UAV Landing Marker Verification for Obstructed Delivery Zones
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in delivering items due to obstructed landing zones and the inability to verify or find delivery locations during flight, leading to aborted deliveries.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a server computer to analyze images from users and UAVs to identify and verify landing markers and zones, employing image processing algorithms to transform and abstract images into 2D or 3D maps, allowing UAVs to guide themselves to safe delivery locations, even in the absence of visible markers, and providing instructions for users to clear obstructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UAVs rely on visible markers for navigation, then they can accurately identify delivery locations, but deliveries are aborted when markers are obstructed or not visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of ground-based cameras and server computer that captures and processes images of the delivery location. This intermediary system provides the UAV with landing zone information when visual markers are obstructed or unavailable, allowing the UAV to successfully complete deliveries despite marker obstructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual marker-based navigation system with an image processing and analysis system. Instead of relying on physical markers that can be obstructed, the system uses digital image capture, processing, and analysis to identify and verify landing zones, providing a more robust navigation approach.
2Reliability
If UAVs use simple marker-based navigation, then the system remains simple, but the UAV cannot verify delivery locations during flight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the verification system into separate functional components: ground-based image capture, server-based image processing and analysis, and UAV navigation integration. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system reliability for landing zone verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The server computer acts as an intermediary that handles the complex image processing and analysis tasks, freeing the UAV from carrying complex verification equipment. The server processes images and provides verified landing zone information to the UAV, enabling accurate verification without adding significant complexity to the UAV itself.
3Productivity
If UAVs abort deliveries due to obstructed markers, then safety is maintained, but delivery efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary image capture and analysis of the delivery location before the UAV arrives. By pre-identifying and verifying the landing zone using ground-based cameras and server processing, the system eliminates the need for the UAV to abort deliveries due to obstructed markers, thereby improving delivery efficiency while maintaining safety.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for verifying a location and identification of a landing marker to aid an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver a payload to a location may be provided. For example, upon receiving an indication that a UAV has arrived to a delivery location, a server computer may process one or more images of an area that are provided by the UAV and/or a user interacting with a user device. A landing marker may be identified in the image and a representation of the landing marker along with instructions to guide the UAV to deliver the payload to the landing marker may be transmitted to the UAV and implemented by the UAV.