On AGV's navigation in 3-dimensional space

This paper deals with position estimation and path control for Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV). To enable a vehicle or a mobile robot in following a continuous virtual path without human control, these techniques play an important role. The relationship between the vehicle's motion in 3-dimensional space and the shape of a curved surface is described. In particular, the introduction of a digital terrain model in dead reckoning is considered. Moreover, a possible nonlinear control is developed based on curvilinear path coordinates, and the proof for global stability is given. To achieve general validity, these topics are treated here independently of the cart's special mechanization (the configuration of steered wheels and driven wheels). Simulation studies are presented to illustrate the investigations.     

Spectrum estimation using maximum entropy and multiresolution considerations

Summary Given a sample autocovariance sequence of finite length for some observed random process, the spectrum estimation problem involves the extension of this sequence for the required Fourier transformation. The maximum entropy approach which is based on the optimal use of information contents, leads to a dual sequence of reflection coefficients with reciprocal spectrum of the process. The estimation of the maximum entropy spectrum implies results identical to those using autoregressive modeling in one dimension under appropriate white noise assumptions. In cases of a non-white noise component, the approach is generalized to an autoregressive-moving-average model. Recent developments in multiresolution analysis with spectral domain decompositions also offer possibilities of subband spectrum estimation for specific applications. Using a simulated data sequence with two close frequencies, the estimated spectrum from a two-level decomposition with autoregressive modeling shows better resolution than with conventional processing. Geodetic and geophysical applications are briefly indicated.     

Helicopter Supported Photogrammetric Survey of Ramsberg Castle

Ramsberg Castle is to be restored and renovated to allow a new use of the building. This requires extensive structural and architectural analyses based upon metric documentation. The façades of the castle were recorded photogrammetrically. Photography from the ground was impossible due to the steep terrain on three sides of the building. For this reason, the photographs were taken from a helicopter. A 4 × 5 inch Linh of Metrika réseau camera was used.
Because of the adverse topography, only a few control points could be determined by on-site theodolite measurement. Therefore the control network was achieved by means of photogrammetric bundle triangulation. Stereorestitution was performed using an analytical plotter connected with a CAD system. Drawings at 1:50 scale were then derived from the as-built CAD model.     

Closed form solution to the twin P4P or the combined three dimensional resection-intersection problem in terms of Möbius barycentric coordinates

The twin perspective 4 point (twin P4P) problem – also called the combined three dimensional resection-intersection problem – is the problem of finding the position of a scene object from 4 correspondence points and a scene stereopair. While the perspective centers of the left and right scene image are positioned by means of a double three dimensional resection, the position of the scene object imaged on the left and right photograph is determined by a three dimensional intersection based upon given resected perspective centers. Here we present a new algorithm solving the twin P4P problem by means of M?bius barycentric coordinates. In the first algorithmic step we determine the distances between the perspective centers and the unknown intersected point by solving a linear system of equations. Typically, area elements of the left and right image build up the linear equation system. The second algorithmic step allows for the computation of the M?bius barycentric coordinates of the unknown intersected point which are thirdly converted into three dimensional object space coordinates {X,Y,Z} of the intersected point. Typically, this three-step algorithm based upon M?bius barycentric coordinates takes advantage of the primary double resection problem from which only distances from four correspondence points to the left and right perspective centre are needed. No orientation parameters and no coordinates of the left and right perspective center have to be made available. Received 1 May 1996; Accepted 13 September 1996     

Results of three year observation with a superconducting gravimeter at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam

The superconducting gravimeter (SG) TT70 has been continuously recording gravity data at the GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam absolute gravity site since July 1992. The recorded data are edited and preprocessed by spike and step detection and elimination and gap filling. An atmospheric pressure correction is carried out on gravity data in the time domain with a complex admittance before tidal fitting. The atmospheric pressure admittance is calculated from tide free output of SG data and local atmospheric pressure using the cross spectral method. The ground water level admittance is determined by a single coefficient. Improvements with these corrections are shown in analysis results. New tidal parameters for Potsdam site are determined and compared with recordings of an Askania spring gravimeter at a nearby site. Deviations against the Wahr-Dehant-model are shown. Polar motion data of the IERS (International Earth Rotation Service, Paris) are used to calculate variations of centrifugal acceleration caused by polar motion (pole tide). These are compared with the corrected tide free output of SG series. For drift determination the polar motion correction is applied on SG data. The nutation period equivalent to the Earth's Nearly Diurnal Free Wobble is calculated from the SG data with a value of T_FCN = (437.4 ± 1.5) sidereal days. This result is compared with those obtained from other SG stations. Received 19 December 1995; Accepted 13 September 1996     

The spacetime gravitational field of a deformable body

The high-resolution analysis of orbit perturbations of terrestrial artificial satellites has documented that the eigengravitation of a massive body like the Earth changes in time, namely with periodic and aperiodic constituents. For the space-time variation of the gravitational field the action of internal and external volume as well as surface forces on a deformable massive body are responsible. Free of any assumption on the symmetry of the constitution of the deformable body we review the incremental spatial (“Eulerian”) and material (“Lagrangean”) gravitational field equations, in particular the source terms (two constituents: the divergence of the displacement field as well as the projection of the displacement field onto the gradient of the reference mass density function) and the `jump conditions' at the boundary surface of the body as well as at internal interfaces both in linear approximation. A spherical harmonic expansion in terms of multipoles of the incremental Eulerian gravitational potential is presented. Three types of spherical multipoles are identified, namely the dilatation multipoles, the transport displacement multipoles and those multipoles which are generated by mass condensation onto the boundary reference surface or internal interfaces. The degree-one term has been identified as non-zero, thus as a “dipole moment” being responsible for the varying position of the deformable body's mass centre. Finally, for those deformable bodies which enjoy a spherically symmetric constitution, emphasis is on the functional relation between Green functions, namely between Fourier-/ Laplace-transformed volume versus surface Love-Shida functions (h(r),l(r) versus h ^′(r),l ^′(r)) and Love functions k(r) versus k ^′(r). The functional relation is numerically tested for an active tidal force/potential and an active loading force/potential, proving an excellent agreement with experimental results. Received: December 1995 / Accepted: 1 February 1997     

The hierarchical tessellation model and its use in spatial analysis

The hierarchid tessellation model belongs to a class of spatial data models based on the recursive decomposition of space. The quadtree is one such tessellation and is characterized by square cells and a 1:4 decomposition ratio. To relax these constraints in the tessellation, a generalized hierarchical tessellation data model, called Adaptive Recursive Tessellations (ART), has been proposed. ART increases flexibility in the tessellation by the use of rectangular cells and variable decomposition ratios. In ART, users can specify cell sizes which are intuitively meaningful to their applications, or which can reflect the scales of data. ART is implemented in a data structure called Adaptive Recursive Run-Encoding (ARRE), which is a variant of two-dimensional run-encoding whose running path can vary with the different tessellation structures incorporated in an ART model. Given the recognition of the benefits of implementing statistical spatial analysis in GIS, the use of hierarchical tessellation models such as ART in spatial analysis is discussed. Three examples are introduced to show how ART can: (1) be applied to solve the quadrat size problem in quadrat analysis of point patterns; (2) act as the data model in the variable resolution block kriging technique for geostatistical data to reduce variation in kriging error; and (3) facilitate the evaluation of spatial autocorrelation for area data at multiple map resolutions via the construction of a connectivity matrix for calculating spatial autocorrelation indices based on ARRE.     

MAP MAKING FOR PROFIT AND PLEASURE

Some of the economic and operational aspects of mapping are discussed, including the conditions that may offer air survey a competitive advantage over other methods. The financing of national mapping programmes around the world is increasingly market oriented, driven by the need to provide the end users with information that they can turn into sustainable economic growth and social progress. Despite these economic pressures, map makers seem to find their work more enjoyable and rewarding than most professionals.     

Position and velocity reliability testing in degraded GPS signal environments

Reliability testing, namely receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM), consists of statistical testing of least-squares residuals of observations, e.g., on an epoch-by-epoch basis aiming towards reliable navigation fault detection and exclusion (FDE). In this paper, classic RAIM and FDE methods are extended with testing of range-rate residuals to find inconsistent velocity solutions in order to contribute to the reliability of the system with special focus on degraded signal environments. Reliability enhancement efforts discussed include a Backward-FDE scheme based on statistical outlier detection and an iteratively reweighted robust estimation technique, a modified Danish method. In addition, measurement weighting assigned to code and Doppler observations is assessed in the paper in order to allow fitting a priori variance models to the estimation processes. The schemes discussed are also suitable in terms of computational convenience for a combined GPS/Galileo system. The objective of this paper is to assess position and velocity reliability testing and enhancement in urban and indoor conditions and to analyze the navigation accuracy conditions with high sensitivity GPS (HSGPS) tests. The results show the necessity of weighted estimation and FDE for reliability enhancement in degraded signal-environment navigation.     

Response of GPS occultation signals to atmospheric gravity waves and retrieval of gravity wave parameters

We show that the amplitude of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signals in the radio occultation (RO) experiments is an indicator of the activity of the gravity waves (GW) in the atmosphere. The amplitude of the GPS RO signals is more sensitive to the atmospheric wave structures than is the phase. Early investigations used only the phase of the GPS occultation signals for statistical investigation of the GW activity in the height interval 10–40 km on a global scale. In this study, we use the polarization equations and Hilbert transform to find the 1-D GW radio image in the atmosphere by analyzing the amplitude of the RO signal. The radio image, also called the GW portrait, consists of the phase and amplitude of the GW as functions of height. We demonstrate the potential of this method using the amplitude data from GPS/Meteorology (GPS/MET) and satellite mission Challenge Mini-satellite Payload (CHAMP) RO events. The GW activity is nonuniformly distributed with the main contribution associated with the tropopause and the secondary maximums related to the GW breaking regions. Using our method we find the vertical profiles of the horizontal wind perturbations and its vertical gradient associated with the GW influence. The estimated values of the horizontal wind perturbations are in fairly good agreement with radiosonde data. The horizontal wind perturbations v(h) are ±1 to ±5 m s with vertical gradients dv/dh ±0.5 to ±15 m s km at height 10–40 km. The height dependence of the GW vertical wavelength was inferred through the differentiation of the GW phase. Analysis of this dependence using the dispersion relationship for the GW gives the estimation of the projection of the horizontal background wind velocity on the direction of the GW propagation. For the event considered, the magnitude of this projection changes between 1.5 and 10 m s at heights of 10–40 km. We conclude that the amplitude of the GPS occultation signals contain important information about the wave processes in the atmosphere on a global scale.