Waypoint mission creation in Drone Programming - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Waypoint mission creation

Start Mission Setup

↓

Define Waypoints List

↓

Add Waypoints One by One

↓

Set Parameters for Each Waypoint

↓

Upload Mission to Drone

↓

Start Mission Execution

↓

Drone Flies to Each Waypoint in Order

↓

Mission Complete

This flow shows how a waypoint mission is created by defining waypoints, setting parameters, uploading to the drone, and then executing the mission.

Execution Sample

Drone Programming

mission = []
mission.append({'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100})
mission.append({'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120})
upload_mission(mission)
start_mission()

This code creates a mission with two waypoints, uploads it to the drone, and starts the mission.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Waypoints List	Drone Command	Output
1	Initialize empty mission list	[]	None	Mission list is empty
2	Add first waypoint	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}]	None	Waypoint 1 added
3	Add second waypoint	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	None	Waypoint 2 added
4	Upload mission to drone	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	upload_mission(mission)	Mission uploaded
5	Start mission execution	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	start_mission()	Drone starts flying to waypoint 1
6	Drone reaches waypoint 1	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	None	Reached waypoint 1
7	Drone flies to waypoint 2	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	None	Flying to waypoint 2
8	Drone reaches waypoint 2	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	None	Reached waypoint 2
9	Mission complete	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	None	Mission finished
10	Exit	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	None	All waypoints visited, mission ends

💡 All waypoints visited, mission ends

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	Final
mission	[]	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}]	[{'lat': 40.0, 'lon': -74.0, 'alt': 100}, {'lat': 40.1, 'lon': -74.1, 'alt': 120}]	Same as after step 3	Same as after step 3	Same as after step 3

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we need to add waypoints one by one instead of all at once?

Adding waypoints one by one (see steps 2 and 3 in execution_table) helps build the mission list gradually and allows setting parameters for each waypoint clearly.

What happens if we start the mission before uploading it?

If you start the mission before uploading (step 5), the drone has no waypoints to follow, so it won't fly the mission. Uploading (step 4) is necessary to send the mission to the drone.

How does the drone know when the mission is complete?

The drone knows the mission is complete after reaching the last waypoint (step 8), then it stops flying the mission (step 9 and 10).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table at step 3, how many waypoints are in the mission list?

A 2

B 1

C 3

D 0

💡 Hint

Check the 'Waypoints List' column at step 3 in the execution_table.

At which step does the drone start flying to the first waypoint?

A Step 4

B Step 6

C Step 5

D Step 7

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Drone Command' and 'Output' columns in the execution_table for when the mission starts.

If we add a third waypoint before uploading, how would the mission list look after step 3?

A Two waypoints only

B Three waypoints in the list

C Empty list

D One waypoint only

💡 Hint

Refer to the variable_tracker and execution_table to understand how waypoints are added.

Concept Snapshot

Waypoint mission creation steps:
1. Create empty mission list
2. Add waypoints with lat, lon, alt
3. Upload mission to drone
4. Start mission execution
5. Drone flies waypoints in order
6. Mission ends after last waypoint

Full Transcript

Waypoint mission creation involves making a list of points the drone will fly to. We start with an empty list, add each waypoint with its location and altitude, then upload this list to the drone. After uploading, we start the mission, and the drone flies to each waypoint one by one. When the drone reaches the last waypoint, the mission is complete and the drone stops flying the mission.