A STUDENT TEAM FROM GEORGIA TECH ENTERED THE SECOND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AERIAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION WITH A VEHICLE BASED ON A RADIO-CONTROLLED MODEL HELICOPTER. AN OFFBOARD COMPUTER-VISION BASED SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPED FOR NAVIGATION OF THE VEHICLE. THIS SYSTEM CONSISTS OF SEVERAL INTEGRATED LANDMARK TRACKING SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE SET UP AROUND THE COMPETITION AREA. THE CAMERAS TRACK THE HELICOPTER INDEPENDENTLY AND SEND THEIR RESULTS TO A CENTRAL COMPUTER FOR TRIANGULATION OF THE VEHICLE'S POSITION. FOR THE GIVEN DIMENSIONS THE OPTICAL MEASUREMENT IS SUPERIOR TO MEASUREMENTS BASED ON ULTRASONIC OR RADIO TRIANGULATION. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE EVOLUTION, COMPONENTS, AND ALGORITHMS OF THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM AND DISCUSSES SEVERAL DIFFICULTIES WITH SUCH SYSTEMS, SUCH AS REAL TIME CONSTRAINTS, NOISE FROM BRIGHT DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS, AND CALIBRATION.
| Number of Pages : | 12 |
| Published : | 06/01/1992 |
