This study investigates a vision-based autonomous landing algorithm using a VTOL-type UAV. VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) UAVs are hybrid systems that combine the forward flight capability of fixed-wing aircraft with the vertical take-off and landing functionality of multirotors, making them increasingly popular in drone-based industrial applications. Due to the complexity of control during the transition from multirotor mode to fixed-wing mode, many companies rely on commercial software such as ArduPilot. However, when using ArduPilot as-is, the software does not support the velocity-based GUIDED commands commonly used in multirotor systems for vision-based landing. Additionally, the GUIDED mode in VTOL software is designed primarily for fixed-wing operations, meaning its control logic must be modified to enable position-based control in multirotor mode. In this study, we modified the control software to support vision-based landing using a VTOL UAV and validated the proposed algorithm in simulation using GAZEBO. The approach was further verified through real-world experiments using actual hardware.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is widely used to aid the navigation of aerial vehicles. However, the GPS cannot be used indoors, so alternative navigation methods are needed to be developed for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) flying in GPS-denied environments. In this paper, a real-time three-dimensional (3-D) indoor navigation system and closed-loop control of a quad-rotor aerial vehicle equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a low-cost light detection and ranging (LIDAR) is presented. In order to estimate the pose of the vehicle equipped with the two-dimensional LIDAR, an octree-based grid map and Monte-Carlo Localization (MCL) are adopted. The navigation results using the MCL are then evaluated by making a comparison with a motion capture system. Finally, the results are used for closed-loop control in order to validate its positioning accuracy during procedures for stable hovering and waypoint-following.