A.R. Bestugin1, I.A. Kirshina2, O.I. Sauta3

1–3 Saint-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (St. Petersburg, Russia)

The rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their widespread practical use put forward increased requirements for the accuracy and reliability of navigation information used in automatic control systems (ACS) of UAVs. At present, three navigation methods are most widely used to solve navigation problems for unmanned aerial vehicles – inertial, satellite and rangefinder; each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. The characteristics of navigation information (accuracy, integrity, continuity, availability) radically affect the operational capabilities, reliability and safety of UAV flights and, ultimately, determine the range of application of a particular UAV. The approach proposed in this work is focused primarily on the navigation of highly maneuverable UAVs in difficult navigation conditions characterized by an increased level of variability in the composition of the working constellation of navigation spacecraft and / or the working group of ground radio beacons.

The article presents a method for improving the accuracy and reliability of positioning highly mobile UAVs by forming algorithms for calculating correlation matrices of measurement errors in optimal filters for estimating state parameters based on the integrated use of inertial, satellite and rangefinder navigation methods, which are adaptable to their spatial orientation.

Algorithms for optimal estimation of navigation parameters, oriented to use in automatic control systems of UAVs, are proposed. A comprehensive method for assessing system state errors has been developed, which ensures an increase in the accuracy and reliability of navigation support for highly mobile UAVs at all stages of flight, especially under conditions of restrictions on the quality of radio technical data. The quantitative estimates of the characteristics of the developed method are given.

The use of the developed integrated method in the onboard equipment of highly mobile UAVs is promising for improving the accuracy and reliability of navigation support, which is important both when solving problems of UAV flight in a complex urban environment, and when providing information support for the landing of highly maneuverable UAVs, and, ultimately, reducing the likelihood of aviation accidents. 

Bestugin A.R., Kirshina I.A., Sauta O.I. Improving the accuracy and reliability of navigation information for the automatic control system of unmanned aircraft. Science Intensive Technologies. 2021. V. 22. № 8. P. 8−15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j19998465-20210802 (in Russian)

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