Measurement + Control (Mar 2020)

Moving target tracking method for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned ground vehicle heterogeneous system based on AprilTags

  • Xiao Liang,
  • Guodong Chen,
  • Shirou Zhao,
  • Yiwei Xiu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/0020294019889074
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 53

Abstract

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Using the characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned ground vehicle, heterogeneous systems can accomplish many complex tasks cooperatively. Moving target tracking is an important basis for the relative positioning and formation maintenance of heterogeneous cooperative systems. This paper first introduces the unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned ground vehicle collaborative tracking task and heterogeneous system. In order to maintain the original stability of unmanned aerial vehicle, a control method based on SBUS protocol to simulate remote control is proposed. About unmanned ground vehicle with Mecanum wheel, a detailed description of control method is designed. For the problems of real-time performance and occlusion, a tracking scheme based on AprilTag identification is studied. The scheme tracks the Tag target in the case of no occlusion. When occlusion occurs, the scheme tracks the color feature around the Tag. The accuracy of the tracking algorithm and the problem of occlusion are greatly improved. Finally, the scheme is applied to the heterogeneous systems. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method is suitable for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned ground vehicle heterogeneous system to perform the collaborative tracking task.