Indoor Navigation
Precise positioning is mandatory for autonomous navigation, and GPS signal is not sufficient for indoor areas. Therefore, an indoor positioning system is developed using SLAM with a stereo camera, 2D LIDAR, 1D LIDAR, and IMU. Two cascaded EKFs were implemented to deliver precise and synchronized position data to the controller. All computations are done onboard.
C++ / ROS
Precision
Specifically developed LIDAR integrated stereo camera SLAM produces %0.1-%0.2 translation error. It tracks the floor for height estimation but does not jump up when some objects appear on the ground. The UAV is able to sense objects and considers them for estimation without integrating a barometer.
Multiple UAV Applications
The system is used on three different drone designs and is capable to work with different stereo cameras or LIDARs. Drones were used inside hangars or warehouses for various POCs and completed numerous flights after sales.
Position Fix
The navigation core can also fix its position when it detects fiducial markers but it is not required. Additionally, the racks can be detected inside the warehouse and the drone fixes its position error using the racks' position and orientation.
