UAV Navigation Enhances VNS01 for Precision Drone Navigation in GNSS-Denied Environments

UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía has announced software enhancements to its VNS01 Visual Navigation System, adding Terrain Referenced Navigation and Satellite Map Matching algorithms. The new capabilities are designed to improve GNSS-denied drone navigation during extended satellite-navigation outages and operations over previously unflown routes.

Available through a software update, the enhancements add new sources of absolute positioning to the VNS01’s existing visual navigation capabilities.

GNSS-Denied Drone Navigation Adds New Positioning Methods

The VNS01 is already deployed as a navigation system for UAS operations in GNSS-denied environments.

The latest update adds two technologies intended to improve positioning accuracy:

• Terrain Referenced Navigation (TRN)
• Satellite Map Matching

According to UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía, these capabilities provide additional sources of absolute positioning when aircraft operate over previously unexplored terrain or experience extended GNSS outages.

Satellite Map Matching Uses Geographic Features

Satellite Map Matching uses preloaded satellite imagery as a positioning reference.

The system compares imagery captured by onboard cameras with geographic features contained in the stored satellite data.

Features used for matching can include:

• Roads
• Rivers
• Coastlines
• Other identifiable geographic features

According to the company, this comparison generates absolute position corrections that compensate for inertial drift and improve navigation accuracy.

Terrain Referenced Navigation Uses Elevation Data

Terrain Referenced Navigation provides an additional positioning source by comparing altitude measurements collected during flight with preloaded Digital Elevation Models.

The VNS01 uses the correlation between measured altitude and stored terrain information to estimate the aircraft’s most likely position.

According to UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía, TRN can continue generating navigation corrections when visual references are limited or unavailable.

VNS01 Combines Multiple Navigation Technologies

The updated VNS01 combines three primary technologies for positioning during GNSS outages:

• Visual Odometry
• Satellite Map Matching
• Terrain Referenced Navigation

Conventional dead-reckoning systems can accumulate positioning errors as the aircraft continues to travel without an external positioning reference.

UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía said its multi-sensor approach is designed to keep navigation error bounded during extended GNSS outages rather than allowing positioning error to increase continuously with distance.

Under favorable operational conditions, the company said testing has demonstrated that positioning errors can be constrained to approximately 30 meters regardless of distance traveled.

Software Update Targets Contested Environments

The new algorithms are designed to support mission continuity when satellite navigation is unavailable or compromised.

The company identified several conditions the system is intended to address:

• GNSS jamming
• GNSS spoofing
• Extended GNSS outages
• GNSS-degraded environments
• Operations over previously unflown terrain

The update expands UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía’s multi-sensor approach to autonomous navigation by combining complementary positioning technologies within the VNS01.

The company will also present its latest developments in assured autonomy, resilient positioning and mission continuity at upcoming UNVEX in Spain and MSPO in Poland.

The enhanced VNS01 provides GNSS-denied drone navigation using Visual Odometry, Satellite Map Matching and Terrain Referenced Navigation to maintain positioning and mission continuity when satellite navigation signals are unavailable or compromised.

Source: Press release from UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía