Non-Cooperative Target Pose Estimation based on Improved Iterative Closest Point Algorithm

Abstract

For localisation of unknown non-cooperative targets in space, the existence of interference points causes inaccuracy of pose estimation while utilizing point cloud registration. To address this issue, this paper proposes a new iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm combined with distributed weights to intensify the dependability and robustness of the non-cooperative target localisation. As interference points in space have not yet been extensively studied, we classify them into two broad categories, far interference points and near interference points. For the former, the statistical outlier elimination algorithm is employed. For the latter, the Gaussian distributed weights, simultaneously valuing with the variation of the Euclidean distance from each point to the centroid, are commingled to the traditional ICP algorithm. In each iteration, the weight matrix $W$ in connection with the overall localisation is obtained, and the singular value decomposition is adopted to accomplish high-precision estimation of the target pose. Finally, the experiments are implemented by shooting the satellite model and setting the position of interference points. The outcomes suggest that the proposed algorithm can effectively suppress interference points and enhance the accuracy of non-cooperative target pose estimation. When the interference point number reaches about 700, the average error of angle is superior to 0.88°.