Three-Axis UAV Electro Optical Tracking System

Three-Axis UAV Electro Optical Tracking System

Three-axis uav electro optical tracking system is used to stabilize cameras or sensors on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).three-axis uav electro optical tracking system It compensates for movements and vibrations of the UAV and maintains a steady focus on specific targets or areas, which is important for applications such as surveillance, cinematography, and environmental monitoring. The three-axis gimbal can also work in a variety of conditions, including stormy weather, smoky environments, and high temperatures.

In the past, most experimental UAVs were limited to military affairs due to their size and complexity, but now they are widely applied to civilian fields. They are equipped with a wide range of mission-oriented sensors that provide valuable information for users. Among them, target tracking is one of the most challenging tasks because it requires precise control of the UAV and accurate measurement of the target position.

A number of solutions have been proposed to address the problem of UAV-based target tracking. Some of them are based on high-precision IMUs, 3D light detection and ranging (3D LDR) sensors, and differential global positioning systems (DGPS). However, these expensive devices are not suitable for the needs of many practical applications because they have a significant impact on the control accuracy and are difficult to install on small power and footprint UAV platforms.

This article focuses on an innovative approach to the problem, which uses the covariance matrix of Kalman filter (CKF) to improve the performance of target location estimation. It is implemented on a low-cost platform, and its accuracy is validated by simulation and flight experiments.

The UAV-target relative kinematics is given by the formula where l kh, l g are the lateral and longitudinal LOS angles of the UAV body frame B and the desired LOS angle of the target, respectively; and d r, e are the UAV-target angular displacement and the boresight error angle, which are controlled to be zero (e d 1).

To achieve a better stability of the camera, the gimbal system is fitted with a pan/tilt servo motor and an onboard computer. The gimbal system is designed to be integrated into the UAV and can support both day and night observation modes. The system can even function in harsh environments, such as rainy or snowy conditions.

For the flight experiment, a customized quadrotor was built and configured to support an onboard camera, a gimbal system, and a CKF-based target tracker. The system was tested by following a moving pedestrian at 0.9-2 m/s in various conditions, and it achieved an accuracy of +-9.34 pixels in azimuth and +-5.07 pixels in elevation. This is an excellent performance compared to the accuracy of commercial quadrotors. This system is a promising solution for UAV-based target tracking in practical applications. It is worth mentioning that this system is much less expensive than current solutions, and it can be easily integrated into most existing UAV platforms. It can also be easily modified to meet the needs of other missions, such as search and rescue.

Tags:electro optical systems | electro optical targeting system