Laser speckle system and method for an aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for localizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rely on uncertain visual data sources like photogrammetry, which introduces errors that increase with distance, making it challenging to accurately register point clouds and localize UAVs, especially in featureless environments.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing laser speckle techniques, where a speckle generator projects a pseudo-random laser speckle pattern onto a surface, allowing a 3D scanner and processor to register point clouds and determine the UAV's position by analyzing the pattern's dot size and distance, enabling precise localization and registration without the need for physical fiducial markers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If visual methods like photogrammetry or visual odometry are used for UAV localization, then the system complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates with distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces laser speckle patterns as an intermediary reference system projected onto the ground. These patterns serve as a mediator between the UAV and the environment, providing known geometric features (dot positions, sizes, distances) that the UAV's 3D scanner can detect and use for precise localization and point cloud registration, thereby resolving the contradiction between system simplicity and measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If physical fiducial markers are used for point cloud registration, then the measurement precision is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to manual placement requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs self-service by automatically projecting laser speckle patterns onto the ground surface, eliminating the need for manual placement of physical fiducial markers. The patterns are generated and positioned automatically by the speckle generator, and the UAV's 3D scanner automatically detects and uses them for registration, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physically placing and attaching fiducial markers with an optical system that projects laser speckle patterns. This substitution eliminates manual intervention, allows for dynamic pattern placement, and enables registration on surfaces where physical markers cannot be attached, thereby improving both ease of operation and measurement precision.
3Device complexity
If visual data sources are used for UAV localization, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates in featureless environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-projecting laser speckle patterns onto the ground surface before the UAV arrives. These patterns create artificial visual features in advance, ensuring that reliable reference points are available for localization regardless of the natural featurelessness of the environment, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides accurate and reliable localization and registration of UAVs, even in featureless environments, by using the laser speckle pattern as fiducial markers, reducing errors and labor costs associated with physical markers.
Implementation Method 1
an optical element to diffract the laser beam into a plurality of laser beams of multiple orders
Implementation Method 2
a laser source to generate a laser beam
Data Source
AI summary
A system for registering multiple point clouds captured by an aircraft is disclosed. The system includes a speckle generator, at least one three-dimensional (3D) scanner, and a processor coupled thereto. In operation, the speckle generator projects a laser speckle pattern onto a surface (e.g., a featureless surface). The at least one 3D scanner scans the featureless surface to generate a plurality of point clouds of the featureless surface and to image at least a portion of the laser speckle pattern. The processor, which is communicatively coupled with the at least one 3D scanner, registers the plurality of point clouds to generate a complete 3D model of the featureless surface based at least in part on the laser speckle pattern.