On-line robust pose estimation for Rendezvous and Docking in space using photonic mixer devices

摘要

In this paper a new approach for estimating the pose of an unknown object using Photonic Mixer Devices (PMD) based cameras is presented. The algorithm works on-line by making use of the amplitude and depth information provided at high frame rates by the camera. The aim of the work is to provide a robust pose estimation as an input for control systems in Rendezvous and Docking (RvD) maneuvers in space. The performance of the developed algorithm is evaluated in six different simple scenarios corresponding to the six degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of the object. Final results with errors less than 1% are obtained for the distance estimation and errors ranging from less than 1% up to less than 9% for the velocity estimation.