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Optics

Theses/Dissertations

2008

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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Tightly Integrating Optical And Inertial Sensors For Navigation Using The Ukf, Sedat Ebcin Mar 2008

Tightly Integrating Optical And Inertial Sensors For Navigation Using The Ukf, Sedat Ebcin

Theses and Dissertations

The motivation of this research is to address the benefits of tightly integrating optical and inertial sensors where GNSS signals are not available. The research begins with describing the navigation problem. Then, error and measurement models are presented. Given a set of features, a feature detection and projection algorithm is developed which utilizes inertial measurements to predict vectors in the feature space between images. The unscented Kalman filter is applied to the navigation system using the inertial measurements and feature matches to estimate the navigation trajectory. Finally, the image-aided navigation algorithm is tested using a simulation and an experiment. As …


Analysis Of Non-Uniform Gain For Control Of A Deformable Mirror In An Adaptive-Optics System, Kevin P. Vitayaudom Mar 2008

Analysis Of Non-Uniform Gain For Control Of A Deformable Mirror In An Adaptive-Optics System, Kevin P. Vitayaudom

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Sodium Guidestar Adaptive Optics for Space Situational Awareness program (NGAS) has sponsored research on spatially non-uniform gain for the servo-loop controller of an adaptive optics (AO) system. The edge subapertures of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor have lower signal-to-noise ratios and are more susceptible to measurement errors than fully illuminated center subapertures. These measurement errors produce errant commands over the corresponding edge actuators and can induce instabilities over these regions in strong turbulence conditions. The objective of this research was to develop and experimentally verify the use of spatially varying gain maps on the servo-loop controller …


Collision Avoidance For Uavs Using Optic Flow Measurement With Line Of Sight Rate Equalization And Looming, Paul J. Shelnutt Mar 2008

Collision Avoidance For Uavs Using Optic Flow Measurement With Line Of Sight Rate Equalization And Looming, Paul J. Shelnutt

Theses and Dissertations

A series of simplified scenarios is investigated whereby an optical flow balancing guidance law is used to avoid obstacles by steering an air vehicle between fixed objects/obstacles. These obstacles are registered as specific points that can be representative of features in a scene. The obstacles appear in the field of view of a single forward looking camera. First a 2-D analysis is presented where the rate of the line of sight from the vehicle to each of the obstacles to be avoided is measured. The analysis proceeds by initially using no field of view (FOV) limitations, then applying FOV restrictions, …