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ComputersComputer Systems

Vision-Aided, Cooperative Navigation for Multiple Unmanned Vehicles

Authors: Jason K Bingham; AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
 
Abstract: The motivation of this research is to exploit three attributes of increased unmanned vehicle use for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. These attributes are increased numbers of unmanned vehicles, on-board vision, and wireless communications. The research begins with the development of a cooperative navigation system based on the measurement of vehicle position relative to shared landmark position estimates. Each vehicle in the network locates landmarks using it's on-board vision system and transmits the data to all other system vehicles. After receiving data from the other vehicles, the system fuses the landmarks with on-board measurements using a federated filter architecture. Simulations of the cooperative system, with and without ranging, are compared to a non-cooperative simulation. The comparison is performed using four platform motion scenarios: stationary, linear, angular, and full motion. The simulation results demonstrate position error estimate improvements of 0.5 cm to 1 cm. Additionally, the stationary and linear motion scenarios demonstrate attitude observability difficulties eliminated by the introduction of angular motion.

Limitations: APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
Description: Master's thesis
Pages: 210
Report Date: Mar-2009
Report Number: A548005
Keywords relating to this report:
*AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE
*COOPERATION
*DRONES
*INTELLIGENCE
*NETWORKS
*SURVEILLANCE
*WIRELESS LINKS
ANGULAR MOTION
AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DATA FUSION
ERRORS
ESTIMATES
INERTIAL NAVIGATION
POSITION_LOCATION_
THESES
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