An exploratory study of drone flight path replication with visual positioning checking

• Main Authors: Ket, Lee Yoon, Seng, Eu Kok, Yang, Looi Zheng, Heng, Chiew Tsung, Ming, Chang Kai, Jan, Ong Jia, Huann, Goh Yeh
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerial photography; Cameras; Closed circuit television; Drone aircraft; Drones; Flight; Flight paths; Global positioning systems; GPS; Indoor environments; Patrols; Replication; Satellite navigation systems; Surveillance; Visual flight
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0126079

Drones have been used in many areas ranging from aerial photography, search and rescue, precision agriculture, geographic mapping to goods delivery. As drones are equipped with sensors and a camera, which enables them to have great potential in surveillance applications. Drones can play an important role in the ever-rising needs of security surveillance and complement the limitation of closed-circuit television (CCTV). CCTVs have camera dead zone or blind spots because they are fixed in a position. In contrast, drones have the mobility to perform the patrolling tasks and cover the blind spots of CCTVs. And most importantly, this could also reduce the labour cost in patrolling. Based on the review, drones use waypoint global positioning system (GPS) navigation technology for its movement control. This existing technology cannot be used in indoor environments such as corridor, indoor pathway, and canopy walkway environments because the GPS signals from the satellites are attenuated and scattered by roofs and walls. In order to enable drones to perform patrolling tasks in indoor pathway environments, a flight path replication method is studied and evaluated in this paper.