Optical Correlator for Real-Time Rendez-Vous and Docking

Paper number

IAC-06-C1.P.7.02

Author

Mr. Pascal Bourqui, INO, Canada

Coauthor

Dr. Bernd Harnisch, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands

Coauthor

Dr. Alain Bergeron, INO, Canada

Year

2006

Abstract

Rendezvous and docking consists of synchronization of two vehicles together or a vehicle and a docking station. These applications can be found on earth and in space. Furthermore, numerous robotic vision tasks, such as grasping, consist in exactly the same operation as in rendezvous and docking. In these kinds of applications, the identification of a region of interest (ROI), its exact position, its angle of rotation and to some extent, its distance is needed. The precision required for these applications is a supplementary constraint that adds to the usual processing rate requirements.

Optical correlation provides fast recognition and positioning capabilities. Its inherent parallelism can provide massive computing power with potential weight and power consumption reduction compared to its electronic counterpart. With suitable algorithms, the brute force of the optical correlator can be further enhanced to provide rotation angle and scale evaluation. Scale evaluation can eventually return distances evaluation.  Fast parameter assessment  could provide a better feedback for rendezvous and docking manoeuvres, and improve the reliability of these operations.

Rendezvous and docking was investigated using a package optical correlator with real-time docking video sequences of Soyuz to the International Space Station (ISS) and docking procedure specifications (docking corridor, velocities of the spacecraft, etc). For the experiment, a docking point from ISS images was used as ROI for identification, location and tracking. The ROI was extracted from the central section of the ISS. The section was correctly identified and located by the optical correlator by a sharp correlation peak. When the spacecraft approaches the docking mechanism, the perspective of the reference points changes, as such scale and rotation were taken into account in the procedure. A guidance scenario using optical correlation as a navigation aid was proposed.

This presentation will review the various parameters of this analysis, will present the results obtained with the video sequence and will draw conclusion for future direction.

Abstract document

IAC-06-C1.P.7.02.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-C1.P.7.02.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.