Towards Autonomous Modular UAV Missions: The Detection, Geo-Location and Landing Paradigm.
Nowadays, various unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications become increasingly demanding since they require real-time, autonomous and intelligent functions. Towards this end, in the present study, a fully autonomous UAV scenario is implemented, including the tasks of area scanning, target recognition, geo-location, monitoring, following and finally landing on a high speed moving platform. The underlying methodology includes AprilTag target identification through Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) parallelized processing, image processing and several optimized locations and approach algorithms employing gimbal movement, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) readings and UAV navigation. For the experimentation, a commercial and a custom made quad-copter prototype were used, portraying a high and a low-computational embedded platform alternative. Among the successful targeting and follow procedures, it is shown that the landing approach can be successfully performed even under high platform speeds.
School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. sarkyritsis@gmail.com.
Sarantis
S
Kyristsis
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. a_antonopoulos@outlook.com.
Angelos
A
Antonopoulos
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. theofilos13@hotmail.com.
Theofilos
T
Chanialakis
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. emmanuelstef95@gmail.com.
Emmanouel
E
Stefanakis
School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. linardos_thegreat@hotmail.com.
Christos
C
Linardos
School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. atripol@mred.tuc.gr.|Space Geomatica Ltd., Chania 73133, Greece. atripol@mred.tuc.gr.
Achilles
A
Tripolitsiotis
School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania 73100, Greece. ppartsi@mred.tuc.gr.|School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Laboratory of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering, SenseLAB Research Group, Chania 73100, Greece. ppartsi@mred.tuc.gr.
Panagiotis
P
Partsinevelos
UAV; autonomous landing; search and rescue; smart-phone drone