Sense and Avoid Sensor Selection Spotlight: DJI Guidance System


Sense and Avoid Sensor 

The scope of this research project will provide detail for a currently available sense and avoid sensor for small Group 1 or Group 2 (less than 55 pounds) UAV vehicles. The sensor package offering submitted in this research is provided by the company DJI makers of the well-known Phantom series of small UAV’s.
The system has been given the name “Guidance System” by DJI. The company has been known for offering a well manufactured sUAV’s for sale in the marketplace, and in the opinions of many sUAV operators, set the standard by which sUAV’s are measured against. The Guidance System has been offered since June of 2015, but the system still performs and offers premium capabilities for the sUAV operator looking to add an additional upgrade to their current system. According to DJI the Guidance System is the company’s first introductory sense and avoid system to become available to the public. Amato states:
Using an array of ultrasonic sensors and stereo cameras mounted on the front, back, left, right, and bottom of the UAV, Guidance identifies when an aerial platform is close to objects at a range up to 20m (65 feet) and will prevent flying close to the objects at a configurable distance, as well as providing centimeter visual positioning stabilization above the ground (Amato, 2015).
The price of the Guidance System retails for $999.00 and according to DJI will offer the additional benefit of a discount to learning institutions. The system operates with the use of USB cables connecting the sensors to the guidance core or processor.
The entire core assembly is mounted using hardware to the expansion bay assembly included in the installation package. The bay assembly can then be mounted on a sUAV via user/developer modifications. Power to the Guidance System is provided by the battery power installed on the sUAV via the use of a power cable and a controller area network cable for data transferring.
Further details of the Guidance System including installation are provided in the installation link within the references section. Further design details include: “Multiple OS functionality such as Windows, Linux, and other embedded systems, sensor data output entails IMU data, ultrasonic distance measurements, 8-bit greyscale and 16-bit depth 320 x 240 image resolution, and camera calibration and exposure settings” Guidance SDK. (2017).
The Guidance System can be used in conjunction with DJI’s Matrice 100 UAV for a fully customizable platform. The Guidance System allows users to develop their own unique UAV via additional expansion bays which can further house other devices such as additional components for a truly custom UAV. The Guidance System can be used across multiple platforms and other manufacturers’ sUAV’s which will have the effect of giving the DJI Guidance System hardware package a greater footprint in the sUAV industry.


References

 Amato, A. (2015). DJI Announces Matrice 100 Programmable Drone and Guidance Sense and Avoid System. Drone Life, Retrieved from http://dronelife.com/2015/06/08/dji-matrice-100-programmable-drone-guidance-sense-avoid/

DJI Guidance Tutorial. (2015). Installing the Guidance System. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L1aH7UqTsY

Guidance SDK. (2017). DJI Developer. Overview, Retrieved from
https://developer.dji.com/guidance-sdk/

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