High Accuracy Active Stand-off Target Geolocation Using UAV Platform

A method for high accuracy geolocation of a distant ground stationary target using UAV platform is developed. The UAV is equipped with electro-optical device and laser range-finder. Using the attitude and position of the UAV, the LOS angles, and the relative distance between target and the UAV, the target is localized in world coordinates. Compared with the one-shot localization method, the proposed method employs multiple angle measurements and range measurements of the target to mitigate random noise of the sensors. The target geolocation is calculated based on weighted least square estimation after data collecting. The main contribution of this paper is that the mounting error between the high accuracy navigation module and the electro-optical device is estimated as a byproduct, which has a serious effect on localization result if not been calibrated. The simulation result shows that the target is localized with an accuracy of 10 meters when the UAV is 4000 meters away from it.