Camera-guided real-time laser ranging for multi-UAV distance measurement

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a scalable laser ranger finder (LRF)-based prototype system, which enables distance measurement and precise localization of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in real-time. The system consists of a telescope and camera as the image acquisition components, supplemented by an LRF and a fast steering mirror (FSM) to obtain the distance measurement. By combining the optical path of the camera and the LRF through a dichroic mirror, the LRF is accurately aligned by the FSM based on the angular position of a UAV within the camera field of view. The implemented prototype successfully demonstrates distance measurements of up to four UAVs with a bandwidth of 14 Hz per object.