An Open-Source Quadcopter for Wind Field Surveying

In this paper we present a custom-built open-source quadcopter that has been designed and equipped with accurate high-quality wind and location sensors to carry out wind field surveys. Moreover, we present a novel estimation and control framework that allows the quadcopter to maintain a constant altitude, and use multiple sensors-namely, a time-of-flight sensor, a barometer, a GNSS module, and an IMU-to estimate its altitude and adapt to diminishing battery levels. We demonstrate that the altitude estimation and altitude hold control system works in an outdoors flight and present experimental wind surveying data.