Device that controls flight altitude of unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,029,790 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Maekawa, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, Mcdieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/387,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20170217589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

A device that controls the flight altitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle having mounted thereon an imaging device that captures an image of the ground, the device being provided with: one or more memories; and circuitry which, in operation, recognizes, as a plurality of markers, a plurality of objects located on the ground from the image captured by the imaging device, calculates the area of a polygon formed by the plurality of markers, and controls the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in such a way that the area of the polygon is maximized.

Claims

1. A device that controls a flight altitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle having mounted thereon an imaging device that captures an image of a ground, the device comprising:

one or more memories; and

circuitry which, in operation,

recognizes, as a plurality of markers, a plurality of relatively movable objects located on the ground from the image captured by the imaging device, each of the plurality of markers attached to one of the plurality of relatively movable objects,

calculates, by a processor, an area of a polygon formed by the plurality of markers, and

controls the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in such a way that the area of the polygon is maximized.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory that stores a number of the markers to be recognized by the circuitry, as a registered marker number,

wherein the circuitry

compares the number of the plurality of markers and the registered marker number,

when the number of the plurality of markers is less than the registered marker number, performs control that increases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is smaller than the area of the polygon previously calculated, performs control that decreases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The device according to claim 2,

wherein the imaging device includes a zoom imaging device capable of a zoom operation, and

the circuitry,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is equal to or larger than the area of a polygon previously calculated by the processor, performs control that maintains the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a present flight altitude,

recognizes the plurality of objects as the plurality of markers, from the image captured by the imaging device while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude,

calculates, as an altitude-maintained area, the area of the polygon formed by the plurality of markers recognized while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude, and

controls a zoom ratio of the zoom imaging device such that the altitude-maintained area is maximized.

4. The device according to claim 3,

wherein, when the number of the plurality of markers recognized while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude is less than the registered marker number, the circuitry controls the zoom imaging device in such a way that the zoom imaging device zooms out.

5. The device according to claim 4,

wherein, when the zoom imaging device cannot zoom out, the circuitry performs control that maintains the present zoom ratio of the zoom imaging device, and performs control that increases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

6. The device according to claim 3,

wherein, when the number of the plurality of markers recognized while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude matches the registered marker number, and the altitude-maintained area is smaller than the altitude-maintained area previously calculated, the circuitry controls the zoom imaging device in such a way that the zoom imaging device zooms in.

7. The device according to claim 6,

wherein, when the zoom imaging device cannot zoom in, the circuitry performs control that maintains the present zoom ratio of the zoom imaging device, and performs control that decreases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

8. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the circuitry

acquires, as a plurality of recognition-subject markers, a plurality of objects selected by a user from among the plurality of objects,

recognizes the plurality of recognition-subject markers as the plurality of markers, from the image captured by the imaging device, and

calculates, by the processor, the area of the polygon formed by the plurality of recognition-subject markers.

9. The device according to claim 8,

wherein the circuitry acquires, as the plurality of recognition-subject markers, the plurality of markers selected by the user from among the plurality of markers, which are displayed superimposed on the image captured by the imaging device.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry further compares a number of the plurality of recognized markers with a predetermined number, increases the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the number of the plurality of the recognized markers is less than the predetermined number, and decreases the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the number of the plurality of recognized markers matches the predetermined number and when the area of the polygon is smaller than the area of a previously calculated polygon.

11. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

an imaging device that captures an image of a ground; and

circuitry which, in operation,

recognizes, as a plurality of markers, a plurality of relatively movable objects located on the ground from the image captured by the imaging device, each of the plurality of markers attached to one of the plurality of relatively movable objects,

calculates, by a processor, an area of a polygon formed by the plurality of markers, and

controls a flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in such a way that the area of the polygon is maximized.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the circuitry further compares the number of the plurality of recognized markers with a predetermined number, increases the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the number of the plurality of the recognized markers is less than the predetermined number, and decreases the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the number of the plurality of recognized markers matches the predetermined number and when the area of the polygon is smaller than the area of a previously calculated polygon.

19. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising:

a memory that stores a number of the markers to be recognized by the circuitry, as a registered marker number,

wherein the circuitry

compares the number of the plurality of markers and the registered marker number,

when the number of the plurality of markers is less than the registered marker number, performs control that increases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is smaller than the area of a polygon previously calculated, performs control that decreases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

20. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 19,

wherein the imaging device includes a zoom imaging device capable of a zoom operation, and

the circuitry,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is equal to or larger than the area of the polygon previously calculated by the processor, performs control that maintains the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a present flight altitude,

recognizes the plurality of objects as the plurality of markers, from the image captured by the imaging device while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude,

calculates, as an altitude-maintained area, the area of the polygon formed by the plurality of markers recognized while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude, and

controls a zoom ratio of the zoom imaging device such that the altitude-maintained area is maximized.

13. A method, including:

recognizing, as a plurality of markers, a plurality of relatively movable objects located on a ground from an image captured by an imaging device mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle each of the plurality of markers attached to one of the plurality of relatively movable objects;

calculating, by a processor, an area of a polygon formed by the plurality of markers; and

controlling a flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in such a way that the area of the polygon is maximized.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing a number of the markers to be recognized as a registered marker number,

comparing the number of the plurality of markers and the registered marker number,

when the number of the plurality of markers is less than the registered marker number, performs control that increases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is smaller than the area of a polygon previously calculated, performs control that decreases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the imaging device includes a zoom imaging device capable of a zoom operation, and

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is equal to or larger than the area of the polygon previously calculated by the processor, performs control that maintains the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a present flight altitude,

recognizes the plurality of objects as the plurality of markers, from the image captured by the imaging device while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude,

calculates, as an altitude-maintained area, the area of the polygon formed by the plurality of markers recognized while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude, and

controls a zoom ratio of the zoom imaging device such that the altitude-maintained area is maximized.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a program that controls an unmanned aerial vehicle having mounted thereon an imaging device that captures an image of a ground,

wherein the program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute a operations including:

recognizing, as a plurality of markers, a plurality of relatively movable objects located on the ground from the image captured by the imaging device, each of the plurality of markers attached to one of the plurality of relatively movable objects;

calculating an area of a polygon formed by the plurality of markers; and

controlling a flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in such a way that the area of the polygon is maximized.

17. The computer-readable non-transitory recording medium according to claim 16, further comprising:

a memory that stores a number of the markers to be recognized by the circuitry, as a registered marker number,

wherein the operations further include

comparing the number of the plurality of markers and the registered marker number,

when the number of the plurality of markers is less than the registered marker number, performing control that increases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is smaller than the area of a polygon previously calculated, performing control that decreases the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

18. The computer readable non-transitory recording medium according to claim 17,

wherein the imaging device includes a zoom imaging device capable of a zoom operation, and

the operations further include,

when the number of the plurality of markers matches the registered marker number, and the area of the polygon is equal to or larger than the area of the polygon previously calculated by the processor, performing control that maintains the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a present flight altitude,

recognizing the plurality of objects as the plurality of markers, from the image captured by the imaging device while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude,

calculating, as an altitude-maintained area, the area of the polygon formed by the plurality of markers recognized while the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is maintained at the present flight altitude, and

controlling a zoom ratio of the zoom imaging device such that the altitude-maintained area is maximized.