Methods and apparatus for line-of-sight enforcement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12518640-B2
Application number	US-202318457906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2023
Priority date	Aug 29, 2023
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for line-of-sight (LoS) enforcement are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus for guidance of an aircraft with respect to a target includes machine readable instructions, and programmable circuitry to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to determine a movement constraint based on an LoS criterion of an LoS corresponding to an orientation of the aircraft with respect to the target, and adjust, based on the movement constraint, movement of the aircraft to relax flight path following to maintain or cause the LoS to be directed away from an occlusion region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for guidance of an aircraft with respect to a target, the apparatus comprising:
machine readable instructions; and
programmable circuitry to be programmed by the machine readable instructions to:
determine a movement constraint based on a line-of-sight (LoS) criterion of an LoS corresponding to an orientation of the aircraft with respect to the target, wherein the movement constraint corresponds to a bank of the aircraft, and
limit, based on the movement constraint, the bank of the aircraft to relax flight path following to maintain or cause the LoS to be directed away from an occlusion region, the flight path following relaxed from a first flight path having a first path length to a second flight path having a second path length longer than the first path length.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the limiting of the bank angle includes generation of a commanded flight path.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuitry is to vary a degree of the limiting of the bank angle of the aircraft based on a proximity of the LoS to the occlusion region.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein alignment criterion of the LOS corresponds to alignment of a functional vector of the aircraft toward the target.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein alignment criterion of the LOS corresponds to alignment of a functional vector of the aircraft away from the target.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the limiting of the bank angle of the aircraft includes defining bank-to-turn logic of the aircraft.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the occlusion region is defined by a portion of the aircraft.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7 , wherein the portion includes a wing of the aircraft.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuitry is to change a shape of the first flight path to define the second flight path.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the programmable circuitry is to add or remove at least one of a segment or a spline of the first flight path to the second flight path for defining the second flight path.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuitry is to define a bank angle sequence corresponding to the second flight path.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the programmable circuitry is to define bank-to-turn logic based on the second flight path.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second flight path corresponds to guidance logic that defines a control loop.

14. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions to cause at least one programmable circuitry to at least:
determine an orientation of an aircraft;
determine a line-of-sight (LoS) corresponding to the orientation with respect to a target;
determine a movement constraint of the aircraft based on an LOS criterion, wherein the movement constraint corresponds to a bank of the aircraft; and
limit, based on the movement constraint, the bank angle of the aircraft to relax flight path following to maintain or cause the LoS to be directed away from an occlusion, the flight path following relaxed from a first flight path having a first path length to a second flight path having a second path length longer than the first path length.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 14 , wherein the limiting of the bank angle includes generation of a commanded flight path to maintain the LoS to be directed away from the occlusion.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 14 , wherein the limiting of the bank angle of the aircraft corresponds to aligning a functional vector of the aircraft away from a cone of the occlusion to a requisite degree.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 16 , wherein a a movement of the aircraft adjusted is based on a degree of alignment between the functional vector and the cone of the occlusion.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 14 , wherein the limiting of the bank angle includes bank-to-turn logic of the aircraft.

19. A method comprising:
determining, by executing instructions with at least one programmable circuitry, an orientation of an aircraft;
determining, by executing instructions with one or more of the at least one programmable circuitry, a movement constraint of the aircraft based on a line-of-sight (LoS) criterion of an LoS corresponding to the orientation of the aircraft with respect to a target, wherein the movement constraint corresponds to a bank of the aircraft; and
limiting, by executing instructions with one or more of the at least one programmable circuitry, the bank of the aircraft based on the movement constraint to maintain or cause the LoS to be directed away from an occlusion region, the flight path following relaxed from a first flight path having a first path length to a second flight path having a second path length longer than the first path length.

20. The method as defined in claim 19 , further including generating, by executing instructions with one or more of the at least one programmable circuitry, a commanded flight path, the commanded flight path including bank-to-turn logic.

Assignees

• Boeing Co
• Insitu Inc

Inventors

• Rysdyk Rolf Theodoor
• Minteer-Levine Jasmine Beth
• Gobble Michael John
• Marmillion Scott Patrick

Classifications

• G05D2105/85

  for patrolling or reconnaissance for police, security or military applications · CPC title

• G05D2109/22

  with fixed wings · CPC title

• G05D1/689

  Pointing payloads towards fixed or moving targets (positioning towed, pushed or suspended implements G05D1/672) · CPC title

• G05D1/646

  Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path · CPC title

• G08G5/34 Primary

  for flight plan modification · CPC title