PALONA

The elimination of emitting sensors is very important, especially in military applications. The reception of satellite navigation signals (GNSS) can be jammed relatively easily and this poses a security challenge and requires alternative localization methods.

The Palona project investigated the feasibility of localization and obstacle detection for a semi-autonomous military convoy. The requirement here was the implementation of an approach based on purely passive sensor technology (use only of cameras and inertial sensors, but no GNSS, no radar, no LiDAR, no infrastructure). On the one hand, the logistics vehicle should automatically follow a pre-trained path repeatedly or automatically follow a lead vehicle.

Our experts have developed an innovative vehicle-independent sensor platform consisting of 8 cameras, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a mobile computer. Together with our partners, the data collected by the sensor platform was evaluated in a modular software framework and suitable algorithms for self-localization, relative localization in the convoy and obstacle detection were implemented and tested in military areas.

At the end of the project, the project team has shown very impressively that the camera and IMU-based localization and obstacle detection works under off-road conditions under normal lighting conditions (daylight, sunshine, clouds, light rain) with an accuracy of less than half a meter, and thus an automated follow-up of a known route is possible.