Thermal image based precision drone landing systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11049406-B2
Application number	US-201816226064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

Thermal image based precision drone landing systems and methods are disclosed herein. An example system can include a landing surface for receiving an unmanned aerial vehicle, a heat-based guidance assembly comprising a plurality of heat emitting units, and a controller that controls operation of the plurality of heat emitting units to create a pattern that is recognized by the unmanned aerial vehicle and guides the unmanned aerial vehicle in landing on the landing surface.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a landing surface for receiving an unmanned aerial vehicle;
a heat-based guidance assembly comprising a plurality of heat emitting units, wherein the heat-based guidance assembly is disposed about the landing surface; and
a controller that controls operation of the plurality of heat emitting units to create a pattern that is recognized by the unmanned aerial vehicle and guides the unmanned aerial vehicle in landing on the landing surface,
wherein the controller is further configured to selectively vary a size of the pattern based on a distance measured between the landing surface and the unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pattern is unique to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat-based guidance assembly is integrated within a perimeter of the landing surface.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to selectively vary the pattern for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the pattern is selectively varied to indicate a relative change in distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the landing surface.

6. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the pattern comprises at least one alphanumeric object.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pattern is updated based on a message received from a vehicle controller that is communicatively coupled with the controller of the system.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the system is associated with a vehicle comprising the vehicle controller, the message further comprising GPS coordinates received from the vehicle controller that are indicative of a location of the landing surface.

9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive the pattern from the vehicle controller; and
compare the pattern with a pattern list or index that comprises authorized patterns, the controller authorizing the unmanned aerial vehicle for landing on the landing surface when a match is found.

10. A method, comprising:
controlling a heat-based guidance assembly comprising a plurality of heat emitting units to emit heat in a pattern;
transmitting the pattern to an unmanned aerial vehicle;
receiving the unmanned aerial vehicle on a landing surface associated with the heat-based guidance assembly, and
selectively varying a shape or a size of the pattern to communicate information to the unmanned aerial vehicle,
wherein the pattern is selectively varied to indicate a relative change in distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the landing surface.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
utilizing a thermal sensing means to sense the pattern created by the plurality of heat emitting units; and
navigating the unmanned aerial vehicle onto the landing surface based on the sensing of the pattern.

12. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising updating the pattern based on a message received from a vehicle controller that is communicatively coupled with the controller.

13. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:
a thermal sensing member; and
at least one processor in communication with at least one memory, the at least one processor executing instructions stored in the at least one memory to:
locate a general vicinity of a mobile landing platform using location signals from the mobile landing platform;
sense a pattern generated by a plurality of heat emitting units of the mobile landing platform;
cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on a landing surface of the mobile landing platform when the pattern matches a stored pattern in the memory; and
determine a distance between the landing surface and the unmanned aerial vehicle based on changes to the pattern.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to receive the stored pattern from the mobile landing platform, the mobile landing platform configured to communicate with a plurality of other unmanned aerial vehicles a unique pattern assigned to each of the plurality of other unmanned aerial vehicles.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the location signals comprise GPS coordinates received from a vehicle controller of the mobile landing platform.

16. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor further executes the instructions to determine a size or shape of the landing surface based on output of the plurality of heat emitting units.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Gandiga Sandeep Raj

Classifications

• B64U80/86

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/54 Primary

  for approach or landing · CPC title

• G08G5/21

  located onboard the aircraft · CPC title