Small Autopilot Sensors Needed for
Flight Control
The following sensors, while not brand new, have finally become
small and light enough to allow their use in UAV autopilots:
Magnetometer
Digital compass
Gyroscope
Measures rates of rotation
Accelerometer
Measures gravity
Pressure sensor
Calculates altitude, by measuring atmospheric pressure
Combined, these sensors create an Inertial Measurement Unit
(IMU).
Principles of Flight
The mechanics of
flight consist of some simple rules with com-
plex interactions. To understand them well, it wouldn’t hurt to
spend some time brushing up on Newton’s laws of physics.
When we talk about a force, what we mean is a simple push or
pull. If the forces working on an object are balanced—a push in
one direction met by an equal push in the opposite direction—
the object is stationary. If the forces are not balanced, the object
accelerates in the direction of the stronger force.
Weight/Gravity
Weight is the force on an object caused by gravity. The principle
of force is also sometimes called gravity. For something to fly, or
even hover, it must somehow continuously balance or overcome
the force of gravity (we’ll see how it does that in a moment).
Gravity is relentless—even a momentary loss of the opposing
force can bring the aircraft crashing to earth. One interesting
note about gravity we’ll be dealing with throughout the book:
Introduction 7
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