Aircraft position estimation using lenticular sheet generated optical patterns

Lenticular sheets can be used with machine vision to determine relative position between two objects. If a lenticular sheet of a given period is mounted above periodically spaced lines sharing the same period, lines will appear on the lenticular sheet which translate along the lenticular sheet in a direction perpendicular to observer motion. This behavior is modeled theoretically and tested experimentally, and found to be linear within a finite range. By arranging two lenticular sheets, configured as described above, in a mutually orthogonal configuration on a flat surface, the lines that appear on the lenticular sheets can be used by a camera to estimate its position relative to the lenticular sheets. Two such devices were constructed to test the principle, and machine vision code was developed to ascertain position using these devices. Machine vision code was found to reliably provide angular position of a camera within 1.4^circ through experimental testing. The optical patterns that appear on the lenticular sheet surfaces are monitored using a digital camera. The resulting images are analyzed using visual C++ in conjunction with the OpenCV library and the appropriate camera device drivers. The system is able to estimate height, yaw, and position relative to the optical target in real time and without the need for a prior reference.

Department dc:contributor.department

Aerospace Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Georgia Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Barbieri, Nicholas P.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Feron, Eric

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Johnson, Eric N.
• Seitzman, Jerry M.

• Landing aid
• Positioning
• Optical
• Lenticular sheet

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1853/22612

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.gatech.edu:1853/22612