N3 DJI Flight Control Unit (FCU)
The
DJI website (n.d) features the N3 flight controller which is part of the NAZA
series of DJI family of control units that caters to both industrial and
hobbyists drone applications. The function of the flight control unit is the
overall flight system and command of a drone that replicates the controls of
the pilot. The N3 system consists of a flight control unit, GPS compass antenna
and Power Management Unit (PMU).
The DJI
N3 flight controller is a reliable, robust, safe platform for custom built
drones, and it is highly recommended in operating in a densely populated
country like Singapore.
The
flight controller contains a dual Inertial Management Unit (IMU) for built in
redundancy which enhances flight reliability.
For example, if one of the IMU is down the secondary unit can regain
control which prevents the UAS from crashing or moving in an undesired
direction.
In addition, the flight control unit also has a
robust 8GB industrial black box that records performance and real time flight
data. This allows pilot to troubleshoot potential issues and fine tune the
aircraft for a safer flight. The aircraft can be configured using software such
as DJI Assistant 2 or phone application DJI GO. Singapore is known for to be a
concrete jungle that is densely packed with buildings hence it could risk a
signal lost or GPS jamming due to metal structures. Having a dual redundancy
system on a drone would be an important asset in drone operation in Singapore.
The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) can use the
GPS GNSS antenna to gain a reference to maintain a stable flight path during
operations. The customizability of the
N3 would also allow pilots to add other GPS compasses as a redundancy feature
so that if the first GPS compass loses signal, the secondary unit can quickly activate
to prevent the drone from deviating for its flight path. It is a CAAS
requirement for operators to provide details of drone flight path when applying
for permit. A GPS system would mean that drone would have a reference on its
positioning which would allow it to actively traverse its planned flight path.
The
N3 flight controller supports a wide spectrum of upgradability with DJI’s eco
system of products such as camera gimbals like the DJI Ronin-MX series and
flight devices such as Lightbridge 2 and TAKON™ series
for electronic speed controllers.
Its software feature
is a fault tolerance control that allow UAS to execute a controlled decent in
an event of an imminent crash. This is a notable safety feature that is built
into the flight controller that will not only minimize damage during crash but
would also prevent drones from gaining lethal momentum that could lead to
casualties.
Hence, this makes
the N3 DJI flight controller a formidable choice for drones to operate in
Singapore and adhering to the guidelines of CAAS.
A Straits
Times news article reports a drone had deviated from its planned route due to a
faulty positioning sensor which resulted in a crash on the grounds of One-North
Residences.
Lim, K.
(2024, July 24). Company suspended from drone operations after device
crash-lands on one-north condo grounds. The Straits Times.
Being a
drone operator myself incidents like these deeply resonates with me as this
undesired situation can happen to both new and highly experienced pilots. DJI’s
N3 flight controller has a feature called fault tolerance control which allows
the drone to execute a controlled decent in an event of a crash due to
propulsion lose with one or two of its rotors. The caveat is that this feature
would only work on hexacopters and octocopters as these drones have sufficient
rotors to stabilize themselves in an event of a propulsion failure.
If the
pilot experiences a propulsion failure while flying a quadcopter, he or she
would experience an inevitable crash. As drone systems get progressively
sophisticated packed with features like autonomous flying, tracking and the
ability to avoid objects with its sensors.
Safe operation and flying of the drone boil down to the skill of the
pilot. A drone may still lose GPS signal due to interference from jammers or
metal structures of the building that causes the drone to switch from GPS mode
to altitude mode.
Flying in
altitude mode would mean that your drone would be easily influence by wind
conditions which would flying more challenging. This makes the skills and vigilance of the
pilot the difference between a successful flight mission or a crash incident.
As the saying goes it’s not the plane but the pilot.
References:
Lim, K. (2024, July 24). Company suspended from drone operations after device crash-lands on one-north condo grounds. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/company-suspended-from-drone-operations-after-device-crash-lands-into-one-north-condo-grounds
DJI. (2019). N3 flight controller. DJI. https://www.dji.com/n3
Google AI. (2024). Gemini AI: Language model. https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini
Copilot. (2024, September 17). N3 designed for reliability and upgradability [Conversation].
DJI. (n.d.). N3. DJI Official. https://www.dji.com/sg/n3
DJI. (n.d.). Ronin-MX. DJI Official. https://www.dji.com/sg/ronin-mx
DJI. (n.d.). Lightbridge 2. DJI Official. https://www.dji.com/sg/lightbridge-2
DJI. (n.d.-a). N3 - product information. DJI Official. https://www.dji.com/sg/n3/info#video
DJI. (n.d.-b). Takyon z14120. DJI Official. https://www.dji.com/sg/takyon-z14120
UAVFordrone. (2020, May 17). DJI N3 flight controller for agriculture drone. https://www.uavfordrone.com/product/dji-n3-flight-controller-naza-series
DJI. (n.d.). DJI Lightbridge 2. DJI Official. https://www.dji.com/sg/lightbridge-2
GetFPV.
(n.d.). DJI N3 flight controller [Product Information].
https://www.getfpv.com/dji-n3-flight-controller.html
