Theil, Stephan and Ammann, Nikolaus Alexander and Andert, Franz and Franz, Tobias and Krüger, Hans and Lehner, Hannah and Lingenauber, Martin and Lüdtke, Daniel and Maass, Bolko and Paproth, Carsten and Wohlfeil, Jürgen (2018) ATON (Autonomous Terrain-based Optical Navigation) for exploration missions: recent flight test results. CEAS Space Journal. Springer. doi: 10.1007/s12567-018-0201-0. ISSN 1868-2502.
![]() |
PDF
18MB |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-018-0201-0
Abstract
Since 2010 the German Aerospace Center is working on the project Autonomous Terrain-based Optical Navigation (ATON). Its objective is the development of technologies which allow autonomous navigation of spacecraft in orbit around and during landing on celestial bodies like the Moon, planets, asteroids and comets. The project developed different image processing techniques and optical navigation methods as well as sensor data fusion. The setup---which is applicable to many exploration missions---consists of an inertial measurement unit, a laser altimeter, a star tracker and one or multiple navigation cameras. In the past years, several milestones have been achieved. It started with the setup of a simulation environment including the detailed simulation of camera images. This was continued by hardware-in-the-loop tests in the Testbed for Robotic Optical Navigation (TRON) where images were generated by real cameras in a simulated downscaled lunar landing scene. Data were recorded in helicopter flight tests and post-processed in real-time to increase maturity of the algorithms and to optimize the software. Recently, two more milestones have been achieved. In late 2016, the whole navigation system setup was flying on an unmanned helicopter while processing all sensor information onboard in real time. For the latest milestone the navigation system was tested in closed-loop on the unmanned helicopter. For that purpose the ATON navigation system provided the navigation state for the guidance and control of the unmanned helicopter replacing the GPS-based standard navigation system. The paper will give an introduction to the ATON project and its concept. The methods and algorithms of ATON are briefly described. The flight test results of the latest two milestones are presented and discussed.
Item URL in elib: | https://elib.dlr.de/119557/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Document Type: | Article | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Title: | ATON (Autonomous Terrain-based Optical Navigation) for exploration missions: recent flight test results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Authors: |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date: | 29 March 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | CEAS Space Journal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Refereed publication: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Open Access: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gold Open Access: | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In SCOPUS: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In ISI Web of Science: | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1007/s12567-018-0201-0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: | Springer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ISSN: | 1868-2502 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status: | Published | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Keywords: | Computer vision · Optical navigation · Sensor data fusion · Entry · Descent and landing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Research field: | Aeronautics, Space and Transport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program: | Space | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HGF - Program Themes: | Space System Technology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research area: | Raumfahrt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Program: | R SY - Space System Technology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DLR - Research theme (Project): | R - Projekt ATON (old) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location: | Berlin-Adlershof , Braunschweig , Bremen , Oberpfaffenhofen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Institutes and Institutions: | Institute of Space Systems > Navigation and Control Systems Institute of Flight Systems > Unmanned Aircraft Institut of Simulation and Software Technology > Software for Space Systems and Interactive Visualisation Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics (since 2013) > Perception and Cognition Institute of Optical Sensor Systems > Real-Time Data Processing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deposited By: | Theil, Dr.-Ing. Stephan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deposited On: | 04 Apr 2018 13:19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 21 Nov 2023 07:58 |
Repository Staff Only: item control page