UAV Optical Tracking via Reflective Prism and Total Station
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for optically tracking unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during flight face challenges such as low positioning accuracy with GPS, obstacles preventing initial lock-on, and increased battery consumption due to hovering for reliable capture, which can fail when the UAV is displaced by wind or other factors.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a total station (TS) that obtains reference and UAV location information, calculates the UAV's direction, and uses this data to reliably lock onto the UAV by hovering and transmitting signals for capture, allowing efficient tracking and reducing battery consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UAV is made to hover immediately after starting flight to help the TS easily capture the UAV, then the reliability of capture is improved, but the battery power consumption increases and extra time is required
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective prism is attached to the UAV before flight in a position that is easily visible from the ground (top, bottom, or side surfaces). This preliminary preparation ensures that the TS can capture the UAV immediately upon takeoff without requiring hovering, thus resolving the contradiction between capture reliability and battery consumption.
2Device complexity
If the reflective prism is attached to the bottom of the UAV, then the device complexity is reduced, but the initial lock-on fails when obstacles are present or the UAV is on the ground
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective prism is attached to a local position on the UAV that is optimized for ground-based optical tracking (top, bottom, or side surfaces). This localized placement ensures that the prism remains visible to the TS during takeoff and initial flight phases, improving initial lock-on reliability without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Device complexity
If GPS independent positioning is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the positioning accuracy is insufficient for photogrammetry
Solution Approach 1:
A reflective prism is introduced as an intermediary element that enables the TS to optically track and determine the UAV's position. This mediator allows the system to achieve high positioning accuracy for photogrammetry without requiring complex onboard positioning devices, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively locks onto the UAV, ensuring accurate tracking and reducing battery consumption by optimizing the hovering phase and using location information for precise direction calculation, enhancing the reliability of optical tracking.
Implementation Method 1
The UAV has a reflective prism that reflects the searching laser light back in the incident direction, and the TS detects light reflected from the reflective prism to track the UAV
Implementation Method 2
a total station (TS) may be used to track a UAV in flight and locate the UAV by using its laser distance measuring function
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for reliably locking on a UAV in tracking the UAV by an optical device is provided. The location of a total station (TS) is measured, and location information of a UAV during hovering is obtained from a GPS unit that is mounted on the UAV. On the basis of the location of the TS and the location information of the UAV during hovering, the TS calculates the direction of the UAV as seen from the TS to capture the UAV.