Drone Wind Estimation From Image and Command Position Drift

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Solution Overview

Problem

Drones are susceptible to wind fluctuations, which affect their attitude and position, making stable flight challenging, especially when there are no linear objects to determine wind direction or when wind blows in unpredictable directions.

Innovation Solution

A mobile body, such as a drone, equipped with an imaging unit, estimation unit, and wind information calculation unit to estimate its position based on captured images and control commands, and calculate wind information using movement vectors to stabilize flight.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If wind direction is determined using linear objects suspended between structures, then wind direction can be detected in normal vector direction, but wind state cannot be determined when no linear objects are present or wind blows in other directions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewind direction detection accuracyVSAvoidwind detection coverage

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of using linear objects with a computational system that uses drone position data. Instead of requiring physical reference objects in the environment, the system calculates wind direction by comparing the drone's commanded position with its actual estimated position, substituting physical measurement infrastructure with algorithmic processing of motion data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If drone position is tracked using image capture and estimation, then position can be estimated without external references, but position accuracy may be insufficient for precise wind calculation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposition estimation capabilityVSAvoidposition estimation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback by continuously comparing the commanded position (where the drone should be) with the estimated actual position (where the drone actually is). This feedback loop enables precise wind calculation by detecting the discrepancy caused by wind effects, allowing the system to achieve high measurement precision through iterative correction rather than requiring absolute position accuracy from the imaging system alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12436541B2Unmanned autonomous vehicle and information processing method to calculate wind information acting on the unmanned autonomous vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

There is provided a mobile body that includes an imaging unit to capture an image of an environment around the mobile body, an estimation unit to estimate a position of the mobile body on the basis of the image captured by the imaging unit, a calculation unit to calculate the position of the mobile body on the basis of a control command for controlling movement of the mobile body, and a wind information calculation unit to calculate information regarding wind acting on the mobile body on the basis of a first position that is the position of the mobile body, which is estimated by the estimation unit, and a second position that is the position of the mobile body, which is calculated by the calculation unit.