Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Gavin P Haentjens

Brandon E Wilson

Christopher M Boggs

William T Kirchner

Troy D Driscoll

Kurt I Jaeger

A system and method for high integrity head pose estimation receives a 2D image including medium-density fiducials and low-density fiducials. The system then detects the medium-density fiducials and compares them with a 3D constellation to form an initial head pose estimate. The initial head pose estimate is then checked for possible alternative correspondences. A selection from a set of candidate initial head pose estimates is made to determine. The selected head pose estimate then has search areas established for the medium-density fiducials and low-density fiducials. The system then determines whether or not the head pose is valid and accurate based on whether or not the fiducials appear in their respective search areas.

High-confidence optical head pose correspondence mapping with multiple lower-density markers for high-integrity headtracking on a headworn display (HWD)

A system and method for head tracking for a head worn display (HWD) includes head-frame and platform-frame IMUs providing high-rate pose data of the wearer's head and a mobile platform. An optical tracker estimates an optical pose of a camera oriented at fiducials based on a comparison of 2D image data captured by the camera (and portraying the fiducials within the image) and the known location of each fiducial in a 3D marker frame. The pIMU also provides low-rate, high-integrity georeferenced pose data of the mobile platform (e.g., in an earth frame). The head tracker provides low-rate, high-integrity absolute head pose solutions (e.g., user head pose in the earth frame) based on the georeferenced pose data and current high-rate head/platform pose data, updating the absolute pose solutions with high-rate updates based on combined extended Kalman filter propagation of the high-rate head and platform pose data with refined optical pose data.

Head tracking system with extended kalman filter combining absolute and relative navigation

A system and method for conformal alignment of an aircraft-based head worn display (HWD) system defines far-field features in view of the HWD display, each far-field feature having a 3D truth position in a navigational reference frame. The aircraft GPS/IRS determines pointing vectors to each feature in the aircraft reference frame. The HWD user estimates a nominal head pose for orienting the far-field features in the HWD display, and the HWD system renders the far-field features based on the nominal head pose and pointing vectors. The rendered far-field features are aligned to their real-world 3D truth positions (either manually or with the assistance of witness cameras) and a latched pose of the HWD headtracker system determined based on a successful alignment within accuracy bounds. Based on the latched headtracker pose, the HWD headtracker alignment and the alignment of the HWD display reference frame to the aircraft reference frame are updated.

System and method for conformal head worn display (HWD) headtracker alignment

A system and method for predicting an estimated head pose solution of a head worn display (HWD) at a future time selects or determines, for each HWD rotational axis, a relative angular rate of a head reference frame relative to a body reference frame. By sampling the relative angular rate, a relative angular acceleration is determined. Based on a projection time associated with estimated display latency, angular increment vectors for each rotational axis are determined for relative angular rate and relative angular acceleration. The current head pose solution is adjusted with respect to one or more axes based on the angular increment vectors to project the head pose estimate ahead based on the projection time, the resulting projected head pose solution corresponding to a predicted orientation of the head frame relative to the body frame at the future time.

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Arlington, VA, United States of America

Gavin P Haentjens