Dynamic Parameterization and Optimized Flight Paths for Enhanced Aeromagnetic Compensation in Large Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Aeromagnetic detection is a geophysical exploration technology that utilizes aircraft-mounted magnetometers to map variations in the Earth's magnetic field. As a critical methodology for subsurface investigations, it has been extensively applied in geological mapping, mineral resource prospecting, hydrocarbon exploration, and engineering geological assessments. However, the metallic composition of aircraft platforms inherently generates magnetic interference, which significantly distorts the measurements acquired by onboard magnetometers. Aeromagnetic compensation aims to mitigate these platform-induced magnetic disturbances, thereby enhancing the accuracy of magnetic anomaly detection. Building upon the conventional Tolles-Lawson (T-L) model, this study introduces an enhanced compensation framework that addresses two key limitations: (1) minor deformations that occur due to the non-rigidity of the aircraft fuselage, resulting in additional interfering magnetic fields, and (2) coupled interference between geomagnetic field variations and aircraft maneuvers. The proposed model expands the original 18 compensation coefficients to 57 through dynamic parameterization, achieving a 22.41% improvement in compensation efficacy compared with the traditional T-L model. Furthermore, recognizing the operational challenges of large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in conventional calibration flights, this work redesigns the flight protocol by eliminating high-risk yaw maneuvers and optimizing the flight path geometry. Experimental validations conducted in the South China Sea demonstrate exceptional performance, with the interference magnetic field reduced to 0.0385 nT (standard deviation) during level flight, achieving an improvement ratio (IR) of 4.1688. The refined methodology not only enhances compensation precision but also substantially improves operational safety for large UAVs, offering a robust solution for modern aeromagnetic surveys.