(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-05)
Johnson, Eric N.; Mooney, John G.; Ong, Chester; Sahasrabudhe, Vineet; Hartman, Jonathan
This paper describes recent results from a partnership between the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and the
Georgia Institute of Technology to develop, improve, and flight test a sensor, guidance, navigation, control, and
real-time flight path optimization system to support high performance nap-of-the-Earth helicopter flight. The
emphasis here is on optimization for a combination of low height above terrain/obstacles and high speeds.
Multiple methods for generating the desired flight path were evaluated, including (1) a simple processing of
each laser scan; and (2) a potential field based method. Simulation and flight test results have been obtained
utilizing an onboard laser scanner to detect terrain and obstacles while flying at low altitude, and have
successfully demonstrated obstacle avoidance in a realistic semi-urban environment at speeds up to 40 ft/s while
maintaining a miss distance of 50 ft horizontally and vertically. These results indicate that the technical
approach is sound, paving the way for testing of even lower altitudes, higher speeds, and more aggressive
maneuvering in future work.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011)
Johnson, Eric N.; Mooney, John G.; Ong, Chester; Sahasrabudhe, Vineet; Hartman, Jonathan
This paper describes recent results from a partnership between the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and the
Georgia Institute of Technology to develop, improve, and flight test a sensor, guidance, navigation, control,
and real-time flight path optimization system to support high performance nap-of-the-Earth helicopter
flight. The emphasis here is on optimization for a combination of low height above terrain/obstacles and
high speeds. Multiple methods for generating the desired flight path were evaluated, including (1) a simple
processing of each laser scan; and (2) a potential field based method. Simulation and flight test results have
been obtained utilizing an onboard laser scanner to detect terrain and obstacles while flying at low altitude,
and have successfully demonstrated obstacle avoidance at speeds up to 40 ft/s while maintaining a miss
distance of 50 ft horizontally and vertically. These results indicate that the technical approach is sound,
paving the way for testing of even lower altitudes, higher speeds, and more aggressive maneuvering in
future work.