Proactive Guidance for Accurate UAV Landing on a Dynamic Platform: A Visual–Inertial Approach

This work aimed to develop an autonomous system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to land on moving platforms such as an automobile or a marine vessel, providing a promising solution for a long-endurance flight operation, a large mission coverage range, and a convenient recharging ground station. Unlike most state-of-the-art UAV landing frameworks that rely on UAV onboard computers and sensors, the proposed system fully depends on the computation unit situated on the ground vehicle/marine vessel to serve as a landing guidance system. Such a novel configuration can therefore lighten the burden of the UAV, and the computation power of the ground vehicle/marine vessel can be enhanced. In particular, we exploit a sensor fusion-based algorithm for the guidance system to perform UAV localization, whilst a control method based upon trajectory optimization is integrated. Indoor and outdoor experiments are conducted, and the results show that precise autonomous landing on a 43 cm × 43 cm platform can be performed.

Enumeration and instantaneous mobility analysis of a class of 3-UPU parallel manipulators with equilateral triangular platforms

In this study, several joint axis orientations on equilateral platforms and the limbs of 3-UPU parallel manipulators (PMs) are examined. The generated joint layouts for the platforms were matched with each other to generate and enumerate manipulator architectures based on certain assumptions. The structures of thus obtained manipulators are examined and limb types were determined. These limb types were analyzed using screw theory. The instantaneous mobility of the manipulators and the motion characteristics of the moving platforms are tabulated. The finite mobility analysis of one of the manipulators is performed using a software package as an example. Among several different 3-UPU PM architectures, 118 novel 3-UPU PMs with non-parasitic 3-degrees-of-freedom are significantly important. The classified 3-UPU PMs with determined motion characteristics can be used by researchers as a design alternative for their specific design task.

Experimental evaluation of a linear angular momentum multiplexed radio link for moving platforms

Linear angular momentum multiplexing (LAMM) has recently been proposed for high spectral-efficiency communications between moving platforms, such as between trains and ground infrastructure. We present performance results obtained from a scale experimental system comprising a 2 × 2 antenna system operating at 2.35 GHz. The link transmitted two independent video streams, using RF pre-coding and software-defined radios to modulate and up/down-convert the signals. Linear motion is introduced to demonstrate the translation-invariance of the technique. We interpret the measured data with the aid of an analytical model to show that crosstalk between the two channels is at levels low enough to consistently support the video streams without interruption. Specifically, our results show spectral efficiency is consistently higher when LAMM coding is enabled compared with an uncoded channel.

Free Space Measurement Device Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Modulating Retro-Reflectors under Correlated Turbulent Channel

Modulating retro-reflector (MRR), originally introduced to support laser communication, relieves most of the weight, power, and pointing requirements to the ground station. In this paper, a plug-and-play measurement device independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) scheme with MRR is proposed not only to eliminate detector side channels and allow an untrusted satellite relay between two users, but also to simplify the requirements set-ups in practical flexible moving scenarios. The plug-and-play architecture compensates for the polarization drift during the transmission to provide superior performance in implementing the MDI-QKD on a free-space channel, and the MRR device is adopted to relax the requirements on both communication terminals. A double-pass correlated turbulent channel model is presented to investigate the complex and unstable channel characteristics caused by the atmospheric turbulence. Furthermore, the security of the modified MDI-QKD scheme is analyzed under some classical attacks and the simulation results indicate the feasibility under the situation that the system performance deteriorates with the increase of fading correlation coefficient and the turbulence intensity, which provides a meaningful step towards an MDI-QKD based on the moving platforms to join a dynamic quantum network with untrusted relays.

Tension vector and structure matrix associated force sensitivity of a 6-DOF cable-driven parallel robot

This paper investigates the force sensitivity of 6-DOF cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) in order to propose a better force measurement device. Kinematics and dynamics for a CDPR of n-DOF are deduced and formulated, and algorithms for calculating the cable tension are developed. Then, by defining geometrical parameters related to the dimensions and configurations of the CDPRs, optimal methods for determining force sensitivity with respect to the structure matrix and twist vector of the 6-DOF CDPRs with two different moving platforms (i.e. a cubic-shaped, and a flat moving platform) are proposed. By using numerical examples integrated with external twists obtained from wind tunnel tests, simulations and analysis for the two type of 6-DOF CDPRs are carried out. The simulation results help identify the optimal dimensions that can be used to design 6-DOF-CDPR-based force measuring devices with high force sensitivity. Experiment validation is also conducted to verify the method proposed in this paper.

GNSS Signal Processing with EKF and UKF for Stationary User Position Estimation

Precise and accurate estimation of state vectors is an important process during position determination. In this study, Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) of stationary user, state vectors defined in Earth Centered Inertial (ECI) coordinate system, accompanied by GNSS measurement data. It is aimed to make estimations with methods. EKF and UKF methods were compared with each other. In this study, the effects of nonlinear motion analysis and linearization methods on state vector estimations were investigated. Thanks to this study, estimations of the positioning information required during the specific tasks of many moving platforms have been made.

On Using Lagrangian Drift Simulations to Aid Interpretation of in situ Monitoring Data

One key challenge of marine monitoring programs is to reasonably combine information from different in situ observations spread in space and time. In that context, we suggest the use of Lagrangian transport simulations extending both forward and backward in time to identify the movements of water bodies from the time they were observed to the time of their synopsis. We present examples of how synoptic maps of salinity generated by this method support the identification and tracing of river plumes in coastal regions. We also demonstrate how we can use synoptic maps to delineate different water masses in coastal margins. These examples involve quasi-continuous observations of salinity taken along ferry routes. A third application is the synchronization of measurements between fixed stations and nearby moving platforms. Both observational platforms often see the same water body, but at different times. We demonstrate how the measurements from a fixed platform can be synchronized to measurements from a moving platform by taking into account simulation-based time shifts.