Rapid lidar image correlation for ground navigation

摘要

A method includes generating current coarse edge count representation based on current fine grid representation of current section, correlating current edge quantity values of current coarse pixels with historical edge quantity values of historical coarse pixels of historical coarse edge count representation of environment, and identifying first subsection of historical coarse edge count representation with highest correlation to current coarse edge count representation. Each current coarse pixel in current coarse edge count representation represents current fine pixels from current fine grid representation. Fine grid representation of current section of environment is based on data from range and attitude sensor. Each current coarse pixel within current coarse edge count representation includes current edge quantity value that represents quantity of current fine pixels represented by current coarse pixel that include edge. Each historical coarse pixel corresponds to historical fine pixels in historical fine grid representation of environment.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a range and attitude sensor configured to generate signals relating to a geographic location of at least one object in a current section of an environment relative to the system; at least one processor coupled to the range and attitude sensor and configured to calculate a navigation solution based on signals received from the range and attitude sensor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate a current coarse edge count representation of the current section of an environment based on a current fine edge representation of the current section of the environment; wherein the current fine edge representation is based on the signals received from the sensor and includes a plurality of current fine edge pixels, wherein each current fine edge pixel represents a separate current fine edge pixel area of the current section of the environment, wherein each current fine edge pixel indicates whether an edge is present in the respective separate current fine edge pixel area associated with the respective current fine edge pixel; wherein the current coarse edge count representation includes a plurality of current coarse pixels, wherein each current coarse pixel represents a separate current coarse area of the current section of the environment, wherein the separate current coarse area is larger than the separate current fine edge pixel area and contains a plurality of separate current fine edge pixel areas; wherein each current coarse pixel in the current coarse edge count representation corresponds to a plurality of current fine grid pixels in a current fine grid representation; wherein each current coarse pixel in the current coarse edge count representation includes a current edge quantity value that indicates the quantity of the plurality of current fine edge pixels from the current fine edge representation corresponding to the current coarse pixel that include an edge; wherein the processor is configured to correlate the current edge quantity values of the current coarse pixels of the current coarse edge count representation with historical edge quantity values of historical coarse pixels of a historical coarse edge count representation of the environment, wherein each historical coarse pixel in the historical coarse edge count representation corresponds to a plurality of historical fine pixels in a historical fine grid representation of the environment; wherein the processor is configured to identify a first subsection of the historical coarse edge count representation that has the highest correlation to the current coarse edge count representation; and wherein the processor is configured to correlate the current fine edge pixels of the current fine edge representation with a first subsection of the historical fine pixels of the historical fine grid representation that matches the first subsection of the historical coarse edge count representation to identify a geographic location of the range and attitude sensor within the first subsection of the historical fine pixels of the historical fine grid representation.