Modeling the influence of external influences on the process of automated landing of a UAV-quadcopter on a moving platform using technical vision

Abstract

This article describes a series of experiments in the Gazebo simulation environment aimed at studying the influence of external weather conditions on the automatic landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a moving platform using computer vision and a previously developed control system based on PID and polynomial controllers. As part of the research, methods for modeling external weather conditions were developed and landing tests were carried out simulating weather conditions such as wind, light, fog and precipitation, including their combinations. In all experiments, successful landing on the platform was achieved; during the experiments, landing time and its accuracy were measured. The graphical and statistical analysis of the obtained results revealed the influence of illumination, precipitation and wind on the UAV landing time, and the introduction of wind into the simulation under any other external conditions led to the most significant increase in landing time. At the same time, the study failed to identify a systemic negative influence of external conditions on landing accuracy. The results obtained provide valuable information for further improvement of autonomous automatic landing systems for UAVs without the use of satellite navigation systems.