A Vision Based Geolocation Tracking System for UAV's

The design and implementation of a vision based geolocation tracking system for uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV’s) is described. The UAV components include the avionics, ground station, and a gimballing camera with feedback isolation and command loops. The point of interest is locked in the camera image by maintaining the center of the image frame-to-frame. An architecture for a geolocation tracking estimator is developed and demonstrated. The estimator has the unique characteristics of being 1) modular so that it can work with different camera systems and different UAV components; 2) able to compensate for random and bias uncertainties in the UAV hardware components; 3) able to run in real time on a relatively slow processor; and 4) able to deliver an accurate estimate of the location and uncertainty of the object being tracked. Flight results using the SeaScan UAV show excellent results for two and three dimensional tracking of stationary and moving targets.