Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can be used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. If a UAV is capable of flying automatically on a predefined path, the range of possible applications is widened significantly. This paper addresses the development of a waypoint navigation for an unmanned four rotor helicopter with a takeoff weight below 1 kg. The navigation information required for this is provided by an integrated GPS/INS system that is augmented by a baro-altimeter and a magnetometer. As a first step towards waypoint navigation, a position hold mode was implemented. In this mode, the helicopter is still controlled by the operator via a radio link. Without commands from the operator, the helicopter maintains its position regardless of wind disturbances. When a flight in a certain direction is commanded, the wind influence is compensated, too. Details of this algorithm, which simplifies the operation of the helicopter using only camera images from a video downlink, i.e. without direct line of sight, are given. Finally, a waypoint navigation was developed. Different approaches were compared in numerical simulations. Based on the findings of this analysis, the algorithm for implementation on the helicopter was selected. Flight test results are presented to illustrate the capabilities of this waypoint navigator.
Development and validation of a VTOL MAV waypoint navigator
Entwicklung und Validierung eines VTOL MAV Wendepunktnavigators
2006
8 Seiten, 4 Bilder
Conference paper
English
Development and Validation of a VTOL MAV Waypoint Navigator
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