Systems and methods for assisting landing of a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle

Abstract

The invention is entitled "System and method for assisting landing of a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle." The present disclosure relates to a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle having a landing assistance tool and associated methods. The landing assistance tool includes at least one processor configured to: receive image data from an image capture device; receive elevation data from an altimeter; retrieve template landing pad image data for a target landing pad from a database; scale the template landing pad image data based on the elevation data; compare the scaled template landing pad image data to the image data received from the image capture device to locate the target landing pad therein, thereby providing target landing pad location data; and control a function of the VTOL vehicle based on the target landing pad location data.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202011002819, filed on January 22, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for landing assisted vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles. More specifically, the systems and methods described herein provide automatic positioning of a target landing pad and control of the VTOL vehicle based on the positioned target landing pad. Background Technology

[0004] There is growing interest in the concept of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) driven by vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, particularly electric or electric-hybrid VTOL (eVTOL) vehicles. NASA defines UAM as a safe and efficient system for air passenger and cargo transportation within urban areas, including small parcel delivery and other unmanned urban aerial systems (UAS) services, supporting a combination of airborne / ground-piloted and increasingly autonomous operations. Technologies enabling safe, quiet, efficient, and affordable-scale urban air operations are emerging. These technologies utilize small, highly automated electric or hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles. To achieve “low cost” and “lightweight” goals, avionics hardware and software capabilities should be less expensive than traditional avionics systems.

[0005] Therefore, the object of this disclosure is to provide landing aids and associated methods for VTOL vehicles using efficient processing software and relatively low-cost avionics software and hardware solutions. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and background information. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle with a landing assistance tool and an associated method. The landing assistance tool includes at least one processor configured to: receive image data from an image acquisition device; receive altitude data from an altimeter; retrieve template landing pad image data for a target landing pad from a database; scale the template landing pad image data based on the altitude data; compare the scaled template landing pad image data with image data received from the image acquisition device to locate the target landing pad therein, thereby providing target landing pad positioning data; and control the functions of the VTOL vehicle based on the target landing pad positioning data.

[0007] This summary is provided to describe selected concepts in a simplified form, which are further described in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The present disclosure will now be described in conjunction with the following accompanying drawings, wherein similar numerals denote similar elements, and wherein:

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a landing assistance system included in VTOL according to the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the landing assistance method according to this disclosure;

[0011] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram illustrating the scaling process according to this disclosure; and

[0012] Figure 4A and Figure 4B An exemplary display is shown of the lateral offset / alignment of the VTOL vehicle relative to the target landing pad, in accordance with this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The following detailed descriptions are merely exemplary in nature and are not intended to limit the invention or its application and use. As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Therefore, any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All embodiments described herein are exemplary embodiments provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Furthermore, it is not intended to be bound by any express or implied theory presented in the foregoing technical field, background art, summary of the invention, or the following detailed descriptions.

[0014] The landing assistance disclosed herein takes effect after the VTOL vehicle has flown (whether controlled by an autopilot and / or by a human pilot on the ground or in the air) to a position above the target landing pad and is ready to descend vertically toward the target landing pad below the VTOL vehicle. Therefore, the landing assistance tool can be considered a so-called "last-mile" landing assistance tool. No pilot in the VTOL vehicle will have visual contact with the target landing pad and will therefore rely on images / videos captured by onboard cameras to locate the target landing pad. The pilot and / or autopilot will use imaging data from the cameras to first laterally align the VTOL vehicle and then continue the vertical descent. Particularly for the human pilot, the reliability of the displayed images for performing lateral alignment and vertical descent becomes dependent on the distance and visibility between the vehicle and the landing area. For the autopilot, the target landing pad is located to provide a target for guiding the VTOL vehicle. This disclosure proposes using a pre-stored template landing pad characterizing the shape and size of the target landing pad to process the captured images to locate the target landing pad. This disclosure proposes utilizing altitude measurements from an altimeter to perform matching between the pre-stored template and the captured images. When processing the captured images to locate the target landing pad, accurate altitude measurements from the altimeter are used to scale the pre-stored template.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a landing assistance system 10 associated with or included within a VTOL vehicle 12 is depicted. This embodiment of system 10 includes, but is not limited to, a camera 14, a navigation database 16, an altimeter 18, a processing system 20, a display system 22, an autopilot system 24, an image processing system 26, a global positioning system module 28, and a display generation module 30. It should be understood that... Figure 1 It is a simplified representation of landing system 10, and Figure 1 This is not intended to limit the application or scope of the subject matter in any way. In practice, System 10 and / or VTOL 12 will include many other devices and components for providing additional functionality and features, as will be understood in the art.

[0016] VTOL carrier 12 is a vehicle capable of hovering, taking off, and landing vertically. VTOL carriers can include various types of aircraft, including fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as gyroplanes / rotor-helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft. VTOL carrier 12 can be an electric or hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or can be otherwise driven. VTOL carrier 12 can be a human-piloted (ground-based or cockpit-based) aircraft (typically assisted by autopilot system 24) or an unmanned aircraft (drone). In embodiments, VTOL carrier 12 is a passenger aircraft (PAV) or does not carry passengers (e.g., a cargo plane). In embodiments, VTOL carrier 12 is a rotorcraft.

[0017] The landing assistance system 10 includes a camera 14 for capturing still images or video of at least the area below the VTOL vehicle 12. In some embodiments, the camera 14 is configured to capture images (still images or as part of video) particularly when the VTOL vehicle 12 is near the target landing pad, in order to provide image data including images of the target landing pad. In some embodiments, the camera 14 is configured to become active when achieving a predetermined proximity to the landing pad based on the position of the VTOL vehicle 12, determined as from data from the GPS module 28, relative to known landing pad coordinates, such as those retrieved from the navigation database 16. In some embodiments, the camera 14 is a monocular camera. However, other visual cameras are also possible, including stereo cameras, imaging lidar cameras, infrared cameras, etc. The camera 14 may include multiple cameras, including combinations of different types of cameras (such as those described above).

[0018] The landing assistance system 10 includes an altimeter 18 for measuring the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12. The altimeter 18 outputs altitude data representing the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 above a ground-based surface. In other embodiments, sea level is used as a reference for the altitude data. In one embodiment, the altimeter 18 is a radio altimeter. However, other types of altimeters 18 are contemplated, such as radar altimeters, lidar altimeters, acoustic altimeters, or barometric altimeters, or differential signal-based devices with a transmitter juxtaposed with the landing point. In one embodiment, the altimeter 18 is capable of providing altitude data with higher accuracy than that obtained from the Global Positioning System module 28.

[0019] Image processing system 26 is configured to process images from camera 14, utilizing altitude data from altimeter 18, to more effectively locate the target landing pad in the images. In one embodiment, image processing system 26 is configured to receive each image from camera 14 (or receive images from camera 14 at a set sampling rate) and receive template landing pad images from navigation database 16. Image processing system 26 is configured to scale the template landing pad images based on the altitude data. More specifically, the higher the VTOL vehicle 12, the smaller the scaling transformation performed on the template landing pad images, according to the altitude data. Figure 3 An exemplary scaling of a template landing pad image is illustrated, wherein the scaled template landing pad image 200 is transformed to an increasingly larger size as the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 decreases. In an embodiment, the image processing system 26 is configured to perform an image comparison algorithm that compares the scaled template landing pad image with images from camera 14. The target landing pad will only constitute a portion of the image from camera 14, and the image comparison algorithm is configured to search for any matching image in the image space of the image data from camera 14 using the scaled template landing pad image and output localization data specifying the location of the target landing pad in the image from camera 14. By using a scaled version of the template landing pad, degrees of freedom have been removed from the comparison algorithm, making the comparison process more efficient and accurate, thereby allowing for faster response times and / or lower processing power. The image processing algorithm may further scale the image in a non-uniform manner when the attitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 may not be perfectly perpendicular to the landing image from the fixed-mount camera. In this configuration, the VTOL carrier 12 can pitch to counteract certain wind effects, and the image scaled along the approach direction can be slightly larger than the image scaled perpendicular to the approach direction in order to generate an image that can be compared with a stored template.

[0020] In the implementation scheme, the image processing system 26 includes a scaling module 34 configured to scale the input template landing pad based on altitude data and output the scaled template landing pad 200, such as... Figure 3As illustrated, any known scaling algorithm can be used, such as one that determines a scaling parameter proportional to the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 and multiplies the width and height of the template landing pad retrieved from the navigation database 16 by that scaling parameter. In some embodiments, the altitude data used by the scaling module 34 is adjusted based on altitude data from the altimeter 18 to account for the altitude of the target landing pad above the ground. That is, the altitude of the target landing pad above the ground is known from the data of the target landing pad obtained from the navigation database 16, and the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 above the ground is known from the altitude data from the altimeter. The altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 above the target landing pad is determined by the image processing system 26 by subtracting the altitude of the target landing pad above the ground from the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 above the ground, and then used to determine the scaling parameter.

[0021] In one embodiment, the image processing system 26 includes a matching module 32 configured to perform the comparison process described above. Specifically, it receives a scaled template landing pad and an image from camera 14, performs a comparison between the two, and outputs localization data representing a local region in the image space corresponding to the identified target landing pad. In another embodiment, the matching module 32 is configured to perform an image matching algorithm, such as a template matching algorithm. Various template matching algorithms are known in the art. Feature-based or region-based template matching algorithms can be used. Template matching algorithms can use a cross-correlation function or a normalized cross-correlation function to determine a similarity score representing the similarity between the scaled template landing pad and a selected region of the captured image. The template matching function can perform such template matching across the entire image search space to find the highest matching region or point based on the similarity score. In some embodiments, the template matching algorithm also considers multiple rotational instances of the scaled target template landing pad, such that the search for the highest match in the image space covers multiple rotational versions of the scaled target template landing pad. Thus, the matching algorithm is operational regardless of the angle of the target landing pad in the image from camera 14. Based on finding the highest matching point or region from the similarity score, the template matching algorithm outputs location data representing the position or region in the image corresponding to the target landing pad. In some implementations, the efficiency of the matching module 32 can be further improved by adding image processing steps, such as using edge-based matching, where edges of the target landing pad and edges of the template landing pad are extracted from the image from camera 14 for a more efficient comparison process. Other image processing steps performed by the image processing system 26 on the image from camera 14 may include grayscale conversion, thresholding, and noise filtering to improve image processing efficiency.

[0022] According to various embodiments, the landing assistance system 10 includes a navigation database 16 that stores navigation data used by various avionics systems, including the autopilot system 24 and the image processing system 26. In some embodiments, a flight plan is stored in the navigation database 16, which includes a description of waypoints from takeoff to landing. In other embodiments, the navigation database 26 includes data describing the location of a target landing pad (such as the coordinates of the target landing pad) and template landing pad image data. In some embodiments, a helicopter airport may have multiple landing pads, each identified by a landing pad ID marked on the landing pad. The navigation database 16 is configured to store template landing pad images along with associated IDs (e.g., as images), such that the image processing system 26 can not only locate the target landing pad but also identify the correct ID from multiple target landing pads at a particular helicopter airport. The navigation database 16 may store multiple different types of template landing pads, and the image processing system 26 may perform template matching based on each template type, or the navigation database 16 may identify the template landing pad type associated with a target landing pad data segment.

[0023] According to various embodiments, the landing assistance system 10 includes an autopilot system 24 configured to guide the VTOL vehicle 12 along a flight path obtained from a navigation database 16. The autopilot system 24 is configured to automate tasks such as maintaining altitude, ascending or descending to a specified altitude, turning and maintaining a specified heading, intercepting routes, and guiding the VTOL vehicle 12 between waypoints constituting the flight plan. The autopilot system 24 can operate fully autonomously or with varying degrees of human pilot assistance. In one embodiment, the autopilot system 24 is configured to obtain global position data from a Global Positioning System module 28 and track the VTOL vehicle 12 along the flight path based on that data. The autopilot system 24 is configured to control various actuators of the VTOL vehicle 12, such as independently controlling the rotational speed of multiple rotors. Autopilot system 24 or some other subsystems of landing assistance system 10 are configured to determine when the VTOL vehicle 12 is within a predetermined proximity to the target landing pad, based on the known location of the target landing pad from navigation database 16 and the location of the VTOL vehicle 12 determined using data from GPS module 28. In a specific exemplary embodiment, the predetermined proximity may be approximately one mile. Once the predetermined proximity has been determined, image processing system 26 is activated to begin searching for and locating the target landing pad in images from camera 14. In some embodiments, autopilot system 24 uses positioning data representing the location of the target landing pad to automatically control lateral positioning during vertical descent at landing. That is, autopilot system 24 is configured to transform the positioning data from image processing system 26 into real-world coordinates by performing a transformation function and to navigate the VTOL vehicle 12 based on those real-world coordinates.

[0024] In some embodiments, the landing assistance system 10 includes a display generation module 30 configured to generate a display that graphically highlights the location of the target landing pad. In some embodiments, the display generation module 30 is configured to indicate the relative lateral alignment of the VTOL vehicle 12 and the target landing pad during vertical descent to landing. In embodiments, the display generation module is configured to receive images from camera 14 and positioning data from image processing system 26, and to enhance the images from camera 14 with graphics or other display features to highlight the target landing pad, and optionally also to indicate the relative alignment of the VTOL vehicle 12 with the target landing pad using graphics or other display features. In one embodiment, the display generation module 30 is configured to determine a projection of a 3D volume from the target landing pad to the location of the VTOL vehicle 12, as known from data from GPS module 28. The 3D volume has the same dimensional profile as the target landing pad, thereby allowing for relative alignment or overlap between the VTOL vehicle position and the projection to be calculated.Figure 4A and Figure 4B An exemplary display generated by the display generation module 30 is shown, which includes a representation of the target landing pad 300, a representation of the VTOL vehicle 12, and a representation of the projection of the 3D volume 320. Figure 4A The image shows, graphically, a VTOL vehicle 12 that is laterally misaligned relative to the 3D projection and therefore relative to the target landing pad 300, as the VTOL vehicle 12 is only partially located within or outside the 3D volume 320. Figure 4B The image shows a laterally aligned VTOL vehicle 12 and target landing pad 300, with the VTOL vehicle 12 positioned within the outline of a 3D volume 320. Other displays are envisioned that provide different enhancements to the images from camera 14 to highlight the position of the target landing pad 300 and its relative lateral alignment with the VTOL vehicle 12. In some exemplary displays, image data of the target landing pad 300 and its surrounding environment (e.g., buildings) is obtained from navigation database 16 to generate a synthetic visual display during landing that provides depth enhancements to the images from camera 14. In some embodiments, autopilot system 24 uses projection methods to determine the lateral offset or alignment between the VTOL vehicles 12 during vertical descent to control the lateral position of the VTOL vehicles 12.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment, the landing assistance system 10 includes a display system 22, which includes one or more display devices for outputting presentations from the display generation module 30. In this embodiment, the one or more display devices are positioned remotely from the VTOL vehicle 12, within the cockpit of the VTOL vehicle 12, or a combination of both. For example, the display devices of the display system 22 may be included near a handheld device for remotely controlling the movement of the VTOL vehicle 12.

[0026] System 100 also includes a processing system 20, which includes one or more processors configured to execute computer-programmed instructions stored in non-transitory memory (not shown). The functions and methods 50 of the landing assistance system 10 (…) Figure 2 The module and processing system 20 are executed by one or more processors of the processing system 20 and associated computer programming instructions. As described herein, the module and processing system 20 refer to any hardware, software, firmware, electronic control components, processing logic and / or processor device, individually or in any combination, including but not limited to: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated or grouped), and memory, combinational logic circuits and / or other suitable components that execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide the aforementioned functionality.

[0027] Although the landing assistance system 10 is described herein as being located within the VTOL carrier 12, it should be understood that the VTOL carrier 12 may utilize remote or cloud processing capabilities and data sources. Thus, one or more components described relative to the VTOL carrier 12 may not necessarily be located on the VTOL carrier 12.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 50 for providing landing assistance to a VTOL vehicle 12 according to various embodiments. The steps of method 50 are executed by a processing system 20 that executes computer-programmed instructions. Figure 1 ) Execution. In some implementations, method 50 begins when it is determined that the VTOL vehicle 12 is within a predetermined proximity to the target landing pad based on the position of the VTOL vehicle 12 from the GPS module 28 and the position of the target landing pad retrieved from the navigation database 16.

[0029] Method 50 includes various steps for scaling a template landing pad image based on altitude data received from altimeter 18 and using the scaled image in a matching algorithm to locate and identify a target landing pad in an image received from camera 14. The target landing pad thus identified can be used to generate a display and / or guide VTOL vehicle 12 during landing; this is one example of vehicle control, but other possibilities exist.

[0030] In an exemplary embodiment, method 50 includes a step 52 where camera 14 captures an image including the target landing pad and a step 54 where altimeter 18 measures altitude. Further, an image of a template landing pad 56 is retrieved from navigation database 16. In this embodiment, the template landing pad image is included as a data segment in navigation database 16 along with the global coordinates of the landing pad, which allow the VTOL vehicle 12 to navigate to the target landing pad using autopilot system 24. Thus, image processing system 26 receives image data from camera 14, altitude data from altimeter 18, and template landing pad image data from navigation database 16.

[0031] Method 50 includes step 58 of scaling the template landing pad proportionally to the relative height of the VTOL vehicle 12 above the target landing pad via scaling module 34, the relative height being based on altitude data. In one embodiment, the altitude of the target landing pad above the ground, known from the navigation database 16, is subtracted from the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 to determine the altitude of the VTOL vehicle 12 above the target landing pad.

[0032] According to various embodiments, method 50 further includes step 60 of locating the target landing pad in an image captured by camera 14 using a template matching algorithm or other image matching algorithm via matching module 32. In some embodiments, the template matching algorithm searches the image space from camera 14 to determine the best match with a scaled template landing pad, thereby identifying and locating the target landing pad in the image.

[0033] In step 62, the functions of the VTOL vehicle 12 are controlled based on the positioning data obtained from step 60. In one embodiment, the autopilot system 24 aligns the VTOL vehicle 12 laterally relative to the target landing pad based on the positioning data (specifically, its real-world coordinate transformation). In an additional or alternative embodiment, a display is generated via the display generation module 30 to provide guidance on the relative lateral alignment of the VTOL vehicle 12 with respect to the target landing pad, such as through the display of a 3D projected volume extending from the target landing pad in the height direction and the display of the VTOL vehicle 12 relative to the 3D projected volume, for example... Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown. In other embodiments, the display may include indications of alignment or misalignment, and, when misalignment exists, indications of the distance and direction of lateral movement required to achieve alignment with the target landing pad.

[0034] According to the embodiments described herein, low-cost landing assistance tools are provided to help VTOL vehicles (e.g., eVTOL vehicles) land safely on a target landing pad. Therefore, this disclosure proposes using a low-cost sensor combination of cameras and altimeters (e.g., radio altimeters) to provide “last-mile” lateral and vertical landing assistance.

[0035] According to one embodiment described herein, camera 14 (e.g., monocular camera 14) operates in combination with a low-cost altimeter 14, which initially captures an image below the VTOL vehicle 12. Processing system 20 performs template matching using the altitude information measured by altimeter 18. In some embodiments, an enhanced image is generated that highlights the target landing pad, as detected by template matching, to assist the crew in laterally aligning the VTOL vehicle 12. One intuitive way to assist the crew in determining lateral alignment, provided by way of example, is to present the self-position by referring to a 3D volume 320 projected upwards from the target landing pad 300. Other alternative representations include, but are not limited to, conventional lateral deviation scale indications on the pilot display of display system 22. Once lateral alignment is established, the crew (via crew control unit (not shown)) and / or autopilot system 24 can begin a vertical descent using altitude measurements from altimeter 18.

[0036] Embodiments of the landing assistance system 10 have been described in terms of functional and / or logical block components and various processing steps. It should be understood that such block components can be implemented by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform specified functions. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can employ various integrated circuit components, such as memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, lookup tables, etc., which can perform multiple functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with any number of systems, and the systems described herein are merely exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0037] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to signal processing, data transmission, signaling transmission, control, and other functional aspects of the system (as well as the various operating components of the system) are not described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures included herein are intended to illustrate exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may exist in embodiments of this disclosure.

[0038] The use cases and descriptions provided herein are merely illustrative in nature. It should be possible to achieve the same concepts described herein using different notations and semantics.

[0039] In this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" may be used only to distinguish one entity or action from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Unless expressly defined by the language of the claims, numerical ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," "third," etc., merely indicate different individuals among a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence. Unless expressly defined by the language of the claims, any sequence of text in the claims does not imply that the processing steps must be performed in a chronological or logical order according to such a sequence. Without departing from the scope of the invention, the method steps may be interchanged in any order, provided that such interchange does not contradict the language of the claims and is not logically absurd.

[0040] Furthermore, depending on the context, the use of terms such as “connected” or “coupled to” when describing the relationship between different components does not imply that a direct physical connection must be made between these components. For example, two components can be physically, electronically, logically, or in any other way connected to each other by one or more additional components.

[0041] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be understood that numerous variations exist. It should also be understood that one or more exemplary embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or construction of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient roadmap for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements described in the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle, the vehicle comprising: Image capture device; altimeter; A database storing template landing pad image data for at least one template landing pad; and At least one processor, the at least one processor being capable of operatively communicating with the image capture device, the database, and the altimeter, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Receive image data from the image capture device; Receive altitude data from the altimeter; Retrieve template landing pad image data for the target landing pad from the database; Using a scaling algorithm, the template landing pad image data is scaled based on the altitude data. The scaling algorithm determines a scaling parameter that is proportional to the relative height of the VTOL vehicle above the target landing pad, and multiplies the size of the template landing pad image data by the scaling parameter, such that as the relative height decreases, the scaled template landing pad image data is proportionally transformed into an increasingly larger size, wherein the relative height is determined based on the altitude data. A comparison algorithm is used to compare scaled template landing pad image data with image data received from the image capture device to locate the target landing pad therein, thereby providing target landing pad location data, wherein the comparison algorithm searches the image space of the image data received from the image capture device to find a match for the scaled template landing pad image data; and The VTOL launcher is controlled based on the target landing pad positioning data.

2. The VTOL vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control the functions of the VTOL vehicle by performing autopilot functions based on the target landing pad positioning data.

3. The VTOL carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control the functions of the VTOL carrier by generating an enhanced display based on the target landing pad positioning data, the enhanced display including an image based on the image data and enhancements indicating the location of the target landing pad.

4. The VTOL vehicle of claim 3, wherein the enhancement includes an indication of the lateral alignment of the VTOL vehicle relative to the target landing pad.

5. The VTOL vehicle of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to project a 3D volume from the target landing pad based on the target landing pad positioning data and to determine an indication of the lateral alignment of the VTOL vehicle relative to the projected 3D volume.

6. The VTOL carrier of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is configured to display a graphic indicating the position of the VTOL carrier, the 3D volume, and the target landing pad.

7. The VTOL carrier according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the at least one processor is configured to use a template matching algorithm to compare scaled template landing pad image data with image data received from the image capture device.

8. The VTOL carrier according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the at least one processor is configured to compare the scaled template landing image data with the image data received from the image capture device using a template matching algorithm that incorporates rotation of the template landing image data.

9. The VTOL carrier according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: access location data for the target landing pad from the database; receive GPS data representing the location of the VTOL carrier; and, when the VTOL carrier is within a predetermined proximity to the target landing pad, initiate a comparison of scaled template landing pad image data with image data received from the image capture device based on the location data and the GPS data.

10. A method for providing landing assistance in a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle, the method comprising: Image data from the image capture device is received by at least one processor; The at least one processor receives altitude data from the altimeter; The at least one processor retrieves template landing pad image data for the target landing pad from the database; Using a scaling algorithm, the at least one processor scales the template landing pad image data based on the altitude data. The scaling algorithm determines a scaling parameter that is proportional to the relative height of the VTOL vehicle above the target landing pad, and multiplies the size of the template landing pad image data by the scaling parameter, such that as the relative height decreases, the scaled template landing pad image data is proportionally transformed to an increasingly larger size, wherein the relative height is determined based on the altitude data. Using a comparison algorithm, the at least one processor compares the scaled template landing pad image data with the image data received from the image capture device to locate the target landing pad therein, thereby providing target landing pad location data, wherein the comparison algorithm searches the image space of the image data received from the image capture device to find a match for the scaled template landing pad image data; as well as The at least one processor controls the functions of the VTOL vehicle based on the target landing pad positioning data.

Images