US 12,330,818 B2
System and method for identifying and distinguishing spacecraft appendages from the spacecraft body
Michael Klug, Redondo Beach, CA (US); Joseph Vermeersch, Hermosa Beach, CA (US); Matthew Banfield, Torrance, CA (US); Adriel Bustamante, Jurupa Valley, CA (US); and Jonathan Wolff, Sammamish, WA (US)
Assigned to Falcon Exodynamics, Inc., El Segundo, CA (US)
Filed by Falcon Exodynamics, Inc., El Segundo, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/443,688.
Application 18/443,688 is a continuation in part of application No. 18/450,602, filed on Aug. 16, 2023, granted, now 11,945,609.
Prior Publication US 2025/0058903 A1, Feb. 20, 2025
Int. Cl. G01C 21/24 (2006.01); B64G 1/64 (2006.01); B64G 3/00 (2006.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01)
CPC B64G 1/646 (2013.01) [B64G 3/00 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for controlling docking with a spacecraft, comprising:
receiving at least one image pixel stream from at least one camera;
compressing a dynamic range of the at least one image pixel stream;
detecting a sub-region from the at least one image pixel stream having a compressed dynamic range;
texture processing the detected sub-region to generate at least one texture map for the at least one image pixel stream;
generating thresholding results for each of the at least one image pixel stream responsive to the generated at least one texture map;
clustering and downsampling the generated thresholding results;
fuses each of the generated thresholding results for the at least one image pixel stream to create fused thresholding results;
determining a bus centroid of the spacecraft responsive to the generated fused thresholding results; and
controlling docking of with the spacecraft responsive to the determined bus centroid.