An Observable UAV 3D Positioning and Orientation Alignment System Assisted by Single AoA Anchor

Globecom, pp. 6244–6249

Abstract

The utilization of sensing signals from multiple anchors for three-dimensional (3D) spatial localization represents one of the commonly employed wireless localization techniques for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-denied environments, which has been extensively investigated. However, this methodology typically necessitates more than three anchors with distinct spatial distribution characteristics, coupled with precise alignment between the UAV local coordinate system and the global reference frame. These stringent requirements are often challenging to meet in practical operational scenarios. In this work, we explore an observable UAV 3D self positioning and orientation alignment of local coordinate system supported by only one angle of arrival (AoA) anchor, with significantly reduced implementation cost and complexity. We first proved the observability of designed positioning system with a static anchor which is the new theoretical limit supporting observable UAV positioning on minimal anchor number, and can significantly reduce the requirement for anchor number in practical positioning applications. Then, we develop an efficient two-layer iterative algorithm for the estimation problem which provides real-time positioning estimation with extremely low computing cost. Finally, numerical results confirm that the proposed scheme has high positioning accuracy and strong robustness to measurement noise.

Authors 5

1. Peng Wu

   Wuhan University

   Affiliation as printed

   Wuhan University,School of Electronic Information,China

2. Xiaopeng Yuan Aachen INDA Chair

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,INDA Chair,Germany

3. Zhiwei Bao

   Wuhan University

   Affiliation as printed

   Wuhan University,School of Electronic Information,China

4. Yulin Hu

   Wuhan University

   Affiliation as printed

   Wuhan University,School of Electronic Information,China

5. Anke Schmeink Aachen INDA Chair

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,INDA Chair,Germany