Abstract
The polarization patterns of skylight which arise due to the scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere can be used by many insects for deriving compass information. Inspired by insects’ polarized light compass, scientists have developed a new kind of navigation method. One of the key techniques in this method is the polarimetric sensor which is used to acquire direction information from skylight. In this paper, a polarization navigation sensor is proposed which imitates the working principles of the polarization vision systems of insects. We introduce the optical design and mathematical model of the sensor. In addition, a calibration method based on variable substitution and non-linear curve fitting is proposed. The results obtained from the outdoor experiments provide support for the feasibility and precision of the sensor. The sensor’s signal processing can be well described using our mathematical model. A relatively high degree of accuracy in polarization measurement can be obtained without any error compensation.
Highlights
Polarization is one of the basic attributes of light which contains a lot of specific information.Partially-polarized light is ubiquitous in nature
If the AOPnavigation, of the sky zenith was proposed acquired with oursource sensor, the Aiming at the application of polarization this paper a point solarpolarization azimuth angle could derived an error0.2 ̋,principle theoretically
The polarization patterns of skylight could be seriously changed by the atmosphere condition, in thecloud, construction ofetc
Summary
Polarization is one of the basic attributes of light which contains a lot of specific information. Scientists have discovered that the direction information of this polarized skylight can be exploited by these insects for navigation or course control. The dung beetle can even utilize the dim and partially polarized lunar skylight at night for orientation [6,7]. The number of polarization navigation cases in nature is so numerous, that we cannot enumerate all of them here. The polarized skylight can be used by humans for navigation. It has been hypothesized that the Vikings (between AD 900 and AD 1200) might have been able to determine the solar azimuth angle by watching the polarized skylight, just like some insects [8,9]. With the development of technology, the working principles of polarization navigation have been better understood and employed by people
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
