VTOL Landing Visual Cue Control for GPS-Denied Moving Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous landing systems for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft rely on GPS, which limits their operation in GPS-denied environments and makes them unstable on moving platforms, and are often specific to certain types of aircraft, reducing adaptability and safety.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous landing system that uses a motion-stabilized visual cue with a vertically extending indicator on an offshore platform, coupled with an onboard camera and an autonomous control system, allowing the aircraft to track and land on moving surfaces without GPS, using a combination of approach and descent tracking paradigms to maintain stability and adaptability across various aircraft types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If GPS-based autonomous landing systems are used, then landing automation is achieved, but operation in GPS-denied environments is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual cues (fiducial markers, natural features) as intermediary reference objects that mediate between the aircraft's navigation system and the landing platform. These visual cues serve as a GPS-independent reference framework, allowing the aircraft to determine its position and orientation relative to the landing zone using computer vision algorithms processed by the onboard processor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the GPS satellite-based radio navigation system with an onboard computer vision system that uses visual processing of images captured by cameras. This substitution eliminates dependency on external satellite signals, enabling operation in GPS-denied environments while maintaining autonomous landing capability.
2Extent of automation
If GPS-based autonomous landing systems are used, then landing automation is achieved, but stability on moving platforms is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where the onboard processor continuously captures images of visual cues, calculates the aircraft's position and orientation relative to the landing platform, and adjusts control inputs in real-time. This closed-loop feedback mechanism compensates for platform motion and maintains stable approach and landing on moving surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic visual cue selection and tracking, where the system adapts to moving platforms by continuously identifying and tracking appropriate visual features. The control system dynamically adjusts the approach trajectory and landing parameters based on real-time visual feedback, enabling stable operation on moving platforms.
3Extent of automation
If GPS-based autonomous landing systems are used, then landing automation is achieved, but adaptability to different aircraft types is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a universal autonomous landing system where the onboard processor executes generic computer vision algorithms that can identify and track various types of visual cues (fiducial markers, natural features, artificial structures). The system's flexibility in processing different visual inputs and its ability to adapt to different aircraft geometries and sensor configurations enable broad applicability across multiple aircraft types.
4Adaptability or versatility
If visual cue tracking is implemented, then GPS-denied environment operation is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the autonomous landing function into modular components: visual cue detection module, position and orientation calculation module, and control input generation module. This segmentation allows for independent development, testing, and optimization of each function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining capability in GPS-denied environments.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous landing system includes a vertical landing aircraft, a visual cue coupled to an offshore landing platform and including a visual indicator located that extends vertically across a horizon and is maintained parallel with the horizon, and an autonomous control system configured to control a position of the aircraft with respect to the visual indicator to maneuver the aircraft into a hovering, predefined landing position above the offshore landing platform, and control the position of the aircraft with respect to the visual indicator to cause the aircraft to descend from the landing position and land on the offshore landing platform.