Digital image system for determining relative position and motion of in-flight vehicles
First Claim
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1. A system for determining relative position and relative motion of a plurality of in flight vehicles, comprising:
- a light assembly mounted on a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, said light assembly including a plurality of light sources, said light assembly including a reflector, said plurality of light sources including a first set of light sources mounted at the periphery of said reflector and a second set of light sources mounted at the periphery of said reflector;
a light source mounted on a second vehicle of said plurality of vehicles for illuminating said reflector;
a light source control means electrically connected to said light source for activation and deactivation thereof;
a video-radiometer mounted on said second vehicle, said video-radiometer receiving light from said assembly, said video-radiometer discerning light emitted from each of said plurality of light sources, said video-radiometer having an electrical output which includes data relating to light received from said assembly;
a computer for receiving the electrical output including the data, said computer operatively connected to said light source control for allowing said video-radiometer to selectively receive light originating from extraneous sources and light originating from both said light assembly and from extraneous sources, said computer having a software program which utilizes the electrical output data to calculate position and motion parameters of the vehicles;
a display means electrically connected to said computer for receiving electrical output therefrom for displaying the position and motion parameters in order to facilitate link up or docking of the vehicles.
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Abstract
The system includes a reflector assembly mounted on a first one of a pair of spacecraft. The reflector assembly includes a mirror around which are positioned a mirror and retroreflectors. A light source mounted on the second spacecraft illuminates the assembly the reflections from which are directed into a radiometer which is also mounted on the second spacecraft. The mirror has a known curvature, and the known curvature in conjunction with the retroreflectors allow calculation of the position and motion parameters of the first spacecraft relative to the second.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A system for determining relative position and relative motion of a plurality of in flight vehicles, comprising:
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a light assembly mounted on a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, said light assembly including a plurality of light sources, said light assembly including a reflector, said plurality of light sources including a first set of light sources mounted at the periphery of said reflector and a second set of light sources mounted at the periphery of said reflector; a light source mounted on a second vehicle of said plurality of vehicles for illuminating said reflector; a light source control means electrically connected to said light source for activation and deactivation thereof; a video-radiometer mounted on said second vehicle, said video-radiometer receiving light from said assembly, said video-radiometer discerning light emitted from each of said plurality of light sources, said video-radiometer having an electrical output which includes data relating to light received from said assembly; a computer for receiving the electrical output including the data, said computer operatively connected to said light source control for allowing said video-radiometer to selectively receive light originating from extraneous sources and light originating from both said light assembly and from extraneous sources, said computer having a software program which utilizes the electrical output data to calculate position and motion parameters of the vehicles; a display means electrically connected to said computer for receiving electrical output therefrom for displaying the position and motion parameters in order to facilitate link up or docking of the vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for determining relative position and relative motion of a plurality of in-flight vehicles, comprising:
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a reflector assembly mounted on a first vehicle of said plurality of vehicles, said reflector assembly including a reflector and a plurality of retroreflectors, said plurality of retroreflectors including a first set of retroreflectors mounted at the periphery of said reflector, each of said first set of retroreflectors being spaced from each other, and a second set of retroreflectors mounted at the periphery of said reflector, said second set of retroreflectors being in general alignment with one of said first set of retroreflectors, and one of said second set of retroreflectors being generally proximal to said one of said first set of retroreflectors relative to spacing between said each of said first set of retroreflectors, so that said plurality of retroreflectors are adapted for accurately determining relative roll position parameters and roll motion parameters of the vehicles; a source of electromagnetic radiation mounted on a second vehicle of said plurality of vehicles, said source directing radiation at said assembly for the illumination thereof; a video camera mounted on said second vehicle, said video camera receiving radiation reflected from said assembly and having an electrical output which includes data relating to radiation reflected from said assembly; a computer for receiving the electrical output including the data, said computer having a software program which utilizes the electrical output data to calculate position and motion parameters of the vehicles; and
further including an array processor controller for receiving image data relating to the electromagnetic radiation originating from said reflector assembly and from extraneous sources from said video camera and image data relating to electromagnetic radiation originating from extraneous sources from said video camera and for subtracting the image data relating to the electromagnetic radiation originating from said reflector assembly and from the extraneous sources from the image data relating to the electromagnetic radiation originating from the extraneous sources in order to isolate the electromagnetic radiation from the electromagnetic radiation sources from electromagnetic radiation from extraneous sources and thereby generally eliminate undesired electromagnetic radiation signals from the image data used to determine the relative position and motion of the vehicles; anda computer monitor electrically connected to said computer for displaying the position and motion parameters in order to facilitate link up or docking of the vehicles.
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10. A system for determining relative position and relative motion of a plurality of in-flight vehicles, comprising:
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a reflector assembly mounted on a first vehicle of said plurality of vehicles, said reflector assembly including a reflector and a plurality of retroreflectors, said plurality of retroreflectors including a first set of retroreflectors mounted at the periphery of said reflector, each of said first set of retroreflectors being spaced from each other, and a second set of retroreflectors mounted at the periphery of said reflector, said second set of retroreflectors being in general alignment with one of said first set of retroreflectors, and one of said second set of retroreflectors is radially adjacent to said one of said first set of retroreflectors so that said plurality of retroreflectors are adapted for accurately determining relative roll position parameters and roll motion parameters of the vehicles; a source of electromagnetic radiation mounted on a second vehicle of said plurality of vehicles, said source directing radiation at said assembly for the illumination thereof; a source control means electrically connected to said source of electromagnetic radiation for activation and deactivation thereof and electrically connected to said computer for computer operation of said source control means for controlling radiation emission from said source in order to allow said video camera to selectively receive source radiation reflected from said assembly and to selectively receive extraneous radiation reflected from said assembly in order to isolate the reflected source radiation from reflected extraneous radiation; a video camera mounted on said second vehicle, said video camera receiving radiation reflected from said assembly and having an electrical output which includes data relating to radiation reflected from said assembly; a computer for receiving the electrical output including the data, said computer having a software program which utilizes the electrical output data to calculate position and motion parameters of the vehicles; and a computer monitor electrically connected to said computer for displaying the position and motion parameters in order to facilitate link up or docking of the vehicles.
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Specification