Tethered UAV Relative Navigation for Moving Platform Station-Keeping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tethered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in mobility and precision navigation when operating from mobile platforms, as standard GPS solutions and RF transmitters are insufficient for maintaining precise position and altitude, especially when the platform is moving, leading to issues with tether management and potential tension on the UAV.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an optically guided precision UAS navigation system, an automatic Launch and Recovery System (LARS), and a tether break-away system, which enables precise relative navigation and control of the UAV to a mobile platform, allowing for precise launch, station-keeping, and landing, even on moving vessels, using sensors and digital processing to adjust propeller control and tether management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a tether is used to provide power and data to the UAV, then flight time is extended and payload capacity is increased, but the UAV's mobility and flight characteristics are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the tether length using a spool mechanism that can pay out and reel in the tether based on the UAV's position and mission requirements. This dynamic adjustment allows the UAV to maintain mobility while connected to the power source, resolving the contradiction between extended flight time and operational ease.
2Ease of operation
If the ground portion is stationary, then tether management is manageable, but precision navigation and station-keeping are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces traditional mechanical GPS-based navigation with an optical navigation system using vision sensors and computer vision algorithms. This optical system provides centimeter-level precision for navigation and station-keeping relative to the moving platform, overcoming the limitations of GPS while maintaining tether management capability.
3Device complexity
If standard GPS solutions are used for navigation, then the system is simple to implement, but precision is insufficient for tethered operations from mobile platforms
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an optical fiducial marker as an intermediary reference point on the mobile platform. The UAV's vision system tracks this marker to determine its position and orientation relative to the platform, providing high-precision navigation without requiring complex GPS infrastructure or increasing overall system complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If RF transmitters are used for navigation, then the system can operate without GPS, but the precision needed for tethered UAV operations is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces RF-based navigation with an optical vision-based navigation system. The UAV uses onboard cameras and computer vision algorithms to track visual fiducial markers on the mobile platform, achieving centimeter-level positioning precision while maintaining operational independence from GPS and RF systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are system and method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tethered from a mobile platform, the UAV system comprising: a UAV comprising one or more sensors, and one or more propellers; a tether attached to the UAV and to the mobile platform; a digital processing device comprising an operating system configured to perform executable instructions and a memory; and a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device to automatically control the UAV relative to the mobile platform comprising: a software module identifying the mobile platform; a software module estimating a real-time state of the mobile platform; and a software module automatically controlling three-dimensional real-time motion of the UAV based on the real-time state estimation of the mobile platform and data collected from the one or more sensors, such that the UAV is maintained at a predetermined position relative to the mobile platform.