A drone anti-collision system: Maintaining a fixed distance from a target during the flight

The purpose of this paper is the metrological characterization of the infrared distance sensor Teraranger One, developed and built by Terabee HQ, located in Saint Genis Poully, near Geneve. The purpose of this project is to give to the aircraft a frontal anticollision system based on the sensor in question, with the additional functionality of maintaining a fixed distance from the detected target. The control of the position in the frontal direction is maintained through maneuvers of pitch, which alter the relative height of the nose and the rear of the aircraft, allowing the latter to advance or retreat. The controls roll, yaw and throttle are not affected by this movement. Therefore, to obtain the control using a distance sensor it is sufficient that the latter is introduced in the control chain of the only pitch channel. In this way, the other controls will still be used, and their operation will be unaffected. It will therefore be possible to move the drone along a wall maintaining a fixed distance from it, with useful applications in isometric imaging or the use of drones for inspection.