Modeling and algorithm of attitude measurement of moving target by laser tracking systems

Abstract

We demonstrate theoretically the feasibility of the full-attitude measurement of a moving target by laser tracking systems. Based on the combination of retroreflector target, laser tracking, and interferometry techniques, two kinds of laser tracking systems known as distance- angle-measurement (DAM) and distance-only-measurement (DOM) sys- tems are proposed for the attitude measurement of a moving target in real time. Mathematical models and algorithms of both systems are built to determine and calculate the dynamic attitude of the target under the world coordinate system and the target's initial coordinate system re- spectively. The coordinate transform between different coordinate sys- tems and the initial geometric parameters of the laser tracking stations can be self-calibrated. The coordinate transform self-calibration algo- rithm can be solved by the singular matrix decomposition method, while the self-calibration algorithm of the initial geometric parameters of the DOM system can be solved by the Levenberg-Marquardt method. The simulation results show that the self-calibration algorithm converges rap- idly and its accuracy is satisfactory under noise measurement. © 2003