Sensor Platform Path Routing with Convex Hull Obstacle Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for routing and tracking sensor platforms, such as aircraft, to observe a region of interest while avoiding obstacles are inefficient, often resulting in incomplete coverage, increased path length, and manual labor due to kinematic constraints and the need to accommodate excluded areas.
Innovation Solution
An automated method that generates a path using a computer system to define a bounding region and convex hull around obstacles, creating parallel rectangular planks and routing the sensor platform to traverse these planks in a raster scan pattern, minimizing turns and ensuring complete coverage without crossing excluded areas, utilizing Dubins paths and considering kinematic constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the aircraft follows a raster-scan flight path with sharp turns at the end of each scan line, then the rectangular region of interest is covered, but the aircraft cannot make the sharp turns due to kinematic constraints (turn radius), resulting in overshooting the turns and incomplete sensing coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the region of interest into multiple smaller rectangular sub-regions around the excluded area, allowing the aircraft to perform raster scans on each sub-region separately with reduced turn radius requirements, thus avoiding overshooting while maintaining complete coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of path planning by routing the aircraft to circle the excluded area at a specified altitude before proceeding with raster scans, adding a vertical and circular motion component to the traditionally flat raster pattern, thereby avoiding the need for sharp turns at scan line ends
2Manufacturing precision
If the search area is oversized to accommodate the aircraft's turn radius limitations, then complete sensing coverage is achieved, but the total path length of the aircraft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary path planning that pre-calculates the optimal raster scan pattern around excluded areas, determining the exact boundaries of sub-regions and scan directions in advance, which eliminates unnecessary overshooting and reduces the total path length compared to ad-hoc adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the raster scan parameters (scan line spacing, turn points, sub-region boundaries) based on the excluded area's position and size, optimizing the path length for each specific scenario rather than using a fixed oversized search area
3Reliability
If a person manually subdivides the rectangular ROI into multiple smaller rectangular sub-regions around excluded areas, then the aircraft can avoid crossing into excluded areas, but manual determination of subdivision and routing order increases device complexity and time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated path planning system that autonomously performs the subdivision of the region of interest into sub-regions and determines the optimal routing order, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing device complexity through algorithmic automation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of drawing sub-region boundaries and planning routes with a computational algorithm that automatically generates the optimal path, substituting human cognitive effort with automated software processing
4Reliability
If sub-regions are bounded away from excluded areas to avoid aircraft crossing into excluded areas during turns, then excluded areas are avoided, but voids appear in the sensed outputs or sub-regions must overlap, increasing the total path length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the region into sub-regions with optimized boundaries that are carefully positioned to maintain the required clearance from excluded areas while minimizing gaps and overlaps, achieving both avoidance reliability and path length efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts key parameters such as sub-region boundary positions, scan line spacing, and turn radius based on the excluded area's characteristics, dynamically optimizing the balance between avoiding excluded areas and minimizing total path length
Data Source
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Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A path is automatically routed for a sensor platform that projects a constant sensor footprint to the surface to observe a region of interest. The path is routed by defining a bounding region around the region of interest and defining a convex hull around an obstacle within the region of interest. A parallel arrangement of rectangular planks is generated from each edge of the convex hull out to the bounding region. The extent of each rectangular plank is bounded at one end by the intersection of the plank with the bounding region and at the other end by the intersection of the plank with an extension of a next edge of the convex hull. The path is routed to traverse the parallel arrangement of rectangular planks for each edge of the convex hull in a raster scan pattern and to circle the convex hull in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.