11
Drone Technologies and Applications
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1001987
3.8 Drone controller and receiver
The drone controller is the tool for managing and directing the drone. The most
important feature of the remotes is the number of channels. The number of channels
should be as much as the type of command given to the drone. While 6-channel con-
trols are mainly used in drones today, this number can increase with accessories such
as cameras. A digital display on the controls is another feature that makes it easier to
use (
Figure 14
).
Receivers are like sensory nerves; they collect information (signals)
from external
sources (radio transmitters) and transmit them to the brain (flight controller). It is
Figure 12.
Multiple power control board used for quadcopter.
Figure 13.
Electronic speed control and controller.
Drones – Various Applications
12
the part that detects the commands from the remote control
and enables the drone to
move. Receivers using radio waves offer a very fast and uninterrupted transmission.
Typically, they use an integrated antenna that allows the reception of radio signals.
The receiver will have four channels to control the down, oscillation, acceleration,
and yaw. However, many receivers have auxiliary channels to perform certain func-
tions or trigger flight modes. Five or 6-channel receivers are generally the preferred
models [4].
3.9 Camera
Not all
drones have a camera system, but models offer additional options in-flight,
such as aerial photography, cinematic photography, or pilot’s eye view (FPV) flight.
As with drones, video systems are available in various models and
layouts when
considering drone uses and have their parts, such as the gimbal, video transmitter,
antenna, and FPV goggles (
Figure 15
).
One of the most important components in FPV (first-person view)
imaging is the
FPV camera. The FPV camera is mounted in front of the aircraft, and images from
the camera are transmitted to the pilot’s glasses or monitor. There are two types of
FPV cameras, analog and HD [5]. In these drones, the image comes first to the lens on
the FPV camera; the sensors capture the image and convert it into electrical signals.
These converted signals are sent to the video transmitter. When choosing
a camera,
