UAV Landing Obstacle Detection with 3D Surface Reconstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in safely transitioning from horizontal to vertical flight modes, particularly in identifying obstacles in landing areas with small spatial extents or similar colors/textures to the surrounding environment, which can lead to hazards during landing operations.
Innovation Solution
The system employs image processing techniques, including optical flow algorithms and stereo matching, to capture and analyze images from multiple cameras, generating three-dimensional reconstructions and difference images to detect obstacles, ensuring safe landing by aborting or modifying the landing operation if obstacles are detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual imaging data is used to identify obstacles, then obstacles with distinct colors or textures can be readily identified, but obstacles with small spatial extents or similar colors/textures to the landing area cannot be readily identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional visual imaging data to three-dimensional spatial mapping by processing pixel disparities between multiple images. This dimensional transformation enables the detection of obstacles with small spatial extents or similar colors/textures by representing them in 3D space where their spatial position becomes distinguishable regardless of visual appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that captures multiple images from different positions, calculates pixel disparities, and generates three-dimensional spatial maps. This intermediary process transforms the detection problem from direct visual identification to spatial relationship analysis, enabling detection of previously invisible obstacles.
2Productivity
If a UAV attempts to land in an area with obstacles, then landing speed and operational efficiency are improved, but safety risks increase due to potential collision with undetected obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary obstacle detection and three-dimensional spatial mapping before the UAV commits to landing. By processing multiple images and identifying obstacles in advance, the system enables informed decision-making about landing safety, allowing the UAV to abort or modify landing operations when obstacles are detected, thus maintaining both efficiency and safety.
Data Source
AI summary
Aerial vehicles that are equipped with one or more imaging devices may detect obstacles that are small in size, or obstacles that feature colors or textures that are consistent with colors or textures of a landing area, using pairs of images captured by the imaging devices. Disparities between pixels corresponding to points of the landing area that appear within each of a pair of the images may be determined and used to generate a reconstruction of the landing area and a difference image. If either the reconstruction or the difference image indicates the presence of one or more obstacles, a landing operation at the landing area may be aborted or an alternate landing area for the aerial vehicle may be identified accordingly.