Autonomous Helicopter Tracking and Localization Using a Self-Surveying Camera Array

Autonomous Helicopter Tracking and Localization Using a Self-Surveying Camera Array. Matsuoka, M., Chen, A., Singh, S. P. N., Coates, A., Ng, A. Y., & Thrun, S. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 26(2):205-215, February, 2007.
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A Self-Surveying Camera Array (SSCA) is a vision based local-area positioning system consisting of multiple ground-deployed cameras that are capable of self-surveying their extrinsic parameters while tracking and localizing a moving target. This paper presents the array self-surveying algorithm that involves tracking a target helicopter in each camera frame and localizing the helicopter in an array-fixed frame. Three cameras are deployed independently in an arbitrary arrangement that allows each camera to view the helicopter's flight volume. The helicopter then flies an unplanned path that allows the camera array to calibrate their relative locations and orientations by utilizing self-surveying algorithms extended from the well known structure from motion algorithm and the bundle adjustment technique. This yields the cameras' extrinsic parameters enabling real-time helicopter positioning via triangulation relative to the calibrated camera array. This paper also presents results from field trials, which verify the feasibility of the SSCA as a readily deployable system applicable to helicopter tracking and localization. The results demonstrate that, as compared to differential GPS solution as true reference, the SSCA is capable of positioning the helicopter with meter-level accuracy. The SSCA has been integrated with onboard inertia sensors providing a reliable positioning system to enable successful autonomous hovering.

@ARTICLE{ijrr.heli,
  author = {M. Matsuoka and A. Chen and S. P. N. Singh and A. Coates and A. Y.
	Ng and S. Thrun},
  title = {Autonomous Helicopter Tracking and Localization Using a Self-Surveying
	Camera Array},
  journal = {The International Journal of Robotics Research},
  year = {2007},
  volume = {26},
  pages = {205-215},
  number = {2},
  month = feb,
  abstract = {A Self-Surveying Camera Array (SSCA) is a vision based local-area
	positioning system consisting of multiple ground-deployed cameras
	that are capable of self-surveying their extrinsic parameters while
	tracking and localizing a moving target. This paper presents the
	array self-surveying algorithm that involves tracking a target helicopter
	in each camera frame and localizing the helicopter in an array-fixed
	frame. Three cameras are deployed independently in an arbitrary arrangement
	that allows each camera to view the helicopter's flight volume. The
	helicopter then flies an unplanned path that allows the camera array
	to calibrate their relative locations and orientations by utilizing
	self-surveying algorithms extended from the well known structure
	from motion algorithm and the bundle adjustment technique. This yields
	the cameras' extrinsic parameters enabling real-time helicopter positioning
	via triangulation relative to the calibrated camera array. This paper
	also presents results from field trials, which verify the feasibility
	of the SSCA as a readily deployable system applicable to helicopter
	tracking and localization. The results demonstrate that, as compared
	to differential GPS solution as true reference, the SSCA is capable
	of positioning the helicopter with meter-level accuracy. The SSCA
	has been integrated with onboard inertia sensors providing a reliable
	positioning system to enable successful autonomous hovering.},
  doi = {10.1177/0278364906074898},
  pdf = {ijrr_2007.pdf}
}

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