Autonomous Drone Visual Navigation for GPS-Free Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous drones face challenges in stabilization and navigation, particularly after takeoff, due to size and power constraints, and the need for safe and efficient operation, especially when GPS is unavailable or requires multiple sensor readings.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous drone uses image capture to identify a face or person, determines distance, and hovers to stabilize, employing sensors to ensure safety before continuing flight, and navigates to waypoints based on this initial stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous drone uses GPS for navigation, then navigation capability is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual markers as intermediary objects that mediate between the drone and the environment for navigation purposes. Instead of relying solely on complex GPS systems, the drone captures images of these markers and uses their known positions to determine its location and orientation, simplifying the navigation system while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/GPS-based navigation system with an optical vision-based system. By using cameras to capture images of visual markers and processing these images to determine position and orientation, the system substitutes complex mechanical navigation hardware with lighter optical sensors and computational algorithms
2Reliability
If the autonomous drone takes multiple sensor readings for safety, then safety is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by capturing images of visual markers and determining drone position and orientation before actual flight operations begin. The stabilization phase allows the drone to acquire necessary sensor data and compute its state in advance, so that when flight commences, the navigation system already has the information needed for safe operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous useful action by overlapping the image capture and processing operations with the drone's stabilization phase. Rather than performing sensor readings as separate discrete steps that delay flight, the system continuously captures images and processes them during the stabilization period, ensuring that navigation data is always available when needed
3Stability of the object's composition
If the autonomous drone stabilizes by hovering, then stabilization is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the stabilization hover as a preliminary action phase where the drone acquires images of visual markers and computes its position and orientation before beginning navigation. This preliminary stabilization period ensures that all necessary sensor data is collected and processed in advance, enabling accurate navigation without requiring additional stabilization time during flight
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the stabilization hover phase multi-functional by simultaneously achieving three objectives: (1) physically stabilizing the drone, (2) capturing images of visual markers for navigation, and (3) computing initial position and orientation data. This consolidates multiple necessary actions into a single phase, reducing overall time loss
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, computer readable medium and methods for autonomous drone stabilization and navigation are disclosed. Example methods include capturing an image using an image capturing device of the autonomous drone, processing the image to identify an object, and navigating the autonomous drone relative to the object to one or more waypoints. The autonomous drone navigates initially based on a relative location of the autonomous drone from the object. The autonomous drone determines a distance from the object based on an estimated size of the object and a number of pixels of an image sensor the object occupies. The autonomous drone determines a height above a ground to assist in navigation. Additionally, the autonomous drone hovers to determine a windspeed.