Drone Controls
Controlling drone and its payload from the FlytBase dashboard
Last updated
Controlling drone and its payload from the FlytBase dashboard
Last updated
The flight control tray enables the operator to have access to crucial in-flight commands like Return To Docking Station (RTDS), Return To Safe Location (RTSL), Land, Precision Land, Return To Home (RTH), Pause/Resume the ongoing mission and Emergency Stop.
Emergency Stop feature is currently supported with Mavic 2 series drones and M300 drones (with Odroid-based edge devices) only.
Required FlytBase APK version: 2.5.0-6 and above
Implementation: Once the 'Emergency Stop' button is pressed, it effectively overrides all ongoing operations. The drone instantaneously enters a standstill mode, refusing any additional commands from the dashboard. This safety measure meets any potential emergencies head-on, allowing operators to prevent unintended movements swiftly.
By clicking on the 'Re-activate Operations' button, operators can smoothly transition back to command acceptation mode from the dashboard, once the need for an emergency stop has passed.
This replaces the "Abort" button that previously existed on the platform where any new commands given by the operator were accepted by the drone.
Steps to use the 'Emergency Stop' feature:
While the drone is performing a flight, the operator can click on the 'Emergency Stop' button located at the bottom right corner of the FlytBase dashboard.
Upon pressing the button, the operator would receive a confirmation on the dashboard in the form of toaster messages (notifications).
Expected Behavior once Emergency Stop has been executed by the operator:
The drone will hover and hold its current position.
The following controls will not be available until operations are reactivated:
i) RTDS (Return To Docking Station)
ii) RTSL (Return To Safe Location)/ RTH (Return To Home)
iii) PL (Precision Landing) iv) Pause/Resume v) Land vi) Manual Controls of the drone using the dashboard vii) Operators would also no longer be able to: a) Start another mission b) Perform Go to location
The drone will carry out pre-configured failsafe actions for Low Battery, Critical Battery, and RC Link Loss Failsafe, even if the Emergency Stop is engaged.
Operators may click on the Re-activate Operations button in the bottom right corner of the dashboard in order to continue flying with the respective drone.
Once the operations are reactivated, the drone can accept all flight commands as well as perform failsafe actions without any exceptions.
For a better understanding of the drone's behavior in common situations involving the use of the Emergency Stop, please refer to the subsequent table.
Scenario | Expected Behavior |
---|---|
Once the operator's drone is connected and the live video starts streaming on the FlytBase Dashboard, the operator should hover over theicon in the Video section. An expanded menu will show camera options to click a photo, a recorder to record video, and a share option to share a feed.
The operator should click on the red record iconto start recording their drone mission feed. They can use the white circle icon to capture an image.
Lastly, the operator can capture an image by using the white circle icon.
Zoom In on the camera feed can be achieved by clicking on the icon. The maximum zoom can be reached by clicking on the T icon.
Zoom Out of the camera feed can be done by clicking on the icon. The maximum wide-angle feed can be viewed by clicking on the W icon.
During a pre-planned mission
Once the Operator engages Emergency Stop, the drone will abort its actions and hover at its location. It would also no longer accept any commands from the dashboard.
After the Operator reactivates the operations, the drone will keep hovering although, it can accept commands from the dashboard. The operator may then resume the mission, perform RTDS, RTSL, land, etc. and control the drone normally as before.
When a Failsafe is triggered
When Emergency Stop is activated by the operator, the following failsafes would override the Emergency Stop and reactivate operations: 1. Low Battery Failsafe 2. RC Link Loss Failsafe 3. Critical Battery Failsafe Except for the above-mentioned failsafes, all other failsafes would be rejected by the drone if Emergency Stop is active.
Manual Controls being accessed by the Operator
In case an Emergency Stop is engaged while the Operator has taken Manual Control of the drone, the drone will hover at its position and will not accept any commands from the dashboard. Once the operations are re-activated, the operator needs to enable Manual Controls again to continue using the drone using the keyboard, joystick or the on-screen joypad.