Dynamic Target Tracking of Small UAVs in Unstructured Environment

In this paper, an adaptive multi-rotor UAV system of dynamic target tracking and path planning is proposed for the problems of occlusion, lighting change, and similar target interference in an unstructured environment. A DTE-tracker module is designed, consisting of a detector, tracker, and examiner, and proposes a dynamic target capture mechanism to improve the robustness and continuity of target tracking in complex environments. A DWA local path planning algorithm based on a dynamic target tracking task is proposed to control the yaw of the UAV to accurately locate specific targets in the center of the image, and finally achieve the purpose of stable tracking. A UAV platform was built equipped with an onboard computer, laser sensor, and visual sensor, and a series of target tracking and path planning experiments were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the method and test the performance of the algorithm in a complex jungle environment.