The Aerospace Corporation

F Kenneth Chan

Salvatore Alfano

Meredith Lynn Greer

A computationally efficient analytical method determines when two quadric surfaces, such as ellipsoids surfaces, share the same volume by adding an extra dimension to the solution space for providing extradimensional product matrices defining degenerate quadric surfaces. The method then examines computed eigenvalues associated the product matrices to determine when the two quadric surfaces share the same volume or when surface projected areas based on viewing angle share the same area. The method provides direct share volume results based on comparisons of the eigenvalues that can be rapidly computed. The method can be use for collision avoidance detection where the objects are modeled by quadric surfaces.

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South Riding, VA, United States of America

F Kenneth Chan