J100 eLearning Course

Setting Up Flight Parameters for a Spray Mission – Agras Drone

Alex from Agri Spray Drones walks through setting up flight parameters for a spray drone mission. Starting with the selected field, he enters the "Operate" mode and accesses the parameter settings.

You can save commonly used settings as templates for future use. The droplet size (microns) is set first, based on the selected atomizer (e.g., 130–620 micron range). After confirming the atomizer type, set the droplet size (e.g., 500 microns).

Next is the target volume (GPA). The drone automatically adjusts its speed to match the selected GPA. For example, setting 70 GPA will limit the speed due to flow constraints, while setting 2 GPA allows higher speeds.

Set the operation height (e.g., 12 feet), and choose whether to enable terrain following. With terrain following enabled, the drone can adapt to elevation changes up to 98.3 feet. When obstacle avoidance is disabled, the drone can fly up to 50.5 ft/sec, though speeds above 32.8 ft/sec may void warranty in collision cases. Currently, 45 ft/sec is the operational max.

Corner Flow Rate:
This feature compensates for slowed pump flow during turns by increasing the pump output proportionally. The default setting is 1. Increasing this number multiplies pump output, but use with caution.

Enter/Exit Limitations:
These control drone behavior when entering or exiting a field. “Enable Imitation” allows terrain following, while “Fixed Altitude” disables it. “Ascend Only” tells the drone to stay at the higher altitude if it ascends due to obstacles.

Obstacle Avoidance:
Turning it off allows higher speeds (up to 50.5 ft/sec) and more flexible terrain following. Entry and exit speeds/heights can be adjusted separately.

Route Settings:
Set your route spacing (e.g., 32 ft) based on factors like droplet size, wind, speed, and GPA. Reference the Knowledge Hub for swath test data.

Angle Heading and Reference Boundary:
You can set the spray direction manually or use “Auto” for optimized direction. Use the Reference Boundary tool to align the route with a specific edge of the field.

Start Point:
You can set the drone’s starting point anywhere along the field’s edge, depending on spray direction.

Area Priority Planning:
This feature helps the drone plan more efficient paths when flying in and out of fields