Autonomous Drone Indoor Navigation via CAD Blueprint Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for inventory checking and product display compliance in large facilities rely on manual verification by employees, which is inefficient and costly, and existing autonomous drone systems indoors lack effective navigation solutions without GPS or beacons.
Innovation Solution
A drone navigation system utilizing a CAD blueprint to generate and convert navigation instructions into yaw, pitch, and roll commands, enabling autonomous indoor drone operation for inventory and product display checks without GPS or beacons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual verification by employees is used for inventory checking and product display compliance, then operational control and flexibility are maintained, but operational efficiency is low and labor costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The drone system performs inventory checking and compliance verification autonomously without human intervention. The drone navigates facilities independently, captures images, and transmits data automatically, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring employee operation for each inspection task
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human labor system with an automated drone system equipped with imaging devices and navigation capabilities. The drone substitutes employees physically performing inspections, converting manual verification into an automated aerial inspection process
2Device complexity
If autonomous drone operation indoors is implemented without GPS or beacons, then operational cost and complexity are reduced, but navigation capability and positioning accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces CAD blueprints as an intermediary reference system for indoor navigation. Instead of relying on GPS or beacons, the drone uses pre-loaded CAD blueprint data of the facility as a map reference, allowing it to navigate and position itself using the blueprint coordinates as an intermediary navigation aid
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-loading CAD blueprint data into the drone before indoor operation. The facility layout and navigation paths are planned and stored in advance, allowing the drone to navigate autonomously using pre-computed routes based on the blueprint information
3Measurement precision
If CAD blueprint analysis is used to generate navigation routes, then navigation accuracy and path optimization are improved, but processing time and computational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-processing and storing CAD blueprint data in a format optimized for navigation. The facility layout, obstacles, and potential paths are analyzed and stored in advance, so that during actual drone operation, route generation requires minimal real-time computation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the navigation process into distinct phases: CAD blueprint analysis for map creation, route planning based on start and end points, and real-time path following. This segmentation allows computationally intensive CAD analysis to be performed once during setup, while operational routing uses pre-processed data
Data Source
AI summary
Described are systems, methods, and computer readable medium for a drone navigation system. Exemplary embodiments provide a drone with an imaging device and a computing device in communication with the drone. The computing device receives a selection of a CAD blueprint that includes measurements of an interior portion of a building, and receives a start point and an end point on the blueprint. The computing device analyzes the blueprint and generates a route from the start point to the end point, and determines a first set of instructions in terms of distance and degrees to navigate the generated route. The computing device processes the first set of instructions to generate a second set of instructions in terms of yaw, pitch and roll. The second set of instructions are exported to the drone to cause the drone to navigate the generated route in the building.