Drone Swarm
Hi guys, has anyone tried using the XBee module for a drone swarm? I’m using the XB3-24Z8ST XBee module. Initially, I set them to work in transparent mode, but I encountered some problems. The coordinator is connected to my computer, and three routers are connected to the UAVs. When I tried to connect them through Mission Planner, the connection was successful, but the system got stuck — it took more than 30 minutes to fully connect. I guess the problem was caused by the fact that all three UAVs were sending data back to the coordinator simultaneously.
I’ve only configured a few parameters related to addressing to make them work on the same network, and I used the IR parameter to adjust the data transmission frequency. I’ve read that switching to API mode might solve this problem, but I’d appreciate any suggestions to help solve it more effectively. Thanks!
May I suggest using the 802.15.4 protocol instead. A mesh protocol should only be used in this kind of application if nodes are going to be out of range of your master.
The XBee XR product offers the same options as the 2.4 GHz products. The Pro version or 19dB version of the module will draw about 110mA at 3.3V. This will be higher than the 2.4 GHz versions of the product which is around 60mW.
As indicated, I would suggest using the Multi-point code and Not the Mesh firmware for creating a swarm of drones. Mesh firmware options should only be used when the master is out of range of the farthest point. Doing it with the point to point,multi-point code, you will find that you can do what you want without additional delays.
First of all, thank you to everyone who replied earlier. I’ve tried using 802.15.4 instead of mesh, and it’s indeed faster than before. However, the problem still persists. When connecting Mission Planner with three drones, it takes 6-7 minutes to establish a connection. I’m not sure if this is normal or not.
@sanjaysparker27 Sorry for the delayed response. Currently, we’re in the process of selecting a module for telemetry instead of WiFi or LTE, and we’re uncertain if XBee is a good choice. At this stage, we’re focusing on testing hardware feasibility, so we haven’t started coding yet. In the future, we plan to develop a tool using MAVLink to observe flight data or change flight modes, replacing Mission Planner.
Here are a few questions I hope you can help me with:
Do you use Mission Planner for drone swarming? If yes, did you modify any parameters on the flight control boards? We suspect that the delay might be caused by Mission Planner transmitting too many unused parameters.
How do you configure XBee to ensure stability and avoid delays? Which mode do you use: API mode or transparent mode? What firmware version do you use: 802.15.4 or mesh? Are there any specific XBee parameters you’ve adjusted?
What roles do you assign to the XBee modules? Is the computer acting as the coordinator and the drones as endpoints?
Have you tested the maximum number of drones that can be supported in a swarm using XBee?
By the way, I’ve only changed parameters related to addressing to allow successful communication in the console window.
We’re beginners when it comes to XBee, so we still have many questions and are not as experienced as others here. I apologize for the delayed response and appreciate any insights you can provide. Thank you!
Special thanks to @mvut and @\michaelt for helping me resolve some earlier issues.
I would suggest leaving the CE and SM commands at default. Then set the modules addressing for standard Point to multi-point. You may want to use a combination of 16 bit and 64 bit for this. I would suggest setting the Master (PC side) to a 16 bit address of 1. Then set the remotes to use the destination address of 1. This will make it so that you don’t have to determine the address of each radio to assign by using the radios 64 bit address. Also all of your remotes will talk directly to the master.
As for the delays of up to 6 min, that is really something you may need to contact the software of the Drone Swarm you are working with. They would be the best ones to know if that is normal or not.
@lenting You gave a clear explanation about your objective and progress , If possible post the picture of your hardware setup to sanjaysparker27@gmail.com and we have tested a 4 drone architecture using SX 868 module for 870 Mhz and we did channel mask of 7F800 and network id 425 with broadcast transmits for 3 and Every drone will act as a Router in API mode
@sanjaysparker27 May I make sure what kinds of hardware setup you need? How I connect Xbee to drone? Xbee parameter lists? How I connect to mission Planner?
Yeh that’s exactly i asked
Bcoz i have used swarm in router mode and yours is different
So it will be useful if we share our knowledge regarding these
Send me your hardware setups and lets discuss this in detail