On-Board Applicability of Mems-Based Autonomous Navigation System on Agricultural Aircrafts

Abstract

In practical terms of agricultural flights, the success of the mission has been largely determined by the airmanship, experience and visual reference of the pilot. By using microelectro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices, a complex onboard system can be designed which increases flight safety and improves the efficiency of pest control. With the help of dead reckoning navigation system using MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes, the spatial attitude and geographic location of the aircraft can be obtained. By measuring the surrounding local air pressure and applying the mathematical model of particular aircraft types´ vortex and stream systems and the properties of the pesticides deployed the accuracy of the crop spraying can be improved while the spraying device can be operated automatically in a control loop. With real-time data processing the pesticide coverage is more uniform, the overlap spraying of the fields can be avoided, and the lateral distance limit between fields and urban built-up areas can be better controlled. It follows that the environmental load can be decreased and the usage of chemicals and pesticides can be optimized.