Vision navigation for aircrafts based on 3D reconstruction from real-time image sequences

In this paper, we propose a novel vision navigation method based on three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction from real-time image sequences. It adapts 3D reconstruction and terrain matching to establish the correspondence between image points and 3D space points and the terrain reference (by using a digital elevation map (DEM)). An adaptive weighted orthogonal iterative pose estimation method is employed to calculate the position and attitude angle of the aircraft. Synthesized and real experiments show that the proposed method is capable of providing accurate navigation parameters for a long-endurance flight without using a global positioning system or an inertial navigation system (INS). Moreover, it can be combined with an INS to achieve an improved navigation result.