Aircraft Flight Planning Using Imaging Feedback for Area Targeting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional aircraft flight plan systems for drones require manual creation and updating, which is time-consuming and prone to inaccuracies, leading to missed opportunities in data collection, especially in monitoring crop health and other applications.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that receives imaging data from drones to dynamically and automatically create or modify flight plans, incorporating location, spatial, temporal, and environmental data to determine areas of interest and adjust imaging parameters, enabling autonomous updates of flight plans and imaging settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual creation and updating of flight plans is used, then the system is simple to operate, but it is time-consuming and prone to inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically creates and updates flight plans using imaging data from the aircraft itself, eliminating the need for manual pilot input. The flight plan module processes imaging data, determines areas of interest, and generates updated flight plans autonomously, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring external manual operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses imaging data collected during flights as feedback to automatically update future flight plans. The flight plan module analyzes the imaging data, identifies areas of interest, and uses this information to generate updated flight plans, creating a closed-loop feedback system that continuously improves flight planning based on actual collected data.
2Reliability
If manual updating of flight plans is used, then the system is easy to operate, but it leads to missed opportunities in data collection
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of imaging data during or immediately after flight operations to identify areas of interest before the next flight is planned. The flight plan module processes imaging data and prepares updated flight plans in advance, so that when the next flight occurs, the plan is already optimized based on previous data, eliminating delays and missed opportunities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous operation by automatically updating flight plans between flights without requiring manual intervention. The flight plan module continuously processes imaging data and generates updated flight plans, ensuring that data collection operations continue without interruption or loss of time that would occur with manual updating cycles.
3Productivity
If automatic flight plan creation based on imaging data is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight plan module serves multiple functions: it receives imaging data, processes the data to identify areas of interest, determines optimal flight parameters, and generates updated flight plans. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single multi-functional module, the system improves productivity without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the flight planning function with the imaging data processing function into an integrated flight plan module. Rather than having separate manual flight planning and separate data processing systems, these functions are combined and automated together, improving efficiency while managing complexity through integration rather than multiplication of separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a computer implemented method includes receiving imaging data from an imaging system of an aircraft, and creating a new flight plan or a modified flight plan of the aircraft based on the imaging data. The method can include transmitting the new flight plan or the modified flight plan to a control system of the aircraft.