Infrared Localisation for Indoor UAVs

This paper describes an Infrared Local Positioning System (IR-LPS) designed for indoor UAV use. Directional receivers scan the local environment for active tags that emit a unique (to each tag) IR signal. The system is constructed from inexpensive off the shelf components and requires no room calibration when introduced to a new environment. The IR-LPS is capable of three-dimensional dynamic tracking of a UAV with minimal PC processing power required. This allows for multiple systems to be run from a single PC or for the system to be battery powered and run on an embedded PC. The IR-LPS was implemented and evaluated in a large open space laboratory and provided localisation with less than 1cm error at 2m and with a range of 30m.

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