Autonomous Landing of a Quadcopter Using Real Time Kinematic GPS

Abstract

The ability to dynamically control quadcopters cheaply and robustly has advanced steadily over the past decade, thanks to cheaper processors and inertial sensors. Pre-cise localization, however, remains a challenge, as standard GPS receivers are only accurate to within several meters. We attempt to demonstrate that accurate autonomous landings can be achieved using Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS and relatively inexpensive hardware. Our primary goal is to successfully integrate the Piksi RTK GPS receiver and the Pixhawk autopilot system. Building upon open-source autopilot APIs, we develop a landing script that allows the quadcopter to land at a target completely autonomously. Results from flight tests indicate that RTK GPS allows for significantly more accurate landings, although reliable operation remains a challenge.