Visual Rotational Constraints of General UAS Configurations

This paper introduces an algorithm for determining the relative rotational limits of a camera along a given axis or set of axes for maintaining a known target within a defined visual field-of-view. An additional algorithm is given for identifying the axis and rotation from a set available rotational degrees of freedom resulting in the shortest transition of target visibility. Bound outputs are shown for a generic unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with a two-axis gimbal in simulation. A variety of illustrative examples are provided for applications involving a gimballed UAS.