Mixed-mode VLSI optic flow sensors for in-flight control of a micro air vehicle

Geoffrey L. Barrows; C. Neely

doi:10.1117/12.409204

17 November 2000 Mixed-mode VLSI optic flow sensors for in-flight control of a micro air vehicle

Geoffrey L. Barrows, C. Neely

Proceedings Volume 4109, Critical Technologies for the Future of Computing; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.409204
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2000, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

NRL is developing compact optic flow sensors for use in a variety of small-scale navigation and collision avoidance tasks. These sensors are being developed for use in micro air vehicles (MAVs), which are autonomous aircraft whose maximum dimension is on the order of 15 cm. To achieve desired weight specifications of 1 - 2 grams, mixed-signal VLSI circuitry is being used to develop compact focal plane sensors that directly compute optic flow. As an interim proof of principle, we have constructed a sensor comprising a focal plane sensor head with on-chip processing and a back-end PIC microcontroller. This interim sensors weighs approximately 25 grams and is able to measure optic flow with real-world and low-contrast textures. Variations of this sensor have been used to control the flight of a glider in real-time to avoid collisions with walls.

Citation Download Citation

Geoffrey L. Barrows and C. Neely "Mixed-mode VLSI optic flow sensors for in-flight control of a micro air vehicle", Proc. SPIE 4109, Critical Technologies for the Future of Computing, (17 November 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.409204

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