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

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

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

with local regulations.

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

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

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

and click ‘Save’.

1.5 Simulating your flight

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

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

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

your eBee RTK at risk3. When eMotion is connected to a simulated drone an extra

set of buttons appear in the Sidebar:

re-position take-off location

initiate take-off

instant recharge of battery

fast-forward

play

pause

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

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

3 see section ‘Simulator’ on page 103 for a complete description of the simulator

28
Planning and simulating a flight

drone and letting it acquire GPS/GLONASS signals. You can test your flight plan by

clicking the icon, simulating a take-off manoeuvre. The eBee RTK will then go

through its flight plan in the same way it would in the field. You can pause, play

or speed up the simulation by clicking the corresponding buttons in the Toolbar.

You can monitor the state of the drone while in flight using the Flight Monitoring

tab and the Status Panel4. You may also monitor the flight in 3D in Google EarthTM

by clicking on the button in the Toolbar.

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

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

The simulated physics, however, are basic and do not always accurately reflect the true behaviour of the drone in flight. In particular,

estimates of battery level and reactions to wind are difficult to simulate with high accuracy. You should in no case depend on behaviours

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

1.6 Getting ready for a mission

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

eBeeRTK batteries5. When delivered, the eBeeRTK battery may not befully charged.

eBee battery pack

power cable

3

2

1

Status

LiPo Balance

Charger

balance LEDs

(not to scale) status LEDs

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

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

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

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

4 see section ‘In-flight monitoring and control’ on page 58

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

29
Quick start guide

any of the 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 of the battery and the required cell balancing work. See section ‘Proper battery care’ on page 151 for more information on maintaining your drone’s batteries.

If you plan on performing a flight away from an Internet connection it is useful to

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

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

can be found in section ‘Toolbar’ on page 100.

30
Setting up RTK

2 Setting up RTK

2.1 Base station compatibility

Standard compatibility - receive only

With built-in support for standard RTK data transmission protocols (see section

‘Onboard GNSS/RTK receiver’ on page 183), the eBee RTK with eMotion can receive

and process corrections from a wide range of base stations. In standard compatibility mode, your GNSS data logger manages the base station position and data

stream and eMotion looks after streaming the corrections to the drone.

Enhanced compatibility - send and receive

eMotion also provides drivers that enable enhanced compatibility with a series of

popular base stations from leading manufacturers. With this enhanced compatibility, eMotion can get and set base station position, display its position on the

map and get raw GNSS data files directly from the base station. eMotion therefore takes on the role of a data logger and a separate data logger is not necessary.

senseFly is constantly working on new drivers and the list of base stations with

enhanced compatibility will continue to grow.

2.2 Setting up your GNSS/RTK base station

To enable high-precision navigation and geo-tagging, connect eMotion to an RTKcapable base station (not provided in the eBee RTK package). Corrections will

be sent through the ground modem, and precise geo-tags will be automatically

stored alongside your photos in the automatically generated flight logs.

You can set up several base stations in eMotion. Once in the field you can then

quickly change base station using the Choose RTK Source menu on the eMotion

toolbar.

Step 1 Connect your base station to the computer on which you installed eMotion following your base station manufacturer’s instructions. Theway you

connect depends on your base station make and model. eMotion will ac31
Quick start guide

cept, for example, serial, Bluetooth and USB connections.

Step 2 Click RTK Setup on the eMotion toolbar.

Step 3 In the Local Bases tab, click Add Base.

Step 4 Enter the Base Name.

Step 5 Choose your base station’s manufacturer.

Step 6 From the Connection Type menu, choose the way in which you have connected your base station to your computer (serial, USB or Bluetooth).

Note: If you have several drones connected to eMotion using several

USB ground modems, they can all take correction data from the same

GNSS/RTK base station.

Step 7 From the USB menu, choose the USB Ground Modem connection over

which you want to send your base station’s RTK corrections.

Step 8 Click OK to add the base station.

2.3 Setting up reference points for your GNSS/RTK base station

Note: All coordinates displayed in eMotion are in the global WGS 84

reference frame. This is the reference frame used by GPS satellites.

eMotion assumes that any coordinate you enter is in the WGS 84 reference frame. If you are using a local or national geoid (MSL) or geodetic coordinate system, you must convert coordinates into WGS 84 before entering them into eMotion. The way you do this depends on the

geoid and the tools available to you. Online or downloadable conversion tools may be available from your base station’s manufacturer or

a national geodetic society.

Note that the eBee RTK internal GNSS receiver transforms the

GLONASS ellipsoid (PZ-90) into WGS 84.

32
Setting up RTK

You can set up several reference points in eMotion. Once in the field you can then

quickly change base station position using the Choose RTK Source menu.

Step 8 Click RTK Setup on the eMotion toolbar.

Step 9 In the Reference Points panel, click Add Point.

Step 10 Enter the name of the reference point.

Step 11 Enter the Latitude, Longitude and Altitude of the reference point and

click OK.

Note: To remove a base station or reference point from the list, click

for the item you want to remove

Note: If you have access to reference station files, it is not essential to

have the precise coordinates of your base station. Your eBee RTK logs

its position relative to the base station with a high degree of precision (using RTK corrections). Once your flight is complete, eMotion

can calculate your base station’s precise position using the raw data

stored on your base and reference stations. It can then apply a correction to your drone’s position to obtain precise absolute geo-tags

for your images. eMotion accepts reference station files in RINEX format. See section ‘Importing images and flight data’ on page 62 for

instructions.

2.4 Setting up virtual reference broadcasters

Note: eMotion also allows you to configure a series of connections

to Ntrip streams from public or subscription-based broadcasters and

set up virtual reference stations (VRSs).

33
Quick start guide

Note: A pre-configured set of Ntrip broadcasters is available for use

in eMotion, and you can configure a connection to your own broadcaster. Before using a subscription-based Ntrip stream, or an Ntrip

stream that requires registration, you must first register or subscribe

through the stream provider, for example, on their website or by contacting them directly. You cannot register or subscribe using eMotion.

Step 1 Find a suitable Ntrip broadcaster and register or subscribe if necessary

before adding the VRS to eMotion.

Step 2 Click RTK Setup on the eMotion toolbar.

Step 3 In the Virtual Reference tab, click Add Virtual Reference.

Step 4 To use a pre-configured stream, choose the broadcaster’s server domain

from the Server menu. To set up a custom stream, enter the broadcaster’s

domain in the Server menu.

Step 5 Enter the port number on which the broadcaster is streaming. This is often port 2101 (set by default), however, the caster device may be streaming on a different port. Check with the broadcaster to confirm.

Step 6 If you are connecting to a stream that requires registration or subscription, enter your user name and password.

Note: As you enter the broadcaster’s domain, the streaming port,

your user ID and password, eMotionwill try and connect to the server.

As long as these details are incorrect or incomplete you will see an error message on the dialog. The list of remote streams only appears

when you have entered enough correct details to successfully connect to the broadcaster.

Step 7 Scroll through the list of streams. Click on a stream to view its details.

Step 8 Click . The stream will be added to the list in the Choose RTK Source

menu on the toolbar. If you entered a user name and password, these

are stored in eMotion and will be submitted to the broadcaster when you

connect.

34
Setting up RTK

Note: To remove a virtual reference, click for the item you want

to remove.

35
Quick start guide

3 Using RTK

Choose the source of your RTK corrections using the menu on the eMotion toolbar.

The message RTK Source Not Defined appears until you either choose a source or

choose to fly standalone.

Choose RTK Source

Set Up RTK

RTK Status

The status of your connection, directly to your base station, or indirectly to a reference station network, is displayed on the toolbar:

Not sufficient eMotion was not sent the data it needs (position and correction vector)

Timeout eMotion was getting position and correction data, but is no

longer

OK All is well; eMotion is getting position and correction data as

expected

3.1 Using a local base station

Step 1 Connect your base station to the computer on which you installed eMotion following your base station manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 2 Choose your base station from the Choose RTK Source menu on the toolbar.

36
Using RTK

If your Base Station’s Position is Known:

Step 3 Choose Above known reference point.

Step 4 Enter the height above ground of your base station.

Step 5 Select the reference point.

Step 6 Click Finish. A base station icon ( ) appears on your map at the reference

point coordinates.

37
Quick start guide

If your Base Station’s Position is Unknown or Imprecise:

Step 3 Choose Above unknown point.

Step 4 Click Update position to take coordinates from the connected base station.

Step 5 If you wish to, adjust the coordinates.

Step 6 Click Finish. A base station icon ( ) appears on your map at the base

station’s coordinates.

Note: The absolute precision of the coordinates obtained from your

base station will be greatly improved in post processing.

38
Using RTK

3.2 Using your eBee RTK with a virtual reference broadcaster

Step 1 From the eMotion Choose RTK Source menu, select the VRS/Ntrip service

you want to connect to for your flight.

Step 2 If a VRS is created, a base station icon ( ) appears on your map at its

coordinates.

3.3 Using your eBee RTK in standalone mode

If you do not need high-precision absolute image geo-tags, or RTK corrections

from a GNSS/RTK base station or Ntrip broadcaster are not available, you can fly

your eBee RTK in standalone mode.

• From the eMotion Choose RTK Source, choose Standalone.

Now that you have chosen your RTK source, or chosen to fly standalone, you can

plan your mission and launch your real or simulated drone. See section ‘Creating

a new flight plan’ on page 25 to get started).

39
Quick start guide

4 Executing a flight

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

eBee RTK for flight, launch, monitor and control from the air, and initiate an autonomous landing.

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

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

4.1 Weather check

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

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

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

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

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

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

wind speed once you are out in the field.

Weather forecasts may use various units to measure wind speed. As a reference,

1 m/s = 3.6 km/h = 2.24 mph = 1.94 kts.

Caution: The eBee RTK should not be launched if the wind speed exceeds 12 m/s (in other units: 43.2 km/h, 26.8 mph, 23.3 kts).

Caution: The eBee RTK is not designed to fly in temperatures above

35◦ C. Avoid exposing the drone to high temperature for prolonged

periods of time. In particular, leaving the drone exposed to the sun

or in a car should be avoided.

40
Executing a flight

4.2 Preparing the eBee RTK for flight

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

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

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

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

first flight.

Central body

bottom view

Central body

top view Wing - detached

3

4

2

5

6

Step 1: Perform a general inspection

Visually inspect the drone for damage or wear using the following steps:

1. Check the foam central body and wings for cracks or other damage.

2. Verify that the pitot probe is properly attached to the airframe and that the

holes in the probe are free of obstructions.

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

lens is clean.

41
Quick start guide

4. Verify that the wing struts are not split or damaged in any way.

5. Verify that the tubes within the Central Body that hold the wing struts are

not cracked or damaged in any way.

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

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

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

wings were found separated from the Central Body after a previous

flight.

6. Verify that the power cables within the battery compartment are well insulated and not damaged.

Note: A general inspection should be performed before every flight.

It is also good practice to perform a full airframe check regularly to

keep your eBee RTK in good shape. See section ‘Full airframe and sensor inspection’ on page 147 for more details.

42
Executing a flight

motor

propeller

propeller

attachment

rubber bands

motor

Step 2: Install the propeller

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

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

other sign of aging.

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

propeller in flight!

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

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

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

43
Quick start guide

insert camera into

compartment plug in camera connector to camera plug

close camera

compartment lid

Step 3: Install the camera

Install the camera into the payload bay6 within the eBee RTK and close the camera

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

the connector with the icon on the eBee RTK.

Caution: The eBee RTK has not been designed to fly without the camera. Attempting to fly without the camera may render the drone unstable, which may eventually lead to a crash.

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

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

44
Executing a flight

insert wing struts into central

body

ensure servo 

connection

mechanism is 

aligned

and engaged

Step 4: Attach the wings

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

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

body.

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

connection mechanism may cause erratic flight and ultimately a

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

45
Quick start guide

Step 5: Attach the GNSS/RTK Antenna

Make sure the screw threads on the antenna and on your eBee RTK are both undamaged and free of liquid, grit, dust and dirt.

Screw the GNSS antenna onto its connector. Take care not to cross the screw

thread. Screw the antenna on firmly with finger force. Do not overtighten.

Once screwed on correctly, the initials RTK will be in line with the word eBee.

Note: Your drone will raise a take-off veto and refuse to start its motor if the antenna is not attached. The Section ‘Take-off vetoes’ on

page 158 describes the possible messages and the user action that

should be taken to remove them.

Caution: Do not forget to remove the GNSS/RTK antenna before

putting the eBee RTK back into its case.

46
Executing a flight

blue preflight checks failed

pulse status LED:

green

solid status LED:

ready for startup

connect battery

red

blink status LED:

disconnect battery

connect battery and

insert into

compartment

close battery

compartment

Startup

process:

Step 6: Install and connect the battery

Lay the eBee RTK horizontally on the ground outside in the vicinity of the takeoff location, with the top face up. To install the battery, begin by connecting the

power cables to the battery. Insert the connectors firmly to the end in order to

avoid undesired disconnection when in flight. Once connected, insert the battery

into its compartment and close the compartment lid.

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

47
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 of time when the drone is on the ground, as this may discharge the batteries and cause irreparable damage. When connected

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

down every minute as a reminder that it is switched on.

As soon as the battery is connected the eBee RTK will perform an automatic selfcheck of its sensors and acquire GPS/GLONASS signals. Be sure not to move the

drone during these tests. It is important that the drone is not inclined more than

10 degrees in order to start up properly. Pre-flight checks may last from a few

seconds to several minutes in the case of poor GPS/GLONASS signal reception. As

these satellite signals are required for the checks to complete, be sure to place the

eBee RTK outside with a clear view of the sky.

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

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

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

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

the status of the checks.

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

errors’ on page 155 for a description of possible Pre-flight errors and

how to handle them.

48
Executing a flight

RTK

Step 7: Connect to eMotion

Start by connecting the USB ground modem to your computer. Then launch eMotion, which will display the Connection window. Select the eBee RTK connection

profile, choose the corresponding FTDI port and click ‘OK’.

Note: Every eBee RTK is paired with the ground modem it is delivered with, and will only work with that particular modem. The name

of the FTDI port corresponding to the ground modem is labelled as

‘eBee RTK-SERIAL’, where SERIAL is the serial number of the drone it is

paired with.

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

indicating the current state of the drone. If the eBee RTK has not yet detected its

location the Status Panel will appear in the top right corner of the Map Area with

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

the drone will pulse blue.

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

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

map you can click the button from the Toolbar to centre the map on the drone.

The drone’s status on eMotionwill be displayed as ‘Idle, Ready to take-off’ and the

status LED will become solid green.

49
Quick start guide

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

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

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

the same process outlined in section ‘Planning and simulating a flight’ on page 20.

50
Executing a flight

4.3 The setup phase of a flight

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

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

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

stands for above take-off); the altitudes of all other waypoints, when defined in m/ATO, are referenced to the altitude of this location.

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

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

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

and Circular landings.

wind

direction

obstaclefree zones

40m

take-off 

transition

altitude reached

10m

60m

Take-off 

location

Home

waypoint

Start

waypoint

Approach

sector

51
Quick start guide

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

Home waypoint to ensure your drone remains at a safe distance from obstacles.

The eBee RTK should always be launched against the wind. Select a take-off location clear of obstacles (buildings, rocks, power lines, hills, trees, etc.) within

a distance of at least 40 m in the upwind direction. Immediately after takeoff it

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

reaches the take-off transition altitude7, at which point it will start flying towards

the Start waypoint.

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

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

clicking on them and dragging them within the Map Area8.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

during landing.

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

Land’ button in the control bar) the drone will fly towards the Home waypoint,

circle the waypoint (at 75 m/ATO by default) to measure the direction of the wind

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

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

in section ‘Setup Phase tab’ on page 112.

8 see section ‘Waypoints and their properties’ on page 72 for a more detailed explanation on waypoints and how to modify them

52
Executing a flight

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

of the approach direction, turn 180◦and begin descending in the approach direction until it lands on the ground underneath the centre of the Home waypoint.

The approach angle is around 20° and the drone will reverse its thrust if needed

to maintain a suitable airspeed during this phase.

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

to ensure a successful Linear landing. Section ‘Linear landing’ on

page 86 describes in more detail the Linear landing process and how

to properly define approach sectors in more complex terrain. In

particular, in the case of strong-wind conditions, low light or lowcontrast terrain, the precision of the final landing location around

the Home waypoint is reduced. Therefore, it is safer to plan for more

clearance, especially along the possible landing axes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

waypoint.

Caution: The ground sensor can only provide usable feedback in

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

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

speed and damage to the eBee RTK.

53
Quick start guide

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

obstacles within a radius of 50 m (or 20 m more than the Home waypoint radius)

to give the drone enough space to land. Ensure that the entire landing area is

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

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

this diameter9.

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

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

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

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

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

50 m for wind speeds above 8 m/s.

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

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

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

more clearance in the downwind direction.

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

Home Waypoint procedure is triggered during 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 of the Home waypoint should be selected with

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

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

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

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

section ‘Waypoints and their properties’ on page 72 for more information on alti-

9 see section ‘Setup Phase tab’ on page 112

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

54
Executing a flight

tude transition behaviours and how to modify them.

4.4 Take-off

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

can launch it using the procedure on the following pages.

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

at all times during the launch procedure.

no holdingzone

d anger zone

green

solid status LED: bluepulse status LED:

Not horizontal!

Step 1: Orient horizontally and against the wind

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

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

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

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

55
Quick start guide

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

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

start pulsing blue. Section ‘Take-off vetoes’ on page 158 describes

the possible Take-off veto messages and the user action that should

be taken to remove them. For example, if the drone is not oriented

horizontally the status LED will start pulsing blue until you re-orient

it horizontally, at which point the status LED turns solid green again.

Caution: It is imperative to launch the drone directly against the

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

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

result in a crash.

shake 3x

no holdingzone

d anger zone

shake 3x

motor startup begin

green

solid status LED:

blue

pulse status LED:

Step 2: Switch the motor on

Shake the eBee RTK back and forth 3 times longitudinally (within approx. 3 seconds) to begin the motor power-up sequence. The status LED will pulse blue until

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

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

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

and the motor will stop.

56
Executing a flight

motor ready for take-off

green

blink status LED:

blue

pulse status LED:

green

solid status LED:

step forward and release

Caution: always orient the eBee

against the wind for take-off!

place nose up 10°

10°

danger zone

Step 3: Launch the eBee RTK

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

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

the status LED will turn solid green, indicating that the drone is ready for take-off.

Launch the drone with a gentle push by walking 1-2 steps forward while releasing

it with both hands in a purely forward motion.

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

reaching the take-off transition altitude, by default 20 m11. At this point, it will

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

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

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

the mapping mission12.

11 see section ‘Flight Parameters tab’ on page 132 to change this parameter

12 The eBee RTK 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 112 for more information.

57
Quick start guide

Control Bar

Status

Flight Monitoring Tab

Wind speed and direction

Estimated Panel

Picture

Footprint

GNSS

Status

4.5 In-flight monitoring and control

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

Map Area and the Flight Monitoring tab in the Sidebar.

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

drone executes its flight. A small arrow and infobox show the speed and direction of the wind as measured by the eBee RTK. The Status Panel that follows the

position of the drone displays basic flight information including battery charge,

flight time and altitude, both above the take-off location (ATO) and above mean

sea-level (AMSL). This same information is reproduced in the Flight Monitoring

tab, along with other useful flight data You can find GNSS status, level of accuracy

and the number of visible satellites in the Advanced instruments section at the

bottom of this panel.

58
Executing a flight

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

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

drone is lost, the drone will by default continue its planned flight,

including the imaging mission and the selected automatic landing,

fully autonomously. If you would like the drone to return to the

Home waypoint instead of continuing its mission when it detects

a loss of connection you may set the appropriate parameter in the

Flight Parameters tab, as described in section ‘Flight Parameters tab’

on page 132.

During the Mission phase of the flight the eBee RTK will automatically take pictures at pre-defined moments based on the parameters that were defined during

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

form of a continuously-updating polygon in the Map Area.

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

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

taken.

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

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

if they occur. During a fully autonomous flight the eBee RTK will control its flight

autonomously from take-off to landing and you do not need to use any of the control buttons. They can however be useful in unexpected situations to temporarily

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

the Home or Start waypoints with the ‘GO TO HOME WPT’ or ‘GO TO START WPT’

buttons, respectively. Alternatively, you can direct your drone to any location by

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

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

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

‘Control Bar’ on page 105.

59
Quick start guide

4.6 Landing

After finishing a mapping mission the drone will, by default13, return to the Home

waypoint and automatically initiate a landing sequence. During a Linear landing,

the drone will land in a straight line according to the process described in section

‘Linear landing’ on page 86. In case of a Circular landing the drone will land in a

circle according to the process described in section ‘The setup phase of a flight’

on page 51.

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

immediately import the images and flight data after each flight (see section ‘Importing images and flight data’ on page 62) before putting the eBee RTK back in its

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

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

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

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

GNSS/RTK antenna before putting the central body back into its transport case.

4.7 Potential in-flight errors

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

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

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

fly is severely compromised, such as a loss of GPS/GLONASS signals or an empty

battery. The situation will be displayed in red in the Status section of the Flight

Monitoring tab. When a critical failure arises, the drone will immediately perform

an emergency landing.

13 see section ‘Setup Phase tab’ on page 112 for information on changing the default behaviours of

the drone

60
Executing a flight

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

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

Critical failures and the drone’s reaction to them is described in section ‘In-flight warnings’ on page 160 and section ‘Critical failures’ on

page 173.

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

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

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

find a lost drone can be found in section ‘Losing and locating your

eBee RTK in the field’ on page 177.

61
Quick start guide

5 Processing image data

Goal of this section: In this section you will learn how to import

images and flight data from your eBee RTK and create basic mapping

products directly in the field to gauge the quality of the images that

you gathered.

5.1 High precision geotagging with the eBee RTK

Both your eBee RTK and eMotion work exclusively in the WGS 84 reference frame:

• Images taken by your eBee RTK are geotagged with the precise position

of the drone when the image was taken. Geotags derived from GPS and

GLONASS signals are recorded in the WGS 84 coordinate system.

• Throughout eMotion, coordinates are displayed using the global WGS 84

reference frame. When you enter coordinates in eMotion, as latitude, longitude and elevation, they are assumed to be in WGS 84.

In order to create mapping products (for example, DSMs, orthomosaics) in Postflight Terra 3D that have their correct absolute positions with respect to your coordinate system, you must carry out a coordinate transformation:

• Latitude and longitude are converted to x,y coordinates in your coordinate

system.

• Elevation (height above ellipsoid) is converted to absolute z coordinate by

applying a vertical displacement constant, the Geoid-Ellipsoid Separation.

5.2 Importing images and flight data

The next step to creating mapping products, after completing a flight, is to import the raw images and log files to a computer. The eBee RTK records flight data

62
Processing image 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. A similar eMotion Flight Log file is

created within eMotion during a flight and serves as a backup in case the Drone

Flight Log file cannot be recovered.

If you are using a GNSS/RTK base station, you may also need to import files from

the base station and reference stations.

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

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

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

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

click OK

select Flight

Data Manager

The way that eMotion processes RTK correction data depends on the way you set

up your flight.

If you used a local base station and entered its position into eMotion, as your

eBee RTK was flying, eMotion was sending RTK corrections from the base station

to the drone through the ground modem. Your drone was logging the precise

coordinates of each image it took.

14 see section ‘Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK’ on page 178

63
Quick start guide

If you used a local base station and didn’t have its precise position, you have

an extra post-flight processing step to do. eMotion will calculate the precise absolute position of your base station using the raw logs from your base station

and the raw navigation and observation logs from your reference station. The

precisely-measured position of your eBee RTK relative to your base station will

then be corrected using this calculated absolute base station position to obtain

high-precision absolute geo-tags for your images.

If you used a virtual reference, your Ntrip stream provider will have automatically provided eMotionwith precise virtual base station coordinates or linked eMotion to a fixed reference station. As your eBee RTK was flying, eMotionwas sending

RTK corrections, gathered from the Ntrip broadcast, to your drone and your drone

was logging the precise coordinates of each image it took.

If you flew your eBee RTK in standalone mode, you do not have any RTK corrections; all the flight data you need is stored onboard your drone.

Follow these steps to import data from the drone:

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

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

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

box, select the one you wish to import.

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

64
Processing image data

connect USB cable

to autopilot

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

the supplied USB cable to the eBee RTK’s autopilot, marked with a icon.

Connect the battery to the drone if it is not already connected. The status

LED will become white and a new storage drive will appear on your computer.

To import images, remove the SD card from the camera, insert it into the

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

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

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

on. Copy all the images into a temporary folder on your computer. Select

‘Import from a specific folder’ and choose the temporary folder.

• Step 4 - Import flight logs: Confirm that the Drone and eMotion Flight

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

manually if they are not correctly detected.

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

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

• Step 6 - import RTK correction files:

65
Quick start guide

Note: You will only see this step if you used a local base station.

If you used a base station with a known position

• Choose The base was placed over a known point. Click Next to continue.

If your base station’s position was unknown, you must import the raw GNSS

data from your base station and the raw observation and navigation data from at

least one reference station:

Note: If you have a Topcon base station you can import its raw GNSS

data through the connection to eMotion. Connect your Topcon base

station to your computer and choose Import files from base. eMotion

will look for the raw data files in the default location on the Topcon

base station. Once complete, go to step 4 (import reference station

files).

Note: Check your base station manufacturer’s documentation to

make sure that your occupation time is sufficient for the base line

length and manufacturer model you are working with.

1. Export the raw GNSS data from your base station to your computer or suitable file server following your base station manufacturer’s instructions.

2. In eMotion, choose The base station was placed on an unknown location

and Import files from local folder.

3. Choose the file format and enter the path to the file, or click Browse and

locate the files.

4. Enter the paths to your reference station RINEX observation and navigation

files, or click Browse to locate the file on your computer.

66
Processing image data

Once complete, click Next to continue.

eMotion will process any raw GNSS data you provided and show the result on the

next screen. If you don’t need to make any modifications to the results of postprocessing, click Next. If you do need to make modifications (for example, you

have calculated base station parameters outside eMotion) you can change them

here and click Next.

• Step 7 - Select outputs: Choose the output actions to execute and files to

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

• Step 8: You may now disconnect the drone. Eject the SD-card drive and the

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

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

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

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

project in Postflight Terra 3D for further processing.

5.3 In-field image quality check

Postflight Terra 3D software15, available as a free download with the eBee RTK package, can be used to rapidly create a Quality Report directly in the field. The Quality

Report that is automatically generated as well as the orthomosaic provide immediate feedback on the quality of the images gathered during your mission.

You can open a project for processing in Postflight Terra 3D directly from the Flight

Data Manager after importing your data by clicking the ‘Open project in Terra’

button. You will now see the main Postflight Terra 3D window. The position of

your images will appear as red dots in the Map Area of Postflight Terra 3D.

15 powered by Pix4D, see section ‘Installing eMotion, Postflight Terra 3D, and the ground modem

drivers’ on page 20 for installation instructions

67
Quick start guide

Map Area

Top Toolbar

Project

Summary

Local

Processing

panel

Layers

Step 1: select 1. Initial Processing,

Rapid Check Step 2: click ‘Start’

Automatic Reconstruction Report generation

To create a Quality Report while in the field 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. If you 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 3D will now process the data and produce a report that includes

the overall completeness and georeference quality of the images taken during

your last mission. You may use this information to decide whether further imaging flights are required while you are still in the field. The quality report will be

displayed in a new window (click the icon in the Toolbar if it does not appear).

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Processing image data

5.4 Creating advanced mapping products

Beyond Quality Reports and low-resolution orthomosaics, Postflight Terra 3D can

generate geo-referenced high-resolution 2D orthomosaics, 3D point clouds, triangle models and DSMs or export to common third-party photogrammetry software such as Bingo, Orima or Inpho. Postflight Terra 3D also includes a mosaic and

a rayCloud editor, giving you more control on the quality of your final mapping

products, as well as measurement tools.

The resulting orthomosaic and DSM may then be imported as custom background

map and elevation data layers in eMotion16. This data can be used for advanced

flight planning in complex or uneven terrain.

Note: You need to either enable tile set generation OR choose Generate Google Maps Tiles and KML from the Process menu before you

can push the tileset into eMotion by choosing Send Map to eMotion

from the Process menu. Alternatively, this data can be imported into

eMotion; choose Import custom map from eMotion’s File menu.

Note: The best way to learn how to use the various features of Postflight Terra 3D is to look at the comprehensive online Knowledge Base

at my.sensefly.com

5.5 Transforming coordinates

First, set up the latitude/longitude to x/y transformation...

If you are using a established coordinate system:

Step 1 Choose Select Output Coordinate Systemfrom the Postflight Terra3DProject

menu.

16 see section ‘Toolbar’ on page 100 for more information on importing layers into eMotion

69
Quick start guide

Step 2 If you know the coordinate system name, click From List and choose the

one you want.

If you know the EPSG code of your coordinate system, click From EPSG

and choose the code you want.

If you have the .prj coordinate system syntax file, click From .prj, browse

to the location of your file, select the file and click Open.

Step 3 Click OK on the Select Output Coordinate System dialog.

Step 4 Postflight Terra 3D will create mapping products in the established coordinate system you chose.

To use a custom local coordinate system:

Step 1 Obtain or create a coordinate system syntax file (with extension .prj).

See senseFly Ltd Knowledge Base article number 73776018 for help with

.prj file creation.

Step 2 Choose Select Output Coordinate Systemfrom the Postflight Terra3DProject

menu.

Step 3 Click From .prj, browse to the location of your .prj file, select the file and

click Open.

Step 4 In the Select Output Coordinate System dialog, click OK.

Step 5 Postflight Terra 3D will create mapping products in your custom coordinate system.

Next, convert height above ellipsoid to altitude (z)...

Step 1 Choose Image Properties Editorfrom the Postflight Terra 3DProject menu.

Step 2 In the Image Coordinate System section, enter the Geoid-Ellipsoid Separation and click OK.

Step 3 Postflight Terra 3D will create mapping products with a vertical displacement to match your coordinate system’s altitude.

70
Part II

Advanced functionalities
Advanced functionalities

6 Understandingaerialmapping with the eBee RTK

Goal of this section: Aerial mapping using the eBee RTK is designed

to be simple and fully automatic, requiring very little input from the

user. Understanding the basics of aerial navigation, however, can

help you map more complex terrain and yield higher quality results.

This section explains the basics of waypoint-based navigation and

the control strategies used by the drone for flight.

6.1 Waypoints and their properties

The eBee RTK uses a flight plan consisting of a list of waypoints to navigate. A

waypoint essentially consists of a circle about a given position and information

that defines how the drone should behave when reaching them. The entire list

of waypoints is stored in the drone autopilot and can be remotely edited using

eMotion.

from previous

waypoint

to next

waypoint

Position (GPS coordinates)

Altitude:

Above Take-off location (m/ATO)

OR

Above Mean Sea Level (m/AMSL)

Radius

Direction

In eMotion every waypoint is defined by the following parameters:

• ID: Every mission waypoint has a unique ID, beginning at 1. The eBee RTK

72
Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

can store up to 50 mission waypoints. Setup phase waypoints (Start and

Home) do not have an ID.

• Active: Indicates whether the waypoint is active or not. Deactivating a

waypoint by clicking the checkbox beside its ID will remove it from the current flight plan. Setup phase waypoints (Start and Home) cannot be deactivated.

• Current: A status that indicates if the waypoint is currently being circled

or navigated toward (indicated by > < around the waypoint’s ID). Only one

waypoint is marked Current at a time.

• Change altitude: This parameter defines the way the drone transitions to

the altitude of the current waypoint.

– During transit: The drone will fly in the direction of the current waypointwhile simultaneously changing altitude by climbing or descending 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 it reaches the altitude of the currentwaypoint, and then

fly in the direction of the waypoint at its altitude. This is typically used

for 3D mapping.

– Keep highest: The drone will first determine whether its current altitude or the current waypoint’s altitude is highest. If the drone’s current altitude is highest, it will first fly towards the waypoint and then

descent to the waypoint’s altitude in a circular fashion. If the 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 the terrain in mountainous landscapes and, in particular, for the Home waypoint when the mission altitude is below the take-off location.

73
Advanced functionalities

• Altitude: The altitude of the waypoint above the altitude reference. The

waypoint is considered ‘reached’ only when the drone starts circling about

it at the waypoint’s altitude.

• Altitude reference: The reference point of the Altitude value. When set to

m/ATO, the Altitude value is an Above Take-off (ATO) altitude. When set to

m/AMSL, the Altitude value is a Above Mean Sea Level(AMSL). The altitudes

of Setup phase waypoints (Start and Home) are always set to m/ATO.

• Turn direction: The directionwith which the drone circles around thewaypoint (clockwise or counter-clockwise).

• Radius: The distance at which the drone circles around the waypoint.

Note: The eBee RTK has a limited turning radius. Setting this parameter lower than 20 m may cause the drone to significantly deviate from

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 (if any) to be performed upon reaching the waypoint.

Supported actions include starting and stopping Continuous photo mode17.

Setup phase parameters (Start and Home) do not have associated Actions.

• Position (coordinates): The precise latitude and longitude of the centre

of the waypoint.

Waypoints are represented in the Map Area as circles with their actual radius and

an arrow to indicate their direction. The flight path of the drone around and in

between waypoints is drawn as a line of varying opacity; the path ahead of the

drone’s current position is dark, becoming lighter the further it is from the current

position in the flight plan. The path already traversed is a uniform light colour.

17 see section ‘Camera tab’ on page 127

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

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)

and will select it for modification. It will also activate the Mission Waypoints tab

and highlight the selected waypoint.

Current

waypoint

Selected

waypoint

Traversed flight path

Future

flight path

Inactive

flight path

Current status

Flight path

altitude

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 a waypoint to toggle its turn direction.

• Radius: Modify the radius by left-clicking on the waypoint’s perimeter and

dragging it.

75
Advanced functionalities

• 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.

• Create new waypoint: Right-click anywhere in the Map Area that does not

contain a symbol to bring up the context menu, then select ‘Add waypoint

here’ to add a new waypoint.

• Context menu: Right-click on a waypoint to bring up the context menu.

You can then select the following options:

– Go to: Select while the drone is in flight to make this the current destination waypoint.

– Auto-next: Toggle the Auto-next parameter of the waypoint.

– Reverse turn direction: Toggle the Turn direction parameter of the

waypoint.

– Change altitude: Set the transition behaviour of the drone when

flying towards the selected waypoint.

– Remove waypoint: Remove the selected waypoint.

Any modification will be sent directly to the drone to update its onboard waypoint

list. If the message is not acknowledged by the drone (for example due to a temporary loss of communication 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.

Note: Modification of flight 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 if there

is high wind. We highly encourage you to test your entire flight plan

using the simulator to get familiar with the drone’s behaviours before

going out into the field.

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

6.2 Advanced polygonal mission area

The mission area defines the area of interest where the eBee RTK will take photos. It appears as a grey rectangle when you select the ‘Mission planning’ tab and

to calculate the flight plan of the drone. For many cases the rectangular-shaped

mission area provides the simplest way to quickly create a flight plan. It can be

modified as described in section ‘The mission phase of a flight’ on page 26.

For more complex areas eMotion has the option of using 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 ‘Convert to polygon’.

A polygonal mission area is set slightly differently than a rectangular mission area:

• The edges of the rectangle now become vertices of the polygon. Left-click

on a vertex to drag and reposition the vertex.

• Left-click and drag anywhere on the edge of the 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 of the light-grey rectangle surrounding the polygon to rotate the direction of the 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 icon in

the ‘Mission planning’ tab, select ‘Load mission area from KML file’ and choose a

KML file that contains the desired polygon.

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Advanced functionalities

6.3 3D 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 of a mapping mission. This not

only improves the resulting ground resolution but also increases mission safety

(particularly in uneven terrain) by keeping a more even height between the 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 colourmap18. You can adjust the scale and opacity of the colourmap by using the associated buttons in

the bottom-right corner of the Map Area.

Elevation colourmap Auto-adjust colormap Change opacity

Caution: eMotion’s default Improved SRTM elevation data uses a 3

arc-second (approx. 90 m resolution) digital elevation model derived

from the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) dataset version

2.1 combined with other data sources (ASTER GDEM, SRTM30, cartographic data, etc.). This data covers nearly all emerged land except

the territories below 56◦S latitude and the territory of the Russian

Federation above 60◦ N latitude. This data may contain inaccuracies

of several meters, and does not contain data on obstacles such as

buildings or trees. We highly recommend that you check your flight

plan thoroughly in Google EarthTM and ensure sufficient clearance between the flight plan and the ground. SenseFly Ltd provides no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the elevation data and it is the operator’s sole responsibility to ensure a safe flight trajectory and altitude.

18 eMotion must be connected to the internet. Once downloaded, elevation tiles are cached and can

then be used off-line.

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

Activate the 3D mission planning feature by selecting the ‘Use elevation data to

set absolutewaypoint altitudes’ parameter in the ‘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

under the current waypoint, the previous waypoint and the flight line that

connects the two.

2. This maximum value is increased by the target altitude value, and the result

is set as the altitude of the 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 that the drone climbs or descends to

the altitude of the next waypoint (and thus the next flight line) before transiting

and taking pictures.

It is important to understand that even if each flight line can have a different altitude, the altitude is constant along a given flight line. If the terrain altitude is

uneven along a flight line, the resulting imagery will have varying ground resolution and overlap. When the mission planner computes the altitudes of flight lines

it tries to ensure that the required amount of overlap is achieved, possibly leading to a lower ground resolution in some areas. During flight planning the range

of ground resolution computed by the mission planner is displayed. For optimal

results, it is best to set the orientation of the flight lines as parallel as possible to

the terrain’s contour lines.

One way to increase the resolution and accuracy of the elevation data is to fly a

first mission at high altitude and then create a dataset using Postflight Terra 3D.

You can then automatically import the data into eMotion by selecting ‘Send DSM

to eMotion’ from the ‘Process’ menu within Postflight Terra 3D. 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 of its default

Improved SRTM elevation data.

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Advanced functionalities

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 a colourmap opacity value of 100%.

More advanced controls of imported datasets are available in the ‘Elevation data’

panel of the 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.

Custom elevation

data

Network cache

6.4 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 of the

drone. The current position of drone, its planned trajectory, the working area circle and all waypoints currently uploaded to the drone (including Take-Off, Start

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

and Home) are displayed within Google EarthTM. Any changes to waypoints or

flight parameters within eMotion are updated accordingly within Google EarthTM.

The interface with Google EarthTM is particularly useful to check the drone’s trajectory with respect to obstacles in the area19. The flight plan is projected onto the

ground in a darker colour, giving you an idea of the distance between the flight

path and the ground. If you connect to a simulated drone you can simulate the

entire flight and follow the drone within Google EarthTM.

Note: To use this feature Google EarthTM has to be installed on the

ground station PC, as described in section ‘Installing eMotion, Postflight Terra 3D, and the ground modem drivers’ on page 20. We recommend to use the latest version of the Google EarthTM software.

Caution: A flight trajectory visualized in Google EarthTM represents

the planned trajectory. The real flight trajectory can be different from

the planned due to flight conditions such as strong wind.

Caution: The terrain data within Google EarthTM, including hills and

buildings, may contain significant errors. When planning flights over

uneven terrain be sure to keep sufficient distance between the flight

plan and the terrain.

19 While checking flight plans in Google EarthTM is a good safety practice, senseFly Ltd provides no

guarantee regarding the accuracy and completeness of the Google EarthTM terrain model.

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Advanced functionalities

6.5 Autonomous controller and modes of flight

Idle

(on ground)

Take-off

Circle

Start Waypoint

Perform

Mission

Circular

Landing

Switch On

after a few seconds

on ground

shake 3x

and release

after climbing

to take-off

transition height

automatically after

if Circular 2 complete circles

landing selected

if ‘Wait on Start

waypoint after

take-off’ is

enabled

if ‘Go to start waypoint

after mission’ is enabled 

when mission is completed

Circle

Home Waypoint

Hold

Position

if ‘Restart mission 

after mission’

is enabled

Emergency

Landing

Full

Manual

Assisted

Manual

Autonomous operation modes

Manual and emergency modes

Linear

Landing

if Linear

landing

selected

plug in battery

During a typical flight the autonomous controller on the eBee RTK will switch between various modes depending on its flight plan and the commands that it receives from the Control Bar20. The controller changes between modes during a

typical 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 the drone back and forth

20 see section ‘Control Bar’ on page 105 for details on the Control Bar

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

three times initiates the take-off procedure21 and changes to the Take-off

mode.

• After take-off the drone climbs with level wings22, gaining altitude until it

reaches the take-off transition altitude, by default 20 m23 above the take-off

location. At this point the 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

times to estimate the strength of the wind. Once it calculates the estimated

wind the drone either:

– heads towards the first mission waypoint, if ‘Start mission’ is selected

in the ‘After take-off’ panel of the 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 a flight plan is finalized).

• While in Perform Mission mode the drone flies between all enabled mission

waypoints, taking images of the ground below. Once it reaches the final

mission waypoint the drone either:

– heads towards the Home waypoint, if ‘Land’ or ‘Go to Home waypoint’ is selected in the ‘After mission’ panel of the Setup Phase tab,

and changes to Circle Home Waypoint mode.

– heads towards the Start waypoint, if ‘Go to Start waypoint’ 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 ‘After mission’ panel of the Setup Phase tab, and remains

in Perform Mission mode.

21 as described in section ‘Take-off’ on page 55

22 or in a given direction when using the Directional take-off feature described in section ‘Setup Phase

tab’ on page 112

23 see section ‘Flight Parameters tab’ on page 132 for details on changing this altitude

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Advanced 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 86) 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 of the 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 of the Setup Phase tab.

– circles the Homewaypoint and remains in Circle HomeWaypoint mode

until a command is sent.

• After completing a landing procedure and detecting that 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 off the 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 Bar three times in quick succession will cause the drone to initiate a Circular landing procedure at its

24 see section ‘Manual control of the eBee RTK’ on page 136 for information on the various manual

control modes

25 see section ‘Troubleshooting’ on page 154 for a full list of In-flight warning and Critical failure conditions and the subsequent reactions of the drone

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

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

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Advanced functionalities

6.6 Linear landing

A typical Linear landing follows these steps:

1. The eBee RTK flies towards the Home waypoint (defined by the user within

eMotion; default altitude is 75 m above the landing altitude). The altitude

change behaviour between the current location and the Home waypoint

depends on the ‘Altitude change’ parameter of the 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 if needed.

2. Once the Home waypoint is reached the drone circles the waypoint and

descends to a fixed altitude of 75 m above the landing altitude.

3. The drone circles to estimate thewind speed and direction. An approach direction is then calculated as close to the upwind 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 itself with the approach direction.

5. The drone glides down in the approach direction at a controlled speed and

descent angle of approximately 20◦, braking by spinning its propeller in

reverse if necessary.

6. When the drone detects a height of around 20 m to the ground it begins to

level out its descent.

7. When the drone detects a height of around 3 m to the ground it performs

a final brake to reduce its speed and lifts its nose.

8. The drone then glides for the final few metres in a deep stall until it lands.

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

15 ̊ 20 ̊

Landing location

below Home waypoint

50m 50m 60m 10m

13.4m

26.8m

3. Circle to

measure wind

4. Fly in calculated direction

5. Glide with controlled

angle and speed

7. Final brake 

at 3m

8. Deep stall

to ground

6. Start level 

out at 20m

approach sectors

Home

waypoint calculated upwind

approach direction

calculated downwind

direction

estimated wind

direction

Home

waypoint 1. Aproach Home

waypoint

2. Descend to 75m

above landing

altitude

measure wind

Linear landing procedure, seen from the side

Linear landing procedure, seen from above within eMotion 2

75m above

landing altitude

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Advanced functionalities

The Linear landing process uses an optical-based sensor to detect the proximity

of the ground. A number of conditions 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 of the Linear landing:

• If the Linear landing location is not at the same altitude as the Take-off location you must adjust the 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). Enable the ‘Land at a different altitude than take-off’ checkbox and set the altitude as an absolute value in AMSL.

Note: When ‘Land at a different altitude than take-off’ is enabled the

Home waypoint’s altitude will be converted to AMSL instead of ATO

(by default 75m above the landing location).

Caution: Incorrectly setting the altitude of the Linear landing location will decrease the accuracy of the Linear landing and may result

in damage to the eBee RTK.

• A Linear 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

a distance of at least 100 m from the Linear landing location within every

approach sector. It is also recommended to have flat terrain in the opposite

direction of every 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 of the height above the ground during

the approach and may result in damage to the eBee RTK. In particular,

landing downhill may cause a large overshoot and should always be

avoided.

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

• Ensure that there are no obstacles within 60 m of the Linear landing location within all approach sectors and within a radius of 10 m around the

Linear landing location. If there are some obstacles in the distance, ensure

that the top of the obstacles is at no more than a 15◦angle from the point

60 m from the Linear landing location, as indicated in the figure on page 87.

It is also recommended to not have any obstacles in the opposite direction

of all approach sectors, in case the Linear landing is aborted before completion.

Caution: It is not recommended to perform Linear landings between

tall obstacles, as they may disturb the GPS/GLONASS signals your

eBee RTK needs to be able to navigate.

• In order to limit the ground speed when landing and to achieve the best

landing accuracy, the eBeeRTK should only perform a Linear landing against

the direction of the 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 of the wind. If all of the available approach sectors are in the direction of the wind an In-flight warning26

will appear in eMotion when the drone calculates its trajectory (Step 3).

Caution: If the drone performs a Linear landing in the direction of the

wind during strong wind conditions or with certain In-flight warnings

or Critical failures it may not be able to slow enough during its descent. It will likely overshoot the Home waypoint location and land

at a high 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

clear of dirt or other obstructions. Only attempt Linear landings in full daylight conditions. Ensure that there is high-contrast surfaces in all the ap-

26 see section ‘In-flight warnings’ on page 160

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Advanced functionalities

proach sectors. Do not define approach sectors over low-texture surfaces

such as large bodies of water, 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). If the Linear landing option is active and the battery descends below 20% an In-flight warning will

appear27 in eMotion.

To enable Linear landing select ‘Linear landing’ from the ‘Setup Phase’ tab. A single approach sector appears around the Home waypoint. Rotate and resize the

approach sector to define the directions around the Home waypoint that are 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 increase the chance that the drone selects afavourable landing against the direction of the wind. Be sure that there are also no obstacles in a

10 m radius circle around the Home waypoint, as the Linear landing process may

be effected by wind or positioning imprecision of the on-board GNSS receiver.

10m

Approach sectors:

textured and flat terrain, 

obstacle-free zones

Obstacle-free zone

below centre of Home waypoint

27 see section ‘In-flight warnings’ on page 160

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

Note: The eBee RTK’s ground sensor can typically begin detecting

ground proximity at a distance of 40 m. If the drone reaches an estimate altitude of 20 m/ATO (as estimated using the on-board GNSS

receiver and pressure sensor) without a signal on its ground sensor

it assumes there is a malfunction with the ground sensor. This may

be due to insufficient light or contrast in the environment, dirt on the

sensor’s lens assembly or a Linear landing location at a different altitude than the Take-off Location. In this case the drone performs the

braking and stall manoeuvre at an altitude of 20 m instead of 3 m.

This increased time while stalled can greatly reduce the accuracy of

the final landing position and damage to the drone.

If the 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 of 40 m/ATO is reached the drone will turn towards the

Home waypoint and continue climbing until it reaches an altitude of 75 m/ATO. It

then continues circling until it receives a further command.

Caution: Do not abort a Linear landing if there are obstacles in the

approach direction behind the Home location, as the drone will continue flying in a straight line after an abort sequence while it gains

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 power to attempt

a second landing.

6.7 Flying multiple drones at the same time

Operating multiple drones at the same time enables the coverage of larger areas

in a shorter amount of time. This can be useful when the mission time must be

kept short, for example because of varying lighting conditions. To enable multi91
Advanced functionalities

drone operation eMotion provides the following:

• When more than one drone is connected at a time, a dedicated interface

called the Multi-drone panel is displayed to monitor each drone and switch

between them.

• A number of settings are offered to keep relevant flight configurations(such

as the Start and Homewaypoint) synchronised between all connected drones.

• Missions that require more than one flight can be automatically split and

uploaded individually among all connected drones.

• A new Control Bar appears at the bottom of the 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 of the Start and Homewaypointsfor each drone in order to separate them. Also, the drones are automatically put on hold when

there is a collision risk during the mission.

When connecting to more than one drone at a time (real or simulated), a dedicated Multi-drone Panel is displayed next to the Sidebar. Each drone is displayed

with its name, battery level and status and can be selected. The rest of the Sidebar

and its various tabs are associated to the currently selected drone, as indicated

by the colour of the 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 0 m means that a drone is at the same altitude as the

currently selected drone. Right-clicking on a drone’s tab in the Multi-drone Panel

allows you to disconnect the drone or change its colour.

28 if the option is selected in the Multi-drones preference pane

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

selected drone

Multi-drone panel Sidebar

second drone connected

to this computer

drone shared through

network

One advantage of flying multiple drone drones at once is to cover more 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 prepare the required mission area (this

can be done with any of the connected drone selected). Make sure that

the number of flights required matches the number of connected drones.

If needed, the ‘Max flight time’ option can be lowered to force the mission

planner to split the mission in several flights (see section ‘Mission Planning

tab’ on page 116).

2. Select ‘Upload to all’ from the drop-down list of the ‘Upload button’.

Note: You can only split a mission between drones of the same model

and that are using the same camera.

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Advanced functionalities

Clicking on the icon in the Multi-drone panel allows you to either connect a

new drone or to bring up the Multi-drones preferences pane.

Multi-drone

coordination

Traffic control

Network sharing

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

• Take-off: Synchronising the take-off applies specifically to Directional takeoff heading and transition altitude.

• Start waypoint: When the Start waypoint is synchronised, eMotion will

use the same location and altitudefor the Startwaypoint of each connected

drone. Every modification to the Start waypoint of one drone is thus transferred to all other drones. To prevent collisions between drones, eMotion

will automatically create a stack by incrementing the altitude of each drone

that is currently circling the Start waypoints to ensure a 15 m separation.

The base altitude of the Start waypoint, which is the altitude of the 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 waypoint

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

for all connected drones. A stack 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.

It is therefore critical for all drones to take off from the exact same

location to achieve altitude separation and collision avoidance over

these two 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-off transition 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 the altitude separation on the Start 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 if two drones are on a trajectory potentially leading to a collision

in less than 7 seconds.

• Collision avoidance: When enabled, eMotion will constantly monitor the

trajectory of the connected drones and automatically put one drone in a

temporary hold pattern (similar to the HOLD POSITION function, see section ‘Control Bar’ on page 105) 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.

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Advanced 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 of each

other’s positions. It is therefore critical to keep all drones connected

to eMotion at all times and remain well inside communication

range.

Note: While eMotion strives to avoid all collisions, the operator is ultimately responsible to ensure flight safety. In particular, situations

involving more that two drones in converging trajectories may not

always be handled automatically in a fully safe manner. It is recommended to use slightly different altitudes for each drone when flying

more than two drones at a time to limit the risk of collision.

In more advanced scenarios you may wish to share the position and even the control of a drone across a local area network. eMotion provides the following Network sharing options:

• 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 of the 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 of drones 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).

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Understanding aerial mapping with the eBee RTK

• Share simulators on my local network: If this box is checked, all Network

sharing options apply to both real and simulated drones connected to your

computer. In unchecked, they only apply to real drones.

6.8 Individual photo targets and oblique imagery

In some cases it may be interesting to take oblique photographs of objects, for

example to provide a nice image for documentation or to increase the quality

of 3D models that contain vertical facades and surfaces. eMotion includes a tool

for defining photo targets with a specific distance, heading and pitch angle. The

drone can then orient itself and capture the image using a patent-pending pitchdown manoeuvre.

Capturing an oblique image can be done easily by following these steps:

1. Add a new photo target by clicking on the button in the Camera tab. Use

the cross-hairs to place the photo target on the location of interest 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

after the image is taken.

estimated

footprint

rotate to change

heading

move in the arrow direction

to change pitch/persepctive

estimated altitudes

before/after photo

manoeuvre zone

photo target

photo target altitude

resize to change 

ground resolution

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Advanced functionalities

2. Select the desired heading and pitch angles of the 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 of the 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: Be sure to define a ground resolution that is high enough to

allow the drone to recover from its pitch manoeuvre by paying close

attention to the ‘Minimum altitude after photo’ parameter. We recommend that you do not define parameters that result in an ‘Minimum altitude after photo’ of less than 30 m, in particular when selecting a high pitch angle.

4. Define the altitude of the photo target, if it 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 RTK will fly to the location of the 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 a series of oblique images of the same photo target at regular heading and

pitch intervals allows you to create a higher quality 3D model of a photo target.

You can use the ‘New photo target increment’ to define a desired increment angle.

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.

A more detailed description of all the available options for taking images of individual photo targets can be found in section ‘Camera tab’ on page 127.

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eMotion in-depth guide

7 eMotion in-depth guide

Goal of this section: eMotion is a powerful tool designed specifically

to work with your senseFly Ltd mini-drones. This section includes a

comprehensive guide to all the functionalities in eMotion to help you

plan, simulate and monitor your next mapping flight.

Map Area Sidebar

Control

Bar

Toolbar

Status

Panel

Flight Parameters tab

Camera tab

Mission Waypoints tab

Mission Planning tab

Setup Phase tab

Flight Monitoring tab

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Advanced functionalities

The main eMotion interface is composed of a Map Area, a Toolbar and a Sidebar29.

The Map Area displays the current location of the eBee RTK, a Status Panel with

important information on the drone’s current status, and a Control Bar used to

send commands to the drone (section ‘Control Bar’ on page 105).

The Toolbar above the Map Area includes the File menu, controls for selecting

the source of map data, the display of picture footprints and various other controls

(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 of the Sidebar. Each tab is described

in detail in the following chapter. The Sidebar also contains controls for the Simulator (section ‘Simulator’ on page 103)

7.1 Toolbar

Map source

Zoom Custom map source

Google Earth display

Follow drone position

Center on drone

Center on coordinate

File

Show/hide footprints

Choose RTK Source

Set Up RTK

RTK Status

Clear all footprints

Full Screen

29 for an overview of the eMotion interface see section ‘The eMotion interface’ on page 21

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eMotion in-depth guide

You can access the File menu by clicking on the button in the Toolbar. From this

menu you can connect to or disconnect from a drone, access the Flight Data Manager, change eMotion preferences or import custom maps. Clicking the icon

will launchGoogle EarthTM and display the current flight trajectories of drones connected to eMotion, as described in detail in section ‘Flight visualization inGoogle EarthTM’

on page 80.

You can access RTK setup and choose your RTK correction source from the Choose

RTK Source menu.

You can select the background map source from the drop-down list in the Toolbar,

and adjust its zoom level using the and 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. Due to regulatory restrictions, map

sources with the icon cannot be saved locally and are not recommended for

use in the field.

If you anticipate the use of eMotion in conditions where connecting to Internet is

impossible, you can preload the map data by selecting ‘Download maps...’ from

the 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 File menu and select your KML file. The resulting layer will now be

available in the Toolbar by clicking on the icon, and can be clicked to display or

hide it. eMotion can display lines, polygons, paths and points saved in KML format.

Note: KML files, including associated icons or images included within

them, are not copied to the eMotion directory and will no longer appear in eMotion if the original KML files are deleted.

Custom map tiles can also be added as a layer in eMotion. Select ‘Import custom

map...’ from the File menu and select the folder that contains the tile set. The

tile set will then appear in the list of layers in the Toolbar, accessible by clicking

the button.

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Advanced functionalities

Note: If you use Postflight Terra 3D (see section ‘Processing image

data’ on page 62), 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 RTK. You can generate the tile set

by selecting ‘Generate Google Maps tiles and KML’ from the ‘Process’

menu within Postflight Terra 3D.

Whenever the eBee RTK takes a picture, eMotion records the location and orientation of the drone and computes the approximate span of the photo on the ground

(or ‘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 of the area that has been photographed by the drone.

The footprints can be shown or hidden using the button. When hidden, the

footprints are kept in memory and new photos continue to be recorded, but nothing is displayed in the Map Area. Footprints for all drones remain in the memory

of eMotion, even when a drone is disconnected or eMotion is shut down. Clicking

on the 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.

Note: Clearing or hiding the footprints has no influence on what is

logged by eMotion and on-board the drone during the flight, such as

the information required to geotag the images after the flight.

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Note: The footprints displayed on the map are only an approximate

estimation of the actual ground coverage of the corresponding image. Cross-wind may introduce errors in the orientation of the 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 of the drone ( button), on a searchable location or coordinate ( button)

or to continually follow the position of the drone while it is in flight ( button).

Finally you can view eMotion in full-screen mode by clicking the button.

7.2 Simulator

Familiarising yourself with your eBee RTK 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 test the various

features of the 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.

re-position take-off location

initiate take-off

instant recharge of battery

wind speed

wind direction

fast-forward

play

pause

The Simulator bar appears at the bottom of the Sidebar of eMotionwhen you connect to a simulated drone. The simulated drone will go through the same preflight checks as a real eBee RTK, after which it will update the Home to its current

position (typically the last position that was used within the simulator) and the

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Start waypoint to 80 m West of the Home waypoint. The various buttons available in the Simulator bar are described in table 1 .

Feel free to modify the wind speed, waypoint positions and other parameters in

the Toolbar and the various tabs of the Sidebar in eMotion to see their effect on

the eBee RTK while it is in flight. Also be sure to explore the effects of the various buttons in the Control Bar on the behaviour of your drone. Don’t be afraid to

push the boundaries! Aborting a flight or causing an emergency landing in the

simulator will better prepare you for unexpected circumstances while in the field.

Table 1: Simulator bar buttons

Button Description

Pause 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 RTK. Instead of pausing while in flight

we recommend that you use the ‘HOLD POSITION’ function to better simulate real flight conditions.

Play Clicking the play button returns the simulation to actual speed from the pause or fast-forward conditions.

Fast forward Clicking this button increases the speed of the simulation to 4x actual speed. This allows you to shorten

the time required to simulate a complete mission.

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Re-position

take-off location

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.

Initiate take-off Clicking this button simulates a take-off procedure,

including the motor power-up sequence and the

hand launch30.

Instant recharge of

battery

Clicking this button will instantly recharge the battery of the drone. Note: This is a simulated action

that is not possible with the real eBee RTK while

it is in flight.

Wind speed and

direction

These fields are used to input a simulated wind speed

and direction. A random wind speed and direction is

set when eMotion connects to a simulated drone.

7.3 Control Bar

Command buttons

Warning indicator

30 see section ‘Take-off’ on page 55 for a description of the take-off procedure

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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 modes31.

The Command buttons allows the operator to directly control the drone while it

is in flight. The various buttons are described in table 2 .

Table 2: Control Bar Buttons

Button Available Action

WARNING32 Active

warning

For yellow In-flight warnings, button text

changes to ‘ACK WARNING’ and clicking will

acknowledge the current warning. For red

Critical failures, button text changes to ‘CRITICAL FAILURE’ and cannot be clicked.

START

MISSION

No active

Security action

Fly towards the first active waypoint in the

waypoint list and start the mission from the

beginning.

RESUME

MISSION

Not in Perform

Mission mode

Return to the last position reached during

the mission and continue the flight plan.

GO TO

START WPT

No active

Security action

Fly towards the Start waypoint, circle and

wait for next command.

GO TO

HOME WPT

Anytime Fly towards the Home waypoint, circle and

wait for next command.

31 see section ‘Autonomous controller and modes of flight’ on page 82 for more information on flight

modes

32 see section ‘Troubleshooting’ on page 154 for a full description of In-flight warnings and Critical

failures that may occur

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GO LAND Anytime Fly towards the Home waypoint and initiate

landing procedure.

HOLD

POSITION

No active

Security action

Create a virtual waypoint at the current location and altitude, circle around this point and

wait for next command.

LAND NOW

Click 3x

Anytime Initiate a Circular landing around a 20 m radius waypoint at the current location. Must

be clicked 3 times in quick succession to

be engaged.

ABORT

LANDING

During Circular Landing, Linear

Landing, or

Emergency

Landing mode

(if no active

Critical failure)

Circular or Linear landing: abort current

landing procedure, return to the altitude of

the Home waypoint, circle the Home waypoint and wait for next command.

Emergency landing: (only available if there

is no active Critical failure) abort current

landing procedure, return to the location

where the Emergency landing was triggered,

circle and wait for next command.

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7.4 Flight Monitoring tab

Drone status

Instruments

Identification

Autonomy

Flight data

Payload information

Advanced

Instruments

The Flight Monitoring tab can be used to monitor the eBee RTK during a mapping

mission and is the default tab that is displayed when you click anywhere on the

map area that does not have a symbol. The tab is split into the following sections:

• Drone Status: The status of the 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

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as ‘Out of working area’ or ‘High wind’33.

Note: The most important status and warning messages are reproduced in the Status Panel in the Map Area, and thus remain visible

even when the Sidebar is 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. A fully charged battery has a voltage of 12.6 V and is fully discharged when it reaches about 9 V34.

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 of the radio

data link between the ground modem and the drone. The strength and

direction of the wind estimated by the drone is displayed with an arrow.

Caution: Lithium polymer batteries are chemical devices whose performance depends on a number of parameters, including temperature, lifetime, number of cycles, mechanical integrity, etc. Estimating

the remaining capacity of a battery can thus be tricky and the displayed value may occasionally be inaccurate. It is the operator’s responsibility to monitor battery voltage 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 GNSS

receiver on-board the eBee RTK.

33 see section ‘Troubleshooting’ on page 154

34 see section ‘Proper battery care’ on page 151

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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 light and surface

contrast.

current altitude over

take-off location

current heading in degrees

attitude with respect

to artificial horizon

desired altitude over

take-off location

current air speed

desired air speed

• 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 RTK as well as the desired air speed, in metres per second. The

column on the right displays the drone’s current altitude over take-off location, as well as the desired altitude over the take-off location, in metres.

The bar at the top displays the current heading of the drone35. North is indicated as 0◦

, East as 90◦, South as 180◦and West as 270◦.

• Identification: This displays the serial number of your eBee RTK and the

number of the Drone Flight log for the current flight. This number can be

used as a reference when importing flight data after a flight36.

• Payload information: This section displays the payload currently selected

and the number of photos that has been taken since take-off37.

35 this feature is only accurate when in flight

36 see section ‘Importing images and flight data’ on page 62

37 see section ‘Camera tab’ on page 127 for instructions on changing the payload type

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• Advanced Instruments: This section displays the current internal temperature of the drone, the number of GPS/GLONASS signals detected and the

estimated accuracy of the the position.

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7.5 Setup Phase tab

Start waypoint

Landing

Home waypoint

After mission and

take-off actions

Take-off parameters

Flight plan actions

Setup phase reset

The Setup Phase tab is used to define the setup phase of a flight plan. This phase

includes the definition of the Home and Start waypoints and the actions to be

taken before and after the mission phase of the flight plan.

The Setup Phase tab is divided into the following sections:

• Take-off parameters: You can predefine a take-off heading and transition

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altitude. To enable this feature, expand the ‘Take-off parameters’ box and

check the ‘Activate directional take-off’ check box. A new arrow is now displayed on the map. This arrow defines the take-off heading, the drone will

try to stay on the track 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-off direction and the

take-off transition altitude in the Setup Phase tab.

Default value: Unchecked, Heading: 0◦, Transition altitude: 20m/ATO

Caution: Setting the take-off transition altitude too low may cause

the drone to perform a change of direction too early and may result

in a crash. Setting the take-off transition altitude too high may cause

the drone to drift sideways after take-off if there is too much wind.

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

desired location in the Map Area.

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Default values: Change altitude: During transit, Altitude: 75 m/ATO, Turn

direction: anticlockwise, Radius: 30 m, Location: 80 m West of the 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 or to wait for a command from eMotion. This second option is useful if you want to modify the

flight plan while the drone is already in flight.

Default value: Start mission

• After mission: Use this panel to select the action you wish the drone to

execute once it completes the mission phase. The eBee RTK can either automatically go to the Home waypoint and land, go to the Home or Start

waypoint and wait for 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 of the Home waypoint. You can set

the location by clicking the 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/GLONASS signals on start-up

• Landing: With this panel you can choose between a Circular landing or

a Linear landing on the Home waypoint. If you select ‘Linear landing’ the

panel expands to show options on approach sectors. You can define up to

four approach sectors, each of which 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 86 for details how to correctly select

the Home waypoint and approach sectors.

Default value: Linear landing, Approach sectors: single sectorwith a Heading of 0◦

and Span of 20◦

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• Landing location altitude: You can also configure the altitude of the landing location if it is different from the Take-off altitude. 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. if the

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

that the landing position is changed).

Default value: Landing location altitude: 0 m/ATO

• Setup phase reset: Pressing the ‘Reset all setup phase parameters’ will

reset the Home and Start waypoints to the take-off location and reset the

rest of the 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: A complete 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 ‘Reset flight plan’ resets the current flight 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 a XML

file for later reuse. You can also save the current flight plan to the eBee RTK’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 default flight

plan the next time the drone is started and appear in eMotion upon connection. The drone also keeps track of its last waypoint during a flight; you

can thus resume an incomplete flight after changing batteries.

Note: It is not necessary to save a flight to the autopilot in order to

fly! This is an advanced option meant to 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 flight

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7.6 Mission Planning tab

The Mission Planning tab is used to automatically define a set of waypoints based

on a mission area and a set of image 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 of a flight’ on page 26.

mission

area

rotate,

resize,

 displace

generated

flight

lines

Note: The quality of the output orthomosaic is usually lower on the

outer edges of the area that is photographed, as there is less overlap

between images. The area photographed is thus always calculated

to be bigger than the mission area selected so as to ensure maximum

image overlap within the mission area itself.

Note: If there is no flight plan overlaid on the mission area rectangle

then the mission is too large and cannot be flown by the eBee RTK.

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-off and landing locations.

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Mapping and

mission parameters

Resulting flight characteristics

Mission plan actions

Advanced parameters

The Mission Planning tab is divided in several panels. The first panel, Mapping

and mission parameters, contains the parameters that define the requirements

of a particular mission:

• Difficult terrain: Clicking this button will fill in preset values to the rest

of the parameters. The Difficult terrain preset is meant for imaging terrain

with complexfeatures such asforests. High image overlap is recommended

to increase the amount of features that can be matched between images,

though at the cost of lower image resolution (due to higher altitude).

• Easy terrain(default): This preset is meant for simple terrain such as quarries or agricultural areas where high-resolution images can be taken with

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relatively low image overlap.

Note: The preset values are recommended settings that have

demonstrated good results when images are then used in Postflight

Terra 3D to create orthomosaics. Do not hesitate, however, to modify these parameters to suit the particularities of the terrain you are

mapping or the local regulations and airspace constraints.

• Mission area: You can select either a rectangular mission area for simple

terrain (as described in section ‘The mission phase of a flight’ on page 26) or

a polygonal mission area for more complex terrain (as described in section

‘Advanced polygonal mission area’ on page 77).

Default value: Rectangular

• Ground resolution: The target ground resolution to be achieved, 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 a higher 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 of the onboard camera.

39 see section ‘Camera tab’ on page 127 for details on changing the camera type

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Note: eBee RTK 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. If the calculated altitude is too low

the drone may not be able to achieve the required longitudinal overlap. This will be indicated by a icon. Flying at an altitude of less

than 40 m is potentially dangerous and will be indicated by a icon.

• Use elevation data to set absolute waypoint altitudes: Checking this

box will enable the flight planner to adjust the absolute altitudes of all mission waypoints based on elevation data. This advanced planning mode is

described in detail in section ‘3D mission planning using elevation data’ on

page 78.

Default value: disabled

• Lateral overlap: The percentage of overlap between the ground coverage

of pictures from adjacent flight lines. For most mapping purposes, a minimum of 50% 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 of pictures taken consecutively in the same flight line.

Default value: 70 %

• Generate perpendicular flight 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 3D. It is particularly useful for difficult terrain at the cost of doubling the required flight time.

Default value: disabled

• Reverse flight direction: By default, the flight planner will design a flight

in which the drone begins a mission at the farthest waypoint and finishes

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closer to the Home waypoint. Checking this box reverses the order of the

planned mission waypoints. Be cautious, however, to ensure that there is

enough reserve battery to return to the Home waypoint at the end of the

mission.

Default value: disabled

• Save parameters as default: Clicking this button will save the current parameters of the 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 of the first waypoint used to implement the mapping mission, as organized in the Waypoint list in the Mission

Waypoints tab. This option is useful when including more than one mission

area into a single flight. The default valuefor a new mission is 1. When planning for a second area to be covered in the same flight, the ‘After previous’

button sets the starting waypoint after the waypoints used for the previous

area.

Default value: 1

• Wind estimate: The estimated wind speed and direction. Incorrectly setting the windspeed affects the estimated flight time of the eBee RTK and

may cause it to 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: 0 m/s

• Max flight time: This parameter sets the maximum estimated flight time

for a single flight. If the flight planner estimates a longer flight time for the

currently-selected Mission area it will split the mission into two or more

flights.

Default value: 40 min

The third panel, Mission plan actions, includes the ‘Upload’ button which is used

to upload the resulting mission waypoints to the autopilot. If there are multiple

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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 flight plan in the eBee RTK. If the drone is flying towards

or around one of these waypoints, its navigation will be affected to

reflect the new waypoint parameters.

Clicking the ‘More’ button reveals several more options:

• Load mission area...: Click to load a previously-saved mission area and

parameters from 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

map the same area with different image and mission parameters, or to save

and restore a large mapping mission that requires multiple flights. Note

that this 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 or the 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 eBee RTK autopilot, whether it was a real

or simulated one. This option is useful when you want to repeat your last

mission and did not explicitly use the ‘Save mission area...’ button.

• Load mission area from KML file: Use this option to load a polygonal mission area directly from a KML file (produced in Google EarthTM for example).

• Load mission area from map object: Use this option to load a polygonal

mission area from a previously-imported map object (see section ‘Toolbar’

on page 100).

• Reset mission area: Clicking will reset the mission area to the default rectangular size and reposition it in the centre of the Map Area. It will also reset

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all mapping and mission parameters to their last saved default values40.

• Restore factory settings: Click to restore all the parameters of this tab to

their default settings.

The last panel of this tab displays the characteristics of the flight(s) resulting from

the selected image parameters:

• Number of flights: The resulting number of flights that must be performed

to cover the chosen mission area. If the 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 a flight is calculated

assuming a fully charged battery and an accurate wind estimate.

• Flight time: This is the estimated flight time for each of the flights.

• Total flight distance: The total distance that will be flown during all of the

flights.

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

the flights.

• Number of flight lines: The total number of flight lines in the mission

phase of the 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.

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Note: If the flight line spacing is low enough to cause your drone to

overshoot the beginning 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. If the spacing

becomes too small even for an alternate flight lines, a will appear

beside this parameter to indicate the warning. You can remove this

warning by decreasing the Lateral overlap or the Ground resolution.

• 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 a flight 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 photo taken in the same flight 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.

Note: The eBee RTK has a minimum distance between photos that

depends on the wind speed and direction. If the calculated distance

that is too short will be indicated with a icon. This is not critical for

the flight, but it may reduce the longitudinal overlap of the 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

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image, based on the Altitude over take-off location parameter (assuming

flat terrain).

• Number of waypoints: The total number of waypoints to cover the mission area.

• Elevation data sources: The elevation data sources being used to calculate the altitudes of the waypoints. This can be either the default ‘Improved

SRTM’ within eMotion or imported custom data sets, depending on which

one is activated and is at the top of the list 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.

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7.7 Mission Waypoints tab

Selected mission

waypoint

parameters

Remaining

mission

waypoints

Add or reset

waypoints

The Mission Waypoints tab contains a list of all mission waypoints currently on

the drone autopilot. It can be used for finer control of individual waypoints in the

current mission. The list of waypoints displays the ID, Change altitude parameter,

Altitude and Action related to each mission waypoint.

Clicking on a mission waypoint in the list or in 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 72. 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 button and then clicking at the desired position in the Map Area. You can make the selected waypoint the current

waypoint by clicking the button.

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Caution: Any change to the waypoints or their parameters are directly sent to the drone and may therefore impact its flight behaviour.

We recommend that you take great care before 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 button will remove

all mission waypoints from the drone.

Note: All modifications made to the waypoint list will be lost when

the drone is switched off, unless the list is explicitly saved into the autopilot using the ‘Save flight plan in drone’ button in the Setup Phase

tab (see Section ‘Setup Phase tab’ on page 112).

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7.8 Camera tab

Photo sequence

control

Camera control

Camera parameters

for mapping

Camera model

Photo targets

New photo

target increment

Individual photos

The camera tab is an advanced tab that can be used to precisely control the functioning of the 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’.

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The ‘Camera model’ section is used to define the camera or payload currently connected to the eBee RTK. The list contains all payloads currently supported on the

eBee RTK.

The ‘Photo targets’ section allows you to program a set of photo 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 of the photograph. The drone

will then automatically calculate a flight plan in order to capture the photo with

the desired parameters.

• Photo sequence control: Clicking the ‘Start sequence’ button will send

the drone to the first photo target location and subsequently take images

of all the photo targets currently in the ‘Photo targets’ list. Clicking the ‘Stop

sequence’ will send the drone back to the Home waypoint.

• Photo targets: This panel contains the list of photo 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, the location of a new photo target is the same as the previous one

in the list. Clicking the 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 altitude the drone will reach at the end of a photo 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 of the photo target.

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– Pitch: The pitch angle with respect to vertical of the photo target.

– Altitude reference: The altitude reference of the photo target altitude, either ATO or AMSL.

– Target altitude: The altitude of the photo target.

– Position(Coordinate): The precise latitude and longitude of the centre of the waypoint.

• New photo target increment: This panel makes it easier to make a series of oblique photos of the same target with a regular angle increment in

order to aid reconstruction of a 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 by the

‘Heading increment’ and ‘Pitch increment’ parameters, respectively.

Default value: 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.

If this box is unchecked, photo targets are presumed to be at the same altitude as the take-off location.

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 of a flight plan.

Note: The ‘Take photo now’ button has no effect during 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

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with mission waypoints. Selecting ‘On’ overrides waypoint actions and enables continuous shooting. Conversely, selecting ‘Off’ will override waypoint actions and disable continuous shooting.

Default value: Auto

The ‘Camera parameters for mapping’ section is used to define detailed parameters related to the camera and has the following functions:

• Pitch angle: By default the eBee RTK takes images at a default estimated

pitch angle of 7◦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 if mapping precision at low altitudes is of utmost importance.

However, decreasing this angle will cause the drone to lose altitude with

each image taken, requiring it to return to the target altitude before taking

another image, once again decreasing both flight time and longitudinal

overlap between images.

Default value: 7

◦

• Distance between photos: Check the ‘Use manual parameters’ box to

manually set the distance between photos in the direction of flight. This

option may be used to override the automatic settings based on altitude

and longitudinal overlap.

Default value: Unchecked, Distance between photos: Automatic

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.

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Clicking the button will provide further options:

• Save parameters as default in drone: Saves the currently-set camera parameters to the eBee RTK’s autopilot’s memory.

• Restore factory parameters: Returns the parameters to their default values and automatically send them to the drone’s autopilot.

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7.9 Flight Parameters tab

Flight parameters

General

information

The Flight Parameters tab includes some advancedfunctions that govern the overall behaviour of the drone while in flight. It is separated into two sections: ‘Flight

parameters’ and ‘General information’. The ‘Flight parameters’ section includes

the following items:

• Working area radius: This is the radius of the working area around the

take-off location. Flying outside of this area will create a warning 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/ATO

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• Manual control mode: Selects between Full Manual control and Assisted

Manual control when the remote control is turned on41.

Default value: Full Manual control

• Security actions: 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 disable the remote control connection between the drone and the operator on the ground.

Please check the laws in your region before enabling this option.

• Return to Home in case of strong wind: Checking this boxwill enable the

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 estimate the wind strength and direction and the In-flight

warning will continue to appear.

Default value: checked

Caution: The eBee RTK is not designed to fly in winds above 12 m/s.

Flying in high-wind conditions increases the chances of a crash that

may damage the drone and is done at your own risk.

• Return to Home in case of poor GPS/GLONASS coverage: Checking this

box will enable the Security action (return to Home waypoint) related to

poor GPS/GLONASS signal coverage. Un-checking this box will disable the

Security action, however the In-flight warning will continue to appear.

Default value: checked

41 see section ‘Manual control of the eBee RTK’ on page 136 for more information

42 see section ‘In-flight warnings’ on page 160 for more information on Security actions related to

specific In-flight warnings

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• Return to Home in case of camera malfunction: Checking this box will

enable the Security action (return to Home waypoint) related to a camera

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-flight warnings and Security actions related to a loss of the communications uplink between eMotion and the drone (return to Home after 30 s

of link 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 if it does not re-connect with eMotion.

Default value: unchecked

• Climb in case of detected ground proximity (<30 m): The eBee RTK features a ground sensor that continuously checks the presence of the ground.

If this box is checked and the ground sensor detects a height above the

ground of less than 30 m, the drone will climb to a safe height of 60 m before continuing the mission.

Default value: checked

• Use ground sensor for landing: The eBee RTK uses its ground sensor together with its estimate of the wind speed during its landing manoeuvre

to calculate the ideal moment to perform a final brake and enter deep stall.

If this 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 of the wind.

Default value: checked

Note: Un-checking this feature 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.

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Clicking the ‘More’ list will provide further options:

• Save parameters as default in drone: Saves the currently-set flight parameters to the eBee RTK’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 RTK.

This includes the current firmware and bootloader versions loaded into the autopilot, the serial numbers of the airframe and the autopilot, the total number of

flights performed by drone and the total time spent in the air.

Note: The flight counter is incremented every time the take-off procedure is initiated by shaking the eBee RTK back and forth 3 times,

even if take-off is subsequently aborted.

Clicking ‘View flight database...’ will bring up a window that presents a summary

of all the flights performed by the drone using this computer.

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8 Manual control of the eBee RTK

Goal of this section: This section describes how to use the remote

control to manually control the drone, either in Full Manual or Assisted Manual modes.

Caution: Operation of the eBee RTK in either Assisted or Full Manual mode requires the skills of an experienced RC aircraft pilot.

SenseFly Ltd cannot be held responsible for damage caused by manual control of the drone. Any damaged caused by manual control of

the drone will void the warranty.

8.1 Enabling manual control

By default, the eBee RTK flies autonomously and does not need the provided remote control to be operated. However, by using the remote control, it is possible to override the drone’s autopilot by switching to one of two available manual

modes: Full Manual or Assisted Manual. In Full Manual mode the sticks of the

remote control directly set the motor power and the angle of the ailerons of the

drone. In Assisted Manual mode the sticks of the remote control are used to set

the speed, turn rate and climb or sink rate.

Note: Ensure that the ‘Ignore RC signals’ option in the Flight Parameters tab is unchecked43, otherwise the drone will ignore the commands from the remote control 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 off the 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 132 for more details on this setting

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before Manual mode was enabled.

Caution: We recommend that you only turn the remote control on

when it is held by a pilot ready to take manual control of the drone,

and that you turn it off when putting the remote control down.

Manual control of the eBee RTK can be achieved at any time if the drone is within

range of the remote45.

FM: thrust

AM: speed

FM: ailerons

AM: turn rate

FM: elevator

AM: climb/sink rate

FM: Full Manual

AM: Assisted Manual

left stick right stick

on: manual

off: auto

trim dials

Caution: The remote control is preconfigured for use with the

eBeeRTK. In particular, the trim dials, used to finely adjust the position

of the drone’s ailerons, are calibrated to ensure optimal flight characteristics and should not be adjusted. Changing the remote control’s configuration, including the trim settings, may compromise the

flight characteristics of the drone. If, for any reason, the preset settings should be lost, contact your eBee RTK reseller.

45 see section ‘Drone specifications’ on page 181 for the range of the remote control

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8.2 Pre-flight testing of the remote control

If you plan to use the remote control during a flight we recommend that you first

test it on the ground. Ensure that the eBee RTK is set to Full Manual mode46 and

follow these steps:

1. Check that the left stick on the remote control is in the low position to prevent the propeller from spinning.

2. Turn on the remote control.

3. Turn on the eBeeRTK by connecting the battery. Once the drone detects the

signal from the remote control it will change to one of the manual modes.

Caution: The motor of the eBee RTK is now controlled by the remote

control and will begin spinning if the left stick is pushed up. Always

keep the area around the propeller clear of obstacles and body parts

to prevent injury.

4. Move the right stick on the remote control to verify proper reception by the

drone and correct servo direction.

5. Turn off the remote control for take-off.

Note: If the remote control is switched on while it is performing preflight checks the ailerons will not move when the checks are completed and the GPS/GLONASS signals are acquired.

For more information on using the remote control, refer to the original user manual available in the downloads section of the senseFly Ltd website47.

46 see section ‘Enabling manual control’ on page 136

47 http://www.sensefly.com/support/download

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8.3 Full Manual mode

Full Manual mode allows you to have direct control over the eBee RTK’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 a typical

aircraft control stick (or the joystick with a flight simulator). Note that the drone

uses its ailerons to fulfil the functions of both 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 a standard take-off procedure in autonomous mode

and only switch to Full Manual mode when the drone is in the air. If you wish to

take-off in Full Manual mode, however, you must use the following steps:

1. Prepare the drone for flight as described in section ‘Preparing the eBee RTK

for flight’ on page 41 while keeping the remote control turned off and 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 of the drone is now controlled by the remote

control and will begin spinning if the left stick is pushed up. Always

keep the area around the propeller clear of obstacles and body parts

to prevent injury.

3. Firmly grasp the eBee RTK horizontally with level wings using both hands,

one hand on the front of each wing. Shake the drone back and forth 3 times

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).

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Caution: Taking off without performing the motor power-up sequence will result in the eBee RTK staying in Idle mode during the entire flight and is not recommended. The drone will no longer be able

to enter automatic mode while in flight and must land using manual

control.

4. The eBee RTK is now ready for manual take-off. Orient yourself into the

wind, and confirm that the take-off direction in front of you is free of obstacles. We recommend that you take off at full power and into the wind by

setting the left stick to its highest position and releasing the drone when

the status LED is solid green.

8.4 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 of the eBee RTK.

Caution: Though it may be easier to fly the eBee RTK manually when

in Assisted Manual mode it remains dangerous and should be used

with care. In particular, the pilot must still be aware of obstacles in the

area, the altitude of the ground, the inversion of control 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 of the eBee RTK. Setting the left stick between 10% and 100% sets a desired speed between 10.5 and

20 m/s. Setting the stick below 10% turns off the 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 of flight of the eBee RTK. Moving the stick

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Manual control of the eBee RTK

left or right will set a left or right roll angle of up to 45◦/s, respectively. Moving

the stick down will set a climb rate of up to 3.5 m/s. Moving the stick up will set

a sink rate of up to 3.5 m/s. Releasing the right stick at any point will return the

drone to a straight flight path at a constant 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-off procedure48.

Caution: There is no clear indication during the take-off procedure

that the eBee RTK will change to Assisted Manual mode rather than

Circle Start Waypoint mode after the take-off transition altitude is

reached49. For this reason we recommend that you do not turn on the

remote control unless you are ready to manually control the drone

right after take-off.

To perform a manual landing we recommend the following procedure:

1. The drone should always perform a linear landings into the wind. Face the

downwind direction and confirm that there are no obstacles in an area of at

least 100 m downwind and a width of 20 m in either direction from downwind.

2. Set the drone to an altitude of around 50 m from the landing altitude by

moving the right stick up or down.

3. Fly downwind until the drone is around 100 m away 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%

of its 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 m from the

ground.

48 as described in section ‘Take-off’ on page 55

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7. Once the drone is around 5-10 mfrom the landing location, cut motor power

using the left stick and allow the drone to glide down to the ground.

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Part III

Maintenance, Repair and

Troubleshooting
Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

9 Maintenance and repair of the eBee RTK

Goal of this section: This section describes how to update accompanying software and on-board firmware, keep your drone in good

working condition and perform small repairs such as cracks in the airframe.

9.1 Updating the eBee RTK software

Occasionally, senseFly Ltd releases a software upgrade for the eBee RTK to provide

additional features to our users or to correct potential issues. As of version 2.0.2,

eMotion will check for new versions during start-up50 and will display a message

with update instructions if a new version is available. We recommend, however,

that you check the senseFly Ltd website regularly for updates to ensure you have

the latest version of the software.

Caution: We are constantly working to improve the performance of

our products and we are dedicated to providing our customers with

the newest software as soon as it becomes available. Since the highest level of flight safety can only be achieved with the latest software

release, senseFly Ltd can only offer warranty service for products that

have been properly updated.

To upgrade eMotion or Postflight Terra 3D to the latest version, download the installer from the senseFly Ltd website and follow the standard install procedure

(see section ‘Installing eMotion, Postflight Terra3D, and the ground modem drivers’

on page 20). It is not necessary to uninstall previous version of eMotion before installing the new one.

Every version of eMotion is packaged with an accompanying firmware revision

which must be installed on the drone before it can be used. To upgrade the firmware

of the eBee RTK follow these steps:

50 provided that there is an internet connection

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Maintenance and repair of the eBee RTK

1. Connect the battery to the drone.

2. Connect the USB cable between the computer on which you installed eMotion and the autopilot of the eBee RTK as shown in the figure. The connector

is beside the camera connector and is marked with a icon. The status

LED will turn white as soon as you connect the cable.

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connect USB cable

to autopilot

3. Click the icon and select ‘Updater eBee RTK...’51.

4. Click ‘Update’ to begin the updating process. Wait until the process is complete, which is indicated by the text ‘File downloaded successfully’.

Click Update

Wait for update

to complete

File downloaded

successfully

Note: You may need to install a driver the first time you upgrade your

firmware. The driver will be installed automatically but may cause the

firmware update to fail. If this is the case, retry the update process by

clicking ‘Update’ again, without disconnecting the battery or cable

from the drone or closing the ‘Updater eBee RTK’ program.

51 also available in the ‘eMotion’ folder in the Start menu in Windows

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5. Disconnect the USB 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 eBee RTK firmware version can be seen in the Flight

Parameters tab once connected (see section ‘Flight Parameters tab’ on page 132).

9.2 Cleaning and storage

Use a damp cloth to wipe off dirt from the eBee RTK. In order to avoid structural deformation of the wing, it is recommended to store the drone either in its transport

case or on a flat surface at room temperature.

Caution: Never bring the eBee RTK into direct contact with water, as

this may damage the electronics within the drone airframe.

9.3 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 of the eBee RTK are specially calibrated and should only be

modified by your eBee RTK reseller. Opening the Central Body of the

eBee RTK will void the warranty.

The inspection includes the following checks:

Check 1: Motor and Servos

The eBee RTK uses a brushless DC motor to turn its propeller and generate thrust.

The servos are the two actuators connected through a servo connection mechanism to both ailerons. Damaged actuators can prevent the drone from flying

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correctly and thus it is important to ensure their proper functioning.

servo connection

pitot probe

motor

mechanisms

To check the actuators, follow these steps:

1. The motor must be clean and spin smoothly without friction to function

correctly. Ensure that there is no sand or other obstructions within the motor. If there is something blocking the motor from spinning smoothly blow

some air through the motor to dislodge the obstruction.

2. Make sure the left stick of the remote control is all the way down to keep

the motor off52. Place the eBee RTK at the edge of a flat surface and keep

the area around the propeller clear.

Caution: The propeller on the eBee RTK spins at high speeds and can

cause deep cuts if it comes into contact with exposed skin. Always

wear gloves and glasses when any work is done requiring the battery

to be connected to the drone.

3. Switch the drone on by connecting the battery.

52 see section ‘Manual control of the eBee RTK’ on page 136 for details on using the remote control

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Maintenance and repair of the eBee RTK

4. Connect to eMotion. Ensure that ‘Manual control mode’ is set to ‘Full Manual control’ and that the ‘Ignore RC signals’ setting is not checked53.

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, the ailerons must stay still. When travelling from one end to the

other, fast or slow, the ailerons must smoothly follow without twitching.

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 of doubt, take a short video and follow the instructions in section ‘Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK’ on page 178 for advice.

Check 2: Inertial sensors

The inertial sensors are used by the autopilot to compute the attitude (i.e. its orientation in space) of the drone. The attitude is displayed by the artificial horizon

in the Flight Monitoring tab of eMotion. To check the inertial sensors, follow these

steps:

1. Switch the eBee RTK on by connecting the battery and connect to eMotion.

2. Put the drone on a flat surface (typically an office floor) and check that the

artificial horizon is level.

3. Take the drone with your hand and put it in different orientation. Make sure

that the artificial horizon displays the corresponding orientation.

The artificial horizon should follow smoothly the motion of the eBee RTK and it

should not drift when the drone is not moving. In case of doubt, take a short video

53 see section ‘Flight Parameters tab’ on page 132 for more details on these settings

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

and follow the instructions in section ‘Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK’ on

page 178 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 RTK on by connecting the battery and connect to eMotion.

2. Move the drone from your feet to above your head (about 2 m altitude variation).

3. Check the altitude on the vertical bar right of the artificial horizon or in the

Status Panel next to the drone icon on the map).

The displayed altitude should follow the drone motion, i.e. if the drone is raised

by 2 m, the altitude reading should increase by about 2 m. 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 of tubes. To check

it, follow these steps:

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 must be clear and free of dirt or other small 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. Check the air speed displayed on the vertical bar left of the artificial horizon.

At rest, the displayed air speed should be close to zero (it may drift up to about

2 m/s). When blowing in the pitot probe there should be an air speed indicated in

the ‘Flight Monitoring’ tab of eMotion that should easily reach values above 8 m/s.

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Maintenance and repair of the eBee RTK

Check 5: Ground sensor

The ground sensor is composed of a high-speed optical sensor and a lens assembly. The lens assembly must be clean and unobstructed for the sensor to work

correctly.

9.4 Repairing the eBee RTK 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 of the

damage, always contact your eBee RTK reseller to verify if the damage can be easily repaired by yourself or if you need to send your drone in for repair to.

Caution: Never fly your eBee RTK if it has cracks in the airframe.

9.5 Proper battery care

Proper care of your eBee RTK’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 40 minutes. Frequent altitude changes, presence of wind, use of old

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 shorter flight times in cold weather.

The eBee RTK is powered by a Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery composed of three

cells connected in series. A single 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 battery

voltage of 9 V and a fully-charged battery voltage of 12.6 V. A well-balanced and

healthy battery should have all three cells at a voltage very close to each other

and between 3 and 4.2 V.

The charger delivered with your drone automatically checks for healthy voltages

of all three cells and only attempts charging if they are within limits. If the cells

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

are out of balance, the charger will take care of balancing them. If the charger

detects a voltage outside of the allowable range it will indicate an error either by

flashing the status LED red, or by the LED staying off. This means that the battery

is over-discharged and should be discarded.

Caution: The batteries delivered with your drone are designed to be

charged with the charger delivered with your eBee RTK. senseFly Ltd

cannot be held responsible for any consequences resulting from using a different charger. In particular, using a charger improperly configured or designed for other types of batteries may lead the battery

pack to be permanently damaged or to catch on fire.

LiPo batteries do not exhibit any memory effect. We recommend that you 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.

Caution: If any of the cells of your battery pack are overly discharged

the battery may be irreversibly damaged and becomes dangerous to

charge. If the battery grows beyond its regular size or if any of the

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 attempt to charge an over-discharged or damaged battery.

Dispose of the battery safely.

9.6 Proper antenna care

Proper care of your eBee RTK’s GNSS/RTK antenna is important to prevent loss or

damage to it or the connector on your drone. Your eBee RTK receives GNSS signals

through the antenna, and will not fly without it.

Take care not to drop the antenna when removing it from the flight case and while

fitting it to your drone.

Make sure the screw threads on the antenna and on your eBee RTK are both un152
Maintenance and repair of the eBee RTK

damaged and free of liquid, grit, dust and dirt.

Do not to cross the screw thread. Screw the antenna on firmly with finger force.

Do not overtighten.

For replacement antennas, please contact senseFly Ltd.

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10 Troubleshooting

Goal of this section: This section describes the various error messages that may be displayed during start-up or while the eBee RTK is

in flight and provides some tips on solving the simplest problems. In

the case of a more serious problem, this section describes how to prepare the required data on the problem and report it to your eBee RTK

reseller.

The eBee RTK can generate several types of error messages depending on its flight

mode. Some of these messages are minor and simply need to be acknowledged

through eMotion, whereas others require more specific action from the user. As

long as the drone is connected to eMotion, error messageswill appear in the Status

Panel in the Map Area, as well as in the Drone Status panel of the Flight Monitoring

tab.

ACK

WARNING

Status

Panel

Drone

Status

Error messages are divided into four categories: Pre-flight errors, Take-off vetoes,

In-flight warnings and Critical failures.

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10.1 Pre-flight errors

As soon as the battery is connected to the drone it performs a series of pre-flight

checks to thoroughly test its on-board systems. The start-up process is described

in detail in section ‘Preparing the eBee RTK for flight’ on page 41. 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 suffice to remove the error. Table 3 presents all the Pre-flight errors that may occur

and possible actions to fix the error. If the problem is related to the firmware in

the on-board autopilot, try re-loading the firmware using instructions in section

‘Updating the eBee RTK software’ on page 144. If an error persists after reconnecting the battery several times we recommend you report the problem by following

the instructions in section ‘Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK’ on page 178.

Table 3: Pre-flight errors

eMotion text Description and User action

Incorrect firmware

detected

There is an error with the current version of the

firmware in the eBee RTK’s autopilot.

User action: Re-load the correct firmware54.

Battery too low for

take-off

The battery level is too low to perform a take-off.

User action: Re-connect a fully-charged battery.

Drone flight log

memory full

The memory card used to store the Drone flight log is

full.

User action: Empty the memory card by following the instructions in section ‘Importing images and

flight data’ on page 62.

54 see section ‘Updating the eBee RTK software’ on page 144

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Pitot malfunction A high airspeed was detected while on the ground.

User action: Be sure to protect the drone from the

wind and re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, perform Check 4 in section ‘Full airframe and

sensor inspection’ on page 147. If this does not solve

the problem contact your eBee RTK reseller.

High current A too high current was detected, which may be

caused by an internal problem.

User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem

occurs twice, contact your eBee RTK reseller.

Magnetometer

malfunction

There is an error with the drone’s magnetic field sensor.

User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem

persists, contact your eBee RTK reseller.

EEPROM

malfunction

There is an error with the memory chip of the drone’s

autopilot.

User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem

persists, contact your eBee RTK reseller.

Barometer

malfunction

There is an error with the drone’s barometer.

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 3 in section ‘Full airframe and sensor inspection’ on page 147. If this

does not solve the problem contact your eBee RTK reseller.

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De-calibrated

INS or Attitude

malfunction

The orientation sensors were not calibrated correctly.

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 2 in section ‘Full airframe and sensor inspection’ on page 147. If this

does not solve the problem contact your eBee RTK reseller.

Ground sensor

malfunction

There is an error with the drone’s ground sensor.

User action: Ensure that the ground sensor on the

bottom of the drone is clear of debris and is not damaged, then re-connect the battery. If the problem

persists, perform Check 4 in section ‘Full airframe and

sensor inspection’ on page 147. If this does not solve

the problem contact your eBee RTK reseller.

Invalid flight

controller gains

There is an error with the firmware in the drone’s autopilot.

User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem

persists, contact your eBee RTK reseller.

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10.2 Take-off vetoes

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 RTK

continues to monitor its sensors and battery level. If at any point the drone detects

a condition that prevents it from beginning the automatic take-off procedure it

displays a Take-off veto in eMotion and the status LED changes to a blue pulse.

Once the Take-off veto is cleared the status LED returns to a solid green colour to

indicate that the drone is ready for take-off.

Table 4 on the next page presents all the Take-off vetoes that may occur and possible actions to remove the veto. If a veto persists after performing the suggested

action, we recommend you report the problem by following the instructions in

section ‘Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK’ on page 178.

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Troubleshooting

Table 4: Take-off vetos

eMotion text Description and User action

Drone not

horizontal (roll or

pitch)

The eBee RTK must be held horizontally with level

wings to initiate take-off.

User action: Hold the drone horizontally.

Motor is blocked Excessive current was detected from the motor.

User action: Check that the propeller is mounted

correctly and that the motor is freely turning and try

the take-off procedure again.

Battery too low for

take-off

The drone requires a fully-charged battery for the

take-off procedure.

User action: Change the battery.

Wings not

detected

The drone’s wings are not attached correctly or the

wing struts are damaged.

User action: Ensure that the wings are fully inserted

into the main body and that the wing struts are

not damaged, as described in section ‘Preparing the

eBee RTK for flight’ on page 41.

USB cable

detected

The eBee RTK has detected a USB cable connected to

the drone’s autopilot.

User action: Remove the USB cable before take-off.

RTK source not definedYou have chosen a flight mode that requires RTK correction data, but none is available.

User action: Check that your GNSS/RTK base station

is powered on and connected to the computer that

is running eMotion.

Check that you have selected the correct base station

connection type and parameters in eMotion.

Check that you have set up and, if necessary, logged

in to your VRS stream.

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10.3 In-flight warnings

While it is in flight the eBee RTK can generate two types of errors: warnings and

failures. In-flight warnings occur when there is an event that requires user attention but does not compromise the drone’s ability to continue flying.

When an In-flight warning is activated the warning will appear in yellow in eMotion and cause the ‘WARNING’ button in the Control Bar to 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 following 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 132 for

instructions on disabling warnings and Security actions.

Caution: The Security action for most In-flight warnings is to fly back

to the Home waypoint (if Circular landing is selected) or the Home

waypoint(if Linear landing is selected). As soon as this Security action

is triggered the drone will fly in the direction of the 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

altitude of the selected landing waypoint within the entire flight area

to prevent a collision resulting from this Security action.

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Troubleshooting

Table 5: In-flight warnings

eMotion text Description and Security action

Failure occurred:

(failure

description)

This warning ensures that the user is aware that a

Critical failure has occurred even if it is no longer active55.

Security action: The eBee RTK 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.

Low battery The remaining battery level is too low to continue the

flight plan.

Security action: The eBee RTK 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.

User action: Land as soon as possible. Re-charge the

drone battery before performing another flight.

55 see section ‘Critical failures’ on page 173 for a description of possible Critical failures

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Drone flight log

malfunction

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, connect to the on-board memory card as described in section ‘Importing images and flight data’

on page 62 and re-format the memory card.

Flight controller

malfunction

The flight controller has encountered an unexpected

state, such as an incorrect waypoint type.

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. If the problem persists, contact your

eBee RTK reseller.

Camera sync

malfunction

There is a problem with the wiring of the 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

without taking 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 176.

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Troubleshooting

Camera power

malfunction

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

without taking further images.

User action: Land as soon as possible. Check the cable connection between the camera and the drone

and charge all the batteries before performing another flight.

Barometer

malfunction

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/GLONASS 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 147.

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Motor

malfunction

The motor is drawing too little or too much current.

This may be caused by damaged wires or connectors

leading to the motor or by sand or other debris within

the motor.

Security action: The drone attempts to re-start the

motor. If the 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 147.

Battery

malfunction

The sensor used to measure the battery voltage and

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. If the problem persists, contact your

eBee RTK reseller.

56 see section ‘Critical failures’ on page 173

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Troubleshooting

Airspeed

malfunction

The differential pressure sensor used to measure airspeed is registering invalid values. This may be due

to a damaged sensor or to a clogged 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 it reaches the

Home waypoint it initiates a landing procedure.

User action: Try to provide a maximum amount of

approach sectors to ensure that the drone can land

against the direction of the wind. Land as soon as

possible and perform Check 4 in section ‘Full airframe

and sensor inspection’ on page 147.

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 off its motor and

tries to continue its mission.

User action: If the 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 of any cloud cover.

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Overspeed Detected airspeed is unusually high, possibly due to

a loss of control.

Security action: The drone applies a 50% reverse

thrust to 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

malfunction

The ground sensor used to detect the proximity of

the ground is malfunctioning.

Security action: 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 147.

Wings detection

malfunction

The sensor used to detect the presence of the wings

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

eBee RTK for flight’ on page 41.

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Troubleshooting

Temperature out

of working levels

The temperature sensor on the drone is registering

internal temperatures of less than -50◦ C or 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

area ceiling

The drone has passed the vertical boundary of the

working area, defined by the working area ceiling.

This may occur if waypoint 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, set to

‘Highest’). It also turns off its 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.

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Out of working

area radius

The drone has passed the lateral boundary of the

working area, defined by the working area radius.

This may occur if waypoints are set close to or outside

of 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, set to

‘Highest’).

User action: Limit the planned flight path within the

working area boundaries.

Far outside of

working area

The drone has passed far outside of the working area.

This may be caused by very high winds or due to mechanical failure.

Security action: The drone tries to orient itself in the

direction of the Home waypoint and begins descending immediately until it lands on the ground or returns within the working area.

User action: Keep track of the location of the drone

during landing. If the drone lands outside of view follow the instructions in section ‘Losing and locating

your eBee RTK in the field’ on page 177.

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Troubleshooting

Poor

GPS/GLONASS

coverage∗

GPS/GLONASS signal coverage is low. This may be

due to mountains or tall 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, set to ‘Highest’).

User action: If this occurs once or twice, click ‘ACK

WARNING’ and continue normal flight. If this warning

appears more often, land as soon as possible andwait

for better conditions for satellite signal reception. Alternatively, move away from objects that may disturb

satellite signals such as mountains or cellular antennas.

57 see section ‘Critical failures’ on page 173

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Data uplink lost∗∗

(if enabled)

This warning occurs if the eBee RTK does not receive

any data fromeMotion for more than 30 s. This can be

due to a large distance between drone and ground

station, a problem with the USB ground modem, antenna positioning or interference. Having lost RTK

corrections during this period, your drone will geotag

images with less accurate, interpolated values until

the connection returns.

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 176.

Ground proximity

detected∗∗

(if enabled)

The ground sensor on the drone has detected a

ground height above the ground of less than 30 m

during normal flight. Note: this feature should not

be depended on for avoiding obstacles, as the

ground sensor may fail to detect obstacles in certain environmental conditions58.

Security action (if enabled): The drone circles the

current position while climbing to an altitude of 60 m

above the detected ground height. Once this altitude

is reached the drone continues towards the nextwaypoint but sets the waypoint’s target altitude at 60 m

above the last detected ground height.

User action: Ensure that there are no obstacles such

as hills or buildings higher than the waypoints of your

flight plan.

58 see section ‘Linear landing’ on page 86

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Troubleshooting

Ground proximity

not detected

landing precision

decreased∗∗

The ground sensor on the eBee RTK was unable to detect the proximity of the 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 of 20 m instead of 3 m (assuming the Linear landing location is at the same altitude

at the Take-off location), 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.

Back wind,

landing precision

decreased∗∗∗

(in blue)

There are no approach sectors available against the

direction of the wind. The eBee RTK has calculated a

Linear landing approach direction in the direction of

the wind.

Security action: The eBee RTK continues normal

flight.

User action: Add a new approach sector against the

direction of the wind, if possible, abort the landing

and try landing again. If not, be readyfor the eBeeRTK

to overshoot its planning Linear landing location by

preparing a larger obstacle-free zone around the location.

59 see section ‘Linear landing’ on page 86

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Strong wind∗The wind is too strong for the eBee RTK to navigate

safely.

Security action (if enabled): The eBee RTK 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 wait for

better flight conditions.

Cannot maintain

altitude

The eBee RTK cannot maintain the altitude that is

commanded by the flight 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: If the condition persists during a flight,

land and wait for the wind to decrease, as explained

in section ‘Weather check’ on page 40. If the problem occurs in low-wing conditions perform Check 2

in section ‘Full airframe and sensor inspection’ on

page 147.

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Troubleshooting

Pitch or Roll

instability

The orientation sensors on the eBee RTK 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

while trying to stabilize the pitch as much as possible.

User action: If the condition persists during a flight,

land and wait for the wind to decrease, as explained

in section ‘Weather check’ on page 40. If the problem occurs in low-wing conditions perform Check 2

in section ‘Full airframe and sensor inspection’ on

page 147.

10.4 Critical failures

A critical 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 RTK, and is indicated in red in eMotion. The ‘WARNING’ button in the Control

Bar changes to ‘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 following page describes the critical failures that may occur and

what action is taken by the drone. In some cases it may be possible to manually

control the drone using the remote control60. If such a critical failure occurs that

results in an Emergency landing we recommend that you keep track of the drone’s

60 see section ‘Manual control of the eBee RTK’ on page 136

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

last known position in the air and in eMotion if possible and follow the instructions

in section ‘Losing and locating your eBee RTK in the field’ on page 177.

Table 6: Critical failures

eMotion text Description and Emergency action

Failure: loss of

GPS/GLONASS

signals

Your eBee RTK can no longer calculate its position,

making it impossible for it to 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 far from its current position. If satellite signals are re-acquired the drone will abort the landing

procedure and go to the Home waypoint.

Failure: empty

battery

The battery is completely empty.

Emergency action: The drone turns off its motor

and glides towards the ground in the direction of the

Home waypoint. This error is always preceded by a

Low battery In-flight warning.

Failure: INS

malfunction

There is a failure 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).

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Troubleshooting

Failure: motor

malfunction

The motor is not working even after an attempted

re-start commanded by a Motor malfunction In-flight

warning.

Emergency action: The drone orients itself in the direction of the Home waypoint and glides towards the

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 OverloadThe autopilot processor is overloaded and can no

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).

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10.5 Resetting default camera settings

In case of unwanted configuration changes, the camera can be re-configured to

a suitable state. Please refer to your camera user manual in the download section

of our website for the procedure.

10.6 Improving radio signal communication

You may occasionally lose the data connection between eMotion and your eBeeRTK

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 it flies closer to the base station or changes direction.

If the drone stops receiving messages from eMotion (uplink direction) for more

than 30 s you will see a ‘Data uplink lost’ In-flight warning appear in eMotion.

If for safety reasons you would like the eBee RTK to automatically return to the

Home waypoint when this warning appears, select the corresponding option in

the Flight Parameters tab61.

If there are no more messages received by eMotion from the drone (downlink direction), a ‘Data downlink lost’ message will appear in eMotion. If there is still an

active uplink connection you may still command your drone to 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 the following

tips to improve the range of your connection in the field:

1. Place the USB ground modem as high as possible (for example, on top of a

car, ladder or nearby building). A height of at least 2 m is 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 of the USB ground modem. This includes all

61 see section ‘Flight Parameters tab’ on page 132 for more details

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Troubleshooting

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 of the connection. The connection is strongest

when all three LEDs are a solid red, and weakest when a single LED is blinking.

10.7 Losing and locating your eBee RTK in the field

We recommend that you write your address and phone number on your eBee RTK

(by putting your business card on top of the camera for example) in case it gets

lost and subsequently found by a third party. In case you lose your drone in the

field for whatever reason, whether from a loss of communications, a Critical failure

or an accidental collision, use the following steps to try to recover it:

1. Do not disconnect the connection in eMotion! If it is simply out of communication range the drone should reconnect automatically as it returns to

the Home waypoint after completing its mission.

2. Note the last known location of the drone in eMotion by 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 of regaining a connection. Be sure to take the remote control with you as well.

4. If you have reached the last known location of your drone and have not yet

found it, turn on the remote control.

5. Try moving both the control sticks around. If the 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 108

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Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

10.8 Reporting a problem with your eBee RTK

If there is a problem with your eBee RTK, whether it is a software malfunction,

damaged airframe or any other problem, we recommend the following actions:

1. If there is an error message displayed in eMotion, begin by checking section

‘Troubleshooting’ on page 154 to see if there is a solution to the particular

message.

2. Check the on-line Questions & Answers section on senseFly Ltd’s website63

to see if there is a solution to your problem.

3. If you have still not found a solution, contact your eBee RTK 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.

• A short description of the problem.

• The Drone Flight Log file of the flight that had a problem64.

• The eMotion Flight Log file of the flight that had a problem. You can

find this file in the eMotion/logs/ directory which is created in My

Documents on Windows.

• Photos or video of the eBee RTK airframe, if required.

Note: In order to provide support, senseFly Ltd may request the flight

log files for inspection.

63 technical support can be found at http://www.sensefly.com/support/

64 see section ‘Importing images and flight data’ on page 62 for information on retrieving this file from

the eBee RTK

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Part IV

Specifications
Specifications

1 Software requirements

eMotion has the following minimum software requirements:

Operating system Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8

Hardware 1.6 GHz processor

2 GB RAM

500 MB free storage space

Screen recommended resolution: 1920×1080

visible outdoors

Postflight Terra 3D has the following minimum software requirements:

Operating system Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8, 64-bit only

Hardware 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)

Screen min. resolution: 1024×768

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2 Drone specifications

Size Wingspan: 96 cm

Wing area: 0.25 m2

Weight without camera and battery approx. 0.46 kg

Nominal take-off weight (approx.) 0.73 kg (1.61 lbs)

(with standard camera & battery)

Material EPP foam, carbon structure & composite parts

Battery 3-cell Lithium-Polymer (0.14 kg)

Nominal endurance (flight time)65 40 minutes

(with standard camera)

Camera IXUS/ELPH 16 MP still camera

Propulsion Electric brushless motor

Nominal static thrust: 0.63 kgf (6.2 N)

Nominal cruise speed 40-90 km/h (11-25 m/s or 25-56 mph)

Wind resistance up to 45 km/h (12 m/s)

Max. single flight coverage66 8 km2(3 mi2)

(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 of 30 cm (11.8 in) per pixel, no wind, moderate air temp. (18 C/64.4 F), new fully-charged battery, flight altitude of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) above

ground & take off at approx. sea level from centre of coverage area.

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Specifications

Communication devices Ground modem:

• Frequency: 2.4 GHz

• Range67: approx. 3 kmUp to 3 km (1.9 miles)

• Certification: FCC Part 15.247, IC RSS210, CE

Remote control:

• Frequency: 2.4 GHz

• Range: approx. 1 km

• Certification: CE, FCC

Navigation Up to 50 waypoints

GSD (per pixel) Down to 5 cm (2.0 in)

Absolute horizontal Down to 3 cm (1.2 in)

accuracy (no GCPs required)

Absolute vertical Down to 5 cm (2.0 in)

accuracy (no GCPs required)

Relative orthomosaic/ 1-3 times GSD

3D model accuracy

Carry case dimensions 55 x 45 x 25 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.

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3 Onboard GNSS/RTK receiver

Number of channels 226

Signal tracked GPS: L1, L2

GLONASS: L1, L2

Onboard RTK correction 20 Hz

Upstream correction 1 Hz

RTK data transmission protocols RTCM-3.x, RTCM-2.x

Geotag accuracy (typical) Standalone: H: 1.2 m (3.9 ft), V: 1.8 m (5.9 ft)

RTK: H:15 mm, V: 20 mm

(relative to base station)

Acquisition time Hot start: <10 s

Warm start: <35 s

Cold start: <60 s

Reacquisition: <1 s

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Specifications

Glossary

AMSL Above Mean Sea Level

Your eBee RTK’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 the Take-off Altitude

Your eBee RTK’s altitude can be shown and set in eMotion using ATO or

AMSL. Altitudes in ATO are relative to the place your eBee RTK started its

motor just before take-off.

DSM Digital Surface Model

A 3D digital representation of a surface.

FTDI Future Technology Devices International

A Scottish 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 computer to a GNSS base station using FTDI.

GCP Ground Control Point

A location or object on the ground that has precisely know coordinates.

GCPs are used to improve the precision of DSMs created from photogrammetric analysis of a series of images.

geo-reference A data point associated with a specific location on the earth’s surface.

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

A network of satellites that transmit signals that GNSS receivers can use to

calculate their position on the Earth. GPS (Global Positioning System) and

GLONASS are examples of GNSS systems.

GSD Ground Sampling Distance

The distance measured on the ground between pixel centres in an image

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or DSM. The smaller the GSD, the higher the spatial resolution of the image.

For example, a GSD of 5 cm means that one pixel in the image represents

5 cm on the ground.

mosaic A single map or terrain model created from several map sections that

have been placed side-by-side and merged together.

MSL Mean Sea Level

the average level of the surface of the Earth’s oceans; a close approximation

of the surface in gravitational equilibrium.

Ntrip Network Transport of RTCM data over IP

A protocol used to transport RTK correction data over the Internet. RTK

receivers feed RTK corrections to Ntrip servers or casters. These then encapsulate the data inside TCP packets and stream it across the Internet.

orthomosaic A single, corrected image constructed either from several images

taken from different angles, or from several orthophotos. Distortions due

to different camera positions, ground curvature and relief are corrected for

so that the image displays accurately in the given map projection.

photogrammetry A technique inwhich measurements takenfrom photographs

are used to reconstruct a 3D surface or a series of points in space.

point cloud A set of data points within a coordinate system.

rayCloud Afeature unique to Postflight Terra3Dthat combines the 3D point cloud

with the original images. Multi ray matching with the rayCloud extends the

stereo view triangulation and increases the accuracy of 3D point estimates

while providing a full understanding of 3D results.

RINEX Receiver Independent Exchange Format

A data format used for storing and exchanging satellite navigation system

data.

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Specifications

RPAS Remotely Piloted Aircraft System

A term used for drones or UAVs, the software and technology they use to

navigate.

RTCM Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services

An international organisation that standardises transmission protocols that

allow for RTK positioning, for example, RTCM 2.x and RTCM 3.x. They also

publish the Ntrip standard.

RTK Real Time Kinematics

A technique used to enhance the accuracy of coordinates calculated from

GNSS signals.

triangle model An approximate representation of a surface, constructed from

connected triangles.

UAS Unmanned Aircraft System

A term used for drones or RPASs, the software and technology they use to

navigate.

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Another term for drone.

VRS Virtual Reference Station

A reference station that does not exist on the ground, but instead is created

by combining correction data (delivered over Ntrip) from several real reference stations. VRS RTK corrections relative to this virtual reference station

can then be made as if it were a real reference station.

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