Binocular Camera UAV Orbiting in GPS-Denied Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous orbiting technologies for UAVs rely heavily on GPS signals, making it difficult to achieve precise orbiting in regions with poor GPS signal strength, such as indoors, and requiring high operator skill for quality photography.
Innovation Solution
A vision-based autonomous orbiting method for UAVs using a binocular camera assembly to obtain a target footage, determine spatial distance and flying height, detect optical axis direction in real-time, and adjust flight direction accordingly to perform autonomous orbiting without relying on GPS signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GPS-based autonomous orbiting is used, then orbiting can be achieved in open sky conditions, but it fails in regions with poor GPS signals such as indoors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the GPS-based positioning system with a vision-based system using binocular cameras and visual SLAM technology. Instead of relying on satellite signals, the system uses visual features from the environment to determine position and orientation, enabling autonomous orbiting in GPS-denied environments like indoors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual features and depth information as intermediaries between the UAV and the target object. The binocular camera system captures images, extracts visual features, and uses depth estimation to create a representation of the environment that guides the orbiting motion without needing direct GPS signals.
2Ease of operation
If manual orbiting control is used, then the operator can adjust shooting parameters, but it requires high operator skill and degrades user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements autonomous control where the UAV system performs orbiting operations automatically without human intervention. The system selects the target object, plans the orbiting trajectory, controls the gimbal for synchronous steering, and maintains proper shooting parameters all through self-service automation, eliminating the need for skilled operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses real-time feedback from the binocular camera system and depth estimation to continuously monitor the UAV's position relative to the target object. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustment of flight controls and gimbal angles to maintain precise trajectory and proper framing throughout the orbiting sequence.
3Extent of automation
If GPS coordinates are used for orbit planning, then autonomous orbiting can be implemented, but the accuracy depends on GPS signal quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces GPS coordinate-based positioning with visual feature-based positioning. The binocular camera system captures visual features of the environment and target object, and the visual SLAM algorithm uses these features to estimate the UAV's position and orientation with high precision independent of GPS signal quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters used for positioning from GPS coordinates (global, signal-dependent) to visual feature descriptors and depth estimates (local, environment-based). This parameter transformation enables accurate positioning in environments where GPS parameters are unavailable or unreliable.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies, and specifically disclose an autonomous orbiting method and device and a UAV. The UAV includes a binocular camera assembly. The method includes: obtaining, through the binocular camera assembly, a target footage and an orbited object selected by a user from the target footage; obtaining a flying height of the UAV when obtaining the target footage; determining a spatial distance between the binocular camera assembly and the orbited object based on the target footage; detecting an optical axis direction of the binocular camera assembly in real time; and performing autonomous orbiting according to the flying height, the spatial distance and the optical axis direction of the binocular camera assembly detected in real time.