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Mars 2020 Lander Vision System presentation to the Workshop for Lunar Mapping for Precision Landing
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X-59 eXternal Vision System Technical Overview
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Vision System for the Mars Sample Return Capture Containment and Return System (CCRS)
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New vision solar system mission study: Use of space reactor bimodal system with microspacecraft to determine origin and evolution of the outer plants in the solar system
The vision for the future of the planetary exploration program includes the capability to deliver 'constellations' or 'fleets' of microspacecraft to a planetary destination. These fleets will act in a coordinated manner to gather science data from a variety of locations on or around the target body, thus providing detailed, global coverage without requiring development of a single large, complex and costly spacecraft. Such constellations of spacecraft, coupled with advanced information processing and visualization techniques and high-rate communications, could provide the basis for development of a 'virtual presence' in the solar system. A goal could be the near real-time delivery of planetary images and video to a wide variety of users in the general public and the science community. This will be a major step in making the solar system accessible to the public and will help make solar system exploration a part of the human experience on Earth.
Real time visual tracking of targets in six dimensions
Six dimensional target information is produced by a target tracking vision system for use in real time target tracking by a robotic system. The vision system described in this paper produces three axes of position data and three axes of orientation data using a single camera which views a three dimensional target. The system performs target detection, target discrimination and determines the target position and orientation relative to the camera. As the target information is determined, it is communicated to a computer which is controlling the robot motion in real time. Details of the image processing algorithms and image processing hardware used in the vision system are discussed in the paper.
Aspects of Synthetic Vision Display Systems and the Best Practices of the NASA's SVS Project
NASA s Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) Project conducted research aimed at eliminating visibility-induced errors and low visibility conditions as causal factors in civil aircraft accidents while enabling the operational benefits of clear day flight operations regardless of actual outside visibility. SVS takes advantage of many enabling technologies to achieve this capability including, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), data links, radar, imaging sensors, geospatial databases, advanced display media and three dimensional video graphics processors. Integration of these technologies to achieve the SVS concept provides pilots with high-integrity information that improves situational awareness with respect to terrain, obstacles, traffic, and flight path. This paper attempts to emphasize the system aspects of SVS - true systems, rather than just terrain on a flight display - and to document from an historical viewpoint many of the best practices that evolved during the SVS Project from the perspective of some of the NASA researchers most heavily involved in its execution. The Integrated SVS Concepts are envisagements of what production-grade Synthetic Vision systems might, or perhaps should, be in order to provide the desired functional capabilities that eliminate low visibility as a causal factor to accidents and enable clear-day operational benefits regardless of visibility conditions.
A production peripheral vision display system
A small number of peripheral vision display systems in three significantly different configurations were evaluated in various aircraft and simulator situations. The use of these development systems enabled the gathering of much subjective and quantitative data regarding this concept of flight deck instrumentation. However, much was also learned about the limitations of this equipment which needs to be addressed prior to wide spread use. A program at Garrett Manufacturing Limited in which the peripheral vision display system is redesigned and transformed into a viable production avionics system is discussed. Modular design, interchangeable units, optical attenuators, and system fault detection are considered with respect to peripheral vision display systems.
A Low-Power Smart Vision System-on-a-Chip Design for Ultra-Fast Machine Vision Applications
In this paper, an ultra-fast smart vision system-on-a-chip design is proposed to provide effective solutions for real time machine vision applications by taking advantages of recent advances in integrated sensing/processing designs, electronic neural networks, advanced microprocessors and sub-micron VLSI technology.
Vision inspection system and method
An optical vision inspection system (4) and method for multiplexed illuminating, viewing, analyzing and recording a range of characteristically different kinds of defects, depressions, and ridges in a selected material surface (7) with first and second alternating optical subsystems (20, 21) illuminating and sensing successive frames of the same material surface patch. To detect the different kinds of surface features including abrupt as well as gradual surface variations, correspondingly different kinds of lighting are applied in time-multiplexed fashion to the common surface area patches under observation.
An Approach to Evaluating the Impact of Small-Core Turbofan Technologies on Engine and Aircraft Performance
NASA’s Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project aims to accelerate the development of small-core turbofan engine technologies to enable a fuel burn reduction of 5 to 10 percent for next-generation aircraft, compared to 2020s best-in-class technology. This paper presents a demonstration of methods for evaluating the potential performance impact of small-core engine technologies developed under Phase 1 of the HyTEC project. The approach involves model-based systems analysis, where small-core innovations are integrated into baseline turbofan and aircraft systems models, creating a notional vision system. Performance of the vision system is examined at both the engine and vehicle level. The examined performance metrics include: engine bypass ratio, overall pressure ratio, high pressure compressor exit corrected mass flow, and aircraft fuel burn. The CFM LEAP-1B28 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 are chosen as the baseline state-of-the-art systems. Preliminary results map a design space for the small-core vision system and quantify the distinct effects of technologies on the key metrics.
An Approach to Evaluating the Impact of Small-core Turbofan Technologies on Engine and Aircraft Performance
NASA’s Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project aims to accelerate the development of small-core turbofan engine technologies to enable a fuel burn reduction of 5 to 10 percent for next-generation aircraft, compared to 2020s best-in-class technology. This paper presents a demonstration of methods for evaluating the potential performance impact of small-core engine technologies developed under Phase 1 of the HyTEC project. The approach involves model-based systems analysis, where small-core innovations are integrated into baseline turbofan and aircraft systems models, creating a notional vision system. Performance of the vision system is examined at both the engine and vehicle level. The examined performance metrics include: engine bypass ratio, overall pressure ratio, high pressure compressor exit corrected mass flow, and aircraft fuel burn. The CFM LEAP-1B28 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 are chosen as the baseline state-of-the-art systems. Preliminary results map a design space for the small-core vision system and quantify the distinct effects of technologies on the key metrics.
A Smart Vision System-on-a-ship Design Based on Programmable Neural Processor Integrated with Active Pixel Sensor
A low power smart vision system based on a large format (currently 1K x 1K) active pixel sensor (APS) integrated with a programmable neural processor for fast vision applications is presented.
Development of a machine vision guidance system for automated assembly of space structures
The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include: automated structural assembly robot vision; machine vision requirements; vision targets and hardware; reflective efficiency; target identification; pose estimation algorithms; triangle constraints; truss node with joint receptacle targets; end-effector mounted camera and light assembly; vision system results from optical bench tests; and future work.
Going Below Minimums: The Efficacy of Display Enhanced/Synthetic Vision Fusion for Go-Around Decisions during Non-Normal Operations
The use of enhanced vision systems in civil aircraft is projected to increase rapidly as the Federal Aviation Administration recently changed the aircraft operating rules under Part 91, revising the flight visibility requirements for conducting approach and landing operations. Operators conducting straight-in instrument approach procedures may now operate below the published approach minimums when using an approved enhanced flight vision system that shows the required visual references on the pilot's Head-Up Display. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the complementary use of synthetic vision systems and enhanced vision system technologies, focusing on new techniques for integration and/or fusion of synthetic and enhanced vision technologies and crew resource management while operating under these newly adopted rules. Experimental results specific to flight crew response to non-normal events using the fused synthetic/enhanced vision system are presented.
Enhanced and Synthetic Vision for Terminal Maneuvering Area NextGen Operations
Synthetic Vision Systems and Enhanced Flight Vision System (SVS/EFVS) technologies have the potential to provide additional margins of safety for aircrew performance and enable operational improvements for low visibility operations in the terminal area environment with equivalent efficiency as visual operations. To meet this potential, research is needed for effective technology development and implementation of regulatory and design guidance to support introduction and use of SVS/EFVS advanced cockpit vision technologies in Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) operations. A fixed-base pilot-in-the-loop simulation test was conducted at NASA Langley Research Center that evaluated the use of SVS/EFVS in NextGen low visibility ground (taxi) operations and approach/landing operations. Twelve crews flew approach and landing operations in a simulated NextGen Chicago O Hare environment. Various scenarios tested the potential for EFVS for operations in visibility as low as 1000 ft runway visibility range (RVR) and SVS to enable lower decision heights (DH) than can currently be flown today. Expanding the EFVS visual segment from DH to the runway in visibilities as low as 1000 RVR appears to be viable as touchdown performance was excellent without any workload penalties noted for the EFVS concept tested. A lower DH to 150 ft and/or possibly reduced visibility minima by virtue of SVS equipage appears to be viable when implemented on a Head-Up Display, but the landing data suggests further study for head-down implementations.
The 3D laser radar vision processor system
Loral Defense Systems (LDS) developed a 3D Laser Radar Vision Processor system capable of detecting, classifying, and identifying small mobile targets as well as larger fixed targets using three dimensional laser radar imagery for use with a robotic type system. This processor system is designed to interface with the NASA Johnson Space Center in-house Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Retriever robot program and provide to it needed information so it can fetch and grasp targets in a space-type scenario.