Abstract
This paper presents a star-tracking algorithm to determine the accurate global orientation of autonomous platforms such as nano satellites, s, and micro-drones using commercial-off-the-shelf () mobile devices such as smartphones. Such star-tracking is especially challenging because it is based on existing cameras which capture a partial view of the sky and should work continuously and autonomously. The novelty of the proposed framework lies both in the computational efficiency and the ability of the star-tracker algorithm to cope with noisy measurements and outliers using affordable mobile platforms. The presented algorithm was implemented and tested on several popular platforms including: Android mobile devices, commercial-micro drones, and Raspberry Pi. The expected accuracy of the reported orientation is [0.1°,0.5°].
Highlights
Since the dawn of history, man has had to navigate in space
This work aims to acquire an absolute orientation via star tracking obtained from mobile devices
What is the AL that should be commonly used in earth-located scenarios? The results show that, to obtain an over 0.8 probability, which is achieved by retrieving the right value from the Bright Stars Catalog (BSC) with error probability of 0.5, the AL can be close to 1◦
Summary
The navigation problem can be essentially divided into two different sub-problems: where am I and where am I heading. The answer to the latter used to be based upon the starry sky. Star navigation was the main and foremost tool for both marine and land navigation for centuries. If you know the stars, you will never get lost, said the famous proverb. Technology provides unbelievable accurate solutions to the ancient navigation problem, both in terms of localization and orientation. Contemporary GNSS receivers report an absolute position and heading with an average error of a few meters and less than 1◦. GNSS suffers from inherent accuracy errors, especially in urban regions [1]. The accuracy levels reached by inertial measurements units (a smart fusion of accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer) are insufficient for many contemporary applications
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