Real-time Onboard Multi-sensor Navigation Systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in GPS-challenging Environments

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being increasingly utilized in wide range of applications in remote sensing, situation awareness, and mobile mapping. They have the ability to carry sensors, processors, transmitters, and imaging equipment and they have unique omnidirectional maneuvering characteristics. Safe operation of UAVs requires accurate positioning and navigation systems. Present UAV positioning technology is dominated by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) integrated with high-rate onboard inertial measurement units(IMU). Unfortunately, GNSS/IMU technology fails significantly in obstructed environments such as dense urban and indoor areas due to satellite signal blockage and IMU errors. This limitation currently prevents UAVs from being used to perform low-altitude tasks in complex obstructed environments.