Devising a method to form reference images to provide high-precision navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles when changing geometric viewing conditions

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.330905

Keywords:

reference images, navigation parameters, discrete in viewing angles and altitudes, information features, decision function

Abstract

The object of this study is the process of forming a minimally sufficient set of reference images for use in correlation-extreme navigation systems when changing the navigation parameters of unmanned aerial vehicles. The paper reports the results related to solving the task to form a set of reference images taking into account changes in the navigation parameters of high-speed unmanned aerial vehicles and their impact on the information features of images. The effect of changing the viewing angles and altitude on the formation of segmented images by energy characteristics has been studied. The discrete steps for navigation parameters were established, at which the correlation between image fragments is maintained at the level of 0.9. These values are from 90 to 120 meters in height and from 15° to 25° in angular parameters. The effect of the structure of segmented images on the selection of the reference object has been studied. It is shown that the feature of the selection of the reference object in the segmented image is the value of the fractal dimension 2.998…2.999.

The study was conducted in the MATLAB software environment using the source image selected from Google Earth Pro. The application of the selected sequence of constructing fragments of reference images has made it possible to identify objects that have the best characteristics in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and structure with increasing discreteness of navigation parameters. The method differs from known ones in using the image structure as information features along with the brightness and contrast of objects. This would reduce the number of fragments of reference images while maintaining the accuracy indicator. The results could be implemented in secondary processing systems of correlation-extreme navigation systems used on high-speed unmanned aerial vehicles

Author Biographies

Alexander Sotnikov, Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

Scientific Center of the Air Force

Ruslan Sydorenko, Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University

PhD, Senior Researcher

Serhii Mykus, National Defence University of Ukraine

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

Deputy Chief of the Institute

Institute of Information and Communication Technologies and Cyber Defense

Serhii Zakirov, Research Institute of Military Intelligence

PhD, Senior Researcher, Head of Department

Ihor Vlasov, National Defence University of Ukraine

PhD, Associate Professor, Head of Department

Department of Logistics Support

Institute of Logistics and Support of Troops (Forces)

Oleksandr Shkvarskyi, Kamianets-Podіlskyi Ivan Ohiienko National University

PhD

Scientific Research Laboratory

Department of Military Training

Yuriy Samsonov, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine

PhD

Andrii Petik, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine

Doctor of Philosophy

Department Unmanned Systems and Electronic Warfare

Andrii Nechaus, Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Vehicle Electronics

Oleh Rikunov, National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine

PhD

Department of Operational Art

References

  1. Kharchenko, V., Mukhina, M. (2014). Correlation-extreme visual navigation of unmanned aircraft systems based on speed-up robust features. Aviation, 18 (2), 80–85. https://doi.org/10.3846/16487788.2014.926645
  2. Gao, H., Yu, Y., Huang, X., Song, L., Li, L., Li, L., Zhang, L. (2023). Enhancing the Localization Accuracy of UAV Images under GNSS Denial Conditions. Sensors, 23 (24), 9751. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23249751
  3. Yol, A., Delabarre, B., Dame, A., Dartois, J.-E., Marchand, E. (2014). Vision-based absolute localization for unmanned aerial vehicles. 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 3429–3434. https://doi.org/10.1109/iros.2014.6943040
  4. Shan, M., Wang, F., Lin, F., Gao, Z., Tang, Y. Z., Chen, B. M. (2015). Google map aided visual navigation for UAVs in GPS-denied environment. 2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.1109/robio.2015.7418753
  5. Dalal, N., Triggs, B. (2005). Histograms of Oriented Gradients for Human Detection. 2005 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR’05), 1, 886–893. https://doi.org/10.1109/cvpr.2005.177
  6. Román, A., Heredia, S., Windle, A. E., Tovar-Sánchez, A., Navarro, G. (2024). Enhancing Georeferencing and Mosaicking Techniques over Water Surfaces with High-Resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery. Remote Sensing, 16 (2), 290. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16020290
  7. Zhao, X., Li, H., Wang, P., Jing, L. (2020). An Image Registration Method for Multisource High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images for Earthquake Disaster Assessment. Sensors, 20 (8), 2286. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20082286
  8. Tong, P., Yang, X., Yang, Y., Liu, W., Wu, P. (2023). Multi-UAV Collaborative Absolute Vision Positioning and Navigation: A Survey and Discussion. Drones, 7 (4), 261. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7040261
  9. Ali, B., Sadekov, R. N., Tsodokova, V. V. (2022). A Review of Navigation Algorithms for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Based on Computer Vision Systems. Gyroscopy and Navigation, 13 (4), 241–252. https://doi.org/10.1134/s2075108722040022
  10. Kan, E. M., Lim, M. H., Ong, Y. S., Tan, A. H., Yeo, S. P. (2012). Extreme learning machine terrain-based navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles. Neural Computing and Applications, 22 (3-4), 469–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-012-0866-9
  11. Yeromina, N., Tarshyn, V., Petrov, S., Samoylenko, V., Tabakova, I., Dmitriiev, O. et al. (2021). Method of reference image selection to provide high-speed aircraft navigation under conditions of rapid change of flight trajectory. International Journal of Advanced Technology and Engineering Exploration, 8 (85). https://doi.org/10.19101/ijatee.2021.874814
  12. Solonar, A. S., Tsuprik, S. V., Khmarskiy, P. A. (2023). Influence of the reference image formation method on the efficiency of the onboard correlation-extreme tracking system for tracking ground objects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Physical-Technical Series, 68 (2), 167–176. https://doi.org/10.29235/1561-8358-2023-68-2-167-176
  13. Zhang, X., He, Z., Ma, Z., Wang, Z., Wang, L. (2021). LLFE: A Novel Learning Local Features Extraction for UAV Navigation Based on Infrared Aerial Image and Satellite Reference Image Matching. Remote Sensing, 13 (22), 4618. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13224618
  14. Abdollahi, A., Pradhan, B. (2021). Integrated technique of segmentation and classification methods with connected components analysis for road extraction from orthophoto images. Expert Systems with Applications, 176, 114908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2021.114908
  15. Yeromina, N., Udovovenko, S., Tiurina, V., Boichenko, О., Breus, P., Onishchenko, Y. et al. (2023). Segmentation of Images Used in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Navigation Systems. Problems of the Regional Energetics, 4 (60), 30–42. https://doi.org/10.52254/1857-0070.2023.4-60.03
  16. Nuradili, P., Zhou, G., Zhou, J., Wang, Z., Meng, Y., Tang, W., Melgani, F. (2024). Semantic segmentation for UAV low-light scenes based on deep learning and thermal infrared image features. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 45 (12), 4160–4177. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2024.2357842
  17. Xi, W., Shi, Z., Li, D. (2017). Comparisons of feature extraction algorithm based on unmanned aerial vehicle image. Open Physics, 15 (1), 472–478. https://doi.org/10.1515/phys-2017-0053
  18. Li, X., Li, Y., Ai, J., Shu, Z., Xia, J., Xia, Y. (2023). Semantic segmentation of UAV remote sensing images based on edge feature fusing and multi-level upsampling integrated with Deeplabv3+. PLOS ONE, 18 (1), e0279097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279097
  19. Spasev, V., Dimitrovski, I., Chorbev, I., Kitanovski, I. (2025). Semantic Segmentation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing Images Using SegFormer. Intelligent Systems and Pattern Recognition, 108–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82156-1_9
  20. Sahragard, E., Farsi, H., Mohamadzadeh, S. (2024). Semantic Segmentation of Aerial Imagery: A Novel Approach Leveraging Hierarchical Multi-scale Features and Channel-based Attention for Drone Applications. International Journal of Engineering, 37 (5), 1022–1035. https://doi.org/10.5829/ije.2024.37.05b.18
  21. Lu, Z., Qi, L., Zhang, H., Wan, J., Zhou, J. (2022). Image Segmentation of UAV Fruit Tree Canopy in a Natural Illumination Environment. Agriculture, 12 (7), 1039. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12071039
  22. Wang, Z., Zhao, D., Cao, Y. (2022). Image Quality Enhancement with Applications to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Obstacle Detection. Aerospace, 9 (12), 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9120829
  23. Simantiris, G., Panagiotakis, C. (2024). Unsupervised Color-Based Flood Segmentation in UAV Imagery. Remote Sensing, 16 (12), 2126. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16122126
  24. Li, J., Wu, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, H. (2023). A Novel Unsupervised Segmentation Method of Canopy Images from UAV Based on Hybrid Attention Mechanism. Electronics, 12 (22), 4682. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12224682
  25. Zhang, X., Du, B., Wu, Z., Wan, T. (2022). LAANet: lightweight attention-guided asymmetric network for real-time semantic segmentation. Neural Computing and Applications, 34 (5), 3573–3587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-022-06932-z
  26. Song, Y., Shang, C., Zhao, J. (2023). LBCNet: A lightweight bilateral cascaded feature fusion network for real-time semantic segmentation. The Journal of Supercomputing, 80 (6), 7293–7315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-023-05740-z
  27. Sotnikov, A., Tiurina, V., Petrov, K., Lukyanova, V., Lanovyy, O., Onishchenko, Y. et al. (2024). Using the set of informative features of a binding object to construct a decision function by the system of technical vision when localizing mobile robots. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 3 (9 (129)), 60–69. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2024.303989
  28. Sotnikov, O., Tymochko, O., Bondarchuk, S., Dzhuma, L., Rudenko, V., Mandryk, Ya. et al. (2023). Generating a Set of Reference Images for Reliable Condition Monitoring of Critical Infrastructure using Mobile Robots. Problems of the Regional Energetics, 2 (58), 41–51. https://doi.org/10.52254/1857-0070.2023.2-58.04
  29. Sotnikov, O., Sivak, V., Pavlov, Ya., Нashenko, S., Borysenko, T., Torianyk, D. (2024). Selection of the Binding Object on the Current Image Formed by the Technical Vision System Using Structural and Geometric Features. Problems of the Regional Energetics, 3 (63), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.52254/1857-0070.2024.3-63.08
  30. Pan, Z., Xu, J., Guo, Y., Hu, Y., Wang, G. (2020). Deep Learning Segmentation and Classification for Urban Village Using a Worldview Satellite Image Based on U-Net. Remote Sensing, 12 (10), 1574. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12101574
  31. Porev, V. A. (2015). Televiziyni informatsiyno-vymiriuvalni systemy. Kyiv, 218.
  32. Balytska, N., Prylypko, O., Shostachuk, A., Hlembotska, L., Melnyk, O. (2023). Analysis of correlations between the fractal dimension and parameters of milled surface roughness. Technical Engineering, 1 (91), 26–33. https://doi.org/10.26642/ten-2023-1(91)-26-33
  33. Berezskij, O. N., Berezskaja, K. M. (2015). Quantified Estimation of Image Segmentation Quality Based on Metrics. Control systems and machines, 6, 59–65. Available at: http://jnas.nbuv.gov.ua/article/UJRN-0000515848
Devising a method to form reference images to provide high-precision navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles when changing geometric viewing conditions

Downloads

Published

2025-06-25

How to Cite

Sotnikov, A., Sydorenko, R., Mykus, S., Zakirov, S., Vlasov, I., Shkvarskyi, O., Samsonov, Y., Petik, A., Nechaus, A., & Rikunov, O. (2025). Devising a method to form reference images to provide high-precision navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles when changing geometric viewing conditions. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 3(9 (135), 79–92. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.330905

Issue

Section

Information and controlling system