AndyFR69 Posted at 1-7 08:03
Hello,
I am posting here because I need some help from you guys to help me understand DJI’s support respond after my drone crashed in the ocean. What I asked DJI support is why didn’t the bottom sensors intervene in order to avoid it crashing into the ocean
The conclusion of the analysis was : “ According to the conclusion of data analysis,
it was caused by the surface of the water which cannot be visually positioned. We kindly suggest that please read your user manual for the part of the manual visual positioning conditions.”
Is DJI’s argument valid?
The downward facing sensors are not magic and have many limitations.It is important to understand these limitations and the circumstances where the sensors might not be reliable.
DJI explain this on p18 of the Mavic Air manual:
Operate the aircraft with great caution in the following situations: a. Flying at high speeds below 1.6 ft (0.5 m). b. Flying over monochrome surfaces (e.g. pure black, pure white, pure red, pure green). c. Flying over highly reflective surfaces. d. Flying over water or transparent surfaces. e. Flying over moving surfaces or objects. f. Flying in an area where the lighting changes frequently or drastically. g. Flying over extremely dark (< 10 lux) or bright (> 100,000 lux) surfaces or towards bright sources of light (e.g. towards sunlight). h. Flying over surfaces without clear patterns or texture. i. Flying over surfaces with identical repeating patterns or textures (e.g. tiling). j. Flying over small and fine objects (e.g. tree branches or power lines). k. Flying at high speeds of over 11.2 mph (18 kph) at 3.3 ft (1 m)
At least they are honest enough to recognize that the drone could not identify that the water was an impact object.
My question: In what cases is the collision avoidance system, that is a feature that is very much publicized, can be useful if you have to avoid trees, water etc when flying? Is the drone supposed to fly only in the desert, in open fields etc?
The drone is fine for flying in many different situations but the pilot has to be aware of the limitations and when he needs to exercise proper care appropriate to the flying situation.
Do you find DJI’s answers valid or am I the only one considering that the anti-collision system did not do its job?
I think their summary is probably valid.
I would have to examine the flight data to see if there was any other important information.
Like always when it comes to support a manufacturer will find the perfect phrase lost in some kind of documentation in order not to repair or replace the device.
Page 18 of the manual is not hidden.
It's also not to avoid warranty claims.
It's there to warn you of the limitations of the vision sensors and when they might not be reliable.
Nevertheless, in some cases, like this topic, I saw that the devices crashed in the ocean have been replaced.
It would all depend on what cause the crash.
I might be wrong when I am blaming DJI. But I also might be not…
No .. it really looks like you are wrong this time.
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