An Omni-vision Based Localization Method for Automatic Helicopter Landing Assistance on Standard Helipads

Abstract

An omni-vision-based localization method for automatic helicopter landing assistance on a helipad with a circled H-shape is proposed. The landing process includes two stages: approaching and alignment. Three types of image features, circle, line, and point, are used to derive skillfully analytic equations for computing the helicopter height, distance, and orientation with respect to the landing site. Experimental results with good location estimation accuracy are also shown.