AR Head-Mounted Display for UAV Line-of-Sight Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations require UAV pilots to maintain a line-of-sight with their vehicles at all times, which can be challenging due to factors like tortuous terrain, background color contrast, weather, or obstacles, hindering the ability to keep the UAV in view.
Innovation Solution
An augmented-reality (AR) head-mounted display (HMD) worn by the pilot determines the UAV's location and orientation relative to the pilot's field-of-view, providing visual indications such as bounding boxes or directional arrows to assist in maintaining line-of-sight, and displays relevant flight information like airspeed, battery life, and airspace restrictions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the pilot relies on direct visual observation to maintain line-of-sight with the UAV, then the pilot can detect the UAV's position, but the ability to maintain line-of-sight deteriorates due to tortuous terrain, obstacles, weather, or background color contrast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an AR HMD as an intermediary device between the pilot and the UAV. The HMD includes a camera that captures images of the UAV and processes them to generate enhanced visual indicators (bounding boxes, color-coded detection zones, directional arrows) that are overlaid on the pilot's field of view. This intermediary system compensates for the harmful effects of terrain, obstacles, and weather by providing processed visual information that highlights the UAV's position regardless of environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical/visual system of direct line-of-sight observation with an electronic imaging and processing system. The AR HMD uses cameras, image processing algorithms, and augmented reality display technology to substitute for the pilot's natural visual detection capabilities. This substitution allows the pilot to detect the UAV's position through processed electronic images rather than relying solely on direct visual observation, overcoming limitations imposed by environmental factors.
2Reliability
If the pilot uses traditional visual monitoring methods, then the system remains simple, but the pilot's ability to maintain line-of-sight deteriorates in challenging environments
Solution Approach 1:
The AR HMD serves multiple functions within a single device: it captures images of the UAV, processes the images to detect position and orientation, generates visual indicators, and displays the augmented reality overlay. This multi-functional approach improves line-of-sight maintenance capability while consolidating system complexity into a single wearable device rather than requiring multiple separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service by using the pilot's own head-mounted display to process and present the UAV's location information directly in the pilot's field of view. The AR HMD automatically captures images, processes them, and displays the results without requiring external equipment or complex external systems, making the solution both reliable and relatively simple to implement.
3Ease of operation
If the AR HMD provides comprehensive visual indicators and flight information, then the pilot's line-of-sight maintenance improves, but the information processing and display complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different types of visual indicators for different aspects of UAV detection. The system uses bounding boxes to indicate overall position, color-coded zones to indicate detection confidence levels, and directional arrows to indicate relative position. Each visual element is optimized for its specific function, making the overall system easier to operate by providing targeted information rather than a uniform display.
Solution Approach 2:
The information display is segmented into distinct visual components: bounding boxes for position, color-coded detection zones for confidence levels, and directional arrows for orientation. This segmentation of information allows the pilot to quickly interpret different aspects of the UAV's position without being overwhelmed by a single complex display, improving ease of operation while managing processing complexity through modular information presentation.
Data Source
AI summary
An augmented-reality head-mounted display is configured to display an indication of a location of an unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the field-of-view of the head-mounted display, in order to assist a UAV operator to maintain line-of-sight with the UAV.