UTILIZATION OF ULTRASONIC SENSORS ON DRONES AND ANALYSIS OF THEIR ACCURACY

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, have become an increasingly important part of modern technological systems. Over the last decade, their development has accelerated significantly, mainly due to advances in electronics, embedded systems, sensor technologies, and autonomous control algorithms. Today, drones are no longer limited to recreational use; they are widely applied in industrial inspection, agriculture, environmental monitoring, rescue operations, terrain mapping, logistics, and security applications.
One of the key aspects influencing drone performance is the implementation of sensor systems. Sensors provide essential information about the surrounding environment and the current state of the aircraft. Without reliable sensor data, autonomous flight, stabilization, and obstacle detection would not be possible. Modern UAV platforms typically integrate multiple sensing technologies such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, GPS modules, optical cameras, LiDAR systems, infrared sensors, and ultrasonic sensors.
Among these technologies, ultrasonic sensors represent one of the simplest and most affordable solutions for short-range distance measurement. Their low weight, compact dimensions, and relatively low power consumption make them suitable for integration into lightweight drone platforms. Ultrasonic sensors are most commonly used for altitude stabilization, automatic landing, obstacle avoidance, and indoor navigation, where GPS signals may not be sufficiently accurate or available.
The operating principle of ultrasonic sensors is based on the transmission and reception of high-frequency sound waves. After the emitted acoustic signal reflects from an obstacle, the sensor evaluates the return time of the reflected wave and calculates the distance between the sensor and the object. Although the principle itself is relatively simple, measurement accuracy may be influenced by several environmental factors, including temperature, air humidity, wind, surface material, and the geometry of the measured obstacle.
Despite certain limitations, ultrasonic sensors continue to be widely used in educational, experimental, and low-cost UAV systems. Their advantages are particularly evident in applications that require reliable short-range measurements without the need for expensive hardware.

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the use of ultrasonic sensors in drone systems and experimentally evaluate their accuracy in practical distance measurements. The experimental part of the study focuses on the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor connected to an Arduino Uno microcontroller. Measurements were performed under controlled indoor conditions at various distances in order to compare measured values with actual distances and assess the suitability of the sensor for drone applications.