Visual Navigation Augmentation for GPS-Denied Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current navigation systems for vehicles, especially in GPS-denied environments, face challenges in maintaining accurate position, velocity, and attitude estimates while being economically viable and using low-cost, low-volume IMUs, which are prone to significant error sources.
Innovation Solution
A navigation augmentation system that integrates an imaging device with a navigation data fusion module, using visual point of interest data, gyroscope, and accelerometer data, along with a sensor compensation module and autopilot system, to calculate bias and scale factor errors without GPS, employing algorithms like SIFT and FAST for feature detection and tracking, and Kalman filters for data fusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS and high cost IMUs are used for navigation, then position, velocity, and attitude estimation accuracy is improved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/GPS-based navigation system with an optical imaging system combined with image processing algorithms. The imaging device captures images of the environment, and computer vision algorithms extract navigation information (position, velocity, attitude) from these images, substituting the traditional GPS/IMU mechanical system with an optical-computational approach that is more suitable for GPS-denied environments and reduces dependency on expensive hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an imaging device as an intermediary between the vehicle and the navigation data fusion module. The imaging device captures environmental features, which are then processed through image processing algorithms to extract navigation information. This intermediary enables the system to obtain positioning data without direct GPS signals, bridging the gap in GPS-denied environments
2Measurement precision
If GPS is used for navigation, then navigation accuracy is improved, but the system cannot operate in GPS-denied areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces GPS-dependent navigation with an imaging-based visual navigation system. The imaging device captures environmental features and images, which are then processed through computer vision algorithms to extract position, velocity, and attitude information. This substitution enables operation in GPS-denied environments by relying on visual features rather than satellite signals
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the imaging device to capture and process its own navigation data independently without external GPS assistance. The image processing algorithms automatically extract navigation information from the captured images, enabling the system to self-determine its position, velocity, and attitude using only its onboard imaging capabilities
3Device complexity
If low cost IMUs are used to reduce system cost, then system cost is reduced, but navigation accuracy deteriorates due to error sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the IMU-based mechanical sensing system with an imaging-based optical system. Instead of relying on low-cost IMUs with significant drift and error, the system uses an imaging device with computer vision algorithms to extract navigation information. This substitution eliminates IMU-related error sources while maintaining navigation accuracy and reducing system cost
Data Source
AI summary
A navigation augmentation system includes a vehicle including an imaging device operably connected to a navigation data fusion module for receiving and analyzing visual point of interest data, gyroscope data, and accelerometer data, wherein the navigation data fusion module is operably connected to a sensor compensation module and an autopilot module for controlling the navigation of the vehicle.