Posted by Dave Skala on February 17, 2009 at 11:58pm
Good day everyone. I never post because I'm a busy guy but hey, let's take advantage of everyone's Expertise!!Here's my current project:We have contracts with Forestry related clients. Currently we haul Repeaters and cellular links up to 3000'AGL to supply them with instant radio/cellular communications. Our system is solar powered and stays aloft for about a week at a time.Recently we were asked to set up camera racks on a picovet for it and so the projects begin!We are using standard off the shelf Pan Tilt Zoom dome cameras (Like store security uses) with a 5.8Ghz downlink for video and pan. We control the system using a joystick and DVR / software package..Our issues so far.Leveling is ok with the Picovet system and keeps the rack fairly stable. Software will handle most of the bounce BUT sometimes the balloon does a complete 360! When this happens, we lose our targets. We will rarely go to full zoom (X30) and normally no more than X15 zoom.We are thinking of two options:Make a 360 pivot point with a slip ring system and a heading hold gyro that will rotate the entore camera dome when a gust hits... (or something like that)ORFigure out a way that a program in the controller could rotate the already exhisting pan of the dome to compensate for balloon drift. Maybe a compass lock sensor of some sort? but could it be piggybacked on that 5.8Ghz video signal??Ideas???? Want to help us?? or be a contractor for this project??Let us know.Thanks again,Dave SkalaAerosight.com
To me what would make sense to use would indeed be tilt compensated compass. A Gyro is very unsuitable for this use unless you compensate it using a tilt compensated compass because of drift.
Depending on how quickly the payload moves around its axis a compass only might be enough, if the movements are quick and swingy I'd go with a gyro+tilt+compass with filtering. Use the gyro for short term corrections and the compass for longer term heading hold.
Comments
Depending on how quickly the payload moves around its axis a compass only might be enough, if the movements are quick and swingy I'd go with a gyro+tilt+compass with filtering. Use the gyro for short term corrections and the compass for longer term heading hold.