Understand drone design trade-offs before piling on the sensors
A third type of LiDAR known as flash LiDAR, flashes many short pulses at the same time, uses a camera chip to receive the pulse reflections, and subsequently measures the ToF. Flash LiDAR has very high resolution but is limited to about 30 meters (m). Sensing the environment Thermal imaging camera: A thermal imaging camera on a drone will detect heat signatures/ temperature from objects and materials and display them as still images or videos. The Notre- Dame fire in Paris was observed and tracked using thermal image cameras. These cameras can detect small differences in heat, sometimes as small as 0.01˚C. Another important area for drone thermal imaging use is in disaster recovery, such as after an earthquake or severe hurricane, which can leave behind damaged or collapsed structures with people trapped inside (Figures 4 and 5). A good way for designers to start using thermal imaging in a drone is to use something like the 500-0771-01, a micro thermal camera from FLIR Lepton . The camera has a spectral range of 800 nanometers (nm) to 1400 nm, a scene dynamic range of 0˚ to 120˚C, and a nominal power consumption of 150 milliwatts (mW) (operating), 650 mW (during shutter event), and 5 mW (standby).
Figure 4: A drone’s-eye view of a collapsed building is an important first step a drone would take with a conventional camera. Then, with the use of a thermal imaging camera, it could sense the body heat of those trapped in the rubble. (Image source: IEEE 4 )
Figure 5: Designers now have the tools to locate and save lives in disaster situations. This image of a trapped person was taken using a DJI drone during a fire fighter drill. (Image source: Industrial Equipment News/Menlo Fire UAS/Drone program, via AP)
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