Omnidirectional obstacle detection using minimal sensing

An integrated approach to visual obstacle detection for aerial multi-rotor vehicles (drones) is introduced. The approach achieves omnidirectional detection of obstacles via suitable synergy of hardware and software. The drone requires a specific arrangement of two cameras, opposing each other, and placed below and above the drone. A total coverage of the drone's surroundings is achieved by fitting each camera with a fisheye lens whose field of view is significantly greater than 180 degrees. The combined field of view of the cameras is omnidirectional, and may be conceptually subdivided into three regions: the monocular portions of each camera (centered at the north and south poles of the drone) and the stereo portion common to both cameras (circling the drone's equator). To use both the stereo and monocular data, a special image projection is developed, based on a model of the world as a 'capsule'.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Cloitre, Audren Damien Prigent.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Nicholas M. Patrikalakis.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/124595

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/124595