I have a quadrotor with a maximum altitude of 160 feet, and a bottom mounted camera with a wide angle lens of 92 degrees. I'm wondering, at max altitude, what is the viewable land area it can see (in square feet). How would I determine this?
viewable distance from a camera stationed at a certain height (quadrotor)
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trigonometry
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0I presume you want to treat a flat area of land, disregarding the curvature of the earth? – 2012-10-12
1 Answers
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Draw the right triangle from the quad rotor to the point on the ground under it to the edge of coverage. The radius on the ground is $160 \tan 46$ assuming the 92 deg is the full angle.
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0Simple and correct; that's how I like it. +1 – 2012-10-12
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0Hmm, maybe the specification for the camera isn't right...if that's correct then at 160 feet the drone could only see a radius of 165 feet? – 2012-10-12
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0@mheavers: That is right. Tan 45=1, so the radius would equal the altitude. – 2012-10-12