Autonomous Hover through Vision Based Flight Control using the Parrot AR Drone Quadrotor
lachlan kenneth scott · The UNSW Canberra at ADFA Journal of Undergraduate Engineering Research · 2012
The issue of state estimation and autonomous hover of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) using Vision Based Flight Control (VBFC) techniques is considered. This project is a combination of the integration and application of current state-of-the-art VBFC research, and forms part of a larger overall study assessing the suitability of the Parrot AR Drone as a research tool for UNSW Canberra. The Image Interpolation Algorithm and its evolution the Iterative Image Interpolation Algorithm are combined with current research into visual anchoring using the Snapshot algorithm. A software package is developed capable of measuring both a UAVs translational velocity, and distance from a visual anchor point using optical sensors and an external height measurement. A Proportional-Differential (PD) controller is developed, and with the results for Optic Flow and Snapshot calculated from a real-time telemetry feed, is used to successfully eliminate the drift experienced during autonomous hover of the Parrot AR Drone. The Parrot AR Drone Quadrotor is assessed as a practical research tool for UNSW Canberra and fleet expansion is recommended.