Abstract
In planetary rover missions, rover path planning is critical to ensure the safety and efficiency of the rover traverse and in situ explorations. In the Chang’e-4 (CE-4) mission, we have proposed and developed vision-based decision support methods comprising obstacle map generation and path evaluation for the rover. At each waypoint along the rover traverse, digital elevation model (DEM) is automatically generated, which is then used for obstacle map generation and path searching. For path evaluation, the searched path and the predicted wheel trajectories are projected onto the original images captured by different cameras to coincide with the real observation scenario. The proposed methods have been applied in the CE-4 mission to support teleoperation of the rover, and examples of multiple applications used in the mission are presented in this paper. Under the support of the proposed techniques, by the end of the 14th lunar day (3 February 2020), the rover has already travelled 367.25 meters on the far side of the Moon.
Highlights
The Chang’e-4 (CE-4) probe, including a lander and a rover, successfully lifted off on 8 December 2018 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and soft landed in the Von Kármán crater inside the South Pole-Aitken basin at 10:26 a.m. on 3 January 2019 [1]
In the CE-4 mission, we have proposed and developed vision-based decision support methods to generate an obstacle map and evaluate the searched path in both overhead view (DEM and digital orthophoto map (DOM)) and perspective view (DEM and original images)
According to the calibration parameters of Yutu-2 rover and the error propagation principle, the error in the depth direction for navigation camera (Navcam) is less than 0.11 m at distance of 10 m, and for hazard avoidance camera (Hazcam) is less than 0.2 m at distance of 5 m
Summary
The Chang’e-4 (CE-4) probe, including a lander and a rover, successfully lifted off on 8 December 2018 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and soft landed in the Von Kármán crater inside the South Pole-Aitken basin at 10:26 a.m. on 3 January 2019 [1]. In the CE-4 mission, we have proposed and developed vision-based decision support methods to generate an obstacle map and evaluate the searched path in both overhead view (DEM and DOM) and perspective view (DEM and original images). In the former view, the path-searching results are projected on the DOM in perspective view to coincide with the actual observation angle. Based on the back-projection method, multiple applications can be carried out to support decision-making during the mission operation, such as searched path evaluation, prediction of imaging area, etc. Please note that the coordinates of the points represent the rover center positions
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