Application of Discrete Cross-Correlation Function for Observational-Comparative Navigation System

Abstract The article presents navigation system project operating on the principle scene matching area correlation (SMAC), using a digital camera, an MEMS e-compass sensor and an ultrasonic ranging module. Systems of this type are used as a component of advanced integrated navigation systems in view of its autonomy and capability of localizing aircrafts with high accuracy and precision. Steering and display of information are implemented using a computer application designed in Matlab programming environment. The object’s location is fixed, using discrete cross-correlation function through matching of the registered terrain image to digital orthophotomap. The article describes operations directly related to digital image processing, its implementation methods, a structural system design with explanations of each of the functional elements and presents devices used to build a complete integrated measurement unit model. It was used for the effectiveness measurement of determining the location of an object depending on the changes of angle and height of the flight as well as the luminance and noise level in a registered image. The measurements methodology was described which also includes an analysis of the results, an effectiveness evaluation and potential development directions of the designed system.