Mobile object, information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11964775-B2
Application number	US-202017632426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2020
Priority date	Aug 27, 2019
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

Proposed are a mobile object, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that are capable of improving the accuracy of determining whether to land a drone aircraft on a landing surface. The mobile object of the present technology includes a control unit. The control unit calculates a temporal change of a landing surface from images in which the landing surface for the mobile object is imaged in time series by an imaging unit of the mobile object in a hovering state, and determines whether to land the mobile object on the landing surface on the basis of the calculated temporal change.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile object, comprising
a control unit configured to
calculate a temporal change of a landing surface from images in which the landing surface for the mobile object is imaged in time series by a camera of the mobile object in a hovering state,
discriminate an environment of the landing surface on a basis of the images, and
cause the mobile object to land on the landing surface on a basis of the calculated temporal change exceeding a threshold value corresponding to the discriminated environment, wherein

different threshold values correspond to respective different discriminated environments, and
the control unit is implemented via at least one processor.

2. The mobile object according to claim 1 , further comprising
a detection unit configured to detect an altitude of the mobile object from the landing surface, wherein
the control unit is further configured to determine whether to land the mobile object on the landing surface on a basis of the altitude and the temporal change, and
the detection unit is implemented via at least one processor.

3. The mobile object according to claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to cause the mobile object to approach the landing surface when the altitude of the mobile object is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

4. The mobile object according to claim 3 , wherein
the threshold value is an altitude at which the landing surface changes with time due to wind generated from the mobile object.

5. The mobile object according to claim 3 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to
determine whether to land the mobile object on the landing surface on a basis of the discriminated environment, the temporal change, and the altitude.

6. The mobile object according to claim 5 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to cause the mobile object to land on the landing surface based on the discriminated environment being a water surface and the temporal change being equal to or less than a threshold value corresponding to the water surface.

7. The mobile object according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to
perform image processing on the images to remove objects different from the landing surface, and
calculate the temporal change from the images on which the image processing is performed.

8. The mobile object according to claim 1 , wherein
the mobile object is a flying object.

9. The mobile object according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to
control the mobile object to land on the landing surface on a basis of the calculated temporal change exceeding a first threshold value corresponding a first discriminated environment, and
control the mobile object to land on the landing surface on a basis of the calculated temporal change exceeding a second threshold value corresponding a second discriminated environment, and

the first threshold value is different than the second threshold value and the first discriminated environment is different than the second discriminated environment.

10. An information processing apparatus, comprising
a control unit configured to
calculate a temporal change of a landing surface from images in which the landing surface for a mobile object is imaged in time series by a camera of the mobile object in a hovering state,
discriminate an environment of the landing surface on a basis of the images,
cause the mobile object to land on the landing surface on a basis of the calculated temporal change exceeding a threshold value corresponding to the discriminated environment, and
output a result of the determination to the mobile object, wherein

different threshold values correspond to respective different discriminated environments, and
the control unit is implemented via at least one processor.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the information processing apparatus is a server.

12. An information processing method, comprising:
calculating a temporal change of a landing surface from images in which the landing surface for a mobile object is imaged in time series by a camera of the mobile object in a hovering state;
discriminating an environment of the landing surface on a basis of the images; and
causing the mobile object to land on the landing surface on a basis of the calculated temporal change exceeding a threshold value corresponding to the discriminated environment, wherein
different threshold values correspond to respective different discriminated environments.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute an information processing method, the method comprising:
calculating a temporal change of a landing surface from images in which the landing surface for a mobile object is imaged in time series by a camera of the mobile object in a hovering state;
discriminating an environment of the landing surface on a basis of the images; and
causing the mobile object to land on the landing surface on a basis of the calculated temporal change exceeding a threshold value corresponding to the discriminated environment, wherein
different threshold values correspond to respective different discriminated environments.

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Akanuma Erio
• Maeda Keisuke

Classifications

• G08G5/54

  for approach or landing · CPC title

• G08G5/21

  located onboard the aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/76

  for monitoring atmospheric conditions · CPC title

• B64U70/00

  Launching, take-off or landing arrangements · CPC title

• B64D45/08 Primary

  optical · CPC title