Automated docking of unmanned aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11873116-B2
Application number	US-202016991122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2020
Priority date	Oct 15, 2019
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

Described herein are systems for automated docking of an unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, some systems include an unmanned aerial vehicle including a propulsion mechanism, an image sensor, and processing apparatus; and a dock including a landing surface configured to hold the unmanned aerial vehicle and a fiducial on the landing surface, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to: control the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to a first location in a vicinity of the dock; access one or more images captured using the image sensor; detect the fiducial in at least one of the one or more images; determine a pose of the fiducial based on the one or more images; and control, based on the pose of the fiducial, the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on the landing surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle including a propulsion mechanism, an image sensor, and a processing apparatus; and
a dock including a landing surface, wherein the landing surface is movable along a generally horizontal axis of movement and the unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the dock in a generally vertical landing direction, the landing surface being configured to hold the unmanned aerial vehicle and including a fiducial, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to:
control the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to a first location in a vicinity of the dock;
access one or more images captured using the image sensor;
detect the fiducial in at least one of the one or more images;
determine a pose of the fiducial based on the one or more images; and
control, based on the pose of the fiducial, the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on the landing surface.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fiducial is a root fiducial, and further comprising an auxiliary fiducial that is larger than the root fiducial, and wherein the processing apparatus is configured to:
detect the auxiliary fiducial in at least one of the one or more images;
determine a pose of the auxiliary fiducial based on the one or more images and
control, based on the pose of the auxiliary fiducial, the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to a first location in a vicinity of the landing surface.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the dock includes a box configured to enclose the landing surface in a first arrangement and expose the landing surface in a second arrangement, and wherein the auxiliary fiducial is located on an outer surface of the box.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the landing surface is movable in generally parallel relation to the outer surface of the box on which the auxiliary fiducial is located.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing apparatus is configured to:
control the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to a second location above the landing surface;
control the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to descend toward the fiducial on the landing surface;
responsive to reaching a predetermined height above the landing surface, control the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover at the predetermined height above the landing surface until error estimates for a pose and velocity of the unmanned aerial vehicle meet stability conditions; and
responsive to the stability conditions being met, control the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform a final approach to touch down on the landing surface.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the processing apparatus is configured to:
while the final approach is being performed, monitor inertial measurements of the unmanned aerial vehicle to check whether the landing surface has been properly engaged; and
responsive to a determination that the landing surface has not been properly engaged, abort the final approach by controlling the propulsion mechanism to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to rise.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dock includes a retractable arm and the landing surface is positioned at an end of the retractable arm.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the dock includes a box configured to enclose the landing surface in a first arrangement of the dock and expose the landing surface in a second arrangement of the dock, wherein the dock is configured to transition from the first arrangement to the second arrangement automatically by performing steps including opening a door of the box and extending the retractable arm to move the landing surface from inside the box to outside of the box.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the propulsion mechanism includes propellers, and the processing apparatus is configured to:
automatically folding the propellers by turning the propellers while the retractable arm is being retracted to pull the unmanned aerial vehicle on the landing surface into the box.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the dock includes a soft roller attached to a top interior surface of the box that is positioned to engage with a body of the unmanned aerial vehicle as the unmanned aerial vehicle is pulled into a resting position inside the box by the retractable arm.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the landing surface includes a plurality of tapered sides to fit a bottom surface of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a base of the landing surface.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the dock includes conducting contacts of a battery charger on the landing surface, positioned at the base of the landing surface.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a battery and the dock includes a charger configured to charge the battery while the unmanned aerial vehicle is on the landing surface.

14. A system comprising:
a dock including:
a first fiducial located on an outer surface thereof; and
a second fiducial located on a landing surface movable in generally parallel relation to the outer surface on which the first fiducial is located such that the second fiducial is movable into and out of the dock; and

an unmanned aerial vehicle configured for engagement with the landing surface, the unmanned aerial vehicle including a processing apparatus configured to:
detect the first fiducial and the second fiducial in at least one of one or more images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
control the unmanned aerial vehicle based on orientations of the first fiducial and the second fiducial to land the unmanned aerial vehicle on the landing surface.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first fiducial is larger than the second fiducial to facilitate visual localization of the first fiducial from farther distances as the unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the dock.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processing apparatus is configured to:
cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to a first location based upon detection of the first fiducial; and
cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly to a second location in a vicinity of the landing surface based upon detection of the second fiducial.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to:
cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover at a predetermined height above the landing surface until error estimates for the unmanned aerial vehicle meet stability conditions; and
responsive to the stability conditions being met, cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform a final approach to engage the landing surface.

18. A system comprising:
an enclosure;
a first fiducial located on an outer surface of the enclosure and defining a first configuration;
a retractable arm supporting a landing surface configured to receive a vehicle approaching the enclosure in a generally vertical landing direction, the retractable arm being movable along a generally horizontal axis of movement between a retracted position, in which the landing surface is located within the enclosure, and an extended position, in which the landing surface is located externally of the enclosure; and
a second fiducial located on the landing surface and defining a second configuration different than the first configuration.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the first fiducial defines a first surface area and the second fiducial defines a s

Assignees

• Skydio Inc

Inventors

• Kozlenko Yevgeniy
• Zhu Jack
• Cross Gareth Benoit
• Tomic Teodor
• Bry Adam
• Bachrach Abraham Galton

Classifications

• G05D1/244

  using passive navigation aids external to the vehicle, e.g. markers, reflectors or magnetic means · CPC title

• G05D2111/10

  Optical signals · CPC title

• G05D1/654

  Landing (docking at a base station G05D1/661) · CPC title

• G05D2109/254

  Flying platforms, e.g. multicopters · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title