Field-Testing of a Helicopter UAV Obstacle Field Navigation and Landing System
Matthew S. Whalley, Marc D. Takahashi, Amrdec, nbsp, Peter Tsenkov, Gregory J. Schulein, Chad L. Goerzen · AHS International Forum 65 · 2009
Flight test results and lessons learned are presented for a helicopter UAV low-altitude navigation and landing system. Results are given for both urban and natural settings. The navigation component uses a quasi-3D A* approach to route planning that enables maneuver through complex terrain using real-time sensor data. The landing component performs landings to sites that it determines to be safe based on air vehicle and user-defined landing criteria. The primary terrain sensor is a hemispherical LADAR.