Novel Method of Determining Vehicle Cartesian Location Using Dual Active Optical Beacons and a Rotating Photosensor

Abstract

A novel system for sensing the location of a vehicle in a region of interest has been implemented; it has applications for mobile ground or aerial vehicle navigation (or positioning) in environments where other types of environmental localization are absent (e.g., lack of radio or GPS signals). The system uses photodetection of encoded laser-beam pulses emitted from a pair of beacons to gather information and perform localization calculations with reasonable accuracy. Testing of the realized system has shown consistent results that are in line with predictions from the previous model simulations. The approach of using dual angle-encoded beacons is shown to be a valid methodology for determining relative location and orientation in a sterile environment. Future optimizations would increase the pulse rates of the lasers, the rotational speed of the beacons, and use mirrors or prisms to replace the rotating detector with a stationary one.