Self-localization of a tethered quadcopter using inertial sensors in a GPS-denied environment

This paper presents a novel approach to estimate the relative position of an aerial vehicle that is connected to a fixed location on the ground through a taut tether of varying length. The onboard commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS) inertial sensors are the only source of sensory data used for the proposed approach. A three-dimensional (3D) dynamics model of the tethered quadcopter system is presented illustrating the use of the cable force in estimating the relative position of the aerial vehicle. We demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach in software simulations. The results show the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed approach.