Hi Willyson,
Yes for now i would go with a manual release as i don't think you have time now to work on the hardware and software.
The big Button marked CHUTE RELEASE was for the chute release (In the Senario i described).
Try it this way, you build your system and fit it to the drone but instead of the Arduino we shrink you down and put you in there instead. Now you have access to your sensors and only your sensors and based on that you have to decide if you hit the button to release the chute.
I would run the project something like this.
- Find a place with long thick grass to act as a padded fall site and fly the drone over it, then cut the engines and watch the way it falls. I would do this for flying forward and for hovering to see the difference.
This would show me the way the drone falls (Tumbling, straight down, flips on its back and drops). - Next step, design the chute and make sure it can handle the weight of the drone (We want functional not pretty)
- Then the Deployment system for the chute. Add a basic timer to activate it and measure the weight of it all
- Add an equivalent weight to the drone (Position based on how the drone fell in test 1) and go back to the first test site and repeat step 1 to see how the extra weight effects the action of the drone when you cut the engines again. Be prepared to move the simulated chute (Weight) to another point to see how it goes. Not much use deploying the chute from the top of the drone if the drone flips and the top is the bottom, as you will deploy the chute down and it will be hit by the drone and probably tangle.
- Fit the chute to the drone and set the timer. Have a stopwatch going to countdown the release and take the drone up. Say 3-5 seconds before release, Cut The Engine's and see what happens.
If all has gone according to plan sit down and start working on the Arduino to control the Chute.
Until then you have a working prototype to demonstrate to the class.
I think as a minimum you need to look at sensors to monitor motors, altitude & direction.
GPS sounds great but with an error margin of 3 meters you could fall up to 6 meters (first reading is low, second high requiring, third to note the difference. 3 readings taking 3 seconds) before the system detects a fault.
With Pressure make sure the system looks at the pressure when the drone is activated and use this as your starting point then you do not have to worry about how high above sea level the person is or changes in day to day pressure.
Every time the Drone is turned off and on the start point resets (Drone off/on not motor)
Try this game with another, get them to do a flight plan of a drone. Say up, across the room, and down.
Then then somewhere in that flight ask them to pick a spot where the motors fail but don't let them tell you. all they can tell you from the start is pressure, speed and direction of drone (say the top of the drone is up and the bottom is down no mater what way the drone is pointing, so if the drone flips over and is facing the floor the top of the drone is still up)
goes like this.
Drone goes up - PRESSURE-Dropping, DIRECTION-Up, SPEED-Increasing.
Drone flies across room - PRESSURE-Stable, DIRECTION-Forward SPEED-Stable.
Drone dies and flips
upside down falling to
the floor - PRESSURE-Increasing DIRECTION-Up SPEED-Increasing
Question? is the drone falling? because the drone flipped up is now down and it looks like the drone is going up but the pressure is dropping. If all you have is the readings and you can not see the drone to tell if its facing up or down how do you know to release the chute?
You would not release the chute if the drone is going up?
If you are flying forward and the engines go dead does your drone flip over or start to tumble.
Then the readings would be PRESSURE-Increasing DIRECTION-UP, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, SPEED-(God knows).
Do you release the Chute? what Happens to the Chute.
So many ways this can go wrong and you must think of as many as possible and program the Arduino to determine from the sensors what is happening and what to do.
At this point i would be having a headache so ill stop and let you think on that.
again try the shoelace thing, write out instructions give them to a friend and ask them to follow the instructions exactly not adding anything of there own and see what happens.
Computers can only do what you tell them. if the computer starts thinking for its self,
RUN, IT WILL KILL YOU, ITS THE LOGICAL CHOICE TO THE WORLDS PROBLEMS!
Daz