Vision System Prototype for UAV Positioning and Sparse Obstacle Detection

Abstract: For the last few years computer vision due to its low exploitation cost and great capabilities has been experiencing rapid growth. One of the research fields that benefits from it the most is the aircrafts positioning and collision avoidance. Light cameras with low energy consumption are an ideal solution for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) navigation systems. With the new Swedish law – unique to Europe, that allows for civil usage of UAVs that fly on altitudes up to 120 meters, the need for reliable and cheap positioning systems became even more dire. In this thesis two possible solutions for positioning problem and one for collision avoidance were proposed and analyzed. Possibility of tracking the vehicles position both from ground and from air was exploited. Camera setup for successful positioning and collision avoidance systems was defined and preliminary results for of the systems performance were presented.