We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of MiFly, a self-localization system for autonomous drones that works across indoor and outdoor environments, including low-visibility, dark, and GPS-denied settings. MiFly performs 6DoF self-localization by leveraging a single millimeter-wave (mmWave) anchor in its vicinity - even if that anchor is visually occluded. MmWave signals are used in radar and 5G systems and can operate in the dark and through occlusions. MiFly introduces a new mmWave anchor design and mounts light-weight high-resolution mmWave radars on a drone. By jointly designing the localization algorithms and the novel low-power mmWave anchor hardware (including its polarization and modulation), the drone is capable of high-speed 3D localization. Furthermore, by intelligently fusing the location estimates from its mmWave radars and its IMUs, it can accurately and robustly track its 6DoF trajectory. We implemented and evaluated MiFly on a DJI drone. We demonstrate a median localization error of 7cm and a 90th percentile less than 15cm, even when the anchor is fully occluded (visually) from the drone.

翻译：摘要：本文介绍了MiFly系统的设计、实现与评估，该系统是一种面向自主无人机的自定位方案，能够在室内外环境（包括低能见度、黑暗及无GPS场景）中运行。MiFly通过利用附近的单个毫米波锚点实现六自由度自定位——即使该锚点被视觉遮挡。毫米波信号已应用于雷达和5G系统，可在黑暗环境及遮挡条件下工作。MiFly提出了一种新型毫米波锚点设计，并在无人机上搭载轻量化高分辨率毫米波雷达。通过联合设计定位算法与新型低功耗毫米波锚点硬件（包含其极化与调制方式），无人机能够实现高速三维定位。此外，通过智能融合毫米波雷达与惯性测量单元的位置估计，系统能够精确且鲁棒地追踪其六自由度轨迹。我们在DJI无人机上实现了MiFly系统并开展评估。实验结果表明：即使锚点与无人机之间完全视觉遮挡，其定位中位数误差为7厘米，90百分位误差低于15厘米。