Modeling the process of autonomous landing of a uav quadcopter on a moving platform using an infrared optical system

Purpose of research. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the UAV automatic landing system on a mobile platform using an infrared beacon based on criteria for landing accuracy and maneuver success at various altitudes. Methods. Modeling the process of movement of a complex object (UAV) in the Gazebo environment using the ROS ecosystem. The positioning of the UAV is based on a mathematical model of an infrared beacon consisting of four pairs of emitters. The landing algorithm includes adaptive PID controllers for the X and Y coordinates and a logo polynomial controller to ensure the descent of the UAV along the Z axis. Results. The UAV landing was tested 50 times from heights of 5 m, 10 m and 15 m. At a height of 5 m, the landing time was 9.04 seconds (0.504 sec deviation), the error was 0.18 m (0.035 m deviation), the success rate was 100 %. At 10 m, the time increased to 19.17 seconds (1.78 sec deviation), the error was 0.19 m (0.036 m deviation), the success rate remained 100 %. At 15 m, the time increased to 40.45 seconds (5.502 seconds deviation), the error was 0.21 m (0.046 m deviation), the data distribution became wider, outliers appeared, the success rate decreased to 92 %, which is due to signal losses, their attenuation and the need to correct the trajectory. Increasing the height of the landing process testing is impractical due to a decrease in the probability of a successful landing. Conclusion. The study showed that the infrared beacon system works effectively for landing UAVs on a mobile platform at altitudes up to 10 m, providing the necessary stability and accuracy. At altitudes above 10 m, problems arise with loss of signals, increased landing time and errors, which require improvements to ensure the reliability of landing.