A drone to monitor fencing and woodland - suggestions welcome

[snappy]

Hi, I'm interested in using a drone (and I favoured the Typhoon H Pro) to monitor my perimeter fencing - for stuck sheep and fallen branches. The area totals around 30 acres. It's hilly. And the trees are mature deciduous - up to 80ft. The trees overhang the fencing - but are obviously not on it. I also need to walk through an avenue of beech trees to get to some of the boundaries and would like the drone to fly through it - ie under the canopy.
Reading some of the posts here I noted that Intel RealSense could not cope with this scenario - because to avoid an obstacle it rises, and for much of the fencing the drone might not be able to get close enough for me to see whether I need to go there myself. If one turned off RS would I be able to pilot the drone where it is needed .. and get close to the fencing (Under the overhanging branches) to see whether the sheep is stuck or just temporarily put its head through the fence? Any thoughts/advice welcome, including how relevant RS might be in my situation. Thank you.

 

[AH-1G]

I don't have real sense, however I have flown under a canopy of trees while the GPS is on, it's a challenge at times to navigate.
You can fly with GPS off but, it's also a challenge especially with wind. Much harder to control.

 

[Steve Carr]

I think the only practical way to do this on a consistent and timely basis would be to fly over the trees with the camera looking down. You could program a CCC route and save it so that you could fly that route (or several different routes) repeatedly in autonomous mode.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

OTOH, if in fact you do need to work at under canopy height, I would actually suggest you consider starting smaller... you can find a refurbished Q500 for $350 on eBay. That way you can get used to flying the bird without GPS, while risking much less of an investment. Later on as you gain skill and confidence, you can then move up to a Typhoon H.

Based on your description, I do not think RS would be useful.

 

[DCH]

Steve's idea is a sound one and maybe your best bet with an H.
With RealSense (RS) you also get IPS (indoor positioning), and I have found that to be a very good way to fly under trees outside as well, even in somewhat breezy conditions with very good stability. In actuality I have used IPS much more often than the RS itself. It's limitation is altitude, which is around 40' AGL before it looses visual lock on the ground.

 

[snappy]

Thanks for replies. Regarding looking down above the trees - that's ok when no canopy, but for 6 months it may be too dense. I did wonder about telephoto/zoom lens as a solution so that I don't pass under trees.
The idea of using IPS does sound interesting, and the altitude limit I do not think would be problematic. I will research this further. Can one get IPS without RS?
The idea of setting up a route also appeals as my boundaries do not change.
Thanks again.

 

[DCH]

IPS is a function of the Real Sense module, and the hardware (Camera & ultra sonic sensors) are built into it. You can add the RS module to any H, super simple installation.

 

[Steve Carr]

I did wonder about telephoto/zoom lens as a solution so that I don't pass under trees.

Are you planning to use the screen for searching or reviewing the video after a flight? A zoom while flying is of limited value unless you stop and zoom in. You can do the same thing by recording video and view it in high resolution after the flight on a large screen.

 

[PatR]

Might efficiency be gained by installing a 12v power wire and ground on the perimeter fencing to permit installation of a wireless video surveillance system that could be viewed from the comfort of your home? More up front labor and expense but a much better long term solution.

 

[snappy]

Hi, With regards to Steve's helpful comments, I would say that I'd be out in the field and would want to go and check in detail should the camera info suggest an issue. Therefore I would not be looking at video after the fly past. It might just be that the usual video image is sufficient - but does the camera use 55mm lens or is it wide angle and so push the image further back? Even so the image quality on the st16 I would hope will be sufficient to indicate whether I need to inspect the situation.

 

[AH-1G]

Here's an image of a few cows. I was about 125', I think?
hope this helps with your decision.

 

[snappy]

Thanks AH-1G for taking the trouble to post a pic. Image looks great, especially if the drone was at a lower altitude. My land have sheep on and the fencing is rather less obvious - but I feel that at the right altitude and distance from the fencing, given the sheep are white and so more visible, I may be able to live with not approaching the canopy edge. As for tree branches falling down - they usually fall further into the field, although some do just fall on to the fence and project very little into the field. The problem here would be spotting the fallen branches where they do not extend into the field - maybe I'd just live with that.

 

[snappy]

I have just discovered a video on
dronesonvideo.com/intel-realsense-3d-camera-drone/

which shows RS being used to navigate through heavily wooded area. This is what I'd like. I thought this would be possible with the H Pro. It seems to ignore any need to fly above the canopy. It simply flies through it as I might walk through it.
How was this achieved? And can it be replicated with the H Pro?

 

[Steve Carr]

That appears to be a demonstration video produced 3 yrs ago. Any demo video comprised of short clips usually means the crashes have been edited out.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Yeah, the Typhoon H with RS will not in any way operate as shown in that video. I tend to agree with @PatR that the best route might be a multi camera surveillance setup. You might find that it could cost less than a full boat Typhoon H with support gear. Another thing to consider is the sound; many animals get spooked when something like a hexacopter is in ear shot. A sheep stuck in a fence might get harmed if suddenly trying to bolt away from such a sound but then again I am not familiar with them and perhaps you've already thought of that.

 

[AH-1G]

@snappy
So here are few pics using my H, with obstacle avoidance only. Did this couple of hours ago.
Here's what I've learned.
Picture 1. Will only pick up a large objects, (such as this tree trunk) and give a very commendably warning, beeps and other noises. You can also view this on your monitor. If you are a slight degree off, it will not sense it.



Picture 2. Small weeds as this, was very hard to detect. once I centered the H directly in the masses of leaves it finally gave me the warning. Again if I was slightly of target, kaboom, there goes my H dive bombing into the green pasture of weeds.


Picture 3. Here I'm 425 feet away, at this altitude (20 feet) I could barely see the H, so I decide to head back.


This gives you glimpse of what I was traversing. I'm sure the density where you are is much thicker?
My suggestion, If you want real sense, it needs to have a minimum sensing of 4 foot diameter 3 sides if not all sides..
My obstacle Avoidance would not pick up small branches. Go with @PatR suggestion, you'll save money and less stress.

 

[AH-1G]

So if you ever notice when they are giving demonstrations of real sense, they use large tree trunks, and branches, but put a small branch out there, Kaboom!

 

[DCH]

@AH-G1, my RS works way better than yours for some reason, have no idea why. Mine has no problem sensing any of the items you described well in advance, even the slightest obstacles like the leafless branches of a bush or tree, which would only present a spiderweb like image to it. Won't go near it.

I have used it to inspect my HAM antennas and it even balks at my wire antenna strung out nearly horizontally if I approach it at the same altitude, and with the insulation that's less than 1/4". This is not 100% of the time, but the fact that it does see it sometimes indicates it is very sensitive.

The biggest problem I have with RS in the woods is maintaining GPS lock thru the canopy of the dense conifer forest. The H really needs to see a good sized piece of the sky for GPS to be happy. That's why I rely on IPS in the woods. This could also be a problem for @snappy during the leafy time of year. Bottom line, I agree with @Ty Pilot and the camera system idea would be cheaper than an H bundle. However you can't fly a camera system so what's the fun in that?

Here is a leafless Elderberry tree as close as RS will let me get. I have to steer really wide for it to pass, so it seems to have decent side vision.

 

[AH-1G]

@DCH
I only have forward obstacle avoidance unlike your Real Sense.
On a side note, my dad was Ham during the cold war, I found postcards of people he had in contact behind the Iron curtain, including USSR.
He was ASA. I cannot get any info from Pentagon until 2026 and if they decide to release any info. He was a recipient of 5 Bronze Stars. Nice funeral though, An officer was there with 4 Bronze Stars.

 

[DCH]

Yes, I don't know what to make of the difference. Stupid question I hate to ask a seasoned operator, but is the front of the RS unit free from scratches, dust and fingerprints?