The utilization of drones in various industries is favorably increasing day by day. Initially, most of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were designed solely for military purposes, but now they are serving many applications.
Programming a drone is not that hard as you think. It’s much easier to program a drone if you’re already aware of the programming language that the drone’s flight controller supports.
Also, there are a lot of resources and guides available online for programming your drone in your most comfortable programming languages like C, C++, Python, etc.
Video Credits: Dhulkarnayn, Elucidate Drones
If you want to program your drone to fly in a triangular or square trajectory: Firstly, you need to concentrate on how this process can be achieved mathematically before thinking about how to program this process.
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Since the flight of drones is entirely based on Global Position System (GPS) when it comes to outdoor navigation, to be honest, there is a lot of mathematics involved in the guidance and navigation part.
How to Program your Drone to Fly in a Triangular Path?
For programming your drone to follow a triangular path, we need to have some understanding of the geometry of the triangle. The triangle here refers to an equilateral triangle.
Image Credits: Dhulkarnayn, Elucidate Drones
Properties of Equilateral Triangle
Some of the properties of equilateral triangle includes1:
- All three sides have the same length in an equilateral triangle
- All three interior angles of an equilateral triangle are equal (
angle = 60°) - The altitudes, the angle bisectors, the perpendicular bisectors, and the medians to each side coincide
Relationship between the Interior and Exterior Angles of a Triangle
The exterior angle of a triangle is the angle that is formed between one of the sides of a triangle and its adjacent extended side.
Image Credits: Dhulkarnayn, Elucidate Drones
As the interior angle and its corresponding exterior angle are supplementary in a triangle, we can able to express the relationship between them as follows2:
Interior angle + Exterior angle = 180°
From the above relationship, we can able to calculate the exterior angle by,
Exterior angle = 180° - Interior angle
From the properties of the equilateral triangle,
Interior angle = 60°
Therefore, the Exterior angle of an equilateral triangle is equal to 120°.
Exterior angle = 120°
Note
As the triangular path calculation is based on the exterior angles and side length of an equilateral triangle, the above relationship is explained.
Programming a Drone to Fly in a Triangular Path
For Programming your drone to follow a triangular path: Firstly, you need to generate a triangular trajectory and convert that path’s local coordinates into geographical coordinates (latitudes and longitudes). There are several ways to generate a triangular path. The triangular path here refers to the equilateral triangle’s vertices with respect to a given reference point or origin.
A simple way to generate the triangular path is, calculating the next geographic location by considering the bearing angle as exterior angle (120°) and distance value to side length.
Repeating the above step thrice yields all the geographic locations of a triangular trajectory.
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Once after retrieving the geographic coordinates, all you need to do is, guide the drone to those locations sequentially.
Python Program - Triangular Mission using DroneKit-Python
You can directly download (clone) the following script to your device by executing the following git command on your terminal:
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$ git clone https://github.com/Dhulkarnayn/triangular-mission-dronekit-python
Note
If
gitis not already installed on your device means, execute the following command on your terminal to installgit:
Or, if you want to copy and paste the script, you can copy the following script and paste it to a file named triangular_mission.py on your device.
Code
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#!/usr/bin/env python
#..................................................................................
# Author : Saiffullah Sabir Mohamed
# Github : https://github.com/TechnicalVillager
# Website : http://technicalvillager.github.io/
# Source : https://github.com/TechnicalVillager/triangular-mission-dronekit-python/
#..................................................................................
# Import Necessary Packages
from dronekit import connect, VehicleMode, LocationGlobalRelative
import time, math
def basic_takeoff(altitude):
"""
This function take-off the vehicle from the ground to the desired
altitude by using dronekit's simple_takeoff() function.
Inputs:
1. altitude - TakeOff Altitude
"""
vehicle.mode = VehicleMode("GUIDED")
vehicle.armed = True
time.sleep(2)
vehicle.simple_takeoff(altitude)
while True:
print("Reached Height = ", vehicle.location.global_relative_frame.alt)
if vehicle.location.global_relative_frame.alt >= (altitude - 1.5):
break
def change_mode(mode):
"""
This function will change the mode of the Vehicle.
Inputs:
1. mode - Vehicle's Mode
"""
vehicle.mode = VehicleMode(mode)
def send_to(latitude, longitude, altitude):
"""
This function will send the drone to desired location, when the
vehicle is in GUIDED mode.
Inputs:
1. latitude - Destination location's Latitude
2. longitude - Destination location's Longitude
3. altitude - Vehicle's flight Altitude
"""
if vehicle.mode.name == "GUIDED":
location = LocationGlobalRelative(latitude, longitude, float(altitude))
vehicle.simple_goto(location)
time.sleep(1)
def change_alt(step):
"""
This function will increase or decrease the altitude
of the vehicle based on the input.
Inputs:
1. step - Increase 5 meters of altitude from
current altitude when INC is passed as argument.
- Decrease 5 meters of altitude from
current altitude when DEC is passed as argument.
"""
actual_altitude = int(vehicle.location.global_relative_frame.alt)
changed_altitude = [(actual_altitude + 5), (actual_altitude - 5)]
if step == "INC":
if changed_altitude[0] <= 50:
send_to(vehicle.location.global_frame.lat, vehicle.location.global_frame.lon, changed_altitude[0])
else:
print("Vehicle Reached Maximum Altitude!!!")
if step == "DEC":
if changed_altitude[1] >= 5:
send_to(vehicle.location.global_frame.lat, vehicle.location.global_frame.lon, changed_altitude[1])
else:
print("Vehicle Reached Minimum Altitude!!!")
def distance_calculation(homeLattitude, homeLongitude, destinationLattitude, destinationLongitude):
"""
This function returns the distance between two geographiclocations using
the haversine formula.
Inputs:
1. homeLattitude - Home or Current Location's Latitude
2. homeLongitude - Home or Current Location's Longitude
3. destinationLattitude - Destination Location's Latitude
4. destinationLongitude - Destination Location's Longitude
"""
# Radius of earth in metres
R = 6371e3
rlat1, rlon1 = homeLattitude * (math.pi/180), homeLongitude * (math.pi/180)
rlat2, rlon2 = destinationLattitude * (math.pi/180), destinationLongitude * (math.pi/180)
dlat = (destinationLattitude - homeLattitude) * (math.pi/180)
dlon = (destinationLongitude - homeLongitude) * (math.pi/180)
# Haversine formula to find distance
a = (math.sin(dlat/2) * math.sin(dlat/2)) + (math.cos(rlat1) * math.cos(rlat2) * (math.sin(dlon/2) * math.sin(dlon/2)))
c = 2 * math.atan2(math.sqrt(a), math.sqrt(1-a))
# Distance (in meters)
distance = R * c
return distance
def destination_location(homeLattitude, homeLongitude, distance, bearing):
"""
This function returns the latitude and longitude of the
destination location, when distance and bearing is provided.
Inputs:
1. homeLattitude - Home or Current Location's Latitude
2. homeLongitude - Home or Current Location's Longitude
3. distance - Distance from the home location
4. bearing - Bearing angle from the home location
"""
# Radius of earth in metres
R = 6371e3
rlat1, rlon1 = homeLattitude * (math.pi/180), homeLongitude * (math.pi/180)
d = distance
#Converting bearing to radians
bearing = bearing * (math.pi/180)
rlat2 = math.asin((math.sin(rlat1) * math.cos(d/R)) + (math.cos(rlat1) * math.sin(d/R) * math.cos(bearing)))
rlon2 = rlon1 + math.atan2((math.sin(bearing) * math.sin(d/R) * math.cos(rlat1)) , (math.cos(d/R) - (math.sin(rlat1) * math.sin(rlat2))))
#Converting to degrees
rlat2 = rlat2 * (180/math.pi)
rlon2 = rlon2 * (180/math.pi)
# Lat and Long as an Array
location = [rlat2, rlon2]
return location
def triangle_calculation(side_length):
"""
This function will generate the geographical coordinates (latitudes & longitudes)
of the triangular (Equilateral Triangle) path with the given side length. The origin or
reference location for the generation of the triangular trajectory is the vehicle's current location.
Inputs:
1. side_length - Side length of the Equilateral Triangle
"""
# Vehicle's heading and current location
angle = int(vehicle.heading)
loc = (vehicle.location.global_frame.lat, vehicle.location.global_frame.lon, vehicle.location.global_relative_frame.alt)
# Offset Angle
offset_angle = 90
# Decrementing offset angle in the vehicle's heading angle to form the
# triangle direction with respect to the vehicle's heading angle.
angle -= offset_angle
# Declaring a array variable to store
# the geogrpahical location of triangular points
final_location = []
for count in range(3):
# Incrementing heading angle
# Exterior angle of equilateral triangle = 120 degrees
angle += 120
new_loc = destination_location(homeLattitude = loc[0], homeLongitude = loc[1], distance = side_length, bearing = angle)
final_location.append((new_loc[0], new_loc[1], loc[2]))
loc = (new_loc[0], new_loc[1], loc[2])
return final_location
def triangular_mission(side_length):
"""
This function retrieves the triangle coordinates from the triangle_calculation()
function and guides the vehicle to the retrieved points.
Inputs:
1. side_length - Side length of the equilateral triangle
"""
# Retrieving the array of the locations of the triangular path
locations = triangle_calculation(side_length = side_length)
for location in locations:
# Send vehicle to the destination
send_to(latitude = location[0], longitude = location[1], altitude = location[2])
while True:
# Distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination
distance = distance_calculation(homeLattitude = vehicle.location.global_frame.lat,
homeLongitude = vehicle.location.global_frame.lon,
destinationLattitude = location[0],
destinationLongitude = location[1])
if distance <= 1.8:
break
time.sleep(2)
def main():
# Declaring Vehicle as global variable
global vehicle
# Connecting the Vehicle
vehicle = connect('udpin:127.0.0.1:14551', baud=115200)
# Setting the Heading angle constant throughout flight
if vehicle.parameters['WP_YAW_BEHAVIOR'] != 0:
vehicle.parameters['WP_YAW_BEHAVIOR'] = 0
print("Changed the Vehicle's WP_YAW_BEHAVIOR parameter")
while True:
# Getting Input from User
value = input("Enter your Input:\n").upper()
if value == 'TAKEOFF':
basic_takeoff(altitude = 5)
if value == 'LAND':
change_mode(mode = value)
if value == 'INC' or 'DEC':
change_alt(step = value)
if value == 'TRIANGLE':
side = int(input("Enter Side Length of the Triangular Path (in meters):\n"))
triangular_mission(side_length = side)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Source: Link
Note
WP_YAW_BEHAVIORis a parameter that determines how the autopilot controls the yaw during missions and Return To Launch (RTL).As the method used in the above code is completely based on the heading angle, the yaw behavior of the drone is set to
0(Never Change Yaw). You can change theWP_YAW_BEHAVIORparameter for other missions based on your needs by referring to the following table:
Value Meaning 0 Never change yaw 1 Face next waypoint 2 Face next waypoint except RTL 3 Face along GPS course
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Execution
To run the script triangular_mission.py, execute the following command on your terminal:
1
$ python triangular_mission.py
Output
Video Credits: Dhulkarnayn, Elucidate Drones
Note
Instead of using an actual drone, I’ve used ArduPilot’s Software In The Loop (SITL) simulation and Mission Planner as Ground Control Station (GCS) software. Mission Planner is one of the MAVLink supported Ground Control Station (GCS) software that runs natively on the Windows operating system. Also, you can able run Mission Planner on Linux and Mac OS using Mono.
Code Explanation
The python script triangular_mission.py helps to control any MAVLink supported drone to fly in a triangular path. The shape of the generated path resembles an Equilateral triangle. After the execution of triangular_mission.py, try entering any of the following inputs:
| Input | Description |
|---|---|
| takeoff | Takeoff |
| land | Land |
| inc | Increases the current altitude |
| dec | Decreases the current altitude |
| triangle | Starts the triangular mission |
Note
The main requirement for executing the above script is
dronekit. You can installdronekiton your device by executing the following command on your terminal if it’s not installed already3:
As all functions in the above program are self-descriptive, I’ll try to explain the following core functions:
Distance Calculation - distance_calculation()
The distance_calculation() function calculates the distance between two geographical locations using the haversine formula. For example, if you know the geographical coordinates (latitudes and longitudes) of two locations, you can able to calculate the distance between those locations easily using this function.
The distance_calculation() function returns the distance between two locations in meters and has the following parameters as input:
| Parameters/Arguments | Meaning |
|---|---|
| homeLattitude | Home Location’s Latitude |
| homeLongitude | Home Location’s Longitude |
| destinationLattitude | Destination Location’s Latitude |
| destinationLongitude | Destination Location’s Longitude |
Destination Location - destination_location()
The destination_location() function returns the geographical coordinate (latitude and longitude) of the destination by considering the input home location as a reference.
The location of the destination is determined using distance and bearing values from the home location.
Note
The major difference between
distance_calculation()function anddestination_location()function is that the former function returns the distance between two locations, and the latter function returns the location based on the distance and bearing.
The following are the list of input arguments/parameters in the destination_location() function:
| Parameters/Arguments | Meaning |
|---|---|
| homeLattitude | Home Location’s Latitude |
| homeLongitude | Home Location’s Longitude |
| distance | Distance from the home location |
| bearing | Bearing angle from the home location |
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Triangle Calculation - triangle_calculation()
This function will generate the geographical coordinates of the triangular path with the given side length. The calculation of the triangular path’s vertices is done by considering the exterior angle as bearing and side length as the distance for each side.
The triangle_calculation() function generates the triangular path by invoking the destination_location() function in loop thrice.
All the vertices or points are converted into geographical coordinates like this, and the three vertices of the triangular path are stored in an array.
The offset of 90° is decremented in the original heading angle to make the generated path form in the side of the vehicle’s heading. If this offset bias is not included, then the generated path will not be on the side of the heading. For avoiding this issue, the true north needs to be considered as a factor.
Note
True north (also called geodetic north or geographic north) is the direction along Earth’s surface towards the geographic North Pole or True North Pole.4
The following figure depicts the output setting the offset value as zero or without adding/reducing the offset values.
Image Credits: Dhulkarnayn, Elucidate Drones
Triangular Mission - triangular_mission()
The triangular_mission() function retrieves the array of locations from the triangle_calculation() function and then guides the vehicle to each location present in the array sequentially.
The while loop in this function continuously checks the distance between the vehicle’s current location and the next location until the distance approximately becomes 0.
Conclusion
In this article, I’ve tried to explain how to program your drone to fly in a triangular path using dronekit-python. I’m expectantly waiting for your valuable feedback and suggestions regarding this article.
At last, Sharing is Caring, feel free to share with your friends if you’ve liked this article. Thank you!
References
Equilateral triangle, Wikipedia. ↩
Sum of Exterior Angles of Triangle, Cuemath. ↩
Official Documentation, DroneKit-Python. ↩
True North, Wikipedia. ↩
