Distance-based Autonomous Docking for UAV-MP in GPS-denied Environment

In this paper, we study the docking problem between a UAV and a mobile platform (MP) by estimating the relative position through distance information and its own displacement, and design the approaching trajectory for eliminating the need of any global positioning systems or other infrastructures. The main challenges of this problem are to estimate the relative position between the UAV and the MP and design controllers for the navigation trajectory control. Since the MP is not equipped with odometer and its motion changes from time to time, the UAV is iteratively navigated using the estimated relative positions to make it infinitely close to the MP, so that the MP finally enters the field of view of the camera and accomplishes the autonomous docking. A simulation experiment is carried out and the theoretical results are verified.