Morgan, Hayden (Brigham Young University), Beard, Randal W. (Brigham Young University)

Visual Rotational Constraints of General UAS Configurations

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "UAS Applications III" (ThC4), Thursday, June 17, 2021, 17:20−17:40, Naoussa

2021 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), June 15-18, 2021, Athens, Greece

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 24, 2024

Abstract

This paper introduces an algorithm for determining the relative rotational limits of a camera along a given axis or set of axes for maintaining a known target within a defined visual field-of-view. An additional algorithm is given for identifying the axis and rotation from a set available rotational degrees of freedom resulting in the shortest transition of target visibility. Bound outputs are shown for a generic unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with a two-axis gimbal in simulation. A variety of illustrative examples are provided for applications involving a gimballed UAS.