Global Positioning Denial Navigation

Abstract

The name of the invention is Global Positioning Denial Navigation. Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products for navigating an aircraft (202) are disclosed. Information indicative of results of scanning an environment (220) surrounding the aircraft (202) for a landmark (222) is received by a computer system (206). An azimuth (230) of the landmark (222) and a location of the landmark (222) are determined by the computer system (206). A current position (214) of the aircraft (202) is estimated by the computer system (206) using the azimuth (230) of the landmark (222) and the location of the landmark (222). Based on the current position (214) of the aircraft (202), a set of actions (216) performed to guide the aircraft (202) is determined by the computer system (206).

Description

Technical fields:

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to aircraft, and more specifically to methods, apparatus, systems and computer program products for navigating aircraft. Background technology:

[0002] Aircraft navigation involves determining the aircraft's position and executing actions to fly the aircraft to that position. In many aircraft, navigation is performed by the flight management system. The flight management system can determine the aircraft's position and calculate the course to a waypoint or destination. In other cases, the pilot can use the current position determined for the aircraft to determine its course. Other information, such as the aircraft's speed and direction of travel, is used to navigate the aircraft.

[0003] Aircraft positioning is typically determined using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver within the aircraft. Navigation becomes more challenging when the GPS receiver fails to provide the information needed to determine the aircraft's position with the desired level of accuracy. For example, environmental or human factors can reduce or eliminate the GPS receiver's ability to receive the signals required to accurately determine the aircraft's position.

[0004] In this scenario, the aircraft's pilot can use visual navigation to roughly determine the aircraft's location. This process requires a significant amount of the pilot's attention to pinpoint the aircraft's position and is not as precise as using a GPS receiver. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In some instances, this disclosure provides an aircraft navigation system. The aircraft navigation system includes a sensor system, a landmark detector, a positioning calculator, a positioning estimator, and a guidance system. The sensor system is associated with the aircraft. The sensor system is configured to generate images of the environment surrounding the aircraft. The landmark detector is configured to receive the images, use the images to identify landmarks in the environment surrounding the aircraft, and determine the bearing and position of the landmarks. The positioning calculator is configured to use the bearing and position of the landmarks to determine a calculated position for the aircraft. The positioning estimator is configured to use the calculated position determined by the positioning calculator and aircraft state information to estimate the aircraft's current position. The guidance system is configured to provide guidance to a target location using the aircraft's current position.

[0006] In some instances, this disclosure provides an apparatus. The apparatus includes a computer system and a navigator within the computer system. The navigator is configured to facilitate scanning of the environment surrounding the aircraft to locate landmarks. The navigator is configured to determine the azimuth and position of the landmarks. The navigator is configured to use the azimuth and position of the landmarks to estimate the aircraft's current position. Based on the aircraft's current position, the navigator is configured to initiate the execution of a set of actions selected to guide the aircraft.

[0007] In some instances, this disclosure provides methods for navigating an aircraft. A computer system receives information instructing it to scan the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks. The computer system determines the azimuth and position of the landmarks. The computer system uses the azimuth and position of the landmarks to estimate the current position of the aircraft. Based on the aircraft's current position, the computer system executes a set of actions determined to be performed to guide the aircraft.

[0008] In some instances, this disclosure provides a computer program product for navigating an aircraft. The computer program product includes a first program code, a second program code, a third program code, and a fourth program code stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Execution of the first program code causes a computer system to receive information instructing it to scan the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks. Execution of the second program code by the computer system causes it to determine the azimuth and position of the landmarks. Execution of the third program code causes the computer system to use the azimuth and position of the landmarks to estimate the current position of the aircraft. Execution of the fourth program code causes the computer system to determine, based on the current position of the aircraft, a set of actions to be performed to guide the aircraft.

[0009] Features and functions may be implemented independently in various instances of this disclosure, or may be combined in other instances, with reference to the following description and figures for further details. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The appended claims set forth novel features that are considered characteristics of the illustrative embodiments. However, the illustrative embodiments, their preferred uses, further objects, and features will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0011] Figure 1 It is a drawing illustration of the navigation environment based on illustrative examples;

[0012] Figure 2 It is a diagram of the navigation environment based on an illustrative example;

[0013] Figure 3 This is a diagram of a navigator block diagram based on an illustrative example;

[0014] Figure 4 It is a diagram of a block diagram of an aircraft based on an illustrative example;

[0015] Figure 5 It is a diagram of the azimuth of a land landmark from an aircraft, based on an illustrative example;

[0016] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the distribution of possible aircraft locations based on illustrative examples;

[0017] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for navigating an aircraft based on an illustrative example;

[0018] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for scanning the environment to find landmarks, based on an illustrative example.

[0019] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for estimating the current location of an aircraft, based on an illustrative example.

[0020] Figure 10 It is a more detailed flowchart illustration of a method for navigating an aircraft, based on illustrative examples;

[0021] Figure 11 It is a diagram of a block diagram of a data processing system based on an illustrative example;

[0022] Figure 12 These are illustrations of aircraft manufacturing and maintenance methods based on illustrative examples; and

[0023] Figure 13 It is a block diagram illustration of an aircraft, in which illustrative examples can be implemented. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The illustrative examples acknowledge and consider one or more different considerations. The illustrative examples recognize and consider that situations may occur where information (e.g., GPS signals) cannot be obtained in response to passive or active interference. The illustrative examples recognize and consider that passive interference may occur due to environmental factors that may prevent or reduce the strength of GPS signals reaching the GPS receiver. The illustrative examples recognize and consider that active interference may include the operation of devices designed to block or jam signals. Additionally, the illustrative examples recognize and consider that active interference may also include electronic spoofing used to transmit false information in signals to the GPS receiver.

[0025] Illustrative examples recognize and consider unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—also known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS)—that employ navigation systems that operate using GPS signals. Illustrative examples recognize and consider these UAV systems using near-continuous contact with a control station.

[0026] The illustrative examples recognize and consider the existence of events where the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system loses at least one of its GPS signal or contact with the control station—an emergency situation outside of normal operating procedures. Therefore, the illustrative examples recognize and consider actions that can be taken to ensure the safe operation of the UAV system.

[0027] As used in this article, the phrase "at least one" when used with a list of items means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items can be used, and that perhaps only one of each item in the list is needed. In other words, "at least one" refers to any combination of items and the number of items that can be used from the list, but not all items in the list are required. Items can be specific objects, things, or categories.

[0028] For example, but not limited to, "at least one of project A, project B, or project C" can include project A, project A and project B, or project B. The example can also include project A, project B, and project C, or project B and project C. Of course, any combination of these projects can exist. In some illustrative examples, "at least one" can be, for example, but not limited to, two projects A; one project B; ten projects C; four projects B and seven projects C; or other suitable combinations.

[0029] The illustrative example recognizes and takes into account that these actions may include flying in a route or pattern over a previously known location. The illustrative example recognizes and takes into account that, depending on the time required to correct the problem, the aircraft may not be able to recover and may land or abort its flight.

[0030] Therefore, illustrative examples provide methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products for navigating aircraft. In one illustrative example, a computer system scans the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks. The computer system determines the azimuth and position of the landmarks. The computer system uses the azimuth and position of the landmarks to estimate the aircraft's current position. Based on the aircraft's current position, the computer system executes a set of actions selected to guide the aircraft.

[0031] As used in this article, "a set" when referring to a project means one or more projects. For example, "a set of actions" is one or more actions.

[0032] Now refer to the attached diagram, specifically... Figure 1A pictorial illustration of a navigation environment is depicted based on an illustrative example. As depicted, navigation environment 100 is the environment in which aircraft 102 is in flight. In this illustrative illustration, aircraft 102 cannot determine its position with the desired level of accuracy using a GPS receiver (not shown) in aircraft 102.

[0033] For example, aircraft 102 might be unable to detect GPS signals from satellites, signals that have been attenuated by factors such as ice covering the GPS receiver's antenna. As another example, solar storms or solar flares can also interfere with GPS receivers. In other illustrative examples, active interference can prevent aircraft 102 from using its GPS receiver to determine its location.

[0034] In this situation, aircraft 102 can use an optional mechanism to determine its current location and perform navigation activities. In this illustrative example, when the GPS receiver in aircraft 102 does not provide the current location with the desired level of accuracy, navigation system 104 in aircraft 102 can determine the current location of aircraft 102.

[0035] In this illustrative example, navigation system 104 can generate images of the environment surrounding aircraft 102. Navigation system 104 can use these images to identify landmarks in the environment surrounding aircraft 102.

[0036] Landmarks can take many different forms. In the example depicted, the landmarks identified by the navigation system 104 include an airport 106, a mountain range 108, a building 110, a lake 112, and a dam 114.

[0037] In this illustrative example, navigation system 104 determines the azimuth of each of these landmarks. Furthermore, navigation system 104 can also estimate the distance to each landmark.

[0038] Navigation system 104 can use the azimuth and position of a landmark to estimate the current position of aircraft 102. In this example, navigation system 104 measures the azimuth of a landmark and identifies its position from information related to the landmark stored in a landmark data storage device. As depicted, the landmark is identified by navigation system 104, and the identification of the landmark is used to determine its position from the landmark data storage device.

[0039] In this illustrative example, navigation system 104 may determine a set of actions selected to guide aircraft 102 based on the current location determined for aircraft 102. These actions may include creating a route, setting waypoints, setting a heading, changing altitude, and / or other actions related to aircraft 102.

[0040] Now for reference Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of the navigation environment based on illustrative examples. Figure 1 Navigation environment 100 is Figure 2 An example of an implementation of a component of the Chinese navigation environment 200.

[0041] As depicted, aircraft 202 operates in navigation environment 200. In this illustrative example, aircraft 202 is selected from one of the following: airplane, rotorcraft, unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle system, manned aircraft, commercial aircraft, military aircraft, and other suitable types of aircraft.

[0042] Aircraft 202 includes an aircraft navigation system 204. The aircraft navigation system 204 is configured to perform a set of actions 216 to assist in navigating the aircraft 202. In this illustrative example, the aircraft navigation system 204 includes a computer system 206, a navigator 208, and a sensor system 210. As depicted, the navigator 208 is located within the computer system 206.

[0043] The navigator 208 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. When using software, the operations performed by the navigator 208 can be implemented using program code configured to run on hardware such as a processor unit. When using firmware, the operations performed by the navigator 208 can be implemented using program code and data, and stored in permanent memory for execution on a processor unit. When hardware is used, the hardware may include circuitry for operating to perform the operations in the navigator 208.

[0044] In illustrative examples, the hardware may take at least one selected from circuit systems, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices, or some other suitable type of hardware configured to perform a number of operations. Using a programmable logic device, the device can be configured to perform a number of operations. The device can be reconfigured later or can be permanently configured to perform a number of operations. Programmable logic devices include, for example, programmable logic arrays, programmable array logic, field-programmable logic arrays, field-programmable gate arrays, and other suitable hardware devices. Alternatively, the method can be implemented in organic components integrated with inorganic components and can consist entirely of organic components other than human-made ones. For example, the method can be implemented as a circuit in an organic semiconductor.

[0045] Computer system 206 is a physical hardware system and includes one or more data processing systems. When there is more than one data processing system in computer system 206, these data processing systems communicate with each other using a communication medium. The communication medium can be a network. The data processing systems can be selected from at least one of a computer, a server computer, a tablet computer, or some other suitable data processing systems.

[0046] In this illustrative example, sensor system 210 generates sensor information 212, which navigator 208 can use to determine the current position 214 of aircraft 202 and perform a set of actions 216. Sensor system 210 can take many different forms. For example, sensor system 210 may include a set of sensors 218 that generate the sensor information 212 required to determine the current position 214.

[0047] As used herein, the positioning of aircraft 202 is its location in three dimensions. For example, location can be latitude, longitude, and altitude. Furthermore, positioning can also include the bearing of aircraft 202. This bearing can be described as heading. Heading can also be referred to as the yaw of aircraft 202. y Therefore, the current location 214 includes at least the position of aircraft 202, and may also include the heading of aircraft 202.

[0048] The set of sensors 218 may be selected from at least one of a camera, a visible light camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, or other suitable types of sensors. Alternatively, the set of sensors 218 in sensor system 210 may also include other types of sensors, such as a barometric altimeter, an accelerometer, an angled attack sensor, or other suitable sensors that can be used in aircraft 202.

[0049] In this illustrative example, navigator 208 is configured to perform a number of different operations. As depicted, navigator 208 can scan the environment 220 around aircraft 202 to locate landmarks 222. In scanning the environment 220, navigator 208 can view all parts of the environment 220 surrounding aircraft 202.

[0050] For example, navigator 208 can receive sensor information 212 generated by sensor system 210 about the environment 220 surrounding aircraft 202 to scan the environment 220 to locate landmarks 222. Sensor information 212 can be used to identify landmarks 222 in the environment 220. Furthermore, navigator 208 can control sensor system 210 to directly scan the environment 220.

[0051] Landmarks in landmark 222 are identifiable natural or man-made features that can be used for navigation. In this illustrative example, a feature for a landmark is a prominent feature in the environment and is generally visible from a distance. For example, landmark 222 may be selected from at least one of the following: natural features, man-made features, mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, fields, buildings, antennas, airports, runways, roads, quarries, bridges, manufacturing facilities, dams, radio towers, monuments, or some other suitable features in the environment 220.

[0052] In this illustrative example, landmark 222 can be identified from sensor information 212 in many different ways. For example, navigator 208 can identify landmark 222 using sensor information 212 and landmark information stored in landmark data storage device 224. Landmark data storage device 224 includes a collection of landmark information that identifies landmark 222 based on specific attributes or other information of a particular landmark. These attributes can reside in images, measurements, descriptions, or other forms of data structures. In some illustrative examples, the collection of information may include nautical charts.

[0053] The navigator 208 may also access or include an artificial intelligence system 226. The artificial intelligence system 226 may include a machine learning model 228, which has been trained to identify landmarks 222 from sensor information 212. The dataset of these landmarks may be selected from a variety of sources, such as aeronautical charts, geographic maps, images, and other sources of information that can identify landmarks and their locations.

[0054] As depicted, artificial intelligence system 226 is a system with intelligent behavior and may be based on human brain functions. Artificial intelligence system 226 includes at least one of artificial neural networks, cognitive systems, Bayesian networks, fuzzy logic, expert systems, natural language systems, or some other suitable systems. Machine learning is used to train artificial intelligence system 226. Machine learning involves inputting data into a method and allowing the method to adjust and improve the functionality of artificial intelligence system 226.

[0055] In this illustrative example, machine learning model 228 is an artificial intelligence model that can learn without explicit programming. Machine learning model 228 can learn based on training data input into it. This data can be in the form of a dataset. As depicted, machine learning model 228 can learn using various types of machine learning algorithms.

[0056] Machine learning algorithms include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, feature learning, and sparse dictionary learning. yMachine learning models include at least one of the following: learning algorithms (such as artificial neural networks, decision trees, support vector machines, Bayesian networks, genetic algorithms, etc.). These machine learning models can be trained using data and processed with additional data to provide the desired output.

[0057] For example, in the scanning environment 220 surrounding aircraft 202, navigator 208 can receive images from the camera system in the sensor system 210 of aircraft 202. Navigator 208 can use machine learning model 228 and artificial intelligence system 226 to identify landmarks 222 in the images. In some illustrative examples, machine learning models can be trained to detect specific types of landmarks. For example, one machine learning model can be trained to detect mountains, while another machine learning model can be trained to detect cities. Machine learning model 228 can detect landmarks in the image and determine the azimuth 230 and position 234 of the landmark 222.

[0058] In this illustrative example, navigator 208 can determine the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmark 222. The azimuth 230 can be absolute or relative. An absolute azimuth is the angle between magnetic north or true north and the object (e.g., a landmark). A relative azimuth is the angle between the heading of aircraft 202 and the position of another object (e.g., a landmark). The heading can also be referred to as the aircraft's yaw. In this illustrative example, the distance 232 from landmark 222 can be determined using the azimuth 230, landmark 222, and position 234 of landmark 222. The position 234 can be determined from the landmark data storage device 224. In this illustrative example, the distance 232 is an optional measurement and can be obtained from sensor information 212 of sensor 218.

[0059] In this illustrative example, navigator 208 can estimate the current position 214 of aircraft 202 using the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmark 222. Furthermore, navigator 208 can also use the azimuth 230 and position 234 to estimate yaw 236. These estimates can be formed using the azimuth 230 and distance 232 as input to at least one of Hough transform, maximum likelihood estimation, probabilistic convolution, Bayesian estimation, machine learning models, or some other method or system.

[0060] In an illustrative example, the estimation of the current position 214 can be performed indirectly using the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmark 222. For example, navigator 208 can use the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmark 222 to determine the calculated position 238 of aircraft 202. Navigator 208 can then use the calculated position 238 and aircraft state information 240 from sensor system 210 to estimate the current position 214 of aircraft 202.

[0061] In this illustrative example, aircraft status information 240 is a type of sensor information 212. Aircraft status information 240 describes the state of aircraft 202 during flight. Aircraft status information 240 can be used to describe at least one of the current state of aircraft 202 or a previous state of aircraft 202.

[0062] Aircraft status information 240 may include at least one of airspeed, barometric altitude, acceleration rate, magnetic heading, pitch, roll, vertical speed, pitch rate, angle of attack, VOR-derived position, or other suitable information that can describe the state of aircraft 202. Aircraft status information 240 may include the position and heading of aircraft 202. Further, at least one of current position 214 or calculated position 238 may be part of aircraft status information 240.

[0063] Furthermore, the navigator 208 can execute a set of actions 216 selected to guide the aircraft 202 based on the aircraft 202's current position 214. In this illustrative example, the set of actions 216 may include at least one of the following: selecting a target location for the aircraft 202, generating a waypoint command to change the aircraft 202's heading to the target location, generating an altitude command to change the aircraft 202's altitude, generating a flight plan to the target location, displaying the aircraft 202's heading on the graphical user interface of the display system, or other suitable operations.

[0064] These different operations can be initiated when the current system used to determine the current position 214 cannot perform at the defined level of accuracy. For example, when the GPS receiver in aircraft 202 cannot determine the current position 214 of aircraft 202 at the desired level of accuracy, navigator 208 can initiate a scan of the environment 220 around aircraft 202 to locate landmarks 222; determine the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmarks 222; estimate the current position 214 of aircraft 202 using the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmarks 222; and perform a set of actions 216 selected to guide aircraft 202 based on the current position 214 of aircraft 202.

[0065] In one illustrative example, one or more technical solutions exist that overcome the technical problem of determining the current position of an aircraft when the navigation system typically used for these determinations is inoperable or cannot provide the current position with the desired level of accuracy. Therefore, one or more technical solutions can provide the technical effect of providing the current position of an aircraft based on sensor information (e.g., imagery of landmarks). Computer system 206 can be configured to use software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof to perform at least one of the steps, operations, or actions described in the various illustrative examples. Thus, computer system 206 operates as a dedicated computer system, wherein when the normally used navigation system cannot operate as desired, navigator 208 in computer system 206 is able to navigate aircraft 202. Specifically, navigator 208 transforms computer system 206 into a dedicated computer system compared to a currently available general-purpose computer system without navigator 208.

[0066] In this illustrative example, the use of navigator 208 in computer system 206 integrates processes into the practical application of a method for navigating an aircraft, thereby improving the performance of computer system 206. In other words, navigator 208 in computer system 206 involves the practical application of processes integrated into navigator 208 of computer system 206 that enable navigation of aircraft 202 when the normally relied-upon navigation system does not operate as expected. In this illustrative example, navigator 208 in computer system 206 scans the environment around aircraft 202 to locate landmark 222; determines the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmark 222; estimates the current position 214 of aircraft 202 using the azimuth 230 and position 234 of landmark 222; and executes a set of actions 216 selected to guide aircraft 202 based on the current position 214 of aircraft 202. The computer system 206 is used to determine the current location 214 of the aircraft 202 when a normally used sensor 218, such as a GPS receiver, cannot provide the current location 214.

[0067] Next, refer to Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of a navigator, based on illustrative examples. In these examples, the same reference numerals may be used in multiple figures. This repetition of reference numerals in different figures indicates the same element in different figures.

[0068] Figure 3 It is described Figure 2 An example implementation of navigator 208 is provided. In this illustrative example, navigator 208 includes landmark detector 300, positioning calculator 302, positioning estimator 304, and guidance system 306.

[0069] As depicted, the landmark detector 300 receives image 308 from sensor information 212 in the sensor system 210. The landmark detector 300 is operable to identify... Figure 2 Landmark 222 in the environment 220 surrounding the aircraft 202. Further, the landmark detector 300 can determine the azimuth 230 and position 234 of the landmark 222 from the aircraft 202.

[0070] Using the identified landmark 222, the positioning calculator 302 can determine the calculated position 238 of the aircraft 202 using the azimuth 230 and position 234 received from the landmark detector 300. The positioning estimator 304 can estimate the current position 214 of the aircraft 202 using the calculated position 238 as determined by the positioning calculator 302 and the aircraft status information 240 received from the sensor system 210.

[0071] For example, the calculated positioning 238 can be adjusted based on the aircraft state information 240. For instance, the aircraft's inertial positioning, inference velocity, altitude, and other aircraft state information 240 from the inertial measurement unit can be used to adjust the calculated positioning 238 to form... Figure 2 The current location of aircraft 202 is estimated at 214.

[0072] For example, the positioning calculator 302 can use a set of previous positions 303 of the aircraft 202 to calculate the calculated position 238. These positions can be, for example, positions generated by a GPS receiver, previously calculated positions, previous current positions, or some other previous positions accessible to the positioning estimator 304. In this example, the set of previous positions 303 is previous aircraft status information 305.

[0073] When the aircraft status information 240 is previous aircraft status information 305 in the form of previous location 303, the aircraft status information can be stored in a data structure, such as a flat file, database, linked list, table, spreadsheet, or some other data structure in memory or other hardware storage device accessible by the navigator 208. In this example, at least one of the calculated location 238 or the current location 214 can be stored as the previous location 303 of the previous aircraft status information 305.

[0074] When the positioning estimator 304 uses a set of previous positions 303 from the aircraft state information 240 to estimate the current position 214 from the calculated position 238, the positioning estimator 304 can use a method or filter such as a Kalman filter, wherein the calculated position 238 and the set of previous positions 303 are input into a Kalman filter to estimate the current position 214. When the set of previous positions 303 is a previous current position estimated based on previously calculated positions, the set of previous positions 303 is fed back into the Kalman filter in the positioning estimator 304 as part of a feedback loop.

[0075] For example, the positioning calculator 302 can use radio signals from aircraft status information 240 received from a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) transmitter and the magnetic heading of aircraft 202 from aircraft status information 240 received from a magnetometer to determine the calculated positioning 238. This and / or other aircraft status information received in real time from the sensor system 210 constitutes the current aircraft status information 301.

[0076] A Kalman filter can also be used to determine the current position 214 using the calculated position 238 and the current aircraft state information 301 by the position estimator 304. Various estimation algorithms can be used to correct the position determined from the VOR signal and magnetic heading, taking into account the amount of error between positions.

[0077] In other illustrative examples, the current aircraft state information 301 used by the positioning estimator 304 may also include information from the inertial measurement unit, accelerometer, and other suitable sensors that can provide the information needed to adjust the calculated positioning 238 to estimate the current positioning 214.

[0078] In other illustrative examples, the positioning estimator 304 may use both the current aircraft state information 301 and the previous aircraft state information 305 to estimate the current positioning 214 from the calculated positioning 238.

[0079] Using the current location 214, the guidance system 306 can execute a set of actions 216 to use Figure 2 The current position 214 of aircraft 202 provides guidance to the target location. In this way, when other systems cannot provide the desired level of accuracy in determining the current position 214 so that aircraft 202 can fly to the desired location or fly along the desired waypoint, navigator 208 enables the pilot or other operator of aircraft 202 to fly aircraft 202 without having to visually determine which direction to fly, at what altitude, or some other parameter to continue navigating aircraft 202.

[0080] In this illustrative example, when guidance system 306 provides waypoints for guidance, the guidance for those waypoints may be updated over a longer period of time, performing at a rate of multiple iterations per second, compared to guidance from currently used waypoints. By determining the current positioning 214 in a way that the guidance system 306 can account for a larger error compared to the current system, and may have a larger positioning error. Therefore, guidance system 306 can provide waypoints for heading changes based on the larger error being used simultaneously.

[0081] The guidance system 306 can operate in a way that takes into account a slower update rate of the current location 214 compared to when using a GPS receiver. For example, an update rate of 0.1 Hz may occur.

[0082] In this example, a vector field method can be implemented to converge to a waypoint path. The aircraft's path can be determined using waypoint paths derived from a route planner to the desired location or manually generated waypoints. In this case, the waypoint path is three-dimensional. Two-dimensional flight plans can also be generated manually or automatically. Altitude clearances from air traffic control entities can be used to issue altitude commands during flight.

[0083] Furthermore, update criteria such as thresholds can be implemented in the heading or positioning error to enable periodic updates. Therefore, guidance system 306 can perform action 216 to provide updates and guidance based on the update rate and the heading or positioning error.

[0084] When other systems cannot provide the current position 214 with the desired level of accuracy, the navigator 208 can automatically identify the current position 214. The navigator 208 can provide the current position 214 with a desired level of accuracy that is greater than the possible level of accuracy within the time period required for the pilot or other human operator to operate the aircraft 202 with the desired level of accuracy. Furthermore, the navigator 208 enables the pilot or human operator of the aircraft 202 to focus on other actions by automatically performing actions 216 (such as suggesting an azimuth, automatically changing the azimuth of the aircraft 202, setting waypoints, suggesting altitude changes, automatically initiating altitude changes, or some other suitable actions or combinations of actions).

[0085] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustration of an aircraft depicted based on an illustrative example. The diagram shows... Figure 2 An example of the components of aircraft 202.

[0086] In this illustrative example, aircraft 202 includes an airframe 400, electronic equipment 402, a propulsion system 404, and a steering mechanism 406. The airframe 400 is the mechanical structure of aircraft 202. The airframe 400 may include, for example, a fuselage, underframe, wings, landing gear, and other physical structures. In this illustrative example, the airframe 400 carries the electronic equipment 402, the propulsion system 404, and the steering mechanism 406.

[0087] Electronic device 402 has many different components. As depicted, electronic device 402 includes sensor system 210, communication system 410, and flight control system 412.

[0088] In this illustrative example, sensor system 210 includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver 414, a gyroscope 418, an accelerometer 420, and other suitable sensors. In this example, GPS receiver 414 is a physical system and can determine the location of aircraft 202. GPS receiver 414 can include any currently used GPS hardware, including conventional satellite-based systems and others that use beacons, positioning signals, or other sources of positioning information.

[0089] As depicted, gyroscope 418 is a physical device configured to detect the rotation of aircraft 202. Gyroscope 418 can communicate with other components in flight control system 412 to control the operation of aircraft 202 and navigate aircraft 202 along flight paths. Gyroscope 418 can generate information to identify the orientation of aircraft 202.

[0090] In the illustrative example, accelerometer 420 is a physical device configured to detect the linear motion of aircraft 202. Accelerometer 420 may include a conventionally used accelerometer and may communicate with components in flight control system 412 to control the operation of aircraft 202 and navigate aircraft 202 along a flight path.

[0091] As depicted, propulsion system 404 is a physical system that generates a force that moves aircraft 202. In the illustrative example, this force takes the form of thrust. Propulsion system 404 may include at least one of a jet engine, a turbofan, a turboprop engine, a ramjet engine, a rotor system, or some other suitable engine or device capable of moving aircraft 202.

[0092] In this illustrative example, steering mechanism 406 can be configured to maneuver (steer) aircraft 202 along a flight path to achieve a target. Steering mechanism 406 can operate autonomously or under manned control. In this illustrative example, steering mechanism 406 responds to signals from controller 424 in flight control system 412, which may employ feedback or other control systems to guide aircraft 202 along the flight path.

[0093] As depicted, communication system 410 is a physical device and may be, for example, a wireless transceiver and an antenna. Communication system 410 can exchange information with a remote computer system. Communication system 410 can be operated to send and receive information to and from remote locations such as another aircraft or ground station.

[0094] As depicted, the flight control system 412 can determine one or more flight paths for the aircraft 202 to reach a desired position based on signals received from components of the navigation system. The flight control system 412 can calculate, generate navigation commands, such as data signals, and send them to the steering mechanism 406 to guide the aircraft 202 along the flight path.

[0095] In this illustrative example, the flight control system 412 includes multiple components. As depicted, the flight control system 412 includes a map system 422, a controller 424, a processor unit 416, a navigator 208, and a memory 426.

[0096] As depicted, map system 422 may be part of a map-based flight control system that provides location information about natural and man-made features within an area. Map system 422 may communicate with other components in flight control system 412 to support the navigation of aircraft 202. While this function may include providing map information for route calculation, it may also include independent navigation capabilities.

[0097] For example, map system 422 can provide a map-based navigation system that stores a map including the operating environment of one or more objects. The map-based navigation system can be coupled to a camera and configured to determine the location of a vehicle by comparing stored objects with the visible environment, providing location data even in the absence of GPS data or other positioning information.

[0098] In this illustrative example, processor unit 416 is a physical device and can communicate with controller 424, other components in flight control system 412, steering mechanism 406, sensor system 210, navigator 208, and various other components, systems, and subsystems that may be present in aircraft 202. Processor unit 416 may be a computer system (e.g., Figure 2 The internal processor in the computer system 206 supports various functions, such as navigation or image processing. The processor unit 416 can be configured to control the operation of at least one of the aircraft 202, flight control system 412, sensor system 210, and navigator 208.

[0099] As depicted, processor unit 416 may perform processing and computational functions to support at least one of the following: navigation, image generation, displaying patterns on a featureless surface, or processing images to generate a model. Processor unit 416 may include a plurality of different processors that cooperate to perform the functions described herein. Figure 2 The operation of the navigator 208. For example, when the GPS receiver 414 cannot determine the current position 214 with the desired level of accuracy, the internal processor in the aircraft 202 controls the operation of the aircraft 202, while another processor assigned to the navigator 208 controls the estimation of the current position 214 of the aircraft 202.

[0100] Controller 424 can be operated to control components in aircraft 202, such as flight control system 412, sensor system 210, propulsion system 404, or steering mechanism 406. Controller 424 communicates with processor unit 416, aircraft 202, flight control system 412, sensor system 210, steering mechanism 406, and various other components of the devices and systems described herein.

[0101] As depicted, controller 424 may include any hardware, software, or combinations thereof for controlling multiple components in the aircraft 202 and flight control system 412 described herein, including but not limited to microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable gate arrays, and any other digital and / or analog components and combinations thereof, as well as inputs and outputs for communicating with control signals, drive signals, power signals, sensor signals, and other suitable types of signals.

[0102] In this illustrative example, memory 426 is a physical device and may include local or remote storage devices that store data logs for the flight control system 412, including but not limited to sensor information 212, which includes data generated by sensor system 210. Figure 2 The aircraft status information 240. Other information that can be stored in memory 426 includes at least one of bearing, speed, flight path, turning specifications, GPS coordinates, sensor readings, and other suitable information. In this example, the information stored in memory 426 can be accessed by at least one of processor unit 416 or controller 424.

[0103] Despite Figure 4 The specific arrangement of components is described herein, but in other illustrative examples, the arrangement of components may differ. For example, sensor system 210 may be located within or on aircraft 202. Furthermore, at least one of sensor system 210, flight control system 412, or communication system 410 may share components such as memory, sensors, processors, or controllers. Additionally, one or more sensors 218 in sensor system 210 may be removably coupled to aircraft 202, or components in this module may be integrated into the airframe 400 for aircraft 202 in any desired manner.

[0104] The flight control system 412 may also include the components described above as part of the electronic equipment 402, as well as other sensors in the sensor system 210. As another example, other sensors may include other flight instruments, sensors, processing circuitry, communication circuitry, optical systems including cameras, and other sensors necessary or useful for operating unmanned aerial vehicle systems or other autonomously or manually piloted aircraft. Therefore, the arrangement of various components can be configured according to the designer's or operator's expectations and should not be limited to the specific examples described or shown herein.

[0105] Navigation Environment 200 and Figure 2-4 The illustrations of the different components do not imply any physical or architectural limitations on how the illustrative examples can be implemented. Other components besides those shown, or components that replace the shown components, may be used. Some components may be unnecessary. Furthermore, boxes are provided to illustrate some functional components. When implemented in the illustrative examples, one or more of these boxes may be combined, divided, or combined and divided into different boxes.

[0106] For example, computer system 206 is depicted as being located within aircraft 202. In some illustrative examples, computer system 206 may be located at a remote location on aircraft 202. In other illustrative examples, computer system 206 may be distributed and may be located on aircraft 202 and at one or more remote locations.

[0107] In another instance, sensor system 210 can be considered a component separate from aircraft navigation system 204. As another example, other sensors in sensor system 210 may include inertial measurement units, magnetometers, barometric altimeters, VHS omnidirectional receivers, or some other suitable type of sensor.

[0108] Next, refer to Figure 5An illustration of the azimuth angles of landmarks from an aircraft is depicted according to an illustrative example. In this illustrative example, aircraft 500 is traveling in the direction of arrow 502. As depicted, a camera in the sensor system of aircraft 500 generates images of the identified landmarks. In this illustrative example, the identified landmarks are landmark 1 504, landmark 2 506, landmark 3 508, and landmark 4 510. In this illustrative example, the azimuth angles of these landmarks are determined (e.g., by means of...). Figure 2 (Navigator 208 in the aircraft). The azimuth is an estimate of the azimuth from a landmark of the aircraft 500. In this illustrative example, the azimuth may be measured in degrees relative to magnetic north or relative to the direction of travel indicated by arrow 502 of the aircraft 500.

[0109] In this illustrative example, the azimuth can be determined relative to the aircraft's heading based on the positioning of the camera that generates the landmark image. The azimuth of the landmark relative to the aircraft can be determined based on the camera's positioning within the aircraft.

[0110] The portions surrounding the landmarks illustrated in this diagram are based on azimuth estimates and errors from camera measurements in the sensor system. In other words, these portions indicate the azimuth and azimuth error of aircraft 500 relative to the landmarks. For example, section 512 indicates the azimuth with error for landmark 1 504. Section 514 indicates the azimuth with error for landmark 2 506. Section 516 indicates the azimuth with error for landmark 3 508. Section 518 indicates the azimuth with error for landmark 4 510.

[0111] In this illustrative example, each part identifies an estimated azimuth angle with error. The azimuth angle is the distance from the nose or tip of the aircraft to a landmark.

[0112] In another illustrative example, the distance to a landmark can be measured to make a better aircraft positioning estimate (e.g., by means of...). Figure 2 (Navigator 208 in the example). When using distance, distance can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, distance can be measured by at least one of motion or the change in the size of a landmark in an image over time. In addition to or instead of using an image, these measurements can also be performed using images, laser rangefinders, other suitable sensors, or some other techniques for measuring distance. In this example, the error distribution can be based on at least one of camera resolution, sharpness, field of view, or the accuracy of the algorithm or method used to locate the landmark.

[0113] As depicted, multiple azimuths and distances are estimated in this example. These estimates can be used to determine the aircraft's location using techniques such as least squares, Hough transform, or some other suitable estimation technique. In this illustrative example, location may include the aircraft's bearing or heading, in addition to its position in three-dimensional space.

[0114] Now refer to Figure 6 The diagram illustrates the distribution of possible aircraft locations based on illustrative examples. In this diagram, the diagram uses... Figure 5 The azimuth angles identified in the diagram, from the perspective of the land reference, are portions 612, 614, 616, and 618, which are the azimuth angles of aircraft 500. These azimuth angles are determined by... Figure 5 The azimuth angle is determined. For example, part 612 is the inversion of part 512; part 614 is the inversion of part 514; part 616 is the inversion of part 516; and part 618 is the inversion of part 518. Positions relative to aircraft 500 are used to indicate the possible relative positions of aircraft 500. Parts of these positions can be used to calculate the calculated position of aircraft 500. This calculation can be performed using the Hough transform, which provides the most probable position of aircraft 500 as the calculated position and possible yaws. In this example, the azimuth angle inversion can be performed by adding 180 degrees to the azimuth angle measured towards the landmark. In this example, the distribution around the angle is the same. The origin of the measurement is shifted to the landmark measurement position.

[0115] exist Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the illustrative examples, the Hough transform is used to estimate the aircraft's location based on the geometry relative to detected landmarks. This geometry is defined by the location of the landmarks and their azimuth angles. In the examples, portions of these figures depict the geometry. This geometry reduces the possible area within which an aircraft could be placed.

[0116] Next, turning to Figure 7, a flowchart illustrating a method for navigating an aircraft is depicted with reference to an illustrative example. The method in Figure 7 can be implemented in hardware, software, or both. When implemented in software, the method can take the form of program code executed by one of multiple processor units in one or more hardware devices located in one or more computer systems. For example, the method can be... Figure 2 It is implemented in the navigator 208 of the computer system 206.

[0117] The method begins by scanning the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks (operation 700). The method then determines the azimuth of the landmarks (operation 702).

[0118] The method uses the azimuth angle of a landmark to estimate the aircraft's current position (operation 704). Based on the aircraft's current position, the method executes a set of actions selected to guide the aircraft (operation 706). The method then terminates.

[0119] The method shown in Figure 7 can be initiated when the system used to determine the aircraft's position fails to provide prepositions with the desired level of accuracy. This method can be repeated as many times as necessary to perform actions that operate the aircraft, whenever the aircraft's current position is required.

[0120] In another illustrative example, the distance to a landmark can be determined in operation 702. This distance can be measured using data such as images or information measurements from sensor data received from sensors. Sensors may include, for example, cameras, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems, laser scanners, or some other suitable sensors. When measuring the distance, this distance can be used in operation 706 to determine the aircraft's current position. In addition to azimuth, the use of this distance can provide improved accuracy of the determined distance.

[0121] Turning to Figure 8, a flowchart illustrating a method for scanning the environment to locate landmarks is depicted with reference to an illustrative example. The method shown in Figure 8 is an example of an implementation of operation 700 in Figure 7.

[0122] The method begins by receiving sensor information about the environment surrounding the aircraft from a sensor system (operation 800). In operation 800, the sensor information may be, for example, images from a camera system, a laser scanner, or some other suitable sensor system.

[0123] The method uses sensor information to identify landmarks (operation 802). The method then terminates. In operation 802, various techniques can be used to identify landmarks from sensor information. For example, one or more machine learning models can analyze sensor data (e.g., images) to identify landmarks. In another illustrative example, other methods (e.g., those used in computer vision and image processing) can be used to detect landmarks in an image.

[0124] Referring now to Figure 9, a flowchart illustrating a method for estimating the current location of an aircraft is depicted with reference to an illustrative example. The method shown in Figure 9 is an example of an implementation of operation 704 in Figure 7.

[0125] The method begins by determining the aircraft's calculated position using the azimuth and location of landmarks (Operation 900). In Operation 900, the Hough transform method can be used to determine the calculated position.

[0126] The method uses the calculated location determined by the positioning calculator and the aircraft state information received from the sensor system to estimate the aircraft's current location (operation 902). The method then terminates.

[0127] Go to Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a more detailed flowchart of a method for navigating aircraft, based on illustrative examples.

[0128] Figure 10 The methods described can be implemented in hardware, software, or both. When implemented in software, the methods can take the form of program code executed by one or more processor units in one or more hardware devices located in one or more computer systems. For example, the methods can be implemented in... Figure 2 It is implemented in the navigator 208 of the computer system 206.

[0129] The method begins by receiving an image of the environment surrounding the aircraft (operation 1000). The method identifies a set of landmarks in the image (operation 1002). In operation 1002, the identification of the set of landmarks may include identifiers such as names or other suitable identifiers and the pixel position of each landmark in the set of landmarks in the image.

[0130] The method then measures the azimuth of each identified landmark (operation 1004). In this example, the azimuth is relative to the aircraft's current heading. The azimuth can be determined based on pixel positions in the image, camera positioning on the aircraft, aircraft control, and aircraft pitch. For example, the camera's field of view and the pixel positions of the landmarks in the image can be used to determine the azimuth relative to the camera's field of view. Using positioning relative to the camera and other information, the azimuth relative to the camera can be converted to the azimuth relative to the aircraft. Furthermore, the aircraft's roll and pitch can also be used to determine the azimuth relative to the aircraft.

[0131] In this example, the camera's positioning includes not only its three-dimensional position relative to the anchor point on the aircraft, but also its azimuth. In operation 1004, the landmark's identifier is associated with the azimuth angle determined for the landmark.

[0132] Determine whether the azimuth of the landmarks meets the threshold number of landmarks with already determined azimuths (Operation 1006). The threshold number of landmarks can take many different forms. For example, the threshold can be two landmarks, three landmarks, four landmarks, 17 landmarks, or some other number of landmarks. The number of landmark azimuths can be based on the required accuracy, the density of landmarks in the specific area, or some other factor.

[0133] If the number of landmarks does not meet the threshold number of landmarks, the method returns operation 1000 to identify landmarks from another set of images.

[0134] Otherwise, the method performs a measurement inversion (operation 1008). Then, the method performs a Hough transform using the azimuth from the landmark to the aircraft to identify the aircraft's calculated position and heading (operation 1010). The method then uses the calculated position and state information from the aircraft's sensor systems to determine the aircraft's current position (operation 1012). The method then terminates.

[0135] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the various examples depicted illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of some possible implementations of the apparatus and methods in the illustrative examples. In this respect, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent at least one of a module, segment, function, or part of an operation or step. For example, one or more blocks may be implemented as program code, hardware, or a combination of program code and hardware. When implemented in hardware, the hardware may, for example, take the form of an integrated circuit manufactured or configured to perform one or more operations in the flowchart or block diagram. When implemented as a combination of program code and hardware, the implementation may take the form of firmware. Each block in a flowchart or block diagram may be implemented using dedicated hardware systems that perform different operations or a combination of dedicated hardware and program code executed by the dedicated hardware.

[0136] In some alternative implementations of the illustrative examples, one or more functions labeled in the boxes may occur in a different order than those shown in the diagram. For example, in some cases, depending on the functions involved, two boxes shown consecutively may be executed substantially simultaneously, or sometimes the boxes may be executed in reverse order. Additionally, other boxes may be added besides those illustrated in the flowchart or block diagram.

[0137] Turn now Figure 11 The illustration depicts a block diagram of a data processing system based on an illustrative example. Data processing system 1100 can be used to implement one or more data processing systems within computer system 206. In this illustrative example, data processing system 1100 includes a communication framework 1102 that provides communication between processor unit 1104, memory 1106, persistent storage device 1108, communication unit 1110, input / output (I / O) unit 1112, and display 1114. In this example, communication framework 1102 takes the form of a bus system.

[0138] Processor unit 1104 is used to execute instructions for software that can be loaded into memory 1106. Processor unit 1104 includes one or more processors. For example, processor unit 1104 may be selected from at least one of a multi-core processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physical processing unit (PPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, or some other suitable type of processor. Further, processor unit 1104 may be implemented using one or more heterogeneous processor systems, wherein a main processor and auxiliary processors coexist on a single chip. As another illustrative example, processor unit 1104 may be a symmetric multiprocessor system containing multiple processors of the same type on a single chip.

[0139] Memory 1106 and persistent storage device 1108 are examples of storage device 1116. A storage device is any piece of hardware capable of storing information, such as, but not limited to, data, program code in a functional form, or at least other suitable information (temporary, permanent, or both). In these illustrative examples, storage device 1116 may also be referred to as a computer-readable storage device. In these examples, memory 1106 may be, for example, random access memory or any other suitable volatile or non-volatile storage device. Persistent storage device 1108 may take various forms depending on the specific implementation.

[0140] For example, persistent storage device 1108 may contain one or more components or devices. For example, persistent storage device 1108 may be a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive (SSD), a flash memory, a rewritable optical disc, a rewritable magnetic tape, or a combination thereof. The media used in persistent storage device 1108 may also be removable. For example, a removable hard disk drive may be used in persistent storage device 1108.

[0141] In these illustrative examples, communication unit 1110 provides communication with other data processing systems or devices. In these illustrative examples, communication unit 1110 is a network interface card.

[0142] The input / output unit 1112 allows data input and output using other devices that can be connected to the data processing system 1100. For example, the input / output unit 1112 can provide a connection for user input via at least one of a keyboard, mouse, or other suitable input device. Furthermore, the input / output unit 1112 can send output to a printer. The display 1114 provides a mechanism for displaying information to the user.

[0143] Instructions for at least one of the operating system, application, or program may reside in storage device 1116 and communicate with processor unit 1104 via communication frame 1102. Processing of different instances may be performed by processor unit 1104 using computer-executable instructions, which may reside in memory such as memory 1106.

[0144] These instructions are referred to as program code, computer-usable program code, or computer-readable program code, which can be read and executed by the processor in processor unit 1104. The program code in different instances may be embodied on different physical or computer-readable storage media, such as memory 1106 or persistent storage device 1108.

[0145] Program code 1118 is functionally located on a computer-readable medium 1120, which is selectively removable and can be loaded onto or transferred to a data processing system 1100 for execution by a processor unit 1104. In these illustrative examples, program code 1118 and computer-readable medium 1120 form a computer program product 1122. In the illustrative example, computer-readable medium 1120 is a computer-readable storage medium 1124.

[0146] In these illustrative examples, computer-readable storage medium 1124 is a physical or tangible storage device for storing program code 1118, and not a medium for propagating or transmitting program code 1118. As used herein, computer-readable storage medium 1124 should not be construed as being itself a transient signal, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through optical fibers), or electrical signals transmitted through wires.

[0147] Optionally, program code 1118 can be transmitted to data processing system 1100 using a computer-readable signal medium. The computer-readable signal medium can be, for example, a propagated data signal containing program code 1118. For example, the computer-readable signal medium can be at least one of electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any other suitable type of signal. These signals can be transmitted via connections such as wireless connections, optical fibers, coaxial cables, wires, or any other suitable type of connection.

[0148] Furthermore, as used herein, "computer-readable medium 1120" can be singular or plural. For example, program 1118 may be located in a single storage device or system-type computer-readable medium 1120. In another instance, program code 1118 may be located in computer-readable media 1120 distributed across multiple data processing systems. In other words, some instructions in program 1118 may be located in one data processing system, while other instructions in program 1118 may be located in a data processing system. For example, a portion of program 1118 may be located in a computer-readable medium 1120 in a server computer, while another portion of program 1118 may be located in a computer-readable medium 1120 located in a group of client computers.

[0149] The different components illustrated for data processing system 1100 do not imply any architectural limitations on how different instances can be implemented. In some illustrative instances, one or more components may be incorporated into another component or otherwise formed as part of another component. For example, in some illustrative instances, memory 1106 or a portion thereof may be incorporated into processor unit 1104. Different illustrative instances may be implemented in a data processing system that includes components other than or in place of those illustrated for data processing system 1100. Figure 11 The other components shown may differ from the illustrative example shown. Different examples can be implemented using any hardware device or system capable of running program code 1118.

[0150] It can be like Figure 12 The aircraft manufacturing and maintenance methods 1200 and as shown Figure 13 The illustrative examples of this disclosure are described in the context of the aircraft 1300 shown. First turn to... Figure 12 The illustration depicts an aircraft manufacturing and maintenance method based on illustrative examples. During pre-production, the aircraft manufacturing and maintenance method 1200 may include... Figure 13 Specifications and design of aircraft 1300 1202 and material procurement 1204.

[0151] During production, Figure 13 The manufacturing of components and sub-assemblies for aircraft 1300 is 1206, and system integration is 1208. Afterwards, Figure 13 The aircraft 1300 can be certified and delivered 1210 for use in 1212. While 1212 is in use by customers, Figure 13 The aircraft 1300 is scheduled for routine maintenance and servicing 1214, which may include modifications, reconfigurations, refurbishments and other maintenance or servicing.

[0152] Each process of the Aircraft Manufacturing and Maintenance Method 1200 can be performed or conducted by a systems integrator, a third party, an operator, or a combination thereof. In these instances, the operator can be the customer. For the sake of illustration, a systems integrator can include, but is not limited to, any number of aircraft manufacturers and main system subcontractors; a third party can include, but is not limited to, any number of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers; and an operator can be an airline, leasing company, military entity, service organization, etc.

[0153] Now refer to Figure 13 The illustration depicts an aircraft from which an illustrative example can be implemented. In this example, aircraft 1300 is... Figure 12 The aircraft manufacturing and maintenance method 1200 produces an airframe 1302 and an interior 1306 having multiple systems 1304. Examples of systems 1304 include one or more of a propulsion system 1308, an electrical system 1310, a hydraulic system 1312, and an environmental system 1314. Any number of other systems may be included. Although an aviation example is shown, different illustrative examples can be applied to other industries, such as the automotive industry.

[0154] It is possible Figure 12 The apparatus and methods embodied herein are used during at least one stage of the aircraft manufacturing and maintenance method 1200.

[0155] In an illustrative example, it can be similar to Figure 12 The aircraft 1300 is manufactured or processed in the manner of producing parts or sub-assemblies during its service 1212. Figure 12 The parts and sub-assemblies manufactured in 1206 are the parts or sub-assemblies produced. As another example, this can be done during the production phase, for instance... Figure 12 During the manufacturing of components and sub-assemblies 1206 and system integration 1208, one or more device instances, method instances, or combinations thereof are utilized. When the aircraft 1300 is in service 1212, in... Figure 12 During or during maintenance and service 1214, one or more examples of apparatus, methods, or combinations thereof may be utilized. The use of many different illustrative examples can substantially accelerate the assembly of aircraft 1300, reduce the cost of aircraft 1300, or both accelerate the assembly of aircraft 1300 and reduce the cost of aircraft 1300.

[0156] For example, Figure 2The aircraft navigation system 204 can be implemented on aircraft 1300 during system integration 1208. Furthermore, the aircraft navigation system 204 can be operated during service 1212. As another example, the aircraft navigation system 204 can be added to aircraft 1300 during maintenance and servicing 1214. The addition of the aircraft navigation system 204 may only involve some components, at which point other components already exist in aircraft 1300. For example, it is possible to add... Figure 2-4 The navigator 208 is installed at this point, while other components (such as sensor systems) are already present in aircraft 1300. The addition of these components can occur as part of the types of operations performed during maintenance and service 1214. These operations include, for example, modifications, reconfigurations, refurbishments, and other maintenance or services to aircraft 1300.

[0157] Therefore, illustrative examples provide methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products for navigating aircraft. The computer system scans the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks. The computer system determines the azimuth and position of the landmarks. The computer system uses the azimuth and position of the landmarks to estimate the aircraft's current position. Based on the aircraft's current position, the computer system executes a set of actions selected to guide the aircraft.

[0158] In an illustrative example, the method can be initiated when other systems fail to provide the aircraft's current location with the desired level of accuracy. In this illustrative example, estimation system methods such as the Hough transform can estimate the aircraft's location based on geometry relative to detected landmarks. The estimated location of the landmarks can be translated into an estimated location for the aircraft. The location calculated using the Hough transform can be modified or improved using additional information from the aircraft's sensor systems describing its state.

[0159] Therefore, illustrative examples can provide an aircraft's current location when other systems cannot provide the desired level of reliability. Illustrative examples reduce workload by allowing pilots to focus on azimuth, communications, planning, and other operations rather than determining the aircraft's location. Furthermore, in addition to reducing workload, they can improve safety.

[0160] Furthermore, this disclosure includes examples pursuant to the following terms:

[0161] Clause 1. An aircraft navigation system comprising:

[0162] A sensor system associated with an aircraft, wherein the sensor system is configured to generate images of the environment surrounding the aircraft;

[0163] Landmark detector, configured to receive the image, use the image to identify landmarks in the environment surrounding the aircraft, and determine the azimuth and position of the landmarks;

[0164] A positioning calculator configured to determine the calculated positioning of the aircraft using the azimuth of the landmark and the position of the landmark;

[0165] A positioning estimator configured to estimate the current positioning of the aircraft using the calculated positioning and aircraft state information determined by the positioning calculator; and

[0166] A guidance system configured to provide guidance to a target location using the aircraft's current location.

[0167] Clause 2. The aircraft navigation system of claim 1, wherein when the current position of the aircraft cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy using a Global Positioning System receiver in the aircraft, the positioning calculator uses the azimuth of the landmark and the position of the landmark to determine the calculated position of the aircraft; the positioning estimator uses the calculated position determined by the positioning calculator and the aircraft state information received from the sensor system to estimate the current position of the aircraft; and the guidance system uses the current position of the aircraft to provide guidance to the target location.

[0168] Clause 3. An aircraft navigation system according to any one of Clauses 1 or 2, wherein the landmark detector comprises a machine learning model trained to use the image to detect the landmark, determine the azimuth angle of the landmark, and the location of the landmark.

[0169] Clause 4. An aircraft navigation system according to any one of Clauses 1-3, wherein the aircraft status information is received from the sensor system.

[0170] Clause 5. An aircraft navigation system according to any one of Clauses 1-4, wherein the sensor system comprises a sensor selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a visible light camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter, or a VHS omnidirectional receiver.

[0171] Clause 6. An aircraft navigation system according to any one of Clauses 1-5, wherein the land landmark is selected from at least one of the following: natural features, man-made features, mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, fields, buildings, antennas, airports, runways, roads, quarries, bridges, manufacturing facilities, dams, radio towers or monuments.

[0172] Clause 7. An aircraft navigation system according to any one of Clauses 1-6, wherein the aircraft is selected from airplanes, rotorcraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, manned aircraft, commercial aircraft and military aircraft.

[0173] Clause 8. An apparatus comprising:

[0174] Computer systems; and

[0175] The navigator in the computer system, wherein the navigator is configured to:

[0176] Facilitate scanning of the environment around aircraft to locate landmarks;

[0177] Determine the azimuth and position of the landmark;

[0178] The aircraft's current position is estimated using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and

[0179] Based on the aircraft's current location, the execution of a set of actions selected to guide the aircraft is initiated.

[0180] Clause 9. The apparatus according to Clause 8, wherein the navigator is configured to:

[0181] When the aircraft's current location cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy using the GPS receiver within the aircraft, a scan of the environment surrounding the aircraft is initiated to locate the landmark; the azimuth and position of the landmark are determined; the aircraft's current location is estimated using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and based on the aircraft's current location, the execution of the selected set of actions to guide the aircraft is initiated.

[0182] Clause 10. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-9, wherein the navigator is configured to:

[0183] The calculated positioning of the aircraft is determined using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and

[0184] The current location of the aircraft is estimated using the calculated location and aircraft state information from the sensor system.

[0185] Clause 11. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-10, wherein when estimating the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth angle, the navigator is configured to:

[0186] The current location of the aircraft is estimated using the azimuth of the landmark, the location of the landmark, and at least one of the following: Hough transform, maximum likelihood estimation, probabilistic convolution, Bayesian estimation, or a machine learning model.

[0187] Clause 12. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-11, wherein when estimating the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth of the landmark and the position of the landmark, the navigator is configured to:

[0188] The aircraft's current position and yaw are estimated using the azimuth and position of the landmark.

[0189] Clause 13. The apparatus according to Clause 12, wherein when using the azimuth angle to estimate the aircraft's current position and the aircraft's yaw, the navigator is configured to:

[0190] The aircraft's current position and yaw are estimated using the azimuth and position of the landmark, as well as the Hough transform.

[0191] Clause 14. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-13, wherein, when facilitating scanning of the environment around the aircraft to locate the landmark, the navigator is configured to:

[0192] Receive images from the aircraft's camera system; and

[0193] The landmark in the image is identified using a machine learning model in the computer system.

[0194] Clause 15. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-14, wherein, when facilitating scanning of the environment around the aircraft to locate the landmark, the navigator is configured to:

[0195] Receive sensor information about the environment surrounding the aircraft from the sensor system; and

[0196] The land landmark is identified using the sensor information.

[0197] Clause 16. The apparatus of Clause 15, wherein the sensor system comprises a group of sensors selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a visible light camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter, or a VHS omnidirectional receiver.

[0198] Clause 17. The apparatus according to Clause 15, wherein when using the sensor information to identify the landmark, the navigator is configured to:

[0199] The landmark is identified using the sensor information and the landmark information stored in the landmark data storage device.

[0200] Clause 18. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-17, wherein said set of actions is selected from at least one of: selecting a target location for the aircraft, generating a waypoint command to change the heading of the aircraft to reach the target location, generating an altitude command to change the altitude of the aircraft, generating a flight plan to reach the target location, or displaying the heading for the aircraft on a graphical user interface in a display system.

[0201] Clause 19. The device according to any one of Clauses 8-17, wherein the land feature is selected from at least one of the following: natural features, man-made features, mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, fields, buildings, antennas, airports, runways, roads, quarries, bridges, manufacturing facilities, dams, radio towers or monuments.

[0202] Clause 20. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8-19, wherein the aircraft is selected from an airplane, a rotorcraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle system, a manned aircraft, a commercial aircraft, and a military aircraft.

[0203] Clause 21. A method for navigating an aircraft, the method comprising:

[0204] The computer system receives information instructing it to scan the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks;

[0205] The computer system determines the azimuth and position of the landmark.

[0206] The computer system estimates the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and

[0207] The computer system determines a set of actions to be performed to guide the aircraft based on the aircraft's current location.

[0208] Clause 22. The method described pursuant to Clause 21 further includes:

[0209] When the aircraft's current location cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy using the onboard GPS receiver, the computer system initiates the following steps: receiving information instructing a scan of the environment surrounding the aircraft to locate the landmark; determining the azimuth and position of the landmark; estimating the aircraft's current location using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and determining, based on the aircraft's current location, a set of actions to be performed, which are selected to guide the aircraft.

[0210] Clause 23. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-22, wherein the computer system estimates the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth of the landmark and the position of the landmark, comprising:

[0211] The computer system uses the azimuth and position of the landmark to determine the calculated positioning of the aircraft; and

[0212] The computer system estimates the current position of the aircraft using the calculated position determined by the positioning calculator and the aircraft state information received from the sensor system.

[0213] Clause 24. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-23, wherein the computer system estimates the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth of the landmark and the position of the landmark, comprising:

[0214] The computer system estimates the current location of the aircraft using the azimuth of the landmark, the location of the landmark, and at least one of the following: Hough transform, maximum likelihood estimation, probabilistic convolution, Bayesian estimation, or a machine learning model.

[0215] Clause 25. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-24, wherein the computer system estimates the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth angle, comprising:

[0216] The computer system uses the azimuth angle to estimate the aircraft's current position and the aircraft's yaw.

[0217] Clause 26. The method according to Clause 25, wherein the computer system uses the azimuth angle to estimate the aircraft's current position and the aircraft's yaw, comprising:

[0218] The computer system uses the azimuth angle and Hough transform to estimate the aircraft's current position and the aircraft's yaw.

[0219] Clause 27. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-26, wherein receiving information from the computer system instructing the scanning of the environment surrounding the aircraft to locate the landmark includes:

[0220] The computer system receives images from the aircraft's camera system; and

[0221] The landmark in the image is identified using a machine learning model in the computer system.

[0222] Clause 28. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-27, wherein receiving information from the computer system instructing the scanning of the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks includes:

[0223] The computer system receives sensor information about the environment surrounding the aircraft from the sensor system; and

[0224] The computer system uses the sensor information to identify the landmarks to generate the result.

[0225] Clause 29. The method according to Clause 28, wherein the sensor system comprises a sensor selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a visible light camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter, or a VHS omnidirectional receiver.

[0226] Clause 30. The method according to Clause 28, wherein identifying the landmark using the sensor information comprises:

[0227] The computer system uses the sensor information and the landmark information stored in the landmark data storage device to identify the landmark.

[0228] Clause 31. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-30, wherein the set of actions is selected from at least one of: selecting a target location for the aircraft, generating a waypoint command to change the heading of the aircraft to reach the target location, generating an altitude command to change the altitude of the aircraft, generating a flight plan to reach the target location, and displaying the heading for the aircraft on a graphical user interface of a display system.

[0229] Clause 32. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-31, wherein the land feature is selected from at least one of the following: natural features, artificial features, mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, fields, buildings, antennas, airports, runways, roads, quarries, bridges, manufacturing facilities, dams, radio towers or monuments.

[0230] Clause 33. The method according to any one of Clauses 21-31, wherein the aircraft is selected from the group consisting of an airplane, a rotorcraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle system, a manned aircraft, a commercial aircraft, and a military aircraft.

[0231] Clause 34. A computer program product for navigating an aircraft, said computer program product comprising:

[0232] Computer-readable storage medium;

[0233] First program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by a computer system to cause the computer system to receive information instructing the scanning of the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks;

[0234] Second program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to enable the computer system to determine the azimuth and position of the landmark;

[0235] Third program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to enable the computer system to estimate the current position of the aircraft using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and

[0236] A fourth program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to enable the computer system to determine, based on the aircraft's current location, a set of actions to be performed to guide the aircraft.

[0237] Clause 35. The computer program product described in Clause 34 further includes:

[0238] A fifth program, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to enable the execution of the first program code, the second program code, the third program code, and the fourth program code when the current location of the aircraft cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy using a GPS receiver in the aircraft.

[0239] Clause 36. The computer program product pursuant to any one of Clauses 34-35, wherein the third program code comprises:

[0240] Program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, executable by the computer system to enable the computer system to determine the calculated positioning of the aircraft using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and

[0241] Program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to enable the computer system to estimate the current position of the aircraft using the calculated position determined by the positioning calculator and aircraft state information received from the sensor system.

[0242] Clause 37. The computer program product according to Clause 36, wherein the sensor system comprises a sensor selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a visible light camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system or a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter or a VHS omnidirectional receiver.

[0243] Clause 38. The computer program product pursuant to any one of Clauses 34-37, wherein the landmark is selected from at least one of the following: natural features, artificial features, mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, fields, buildings, antennas, airports, runways, roads, quarries, bridges, manufacturing facilities, dams, radio towers, or monuments.

[0244] Clause 39. The computer program product pursuant to any one of Clauses 34-38, wherein the aircraft is selected from the group consisting of an airplane, a rotorcraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle system, a manned aircraft, a commercial aircraft, and a military aircraft.

[0245] Various illustrative examples have been described for purposes of explanation and description, and are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the examples of the disclosed forms. The various illustrative examples describe components that perform actions or operations. In the illustrative examples, components may be configured to perform the described actions or operations. For example, a component may have a configuration or design for a structure that provides the component with the ability to perform the actions or operations described in the illustrative examples as being performed by the component. Furthermore, within the scope of the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “containing,” and variations thereof used herein, these terms are intended as open transitional terms similar to the term “comprising,” but do not exclude any additional or other elements from being included.

[0246] Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, different illustrative examples may offer different features compared to other expected examples. The selection and description of one or more examples are intended to best explain the principles and practical applications of the examples, and to enable others skilled in the art to understand the disclosure of various examples with multiple modifications to suit the specific purpose under consideration.

Claims

1. An aircraft navigation system (204), comprising: A sensor system (210) associated with an aircraft (202), wherein the sensor system (210) is configured to generate an image (308) of the environment (220) surrounding the aircraft (202); Landmark detector (300) in the flight control system of the aircraft, the landmark detector being configured as follows: The image (308) is received from the sensor system; Based on the image, identify landmarks (222) in the environment (220) surrounding the aircraft (202); and Determine the azimuth (230) from the aircraft to the land marker (222); The location calculator (302) is configured as follows: For each landmark in each image, and based on the pixel position of each landmark in each image, a portion including the position of the landmark is determined, the portion being defined by the following: The azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark and the error distribution of the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; and Error distribution of the distance from the aircraft to the landmark and the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; For each landmark in each image of the image, the portion is inverted and derived from it: Error distribution of the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft and the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft; and Error distribution of the distance from the landmark to the aircraft and the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft; and from this, the following can be derived: The calculated position (238) of the aircraft (202); A positioning estimator (304) is configured to form an estimate of the current position of the aircraft based on aircraft state information (240) and the calculated position of the aircraft; and A guidance system (306) is configured to provide guidance to direct the aircraft to a target location based on the estimate of the aircraft’s current position.

2. The aircraft navigation system (204) according to claim 1, wherein: The calculated positioning (238) of the aircraft (202) includes the bearing of the aircraft; the positioning estimator (304) is further configured to receive aircraft status information (240) from the sensor system (210); and the guidance system (306) is further configured to provide guidance to the target location based on the current positioning of the aircraft (202) when the current positioning (214) of the aircraft (202) cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy using a global positioning system receiver (414).

3. The aircraft navigation system (204) according to claim 1, wherein the landmark detector (300) includes a machine learning model (228) trained to detect the landmark (222) based on the image (308); and to determine the azimuth angle (230) from the aircraft to the landmark (222) and the position (234) of the landmark (222).

4. The aircraft navigation system (204) according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft status information (240) includes at least one of the aircraft's airspeed, barometric altitude, acceleration rate, magnetic heading, pitch, roll, vertical speed, pitch rate, angle of attack, or VOR-derived positioning.

5. The aircraft navigation system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the sensor system comprises a sensor selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter, or a VHF omnidirectional receiver.

6. The aircraft navigation system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the land landmark is selected from at least one of the following: natural features or artificial features.

7. The aircraft navigation system according to claim 6, wherein the natural feature includes at least one of the following: mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, or fields.

8. The aircraft navigation system of claim 6, wherein the artificial feature comprises at least one of the following: a building, an antenna, an airport, a runway, a road, a quarry, a bridge, a manufacturing facility, a dam, a radio tower, or a monument.

9. The aircraft navigation system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the aircraft is selected from airplanes and unmanned aerial vehicles.

10. The aircraft navigation system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the aircraft is selected from rotorcraft and unmanned aerial vehicle systems.

11. The aircraft navigation system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the aircraft is a manned aircraft.

12. The aircraft navigation system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the aircraft is selected from commercial aircraft and military aircraft.

13. An aircraft navigation device, comprising: Aircraft sensor systems; Computer systems; and The navigator in the computer system, wherein the navigator is configured to: Control the scanning of the environment around the aircraft to locate landmarks; For each of the landmarks, and based on the pixel position of each landmark in the image from the sensor system, a portion defined by the following is determined: The azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark and the error distribution of the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; and Error distribution of the distance from the aircraft to the landmark and the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; The location of the landmarks is derived, and the calculated location of the aircraft is derived based on the inversion of the portion of each landmark; Based on the aircraft's state and the calculated location of the aircraft, estimate the aircraft's current location; and Based on the aircraft's current location, a set of actions is generated to guide the aircraft.

14. The aircraft navigation device of claim 13, wherein the navigator is configured to: Initiate a scan of the environment surrounding the aircraft to locate the landmark; determine the azimuth and position of the landmark; when the aircraft's current position cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy based on the GPS receiver in the aircraft, estimate the aircraft's current position using the azimuth and position of the landmark; and based on the estimate of the aircraft's current position, initiate the selection of the aircraft to guide the execution of the set of actions.

15. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the navigator is further configured to: Based on the calculated positioning and the aircraft status information from the sensor system, the bearing of the aircraft is estimated.

16. The aircraft navigation device of claim 13, wherein the navigator is further configured to estimate the current location of the aircraft based on at least one of the following: Hough transform, Bayesian estimation, or machine learning model.

17. The aircraft navigation device of claim 13, wherein the navigator is further configured to: Estimate the yaw of the aircraft.

18. The aircraft navigation device of claim 17, wherein the navigator is further configured to estimate the current position of the aircraft based on the Hough transform, the inversion of the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark, and the position of the landmark.

19. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the navigator is further configured to: Receive images from the aircraft's camera system; and The landmark in the image is identified based on a machine learning model in the computer system.

20. The aircraft navigation device of claim 13, wherein the navigator is further configured to: Receive sensor information about the environment surrounding the aircraft from the sensor system; and The landmark is identified based on the sensor information.

21. The aircraft navigation device of claim 20, wherein the sensor system comprises a set of sensors selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter, or a VHF omnidirectional receiver.

22. The aircraft navigation device of claim 20, wherein the navigator is further configured to: The landmark is identified based on the sensor information and the landmark information stored in the landmark data storage device.

23. The aircraft navigation device of claim 13, wherein the set of actions is selected from at least one of the following: selecting a target location for the aircraft; generating a waypoint command to change the heading of the aircraft to reach the target location; generating an altitude command to change the altitude of the aircraft; generating a flight plan to reach the target location; or displaying the heading of the aircraft on a graphical user interface in a display system.

24. The aircraft navigation device of claim 13, wherein the landmark is selected from at least one of the following: natural features or artificial features.

25. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 24, wherein the natural feature includes at least one of the following: mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, or fields.

26. The aircraft navigation device of claim 24, wherein the artificial feature comprises at least one of the following: a building, an antenna, an airport, a runway, a road, a quarry, a bridge, a manufacturing facility, a dam, a radio tower, or a monument.

27. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the aircraft is selected from an airplane and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

28. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the aircraft is selected from rotorcraft and unmanned aerial vehicle systems.

29. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the aircraft is a manned aircraft.

30. The aircraft navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the aircraft is selected from commercial aircraft and military aircraft.

31. A method for navigating an aircraft (202) including a navigation system, the method comprising performing the following steps via a computer system (206) of the navigation system: The aircraft receives scan results of the environment (220) around the aircraft (202) through sensors on the aircraft to locate landmarks (222); Determine the portion defined by the following: The error distribution of the azimuth angle (230) from the aircraft to the landmark and the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; Error distribution of the distance from the aircraft to the landmark (222) and the distance from the aircraft to the landmark (222); and The location (234) of the landmark (222) is derived from the aforementioned portion; Inversion: Error distribution of the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark and the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; The error distribution of the distance from the aircraft to the landmark and the distance from the aircraft to the landmark; and This leads to the following: Error distribution of the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft and the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft; The error distribution of the distance from the landmark to the aircraft and the distance from the landmark to the aircraft; and from this, the following can be derived: The calculated positioning of the aircraft; The current position (214) of the aircraft (202) is estimated using the state of the aircraft and the calculated position of the aircraft; and Based on the current position (214) of the aircraft (202), a set of actions (216) to be performed to guide the aircraft (202) is determined.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising: The computer system (206) initiates the receipt of information indicating the scan results of the environment (220) around the aircraft (202) to locate the landmark (222); and when the GPS receiver (414) within the aircraft (202) cannot determine the current location (214) of the aircraft (202) with a defined level of accuracy, the computer system (206) determines, based on the current location of the aircraft, the set of actions to be performed to guide the aircraft.

33. The method according to claim 31 or 32, wherein estimating the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) by the computer system (206) using the azimuth (230) of the landmark (222) and the position (234) of the landmark (222) comprises: The computer system (206) determines the calculated position (238) of the aircraft (202) using the azimuth (230) of the landmark (222) and the position (234) of the landmark (222); and The computer system (206) estimates the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) using the calculated position (238) determined by the positioning calculator (302) and the aircraft status information (240) received from the sensor system (210).

34. The method according to claim 31 or 32, wherein estimating the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) by the computer system (206) using the azimuth (230) of the landmark (222) and the position (234) of the landmark (222) comprises: The computer system (206) estimates the current location (214) of the aircraft (202) using the azimuth (230) of the landmark (222), the position (234) of the landmark (222), and at least one of the following: Hough transform, maximum likelihood estimation, probabilistic convolution, Bayesian estimation, or machine learning model (228).

35. The method according to claim 31 or 32, wherein estimating the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) by the computer system (206) using the azimuth angle (230) comprises: The computer system (206) uses the azimuth angle (230) to estimate the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) and the yaw (236) of the aircraft (202).

36. The method of claim 35, wherein estimating the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) and the yaw (236) of the aircraft (202) by the computer system (206) using the azimuth angle (230) comprises: The computer system (206) uses the azimuth angle (230) and Hough transform to estimate the current position (214) of the aircraft (202) and the yaw (236) of the aircraft (202).

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising: Receive images from the aircraft's camera system; and The landmarks in the image are identified using a machine learning model in the navigation system.

38. The method according to any one of claims 31-32 and 36-37, wherein receiving information from the computer system indicating the scan results of the environment surrounding the aircraft to locate the landmark comprises: The computer system receives sensor information about the environment surrounding the aircraft from the sensor system. and The computer system uses the sensor information to identify the landmarks to generate the result.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the sensor on the aircraft comprises at least one of the following: a camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter, or a VHF omnidirectional receiver.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising using sensor information and landmark information stored in a landmark data storage device.

41. The method according to any one of claims 31-32, 36-37 and 39-40, wherein the set of actions is selected from at least one of: selecting a target location for the aircraft, generating a waypoint command to change the heading of the aircraft to reach the target location, generating an altitude command to change the altitude of the aircraft, generating a flight plan to reach the target location, or displaying the heading of the aircraft on a graphical user interface in a display system.

42. The method according to any one of claims 31-32, 36-37 and 39-40, wherein the landmark is selected from at least one of the following: natural features or artificial features.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the natural feature includes at least one of the following: mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, or fields.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the artificial feature comprises at least one of the following: a building, an antenna, an airport, a runway, a road, a quarry, a bridge, a manufacturing facility, a dam, a radio tower, or a monument.

45. The method according to any one of claims 31-32, 36-37 and 39-40, wherein the aircraft is selected from airplanes and unmanned aerial vehicles.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 31-32, 36-37 and 39-40, wherein the aircraft is selected from rotorcraft and unmanned aerial vehicle systems.

47. The method according to any one of claims 31-32, 36-37 and 39-40, wherein the aircraft is a manned aircraft.

48. The method according to any one of claims 31-32, 36-37 and 39-40, wherein the aircraft is selected from commercial aircraft and military aircraft.

49. A computer program product for a navigation system in an aircraft, wherein the computer program product comprises: Non-transitory computer-readable storage media, including: The first program code is configured to cause the computer system to receive information indicating the results of a scan of the environment around the aircraft in order to locate landmarks; A second program code is configured to cause the computer system to determine a portion defined by the following: The azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark, the error azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark, and the error distribution of the azimuth angle from the aircraft to the landmark; The error distribution of the distance from the aircraft to the landmark and the distance from the aircraft to the landmark; Third program code, which is stored on the computer-readable storage medium and configured to cause the computer system to: Partial inversion is performed, and the error distributions of the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft and the azimuth angle from the landmark to the aircraft are derived; and This leads to an estimate of the aircraft's current location; and A fourth program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium and configured to cause the computer system to determine a set of actions to be performed to guide the aircraft based on the estimate of the aircraft's current location.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising: A fifth program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to cause the computer system to initiate the execution of the first program code, the second program code, the third program code, and the fourth program code when the current location of the aircraft cannot be determined with a defined level of accuracy using a GPS receiver in the aircraft.

51. The computer program product according to any one of claims 49-50, wherein the third program code comprises: Program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, which can be executed by the computer system to enable the computer system to determine the calculated positioning of the aircraft using the azimuth of the landmark and the position of the landmark; and Program code, stored on the computer-readable storage medium, is executable by the computer system to enable the computer system to estimate the current position of the aircraft using the calculated position determined by the positioning calculator and aircraft state information received from the sensor system.

52. The computer program product of claim 51, wherein the sensor system comprises a sensor selected from at least one of the following: a camera, a hyperspectral sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system or a laser scanner system, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetometer, a barometric altimeter or a VHS omnidirectional receiver.

53. The computer program product according to any one of claims 49-50 and 52, wherein the landmark is selected from at least one of the following: natural features or artificial features.

54. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the natural feature includes at least one of the following: mountains, plateaus, trees, lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, or fields.

55. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the artificial feature comprises at least one of the following: a building, an antenna, an airport, a runway, a road, a quarry, a bridge, a manufacturing facility, a dam, a radio tower, or a monument.

56. The computer program product according to any one of claims 49-50 and 52, wherein the aircraft is selected from airplanes and unmanned aerial vehicles.

57. The computer program product according to any one of claims 49-50 and 52, wherein the aircraft is selected from rotorcraft and unmanned aerial vehicle systems.

58. The computer program product according to any one of claims 49-50 and 52, wherein the aircraft is a manned aircraft.

59. The computer program product according to any one of claims 49-50 and 52, wherein the aircraft is selected from commercial aircraft and military aircraft.

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