月面特征稀疏环境下的视觉惯性SLAM方法

月球车在执行科学探测任务过程中,其自身的高精度定位是一项亟需解决的关键问题。针对在特征稀疏的月面环境下的定位问题,提出一种视觉惯性融合的SLAM方法,将视觉测量与惯性传感器的信息利用位姿图优化方法融合,实现高精度的联合定位。针对特征稀疏环境下的前端视觉数据关联误差较大的问题,提出了一种基于四元树的光流跟踪算法,能够有效地跟踪鲁棒的特征点,提升了关键帧之间相对位姿估计的准确性。并且针对月面环境特有的恒星无穷远点干扰问题,提出一种高效的恒星点剔除算法,能够有效改善无穷远点导致的定位精度下降的问题。搭建了一套模拟月面环境的计算机仿真系统,并构建了多个月面环境视觉惯性SLAM仿真数据集,在不同的模拟月面场景下进行定位性能仿真验证,仿真测试结果表明本文算法的鲁棒性更强,具有更高的定位准确度。     

NASA空间环境及效应(SEE)计划进展

文章介绍了NASA在1993年提出的空间环境及效应(下称SEE)计划,其目的是明确空间环境的定义,为设计、研制能适应严酷空间环境效应的航天器系统并使其正常运行提供技术支持.该计划包括认识空间环境、飞行试验和地面试验技术的优化、更新空间环境及其效应的预测模型、保存信息并将之纳入航天器的设计流程等方面.文章描述了SEE计划目前已取得的成就和未来的打算.     

Prediction of horizontal gas–solid flows under different gravitational fields

In this paper the performance of horizontal pneumatic conveying under different gravity environments is evaluated. An Euler–Lagrange approach validated versus ground experiments is employed to predict the relevant particle variables such as particle mass flux, mean conveying and fluctuating velocities in terrestrial, lunar and micro-gravity conditions. Gravity reduced computations predict a reduction in the global particle–wall collision frequency. Also, in the case of low wall roughness and small particle mass loading, reduction of gravity acceleration implies an increase of particle–wall collision frequency with the upper wall of the channel affecting greatly the particle mass flux profile. In the case of high wall roughness and/or high particle-to-fluid mass loading (i.e., around 1.0) particle conveying characteristics are similar in the three gravity conditions evaluated. This is due to the fact that both, wall roughness and inter-particle collisions reduce gravitational settling. However, the influence of gravity on the additional pressure loss along the channel due to the conveying of the particles is much reduced.     

The New Generation of Automatic Landmark Detection Systems: Challenges and Guidelines

Abstract

Landmarks are salient objects in an environment. They play an important role in navigation by serving as orientation aids and marking decision points. Recently, there have been several efforts to design methods to automatically designate certain buildings with salient features as landmarks. All of these methodologies consist of similar steps: (a) establishing a neighborhood, usually around an intersection, (b) performing statistical or data mining analysis to find the building with outlier characteristics, and (c) establishing this salient building as the local landmark. Although these advances are significant, we believe that there are still several key issues that need to be fully addressed in order to realize the new generation of Automatic Landmark Detection Systems (ALDSs). Currently, the main shortcomings in the domain of ALDSs is the lack of a thorough and systematic study of attributes of objects that are analyzed to select landmarks, and deficient experimental verification of the benefits of ALDSs to the end users. Unless, these shortcomings are thoroughly addressed, the viability, applicability, and usefulness of ALDSs are uncertain. On the other hand, automatic landmark detection has the potential to be a dynamic, fascinating, and interdisciplinary research topic with wide applicability. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to discuss the current shortcomings in the domain of landmark detection, propose some preliminary solutions, and provide general guidelines for implementation of the new generation of ALDSs. Specifically, we discuss and promote the importance of: (a) widening the types of attributes analyzed in the landmark detection process, (b) weighting each attribute relative to its significance, (c) extending the types of objects considered as landmark candidates beyond just buildings, (d) identifying landmarks outside the vicinity of intersections, (e) identifying false landmarks along routes, and (f) using virtual environments for experiments with ALDSs. Throughout the paper, we discuss several demonstrative examples and experiments to clarify and support the ideas and concepts that are being promoted.     

基于先验知识及其定量评估的自适应杂波抑制研究

 为了改善训练样本数受限的非均匀杂波环境中的系统检测性能,研究了基于先验知识及其定量评估的自适应杂波抑制算法。提出了使用经真实杂波信息白化后的先验杂波协方差矩阵与单位矩阵之差的谱范数,来定量评估杂波先验知识的准确程度,并给出了真实杂波协方差矩阵未知时的矩阵谱范数估计方法。结合先验知识定量评估结果,获得了具有先验知识约束时的杂波协方差矩阵最大似然估计方法。分别基于多脉冲相参雷达以及空时自适应雷达进行了杂波建模,在此基础之上分析了算法性能。仿真结果证实了该算法优于使用样本协方差矩阵及先验杂波信息形成杂波抑制权值的性能。     

基于小生境遗传算法的分布式OS-CFAR检测系统优化与性能分析

 利用小生境遗传算法,对不同检测窗长度和检测信噪比的三传感器分布式 OS-CFAR检测系统进行了优化设计,给出了一组针对不同检测环境与融合方式的搜索结果。分析表明,对于非一致环境下分布式 OS-CFAR检测系统,小生境遗传算法是一种良好的优化算法。利用搜索结果,研究了不同融合方式下环境变化对分布式 OS-CFAR检测系统的性能影响,结果表明,“或”融合对检测环境的非一致变化具有较强的鲁棒性,而“3选2”融合和“与”融合对检测环境的变化比较敏感。     

环境因素对三号航空有机玻璃应力-溶剂银纹的影响

观测了三号航空有机玻璃 ( YB-3)在不同溶剂作用下的应力-溶剂银纹临界应力σc和银纹形貌。研究了吸水、紫外光辐照等单一环境因素和多个因素循环作用对 σc和银纹形貌的影响,并对影响机理进行了讨论     

载人航天中的微重力燃烧研究

简要阐述了载人航天中防火安全的重要性，列举了美国型号研制中的几次着火事故。介绍了载人航天中防火安全问题的处理原则。回顾了国外开展微重力环境中燃烧研究的发展。对微重力条件下可燃性、液滴燃烧、层流气体喷流扩散火焰以及沿固体面火焰的传播研究予以介绍。讨论了开展微重力燃烧研究的内容及途径。     

Cooperative formation control of multiple aerial vehicles based on guidance route in a complex task environment

In recent years, formation control of multi-agent has been a significant research subject in the field of cooperative control. However, previous works have mainly concentrated on formation control for simple point-mass model and linear model. In contrast, this paper presents a novel cooperative algorithm for multiple air vehicles formation control, which aims to devise a control strategy based on guidance route to achieve precisely coordinated formation control for a group of fixed-wing aircraft in a complex task environment. The proposed method introduces the leader-follower structure for effective organization of the multi-agent coordination. Moreover, the Partial Integrated Formation and Control (PIFC) is adopted to design the control law for Guidance-Route based Formation Control (GRFC). Additionally, the proposed approach designs two guidance-route generation strategies for two special situations to demonstrate the effectiveness of GRFC in complex task environments. Theoretical analysis reveals that the proposed control protocol for guidance command can ensure the overall stability and tracking accuracy of the system. Numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the theoretical results, and verify that the proposed approach can achieve coordinated formation control precisely in a complex task environment.     

Place learning in humans: The role of distance and direction information

Although the process of establishing a memoryof a location is necessary for navigation,relatively little is known about theinformation that humans use when forming placememories. We examined the relative importanceof distance and angular information aboutlandmarks in place learning. Participantsrepeatedly learned a target location inrelation to three distinct landmarks in animmersive computer-generated (virtual)environment. Later, during testing, theyattempted to return to that location. Theconfigurations of landmarks used during testingwere altered from those participants learned inorder to separate the effects of metricdistance information and information aboutinter-landmark angles. In general,participants showed greater reliance ondistance information than angular information. This reliance was affected by nonmetricrelationships present during learning, as wellas by the degree to which the learnedenvironment contained right or straightangles.