Multirotor UAV sensor fusion for precision landing

Abstract

PurposeIn relation to rapid development of possible applications of unmanned vehicles, new opportunities for their use are emerging. Among the most dynamic, we can distinguish package shipments, rescue and military applications, autonomous flights and unattended transportation. However, most of the UAV solutions have limitations related to their power supplies and the field of operation. Some of these restrictions can be overcome by implementing the cooperation between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of sensor fusion for autonomous landing of a UAV on the UGV by comparing the performance of precision landing algorithms using different sensor fusions to have precise and reliable information about the position and velocity.Design/methodology/approachThe difficulties in this scenario, among others, are different coordination systems and necessity for sensor data from air and ground. The most suitable solution seems to be the use of widely available Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Unfortunately, the position measurements obtained from cheap receivers are encumbered with errors when desiring precision. The different approaches are based on the usage of sensor fusion of Inertial Navigation System and image processing. However most of these systems are very vulnerable to lightning.FindingsIn this paper, methods based on an exchange of telemetry data and sensor fusion of GNSS, infrared markers detection and others are used. Different methods are compared.Originality/valueThe subject of sensor fusion and high-precision measurements in reference to the autonomous vehicle cooperation is very important because of the increasing popularity of these vehicles. The proposed solution is efficient to perform autonomous landing of UAV on the UGV.