Erle Robotics ERLE-COPTER Manuel utilisateur
Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered
by Linux
Operation Manual
May 21, 2015
Contents
1 Introducing Erle-Copter 3
1.1 A marketplace for drone apps .............................. 3
2 Parts 4
3 Safety and failsafes 6
4 Learn to fly 9
4.1 Flying modes ........................................ 12
5 First flight 14
5.1 Attaching propellers .................................... 14
5.2 Connecting to Erle-Brain ................................. 14
5.3 Steps to flight save ..................................... 14
A Erle-Brain 16
B ROS 17
C Specification 18
D Resources 18
E License 19
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1 INTRODUCING ERLE-COPTER
Erle-Copter is a Linux-based drone that uses robotic frameworkssuch as ROS (the Robot Oper-
ating System) and the award winning APM software autopilot to achieve different flight modes.
It’s ideal for outdoor operations and it has been designed for an extended flight time with a
takeoff weight of up to 2 kilograms.
Erle-Copter is the first smart drone that flies with Linux and includes ROS as the SDK for
drone app development.
1.1 A MARKETPLACE FOR DRONE APPS
Together with Canonical and the Open Source Robotics Foundation, we are pushing a new mar-
ketplace for robot and drone applications. An open platform that attracts innovators and ex-
perts to collaborate and compete in the future marketplace of drone and robot applications.
More at ubuntu.com/things.
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2 PARTS
Below the parts that Erle-Copter contains are described. Do not hesitate and ask questions in
our forum.
Radio controller
The Power Module incorporates both a way to power
your autopilot, accessories and report battery voltage
and current to Erle-Brain.
Erle-Copter makes use of rechargeable Lithium Poly-
mer (LiPo) batteries. More about batteries and charg-
ers here.
Provides WIFI connection to Erle-Brain
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Provides high gain WIFI connection to Erle-Brain
4 x Electronic speed controller (ESC).
4 x Brushless motors.
GPS + Compass
Radio communicatios in 2.4Ghz band
Telemetry 915MHz or 433MHz
Propellers 10×4.5
Propellers 10×4.5 (self-tightening)
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3 SAFETY AND FAILSAFES
• Always turn on the Remote Controller prior to turning on Erle-Copter
• Toggle all switches to the top
• Be sure there are no distractions when you are flying.
• Fly in very large open area void of obstacles and away from traffic and people. Be aware
of surroundings.
• Be sure you have calibrated the IMU’s and the compass and you hace GPS fix (Slow con-
tinuous blue flashing).
• When in doubt, pull down on the throttle stick and land.
Erle-Copter will not avoid obstacles on its own unless it has been programmed for
it. As the operator, it is your job to recognize and avoid obstructions while flying.
Always fly in an open area away from people and buildings; do not attempt to fly
indoors or in a confined space.
Erle-Copter has powerful motors and high-speed propellers. Never place your
hands near the propellers while Erle-Copter is armed.
All unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators should abide by all regulations from such
organizations as the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and their own na-
tional airspace regulations.
FRAME 1: SAFETY
Environmental factors, such as wind and GPS irregularities, can cause instability in flight.
Erle-Copter will attempt to compensate for these factors by triggering a failsafe if it de-
tects an unsafe flying condition due to loss of controller signal, loss of GPS signal, or low
battery (see below for details). If you observe any inconsistent behavior, land, and con-
sult our team at forum.erlerobotics.com.
RADIO FAILSAFE
Always use the controller as a primary or backup control system when flying. Ensure that the
controller is turned on any time Erle-Copter is powered. If this failsafe is enabled it will get
triggered under the following circumstances:
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• The pilot turns off the RC transmitter
• The vehicle travels outside of RC range (usually at around 500m 700m)
• The receiver loses power (unlikely)
• The wires connecting the receiver to the flight controller are broken (unlikely).
Producing the following behavior:
•Nothing if the vehicle is already disarmed
•Motors will be immediately disarmed if the vehicle is landed OR in stabilize or acro mode
and the pilot’s throttle is at zero
•Return-to-Launch (RTL) if the vehicle has a GPS lock and is more than 2 meters from the
home position.
•LAND if the vehicle has:
–no GPS lock OR
–is within 2 meters of home OR
–the FS_THR_ENABLE parameter is set to “Enabled Always Land”
•Continue with the mission if the vehicle is in AUTO mode and the FS_THR_ENABLE pa-
rameter is set to “Enabled Continue with Mission in Auto Mode”.
More about radio failsafe here and here
LOSS OF GPS SIGNAL
Erle-Copter requires an active GPS signal before takeoff. If Erle-Copter loses GPS signal in
flight, it will trigger a GPS failsafe indicated with a high-high-high-low tone, and automatically
switch to manual control (standard - altitude hold mode). Always be prepared to regain manual
control of Erle-Copter at any time while flying and choose an unobstructed flying area to im-
prove GPS signal strength. When flying a mission, we recommended changing the GPS failsafe
behavior to land.
• The GPS Failsafe is enabled by default but you can enable or disable it on the Mis-
sion Planner’s Standard Parameter List, by set the FS_GPS_ENABLE parameter to
0 (Disable) or 1 (Land) or 2 (switch to AltHold). It is highly recommended to leave it
enabled and no known reason why it should ever be disabled.
• If you lose GPS lock or experience a GPS Glitch for 5 seconds while in a mode that
requires the GPS (Auto, Guided, Loiter, RTL, Circle, Position or Drift) mode it will
initiate a Land (or AltHold if FS_GPS_ENABLE is set to 2).
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More about GPS failsafe here.
LOW BATTERY
When the battery reaches a low state (voltage under certain value), Erle-Copter will land with
a quick repeating tone. If Erle-Copter reaches the low battery limit during a mission, it will re-
turn to the launch point before landing.
This failsafe permits to you to minimize the risks of having a sudden death of Erle-Copter
and enables a better use of your LiPo batteries.
More about low failsafe battery here.
EKF CHECK & FAILSAFE
The EKF check runs on Erle-Brain and will trigger when the EKF’s compass and velocity “vari-
ance” are higher than 0.8 (configurable with EKF_CHECK_THRESH parameter) for one second.
This “variance” increases as the estimates become untrustworthy. 0 = very trustworthy, >1.0 =
very untrustworthy. If both variances climb above the EKF_CHECK_THRESH parameter (de-
fault is 0.8) the EKF/Inav failsafe triggers.
When the failsafe triggers, Erle-Brain’s tone-alarm will sound. If telemetry is attached
“EKF variance” will appear on the HUD. And EKF/DCM error will be written to the
dataflash logs.
If flying in a flight mode that does not require GPS nothing further will happen but
you will be unable to switch into an autopilot flight mode (Loiter, PosHold, RTL, Guided,
Auto) until the failure clears. If flying in a mode that requires GPS (Loiter, PosHold, RTL,
Guided, Auto) the vehicle will switch to “pilot controlled” LAND. Meaning the pilot will
have control of the roll and pitch angle but the vehicle will descend, land and finally
disarm it’s motors. The pilot can, like always switch into a manual flight mode including
Stabilize or AltHold to bring the vehicle home.
The EKF check and failsafe can be disabled by setting the EKF_CHECK_THRESH to “0” through
the Ground Control Station’s Config/Tuning » Full Parameter List. Alternatively it can be made
less sensitive by increasing this parameter from 0.8 to 0.9 or 1.0. The downside of increasing
this parameter’s value is that during a flyaway caused by a bad compass or GPS glitching, the
vehicle will fly further away before the vehicle is automatically switched to LAND mode.
More about EKF failsafe here.
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4 LEARN TO FLY
THROTTLE
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YAW
Flight Tip
When adjusting orientation, move the left stick horizontally without changing its vertical
position.
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Autres manuels pour ERLE-COPTER
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