Mission Scenario: Pipeline Inspection
Objective
Inspect a 5km segment of oil pipeline for leaks or corrosion. The drone must fly a linear path but pause and capture high-zoom images at specific valve stations.
Vehicle Configuration
- Type: VTOL QuadPlane (for range and hover capability).
- Payload: Dual-sensor (Thermal/RGB) gimbal with 10x Optical Zoom.
- Speed: 15 m/s (Cruise), 0 m/s (Inspection).
- Altitude: 40m AGL.
Key Concepts
- Hybrid Flight: Using the efficiency of fixed-wing flight for the long transit, but transitioning to multicopter mode for detailed inspection.
- Region of Interest (ROI): Using
DO_SET_ROIensures the camera stays locked on the valve station while the drone maneuvers around it. - Zoom Control: Using
SET_CAMERA_ZOOMto get detailed imagery without needing to fly dangerously close to the infrastructure.
Mission Plan
| Seq | Command | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAV_VTOL_TAKEOFF |
Alt: 40m | Vertical takeoff to clear fencing. |
| 2 | NAV_WAYPOINT |
Lat/Lon: [Start of Pipe] | Transition to fixed-wing flight and begin patrol. |
| 3 | NAV_WAYPOINT |
Lat/Lon: [Valve Station 1 Approach] | Fly towards the first target. |
| 4 | DO_VTOL_TRANSITION |
Mode: 3 (Multicopter) | Transition to hover mode before reaching the valve. |
| 5 | DO_SET_ROI |
Lat/Lon: [Valve Station 1] | Lock gimbal onto the valve. |
| 6 | NAV_WAYPOINT |
Lat/Lon: [Inspection Point A] | Move to first viewing angle. |
| 7 | SET_CAMERA_ZOOM |
Type: Continuous, Val: 5x | Zoom in for detail. |
| 8 | IMAGE_START_CAPTURE |
Interval: 0, Total: 1 | Take a high-res photo. |
| 9 | NAV_WAYPOINT |
Lat/Lon: [Inspection Point B] | Move to second viewing angle (creating parallax). |
| 10 | IMAGE_START_CAPTURE |
Interval: 0, Total: 1 | Take second photo. |
| 11 | SET_CAMERA_ZOOM |
Type: Continuous, Val: 1x | Zoom out. |
| 12 | DO_SET_ROI |
Mode: 0 (Cancel) | Release gimbal lock. |
| 13 | DO_VTOL_TRANSITION |
Mode: 4 (Fixed Wing) | Accelerate back to cruise speed. |
| ... | ... | ... | Repeat for next station... |
| 50 | NAV_VTOL_LAND |
Lat/Lon: [Landing Pad] | Vertical landing at recovery site. |
Pro-Tips
- Thermal First: Use
SET_CAMERA_SOURCEto switch to the Thermal view during the initial approach to check for leaks (temperature deltas), then switch to RGB for the zoomed inspection. - Wind Alignment: When hovering in VTOL mode, ArduPilot automatically weathervanes into the wind to save power, but the ROI command keeps the camera focused on the target regardless of the vehicle's heading.