UAV Multi-Sensor Calibration Using a Predetermined Flight Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor calibration techniques for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require specialized equipment and complex procedures, making them cumbersome and inefficient, especially for outdoor environments where traditional calibration boards are not easily transportable or practical.
Innovation Solution
A method where the UAV moves along a predetermined calibration path, collecting sensor data without the need for specialized equipment, allowing for the calibration of multiple sensors using a unified and user-friendly process, including both manual and autonomous control options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional sensor calibration techniques are used, then measurement precision can be maintained, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to specialized equipment and complex procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the calibration target from external specialized equipment and embeds it within the UAV itself through a fiducial marker attached to the aircraft body. This eliminates the need for separate calibration boards or targets, simplifying the overall system while maintaining calibration accuracy through the marker's known geometric properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The fiducial marker serves multiple functions: it acts as both the calibration target and a reference object for spatial configuration detection. The same marker is used across different calibration scenarios and sensor types, providing a universal solution that works for various sensor configurations without requiring specialized equipment for each case.
2Measurement precision
If conventional sensor calibration techniques are used, then measurement precision can be maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome procedures and lack of user-friendly interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service calibration where the UAV automatically performs calibration operations using its own sensors and the attached fiducial marker. The calibration process is initiated and executed by the UAV itself without requiring external operators to manually position calibration boards or complex equipment, making the procedure simpler and more user-friendly while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical calibration procedures with automated computational methods. Instead of physically manipulating calibration equipment, the system uses image processing algorithms and sensor data analysis to automatically determine spatial configurations and perform calibration, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If traditional calibration boards are used, then measurement precision can be maintained, but ease of operation and adaptability deteriorate in outdoor environments due to transportability issues
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bringing an external calibration target to the UAV, the patent inverts the approach by attaching the fiducial marker directly to the UAV. This reversal makes the calibration target portable and adaptable to any outdoor environment, as the marker moves with the aircraft rather than requiring the aircraft to return to a fixed calibration facility.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration system transitions from static, fixed-location calibration boards to a dynamic setup where the fiducial marker moves with the UAV. This dynamic approach allows calibration to be performed in various outdoor environments and flight conditions, greatly enhancing adaptability while maintaining measurement precision through consistent marker geometry and detection algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method includes detecting a change in a spatial configuration of a plurality of sensors coupled to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on a first set of sensor data from a plurality of sensors, generating one or more calibration instructions to cause the UAV to move along a predetermined pattern in response to detecting the change in the spatial configuration, and determining a subsequent spatial configuration of the plurality of sensors based at least in part on a second set of sensor data from the plurality of sensors. The second set of sensor data is collected by the plurality of sensors when the UAV is moving along the predetermined pattern.