Knowledge based imaging for terrain analysis

A planetary rover will have various vision based requirements for navigation, terrain characterization, and geological sample analysis. In this paper we describe a knowledge-based controller and sensor development system for terrain analysis. The sensor system consists of a laser ranger and a CCD camera. The controller, under the input of high-level commands, performs such functions as multisensor data gathering, data quality monitoring, and automatic extraction of sample images meeting various criteria. In addition to large scale terrain analysis, the system's ability to extract useful geological information from rock samples is illustrated. Image and data compression strategies are also discussed in light of the requirements of earth bound investigators.