The Influence of Ultra-Wideband Anchor Placement on Localization Accuracy

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Navigation Systems
• Sensor Fusion

Background:

• Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are often unavailable indoors, hindering Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) localization.
• Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transceivers offer a potential solution for precise indoor positioning of UAVs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of UWB anchor placement on UAV localization accuracy in indoor environments.
• To determine optimal configurations for UWB anchor deployment to maximize positioning precision.

Main Methods:

• Simulated and conducted various indoor testing scenarios with different numbers and positions of UWB anchors.
• Evaluated localization accuracy using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and standard deviation across 3D coordinates.
• Integrated a laser ranging sensor for altitude measurement in specific scenarios.

Main Results:

• UWB anchor placement significantly influences UAV localization accuracy.
• Increasing the number of UWB anchors improved overall positioning precision.
• Combining UWB with a laser altimeter yielded the best results, with RMSE < 18 cm on all axes and standard deviation < 4.41 cm.
• The laser altimeter reduced Z-axis RMSE to < 1 cm with standard deviation < 0.3 cm.

Conclusions:

• Strategic UWB anchor placement is crucial for accurate indoor UAV localization.
• A hybrid system combining UWB and laser ranging provides highly precise 3D positioning for UAVs in GNSS-denied environments.