Video-based sensor for tracking three-dimensional targets

Richard T. Howard; Michael L. Book; Thomas C. Bryan

doi:10.1117/12.413832

31 January 2001 Video-based sensor for tracking three-dimensional targets

Richard T. Howard, Michael L. Book, Thomas C. Bryan

Proceedings Volume 4167, Atmospheric Propagation, Adaptive Systems, and Laser Radar Technology for Remote Sensing; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.413832
Event: Europto Remote Sensing, 2000, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has ben developing and testing video-based sensors for automated spacecraft guidance for several years. The video sensor currently under development is to have a tracking rate of 50 Hz while delivering full 3-dimensional relative information (X,Y,Z, Pitch, Yaw, and Roll). Prior systems have been developed and tested in both open- loop and closed-loop simulations. The prototype Video Guidance Sensor (VGS) was built for a flight experiment and performed well on two separate Space Shuttle flights. The VGS uses two wavelengths of light to illuminate a target that has a pattern of filtered retro-reflectors. The filters pass only one wavelength of light and absorb the other. Two fast, successive pictures are taken of the target, each picture illuminated by a different wavelength. When the background picture is subtracted from the foreground,a high signal to noise ratio is achieved, and the target spots are easy to track. The next generation VGS will be using a CMOS imaging chip for higher-speed target tracking and a Texas Instruments DSP for higher-speed image processing. The system is being designed to have lower weight and power requirements than the previous generation, and it will be suitable for other applications.

Citation Download Citation

Richard T. Howard, Michael L. Book, and Thomas C. Bryan "Video-based sensor for tracking three-dimensional targets", Proc. SPIE 4167, Atmospheric Propagation, Adaptive Systems, and Laser Radar Technology for Remote Sensing, (31 January 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.413832

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