Robust Target-relative Localization with Ultra-Wideband Ranging and Communication
This addresses the challenge of precise target-relative localization for autonomous drones, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing UWB and sensor fusion methods.
The paper tackles the problem of robust relative positioning and tracking of a target by a quadcopter using Ultra-wideband (UWB) sensors, achieving autonomous flight control in both static and moving target scenarios.
In this paper we propose a method to achieve relative positioning and tracking of a target by a quadcopter using Ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging sensors, which are strategically installed to help retrieve both relative position and bearing between the quadcopter and target. To achieve robust localization for autonomous flight even with uncertainty in the speed of the target, two main features are developed. First, an estimator based on Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is developed to fuse UWB ranging measurements with data from onboard sensors including inertial measurement unit (IMU), altimeters and optical flow. Second, to properly handle the coupling of the target's orientation with the range measurements, UWB based communication capability is utilized to transfer the target's orientation to the quadcopter. Experiment results demonstrate the ability of the quadcopter to control its position relative to the target autonomously in both cases when the target is static and moving.