Extended Navigation Capabilities for a Future Mars Science Helicopter Concept

• Published in: 2020 IEEE Aerospace Conference pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Delaune, Jeff, Brockers, Roland, Bayard, David S., Dor, Harel, Hewitt, Robert, Sawoniewicz, Jacek, Kubiak, Gerik, Tzanetos, Theodore, Matthies, Larry, Balaram, J.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.03.2020
• Subjects: Helicopters; Mars; Measurement by laser beam; Monte Carlo methods; NASA; Odometry; Real-time systems; Sensors; Sun; Surface topography
• DOI: 10.1109/AERO47225.2020.9172289

This paper introduces an autonomous navigation system suitable for supporting a future Mars Science Helicopter concept. This mission concept requires low-drift localization to reach science targets far apart from each other on the surface of Mars. Our modular state estimator achieves this through range, solar and Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO). We propose a novel range update model to constrain visual-inertial scale drift in the absence of motion excitation using a single-point static laser range finder, that is designed to work over unknown terrain topography. We also develop a sun sensor measurement model to constrain VIO yaw drift. Solar VIO performance is evaluated in a simulation environment in a Monte Carlo analysis. Range-VIO is demonstrated in flight in real time on 1 core of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, which is the successor of the NASA's Mars Helicopter flight processor.