Cooperative Localisation of a GPS-Denied UAV using Direction of Arrival Measurements

TL;DR

This paper presents a method for localizing a GPS-denied UAV by using direction of arrival measurements from a nearby GPS-equipped UAV, employing semidefinite programming and alignment algorithms validated through flight data and simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel localization approach combining DOA measurements with optimization techniques for GPS-denied UAVs, including a three-agent extension.

Findings

High localization accuracy demonstrated in flight tests

Effective use of semidefinite programming and Procrustes alignment

Extension to multi-agent scenarios explored

Abstract

A GPS-denied UAV (Agent B) is localised through INS alignment with the aid of a nearby GPS-equipped UAV (Agent A), which broadcasts its position at several time instants. Agent B measures the signals' direction of arrival with respect to Agent B's inertial navigation frame. Semidefinite programming and the Orthogonal Procrustes algorithm are employed, and accuracy is improved through maximum likelihood estimation. The method is validated using flight data and simulations. A three-agent extension is explored.