Fluxgate Magnetometers Application Onboard UAVs Features

Abstract

The operation of flux-gate magnetometers (FGMs) onboard moving carriers faces several difficulties that limit their application in geophysics. Specifically, when FGM is used onboard UAV (such as drone) it has essential space rotation. As we show in the paper, it may create interference up to the value overcoming the useful signal. We show that the obstacles limiting the FGM sensitivity threshold are the FGM axes non-orthogonality and its sensors transformation factor non-uniformity. A possible solution of this problem is proposed: not to try to make these values as small as possible, but to determine them after production at thorough calibration and then use them at data processing. A new method to determine the real FGM channels mutual orthogonality deflection and transformation factors non-identity with given precision is described and experimentally confirmed.