A Method for Autonomous Navigation and Positioning of UAV Based on Electric Field Array Detection

Sensors (Basel). 2021 Feb 6;21(4):1146. doi: 10.3390/s21041146.

Abstract

At present, the method of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with traditional navigation equipment for inspection of overhead transmission lines has the limitations of expensive sensors, difficult data processing, and vulnerable to weather and environmental factors, which cannot ensure the safety of UAV and power systems. Therefore, this paper establishes a mathematical model of spatial distribution of transmission lines to study the field strength distribution information around transmission lines. Based on this, research the navigation and positioning algorithm. The data collected by the positioning system are input into the mathematical model to complete the identification, positioning, and safety distance diagnosis of the field source. The detected data and processing results can provide reference for UAV obstacle avoidance navigation and safety warning. The experimental results show that the positioning effect of the positioning navigation algorithm is obvious, and the positioning error is within the range of use error and has good usability and application value.

Keywords: UAVs; overhead transmission line; positioning and navigation; power frequency electric field sensor; power line inspection.