Use of Laser Range Scanners for Precise Navigation in Unknown Environments

A.K. Vadlamani, M. Uijt de Haag

Abstract:	In order to enable the operation of both civil and military Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Inhabited Aerial Vehicles (IAVs) at any time in any environment, a Precision Navigation, Attitude and Time (PNAT) capability is required. This capability should be robust and not solely dependent on the Global Positioning System (GPS). This paper discusses a technologically dissimilar backup system to GPS that enables continuity of operation in the event of a loss of GPS positioning capability. The method proposed in this paper achieves this goal by loosely integrating Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) measurements and range measurements from multiple Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS) sensors. The proposed navigation algorithm is evaluated using flight test data from Ohio University’s DC3 aircraft and synthesized ALS measurements. Presently, position accuracies of about 1 meter/minute are achieved with this system.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2006) September 26 - 29, 2006 Fort Worth Convention Center Fort Worth, TX
Pages:	1104 - 1114
Cite this article:	Vadlamani, A.K., de Haag, M. Uijt, "Use of Laser Range Scanners for Precise Navigation in Unknown Environments," Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2006), Fort Worth, TX, September 2006, pp. 1104-1114.
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