Voltage and current sensors and their roles
Current and voltage measurements in drones are essential for monitoring the electrical system’s health and power management of the drone, particularly the consumption and battery status. Let’s see how voltage and currents are measured using different onboard sensors:
- Current measurement:
- Sensors: Generally, a Hall-effect current sensor (for example, ACS712) is used to measure the voltage and current flow.
- Working: Hall-effect sensors detect the amount of magnetic field generated by the flow of current through a conductor. The sensor outputs an analog voltage proportional to the current strength, which is then read by the flight controller to make respective decisions.
- Interface: Analog voltage is usually fed into an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) on the flight controller, providing a digital representation of the current.
- Voltage measurement:
