title: Real-Time Multi-Target Localization from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
abstract: In order to improve the reconnaissance efficiency of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) electro-optical stabilized imaging systems, a real-time multi-target localization scheme based on an UAV electro-optical stabilized imaging system is proposed. First, a target location model is studied. Then, the geodetic coordinates of multi-targets are calculated using the homogeneous coordinate transformation. On the basis of this, two methods which can improve the accuracy of the multi-target localization are proposed: (1) the real-time zoom lens distortion correction method; (2) a recursive least squares (RLS) filtering method based on UAV dead reckoning. The multi-target localization error model is established using Monte Carlo theory. In an actual flight, the UAV flight altitude is 1140 m. The multi-target localization results are within the range of allowable error. After we use a lens distortion correction method in a single image, the circular error probability (CEP) of the multi-target localization is reduced by 7%, and 50 targets can be located at the same time. The RLS algorithm can adaptively estimate the location data based on multiple images. Compared with multi-target localization based on a single image, CEP of the multi-target localization using RLS is reduced by 25%. The proposed method can be implemented on a small circuit board to operate in real time. This research is expected to significantly benefit small UAVs which need multi-target geo-location functions.
authors.affiliation: Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China. wangxuan@ciomp.ac.cn.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. wangxuan@ciomp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China. liujinghong@ciomp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Jinghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China. zhouqianfei@ciomp.ac.cn.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. zhouqianfei@ciomp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Qianfei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: RLS; UAV; lens distortion correction; multi-target localization; real time