Design of an AR tracking concept for correct alignment of augmented aircraft labels

Kurzfassung

A current research area of the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Flight Guidance constitutes the concept of an Adaptive Vision Based System for Air Traffic Control Towers. The concept envisions an assistance system that fuses adaptive integrated information management with augmented vision by projecting critical flight data into the controller’s outside view according to the current operational context and environmental conditions. As a first step two concept studies were conducted in a 360° Tower Simulator in 2016 and 2017 examining the various operational and functional requirements for the envisioned prototype. In a second step, the results of the concept studies will be transferred to augmented reality glasses such as the Microsoft HoloLens or the ODG 7. One challenge relates to the correct alignment of augmented aircraft labels within the simulated outside view. Continuous head tracking, a reference that is known in both systems and suitable coordinate transformation are mandatory pieces to provide correct label alignment. This bachelor’s thesis designs a concept that solves the described problem using the Microsoft HoloLens. The thesis consists of four main parts. First, the used technological resources are described briefly. The crucial part of the process to correct label alignment is then split into two parts. The first part covers how the continuous head tracking is performed and how a point can be found that connects the coordinate system of the HoloLens with the coordinate system of the simulated outside world. Based on this reference point the second part is about the transformation of the flight navigation data from the World Geodetic System 1984 coordinates to a Cartesian coordinate system, the east-north-up system. Once this calculation is made the final step of this part is downscaling the east-, north-, up-coordinates to magnitudes that can be displayed by the HoloLens. As the concept includes different solution approaches, a conclusion will be reached, which methods in the different stages form the most feasible and promising solution for correct aircraft label alignment. This method is then developed, tested and evaluated against criteria like precision, performance and label stability. The thesis proceeds with a critical discussion of the concept to get an overview of the limitations and constraints, which need to be addressed in subsequent work. Concluding, an outlook will be drawn, consisting of future challenges for the project on the way to using AR technology in real tower environments.