A Vision-based Position Estimation Method Using a Horizon

Shin, Jong-Jin; Nam, Hwa-Jin; Kim, Byung-Ju

doi:2012.15.2.169

J. KIMS Technol > Volume 15(2); 2012 > Article

Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology 2012;15(2):169-176.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.9766/KIMST.2012.15.2.169

A Vision-based Position Estimation Method Using a Horizon

Jong-Jin Shin, Hwa-Jin Nam, Byung-Ju Kim

지평선을 이용한 영상기반 위치 추정 방법 및 위치 추정 오차

신종진, 남화진, 김병주

국방과학연구소

Abstract

GPS(Global Positioning System) is widely used for the position estimation of an aerial vehicle. However, GPS may not be available due to hostile jamming or strategic reasons. A vision-based position estimation method can be effective if GPS does not work properly. In mountainous areas without any man-made landmark, a horizon is a good feature for estimating the position of an aerial vehicle. In this paper, we present a new method to estimate the position of the aerial vehicle equipped with a forward-looking infrared camera. It is assumed that INS(Inertial Navigation System) provides the attitudes of an aerial vehicle and a camera. The horizon extracted from an infrared image is compared with horizon models generated from DEM(Digital Elevation Map). Because of a narrow field of view of the camera, two images with a different camera view are utilized to estimate a position. The algorithm is tested using real infrared images acquired on the ground. The experimental results show that the method can be used for estimating the position of an aerial vehicle.

Key Words: Position Estimation, Horizon, DEM(Digital Elevation Map), Infrared Image