44,050 research outputs found
Toward Guaranteed Illumination Models for Non-Convex Objects
Illumination variation remains a central challenge in object detection and
recognition. Existing analyses of illumination variation typically pertain to
convex, Lambertian objects, and guarantee quality of approximation in an
average case sense. We show that it is possible to build V(vertex)-description
convex cone models with worst-case performance guarantees, for non-convex
Lambertian objects. Namely, a natural verification test based on the angle to
the constructed cone guarantees to accept any image which is sufficiently
well-approximated by an image of the object under some admissible lighting
condition, and guarantees to reject any image that does not have a sufficiently
good approximation. The cone models are generated by sampling point
illuminations with sufficient density, which follows from a new perturbation
bound for point images in the Lambertian model. As the number of point images
required for guaranteed verification may be large, we introduce a new
formulation for cone preserving dimensionality reduction, which leverages tools
from sparse and low-rank decomposition to reduce the complexity, while
controlling the approximation error with respect to the original cone
Apollo experience report: Simulation of manned space flight for crew training
Through space-flight experience and the development of simulators to meet the associated training requirements, several factors have been established as fundamental for providing adequate flight simulators for crew training. The development of flight simulators from Project Mercury through the Apollo 15 mission is described. The functional uses, characteristics, and development problems of the various simulators are discussed for the benefit of future programs
A Flexible Image Processing Framework for Vision-based Navigation Using Monocular Image Sensors
On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) encompasses all operations related to servicing satellites and performing other work
on-orbit, such as reduction of space debris. Servicing satellites includes repairs, refueling, attitude control and
other tasks, which may be needed to put a failed satellite back into working condition.
A servicing satellite requires accurate position and orientation (pose) information about the target spacecraft.
A large quantity of different sensor families is available to accommodate this need. However, when it comes to
minimizing mass, space and power required for a sensor system, mostly monocular imaging sensors perform very
well. A disadvantage is- when comparing to LIDAR sensors- that costly computations are needed to process the
data of the sensor.
The method presented in this paper is addressing these problems by aiming to implement three different design
principles; First: keep the computational burden as low as possible. Second: utilize different algorithms and
choose among them, depending on the situation, to retrieve the most stable results. Third: Stay modular and
flexible.
The software is designed primarily for utilization in On-Orbit Servicing tasks, where- for example- a servicer
spacecraft approaches an uncooperative client spacecraft, which can not aid in the process in any way as it is
assumed to be completely passive. Image processing is used for navigating to the client spacecraft. In this specific
scenario, it is vital to obtain accurate distance and bearing information until, in the last few meters, all six degrees
of freedom are needed to be known. The smaller the distance between the spacecraft, the more accurate pose
estimates are required.
The algorithms used here are tested and optimized on a sophisticated Rendezvous and Docking Simulation facility
(European Proximity Operations Simulator- EPOS 2.0) in its second-generation form located at the German
Space Operations Center (GSOC) in WeĂling, Germany. This particular simulation environment is real-time capable
and provides an interface to test sensor system hardware in closed loop configuration. The results from these
tests are summarized in the paper as well.
Finally, an outlook on future work is given, with the intention of providing some long-term goals as the paper is
presenting a snapshot of ongoing, by far not yet completed work. Moreover, it serves as an overview of additions
which can improve the presented method further
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