A simulation environment for path and image generation in an aerial single-camera vision system

This work describes the essential tools and architecture of a simulation environment, which could help enhance general aviation training as well as safety issues, especially while dealing with flights over unfamiliar environments. It also describes how the authors could effectively generate any desired flight path and its associated surrounding images through implementing a virtual single camera with simultaneous localization and mapping (monocular simultaneous localization and mapping) techniques. The overall package enjoys an aerial three-dimensional (3D)/graphical engine integrated with a full six-degrees-of-freedom aircraft dynamics, which serves as its trajectory generator, together with a real-time waypoint navigation system (WNS). The graphical engine accumulates real-time images generated through a virtual camera installed on the aerial vehicle. The authors effectively exploit C++, high-level Shader language, as well as JSBSim to develop and integrate components of the package. They also bring JSBSim in their in-house graphical core to develop the necessary autopilot commands while using WNS for managing the generation of the desired flight routes and their associated states of the vehicle. Different case studies indicate that the developed environment could enhance safety through effective pre-flight briefing for either flight testing with a new aircraft or flying a known aircraft over unfamiliar terrains. The system is quite suitable for flying at low- to medium-speed aircraft, whereas further enhancement seems necessary for high-speed ones.