LAOTSE, an approach for foreign object detection by multimodal netted 2D / 3D sensors

Globalization enforces increasing airplane traffic and thus a growing turnover frequency. This requires a sophisticated and time-efficient searching for sources of danger imposed by debris, executing strong risks for airplane take-off and landings. The project introduced in this paper facilitates and enhances the landing strip observation effectiveness. This fully automatically controlled system enables a faster control avoiding sources of error induced by human observers under all weather conditions. This system assists an increased turnover airplane frequency and makes a cost saving airport management possible. The paper focuses on the techniques used for the runway surveillance, especially the radar part for stand-off object detection of debris and a real-time 2D and 3D time-of-flight (ToF) camera system for close-up surveillance.