TDLAS-based Plume Tracing on an UAV in Outdoor Environments

An outdoor plume tracing method with a TDLAS gas sensor on a UAV is proposed in this paper. The TDLAS gas sensor is installed on a modified 3-axis aerial gimbal, and is oriented with a fixed angle Į to the vertical direction. During the flying of the UAV, the TDLAS is rotated continuously by controlling the yaw of the gimbal, scanning three-dimensional area beneath the UAV. With the time series of the detected odor concentration line integral (CLI), a searching path is planned to find and trace the plume to the odor source. The proposed plume tracing method is verified with the CPTS-3D simulation platform. The results of simulation experiments show that the proposed outdoor plume tracing method has high search efficiency and success rate.