VTOL Flight Planning with Turnarounds for Accurate Area Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual flight control of UAVs results in reduced quality, efficiency, and speed due to accuracy and timing issues, leading to inefficient operation and potential overshooting during waypoint transitions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate a flight plan for UAVs by determining straight-line segments and turnarounds within a geographical area, optimizing flight paths based on desired image resolution, wind conditions, and vehicle characteristics, ensuring the UAV travels in a direction aligned with each segment to minimize overshooting and achieve high-resolution imaging with desired overlap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual flight control is used, then the operator can directly control the UAV, but accuracy and timing are reduced leading to lower quality and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated flight control where the UAV autonomously executes pre-programmed flight plans, performs waypoint transitions, and conducts imaging operations without continuous manual intervention. The automated system serves itself by making control decisions based on pre-set parameters, eliminating the need for operator input during critical phases and thereby improving accuracy and efficiency.
2Extent of automation
If preprogrammed operations are used, then automation is improved, but flexibility and adaptability to changing conditions are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines static pre-programmed flight plans with dynamic real-time adjustments. While the overall mission structure is predetermined for automation, the system incorporates real-time image quality assessment and automatic waypoint adjustment capabilities that allow it to adapt to changing conditions such as wind, obstacles, or imaging requirements, thus maintaining both automation and flexibility.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the UAV flies straight-line segments between waypoints, then the flight path is simple and energy-efficient, but overshooting occurs during transitions reducing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flight path into multiple components: approach segments, turnaround segments, and departure segments. Instead of a single straight-line transition between waypoints, the flight path is divided into controlled segments that allow for precise positioning. The turnaround segments specifically address the overshooting problem by providing controlled deceleration and direction change zones, while approach segments ensure accurate arrival at the next waypoint.
4Measurement precision
If image resolution is increased by reducing flight segment spacing, then image quality improves, but energy consumption and flight time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts flight segment spacing parameters based on real-time assessment of image quality metrics. By monitoring image resolution and overlap quality, the system can modify the spacing between flight segments to achieve optimal image quality while minimizing energy consumption. This allows the spacing parameter to be optimized for each specific imaging scenario rather than using a fixed conservative spacing.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, and methods for receiving, by a processor having addressable memory, data representing a geographical area for imaging by one or more sensors of an aerial vehicle; determining one or more straight-line segments covering the geographical area; determining one or more waypoints located at an end of each determined straight-line segment, where each waypoint comprises a geographical location, an altitude, and a direction of travel; determining one or more turnarounds connecting each of the straight-line segments, where each turnaround comprises one or more connecting segments; and generating, by the processor, a flight plan for the aerial vehicle comprising: the determined one or more straight-line segments and the determined one or more turnarounds connecting each straight-line segment.