Estimation of Distance and Rotation With an Optical Correlator

Optical correlator provides numerous benefits in pattern recognition, target identification, tracking, authentication, etc. However, correlation-based distance estimation of any object has not been explored much. An optical information processing-based simultaneous distance and rotation estimation technique is proposed here, supported by theoretical study, numerical simulation, and experimental results. Combined use of log-polar mapping and correlation filters can extract information about distance and rotation by having prior information about the objects of interest. The achievability of a velocity determination technique is also discussed. By optical information processing, the proposed approach requires minimal processing time and can find numerous applications in various fields like unmanned aircraft systems and aerial warfare.