SWARM UAV IMPLEMENTATION USING RADIO LOCALIZATION ON GPS DENIED AREAS

Abstract

Swarming is a rapidly growing idea that is being implemented in UAV applications. Its effectiveness and efficiency in finding solutions or executing the desired task served as the main motivation for this study. Localization techniques are vital for swarm implementation and deployment since it one of the main determining factors in its performance. Vision systems have been widely used for localization; however, it may be costly as it requires multiple appropriate cameras. Another localization technique, which is explored in this research, is radio localization. This localization employs Ultrawide-Band radios to communicate with each other to return a target’s position with respect to several reference points.  The study presents a new collaborative UAV implementation deployed using radio localized systems for harsh or unknown environments. The study used the Loco Positioning System operating on the Time Difference of Arrival protocol to maneuver two UAVs in a workspace. The study determined how well the system can execute the desired flight path and the performance of the system in keeping the set distance between UAVs to avoid possible collisions. Results of the study showed that the proposed implementation was successful in maneuvering the UAVs flying 0.3 m apart.