A Nano-Quadcopter Formation Flight System Based on UWB Indoor Positioning Technology

Abstract

Research activities in the formation flight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have increased substantially in the last few years. The UAVs formation flight performance, such as drone light shows, is becoming more and more popular. Most of the UAVs, flying outdoors, is guided by GPS currently. While the indoor drone flight is difficult because of a lack of access to GPS, smaller spaces and obstacles like walls and ceilings. Based on the scene of autonomous formation flight of indoor UAVs, this paper designs and implements a nano-quadcopter formation flight system based on UWB indoor positioning technology. The system builds a three-dimensional positioning system for indoor and outdoor small areas with Ultra-wideband technology. The nano-quadcopters can fly in various formations autonomously with the guidance of UWB positioning system and formation flight control script. The system can be used indoors for formation flight, to demonstrate collaborative algorithms, and in the media for artistic shows.