UAV Lidar Guidance With Touch Control for Surface Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing UAVs face challenges in providing intuitive, simple, and reliable controllability for semi-autonomous inspection and surveying tasks, particularly in complex environments, due to the complexity of control systems and the need for precise navigation and obstacle avoidance.
Innovation Solution
A UAV system with a directional distance measuring module, such as a lidar, and a touch-sensitive interface that allows users to control flight paths through intuitive touch inputs, enabling semi-autonomous navigation and inspection by aligning the main view direction to object surfaces while maintaining a constant distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a control system with environment sensor system and motion generation system is used to enable semi-autonomous inspection and surveying, then the functionality and automation level of the UAV is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: environment sensor system for data collection, motion generation system for navigation control, and control system for coordinate transformation and command generation. Each module operates independently but communicates through standardized interfaces, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining semi-autonomous capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A touch-sensitive display interface serves as an intermediary between the user and the complex control system. This interface translates simple user gestures into sophisticated flight commands, allowing users to control the semi-autonomous UAV without needing to understand the underlying complex control algorithms and coordinate transformations.
2Ease of operation
If a touch-sensitive display with 3D-view is used to provide intuitive control commands, then the ease of operation is improved, but the loss of information regarding precise spatial relationships may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback by displaying the live 3D-view from the UAV's perspective on the touch-sensitive display. This real-time visual feedback allows users to intuitively understand the UAV's spatial position and orientation while maintaining awareness of precise spatial relationships through the rendered three-dimensional environment.
Solution Approach 2:
A virtual copy of the three-dimensional environment is generated and displayed on the touch-sensitive display, preserving spatial relationships and geometric information. This virtual representation maintains precise spatial data while providing an intuitive visual interface for user interaction.
3Measurement precision
If the main view direction is aligned to object surfaces with constant distance maintenance for inspection, then the measurement precision and inspection quality is improved, but the device complexity for navigation control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV system performs self-alignment to object surfaces using the environment sensor system to detect surface geometry and automatically adjust the main view direction to maintain optimal inspection angles. The motion generation system autonomously controls distance maintenance, eliminating the need for complex manual navigation while achieving precise inspection positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex mechanical navigation control is replaced by computational methods. The control system uses coordinate transformations and algorithmic processing to align the main view direction with object surfaces and maintain constant distance, substituting mechanical complexity with software-based solutions that achieve the same positioning precision.
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
Enhances the operability and controllability of UAVs by allowing intuitive and reliable semi-autonomous flight control, enabling precise navigation and inspection of environments with improved obstacle detection and avoidance.
Implementation Method 1
a directional distance measuring module, such as a lidar
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the operation of a UAV, and the control of a UAV. Aspects of the invention relate to a UAV including a directional distance measuring module for inspecting/surveying/measuring/digitizing the UAV's environment.