Laser radar system for obstacle avoidance

Karlheinz Bers; Karl R. Schulz; Walter Armbruster

doi:10.1117/12.626082

11 October 2005 Laser radar system for obstacle avoidance

Karlheinz Bers, Karl R. Schulz, Walter Armbruster

Proceedings Volume 5958, Lasers and Applications; 59581J (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.626082
Event: Congress on Optics and Optoelectronics, 2005, Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

The threat of hostile surveillance and weapon systems require military aircraft to fly under extreme conditions such as low altitude, high speed, poor visibility and incomplete terrain information. The probability of collision with natural and man-made obstacles during such contour missions is high if detection capability is restricted to conventional vision aids. Forward-looking scanning laser radars which are build by the EADS company and presently being flight tested and evaluated at German proving grounds, provide a possible solution, having a large field of view, high angular and range resolution, a high pulse repetition rate, and sufficient pulse energy to register returns from objects at distances of military relevance with a high hit-and-detect probability. The development of advanced 3d-scene analysis algorithms had increased the recognition probability and reduced the false alarm rate by using more readily recognizable objects such as terrain, poles, pylons, trees, etc. to generate a parametric description of the terrain surface as well as the class, position, orientation, size and shape of all objects in the scene. The sensor system and the implemented algorithms can be used for other applications such as terrain following, autonomous obstacle avoidance, and automatic target recognition. This paper describes different 3D-imaging ladar sensors with unique system architecture but different components matched for different military application. Emphasis is laid on an obstacle warning system with a high probability of detection of thin wires, the real time processing of the measured range image data, obstacle classification und visualization.

Citation Download Citation

Karlheinz Bers, Karl R. Schulz, and Walter Armbruster "Laser radar system for obstacle avoidance", Proc. SPIE 5958, Lasers and Applications, 59581J (11 October 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.626082

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