Calibrate Vision Sensors On The Phantom 4 To Fix Errors

Calibrating the vision sensors on your Phantom 4 is important. If the vision sensors and system is not working correctly, then the Phantom 4 quadcopter can experience height loss and drop quickly.

Also, the Phantom 4 will not recognize obstacles with a very real possibility of it crashing. So calibration of the Phantom 4 sensors is vital. Calibration will also fix quite a few Phantom 4 vision sensor errors.

Below, you will find the instructions to calibrate the vision sensors on the Phantom 4 using the DJI Assistant 2 app. There is also a terrific easy to follow video for calibrating the Phantom 4 vision sensors.

There is also instructions to calibrate the vision sensors using the DJI Go 4 app. This is a quick vision sensor calibration, which could fix errors while you are out in the field and have no access to the DJI Assistant software to calibrate the vision sensors.

Basically, you will be calibrating both the front and bottom vision sensors. You will hold the Phantom 4 and point the nose toward the screen. Next, you will line up corners to the onscreen boxes. You will need to complete both horizontal and vertical calibration of the Vision Position Sensors.

Please note that if calibrating the Vision Sensors doesn’t fix your Phantom 4 flight problems, you should also calibrate the Phantom 4 Compass and the Phantom 4 IMU. Don’t forget to check to see if there is a new firmware release as these can also contain fixes for flight problems.

Before the Phantom 4 Vision System calibration instructions, we have some information about the Phantom 4 Vision Positioning System and its sensors. This Vision Position System is terrific drone technology.

About The Phantom 4 Vision Sensors Positioning System

The main components of the Phantom 4 Vision System are located on the front, rear and bottom of the Phantom 4 and 4 Pro models.

There are 3 stereo vision sensors, 2 ultrasonic sensors and 2 infrared modules on the Phantom 4. The Vision System uses ultrasound and image data to help maintain the quadcopters current position. This allows it to hover very smoothly including indoors or where GPS is not available.

The Vision System is constantly scanning its surroundings for obstacles and is programmed to take a number of steps when it encounters an obstacle. It will either go over, fly around or hover in front of the obstacle.

Along with the ultrasound and vision sensors, the Phantom 4 also uses an Infrared Sensing System which consists of 2 X 3D infrared modules on both sides of the Phantom 4. These infrared modules scan for obstacles on either side of the quadcopter.

Note: It is a very good idea to read the manual before flying and especially become very familiar with the Vision Position System. There are certain modes in which the Vision System is turned on or off. There are also certain conditions such as low light where the Vision Sensors will not recognize obstacles.

Now, lets take a look at how to calibrate the Phantom 4 vision system. Read the instructions a couple of times and it will become second nature to you.

How To Calibrate The Phantom 4 Vision Sensors

Install DJI Assistant 2 software on your computer.
Make sure your laptop and Phantom 4 has fully charged batteries.
Remove the propellers from your Phantom 4.
Only calibrate the Vision Sensors when the light is good and never calibrate near or over reflective surfaces.
Connect the Phantom 4 to a computer using a USB cable.
Launch the DJI Assistant 2 which will recognize the connected Phantom 4.
Select Phantom 4 and click on Calibration on the left hand side.
Next window gives you the three steps involved with calibrating the VPS.
Click on the “Start Calibration” on the bottom right hand side.
Point the forward facing Phantom 4 Vision Sensors towards the screen.
You calibrate the vision sensors by moving the quadcopter so as to line up the corners of the red boxes to coincide with the corners of the blue boxes. So move the Phantom 4 forward and back from the screen to line up the corners of the boxes. Then wait a few seconds.
The next screen is a progress bar. Tilt your Phantom 4 up and down to fill in the vertical progress bar.
Next, tilt the Phantom 4 left and right to fill the horizontal progress bar. This will complete the calibration of the Phantom 4 front vision sensors.
Calibrate the bottom sensors by turning the bottom of the Phantom 4 towards the screen.
The battery compartment should be on your right side and the nose should point to the left while calibrating the Phantom 4 bottom vision sensors.
Calibrate the bottom camera vision sensors by moving the quadcopter either towards or away from the screen to align the red boxes to the corners of the blue boxes and then wait a few seconds.
Next, tilt the Phantom 4 quadcopter up and down to fill the vertical progress bar.
Tilt the Phantom 4 left and right to fill the horizontal progress bar.
After the completion of the calibration of the Phantom 4 VPS, the DJI Assistant 2 software will automatically calculate and apply the VPS calibration settings.
When calibration is successful, click the finish button in the DJI Assistant 2 software.

Top Article: DJI Phantom 4 Video Tutorials On All Intelligent Flight Modes

DJI Go 4 App Quick Vision Sensor Calibration

It is possible to do a quick calibration of the Phantom 4 vision system using the DJI Go 4 app. It isn’t the recommended option.

However, if you were out flying the Phantom 4 and you feel that it is not flying correctly and you don’t have a laptop with the DJI Assistant 2 app on it, then you could do the quick vision system calibration with the DJI Go 4 app.

To do this, tap on the Aircraft Status –> Vision Sensors and start the quick calibration.

Best Practices For Your Phantom 4 Vision Sensors

Keep sensors clean at all times. Dirt on the vision sensors could stop them working. Even a small bit of dirt would lessen their effectiveness.
Vision Positioning is only effective when the Phantom 4 is at altitudes of minimum 1 (0.3 meters) foot to 33 feet (10 meters).
The Vision System may not be able to recognize patterns on the ground in low light conditions (less than 100 lux).
Do not use ultrasonic devices with frequency of 40 KHz when the Vision System is in operation.

Note: If you need any components or accessories for your drone, then check out our DJI Phantom 4 parts, upgrades and accessories page.

DJI Phantom 4 Care Refresh

The Phantom 4 Care Refresh provides two replacement units for a small additional charge in one year and covers a wide variety of accidents, giving you greater peace of mind. Click on the below link to read the FAQ and pricing.

DJI Phantom 4 Care Refresh

To finish off, here is an excellent video with takes you step by step through the Phantom 4 Vision Positioning calibration.

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