UAV Flight Path Planning for Side-Surface 3D Imaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in capturing comprehensive images of a subject's side surfaces while following a fixed path, as they often fail to adequately consider the presence of subjects perpendicular to the path, leading to inconvenient user operations and suboptimal image acquisition.

Innovation Solution

A flight path generation method and system that determines photographing positions based on the UAV's flight range and position intervals, allowing the UAV to shift altitudes and adjust its path to ensure equal intervals and partial overlap of photography ranges, enabling the acquisition of multiple images from varying angles to generate three-dimensional shape data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a fixed path is used for photographing, then the flight path is simple and easy to control, but the side surface of specific subjects cannot be sufficiently captured

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of controlVSAvoidphotographing precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the fixed flight path into a dynamic adaptive path that automatically adjusts based on detected subject positions. The flight vehicle changes its trajectory in real-time to circle around subjects and capture their side surfaces, resolving the contradiction between simple control and photographing precision by making the path adaptive rather than static.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses detection results from the imaging device to provide feedback on subject positions and orientations. This feedback loop enables the flight control device to automatically adjust the flight path to optimize side surface photographing, maintaining both ease of operation through automated control and photographing precision through continuous adaptation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If manual photographing is performed by a user, then the photographing flexibility is high, but it requires user movement and is inconvenient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephotographing flexibilityVSAvoiduser convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The flight vehicle performs self-service by autonomously determining its own flight path based on subject detection results. The onboard imaging device detects subjects, and the flight control device automatically generates appropriate circling trajectories without requiring external user intervention, thereby maintaining photographing flexibility while significantly improving user convenience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual user movement with an automated flight control system. The control algorithm substitutes for the user's physical actions, automatically adjusting the flight vehicle's trajectory to capture side surfaces based on detected subject positions, eliminating the need for user movement while preserving photographing flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Manufacturing precision

If three-dimensional shape data is to be generated, then multiple images from varying angles are needed, but this increases the complexity of flight path planning

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata accuracyVSAvoidflight path complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the flight path into multiple circling trajectories around different subjects or different portions of the same subject. By dividing the photographing task into discrete circling segments, the system can systematically capture images from multiple angles and positions, achieving accurate three-dimensional shape data while managing flight path complexity through structured segmentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from two-dimensional horizontal movement to three-dimensional flight paths by varying altitude during circling maneuvers. This dimensional change enables the capture of side surfaces from multiple elevation levels, providing comprehensive data for three-dimensional reconstruction while the automated path generation manages the increased complexity through systematic spatial coordination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11377211B2Flight path generation method, flight path generation system, flight vehicle, program, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2022.07.05 SZ DJI TECH CO LTD
  • US11377211B2 patent drawing
  • US11377211B2 patent drawing
  • US11377211B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A flight path generation method includes determining a plurality of photographing positions for a flight vehicle to photograph a subject based on a flight range of the flight vehicle and photographing position intervals, and generating a flight path of the flight vehicle that passes through the photographing positions.