UAV Terrain Evaluation for Autonomous Landing Spot Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The landing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is challenging due to the need for skilled human operators to manually control the landing process, which can result in damage from rough landings, especially when the operator lacks direct visual perception of the flight trajectory and attitude.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of computer-implemented methods and systems that use on-board visual sensors, such as cameras, to automatically evaluate the terrain by extracting depth information and selecting a suitable landing spot through stereo matching techniques, allowing the UAV to identify and descend onto a flat or smooth surface without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual control by human operators is used for UAV landing, then the landing process can be controlled with human judgment, but the risk of damage from rough landings increases when operators lack direct visual perception
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV performs self-landing by autonomously identifying the landing surface and controlling its descent without human intervention. The system uses onboard cameras to capture images, processes these images to detect terrain features, and automatically adjusts flight controls to achieve a safe landing, making the system serve itself rather than requiring continuous human operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated vision-based control system. Instead of relying on human operators to visually assess the landing surface and manually adjust controls, the system uses computer vision algorithms to automatically detect terrain features and substitute human judgment with automated image processing and control algorithms
2Extent of automation
If automated landing systems are implemented, then the need for skilled human operators is eliminated, but the complexity of the automated system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV's onboard camera system serves multiple functions: it captures images for navigation, detects landing surface features, measures terrain characteristics, and provides feedback for control adjustments. By making the vision system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate specialized sensors and systems, thereby managing complexity while achieving high automation
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital representation (depth map) of the landing surface by processing captured images. This copied spatial information allows the automated system to analyze terrain features without physically touching or directly sensing the surface, enabling complex automated decision-making through simplified data representation
3Measurement precision
If depth information is extracted from images to evaluate landing surface, then accurate terrain evaluation is achieved, but the processing time and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures multiple images of the landing surface before the UAV actually lands, allowing sufficient time for processing. By performing the image capture and depth map generation in advance during the approach phase, the system avoids time-critical processing during the final landing moment, reducing the perceived processing time while maintaining accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
Automatic terrain evaluation of landing surfaces, and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. A representative method includes receiving a request to land a movable object and, in response to the request, identifying a target landing area on a landing surface based on at least one image of the landing surface obtained by the movable object. The method can further include directing the movable object to land at the target landing area.