Testing the range and accuracy of Ultra Wideband (UWB) devices for UAV localization applications.
Categories Project, Publication
Presented Fall 2017 Air Lab research at Carnegie Mellon University’s “Meeting of the Minds” on May 9, 2018.
A key problem in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigation is simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Ultra Wideband (UWB) localization systems present a partial solution, because they are highly effective in featureless dynamic environments. This study sought to understand the accuracy, range, and localization capabilities of two UWB products: the commercial Posyx system and a custom-built Arduino Pro Mini connected to a DecaWave1000 UWB transmitter and receiver. UWB ranging is advertised as accurate down to intervals of 10 cm. We confirmed this with both the Arduino and Posyx. We found that ranging accuracy and maximum range for the Arduino devices was optimal when their DW1000 antennas were oriented vertically upwards with the following internal driver settings: 128 character preamble length, 6.8 Mbps data rate, and 16 MHz pulse frequency. We also determined that the Posyx is a far superior device for practical use, because its maximum, unobstructed range is significantly greater than that of the Arduino. We also conducted multiple field tests with the Posyx devices and confirmed the system’s viability for UAV mapping. This research is the first step in a larger study that seeks to fuse UWB technology, visual odometry, inertial navigation systems (INS), GPS, and other positioning technologies to achieve robust SLAM for UAVs.