A multi-camera system for vision-based altitude estimation

Stephen DelMarco

doi:10.1117/12.2585807

12 April 2021 A multi-camera system for vision-based altitude estimation

Stephen DelMarco

Proceedings Volume 11734, Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning 2021; 1173407 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2585807
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2021, Online Only

Abstract

Navigation of modern aerial platforms typically uses GPS position measurements for accurate position estimation. GPS can provide position accuracies of better than ten meters. However, operation in GPS-denied regions, precludes the use of GPS for navigation, thereby requiring other aiding sources for position estimation. To obtain altitude measurements, barometric-based altimeters are often used. Barometric-based altimeters provide a passive sensor alternative for low-cost aerial vehicles. These altimeters measure barometric pressure to estimate altitude, but provide errors of tens of meters or more due to atmospheric variation, weather conditions, and platform distance from altimeter calibration location. In this paper, we present a multi-camera vision based approach to altitude estimation, which can be used in the absence of GPS. This vision-based approach converts the altitude estimation problem to a ground-based image registration problem, for which highly accurate (pixel and sub-pixel-level accuracy) registration techniques are available. The altitude estimate results from simultaneously aligning multiple onboard cameras to ground reference imagery. The registration spatial error statistics corresponds directly to the altitude estimation error. We use image fusion over multiple registration solutions to provide accurate image registration and thus accurate altitude estimation. We first provide a technical description of the approach. We then generate numerical simulation results demonstrating performance of the approach, and validating aspects of the theory. We compare performance to a standard image rescaling approach for altitude estimation. We demonstrate improved performance over the classical approach.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Stephen DelMarco "A multi-camera system for vision-based altitude estimation", Proc. SPIE 11734, Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning 2021, 1173407 (12 April 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2585807

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