Signaling print locations

• US 10,112,714 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hertling, William E., White, Benjamin, Whitmarsh, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Benedik, Justin M
• Application Number:
  US15/138,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20170305549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/18 by spraying, e.g. insecticides spraying apparatus per se B05B
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/08 Systems for determining direction or position line
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/01 adapted for specific applications or environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude

Abstract

An example unmanned aerial vehicle includes an electromagnetic radiation (EMR) sensor. The EMR sensor detects a signal indicative of a direction of emission of the signal. The unmanned aerial vehicle also includes a nozzle to eject the substance based on the direction of emission.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

an electromagnetic radiation (EMR) sensor to detect a signal indicative of a direction of emission of the signal, the detected signal corresponding to a grid on a printed target;

a controller to determine a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the grid; and

a nozzle to eject a substance based on the direction of emission and the location.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a distance sensor to measure a distance to a print target;

and wherein the controller is to enable maintaining a fixed distance from the print target.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the EMR sensor is to detect a first signal indicative of a vertical direction of emission of the first signal and a second signal indicative of a horizontal direction of emission of the second signal.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a second EMR sensor to detect a second signal indicative of a direction of emission of the second signal;

and a controller to determine an orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the signal and the second signal.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, further wherein the controller is to retrieve an indication of the substance from a storage device based on the location.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein further comprising an accelerometer to detect movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the controller is to determine when to eject the substance from the nozzle based on measurements by the accelerometer and the location.

7. A method, comprising:

emitting electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to trace a grid on a print target;

determining, using an unmanned aerial vehicle, a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the grid;

determining, using the unmanned aerial vehicle, a substance to be printed based on the location; and

ejecting the substance towards a print target.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising interpolating the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the determined location and a measurement of at least one of movement and orientation on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the substance to be printed comprises determining the substance based on the location and at least one of a current travel direction and a planned travel direction.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein emitting the EMR to trace the grid comprises modulating the EMR to numerically identify each line in the grid.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein modulating the EMR includes modulating the EMR to include error detection information.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein emitting the EMR comprises tracing a plurality of horizontal lines with EMR indicative of vertical position and tracing a plurality of vertical lines with EMR indicative of horizontal position.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein tracing the plurality of horizontal and vertical lines comprises tracing portions of at least two distinct lines simultaneously.

14. A system, comprising:

a first electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitter to emit first EMR and trace a first path with the first EMR;

a second EMR emitter to emit second EMR along a second path and trace a second path with the second EMR; and

a modulation engine to modulate the first EMR to indicate a position of the first path and modulate the second EMR to indicate a position of the second path.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the modulation engine is to modulate the first EMR to include an indication that the first EMR corresponds to the first path.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first and second EMR emitters comprise lasers, and wherein the modulation engine comprises an optical modulator to adjust at least one of a phase, a frequency, and an intensity of the first and second EMR.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the EMR emitter is to emit the first and second EMR at predetermined offsets based on a predetermined distance between a print vehicle and a print target.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first path is a vertical line on the print target and the modulation engine is to modulate the first EMR to indicate a horizontal position of the vertical line, and wherein the second path is a horizontal line on the print target and the modulation engine is to modulate the second EMR to indicate a vertical position of the horizontal line.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a first plurality of EMR emitters to emit EMR and trace the first path;

and a second plurality of EMR emitters to emit EMR and trace the second path, wherein the first plurality of EMR emitters includes the first EMR emitter, and wherein the second plurality of EMR emitters includes the second EMR emitter.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first plurality of EMR emitters trace the first path at locations offset by predetermined distances.