Flight navigation using lenticular array

• US 10,157,545 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baker, Patrick Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani A
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALLACE, DONALD JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US14/578,580
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/08 optical
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/18 Visual or acoustic landing aids
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/20 Arrangement of optical beacons
• 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: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for flight guidance of an aircraft or other aerial vehicle using one or more lenticular arrays. An aircraft control application may be employed to determine whether a location of an aircraft is within a predefined distance of a lenticular array that defines an optimal flight corridor. If the aircraft is at a location within the predefined distance, the aircraft control application may attempt to visually locate the lenticular array using an imaging device. A position of the aircraft relative to the optimal flight corridor may be determined based at least in part on a visual identifier identified in a digital image of the lenticular array. A flight of the aircraft may be controlled to follow a flight path falling within the optimal flight corridor based at least in part on the visual identifier.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising processing circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform a landing of the aircraft by:

identifying, using a global positioning system (GPS), that the aircraft is within a predetermined distance of a first lenticular array and a second lenticular array located proximate a destination, wherein the first lenticular array and the second lenticular array define a flight corridor associated with the destination;

capturing at least one image of an environment using an imaging device of the aircraft in response to the aircraft being within the predetermined distance;

programmatically locating the first lenticular array and the second lenticular array in the at least one image;

applying at least one signal processing filter to the at least one image;

identifying that a first color from the first lenticular array located in the at least one image is within a first color error threshold;

identifying that a second color from the second lenticular array located in the at least one image is within a second color error threshold;

generating an estimated position of the aircraft relative to the flight corridor based at least in part on the first color identified in the first lenticular array and the second color identified in the second lenticular array; and

control the aircraft to follow a flight path within the flight corridor based at least in part on the estimated position.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein performing the landing further comprises:

identifying a first angle between the aircraft and the first lenticular array based at least in part on the first color identified in the at least one image;

identifying a second angle between the aircraft and the second lenticular array based at least in part on the second color identified in the at least one image; and

estimating the position of the aircraft using the first angle, the second angle, and a known location of the first lenticular array and the second lenticular array.

3. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the flight corridor defines a trajectory to a landing site associated with a materials handling facility.

4. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein:

the first lenticular array is one of a first plurality of lenticular arrays in a first lenticular array collection;

the second lenticular array is one of a second plurality of lenticular arrays in a second lenticular array collection; and

the first lenticular array collection and the second lenticular array collection are positioned at separate locations.

5. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

program instructions executable in the at least one computing device that, when executed by the at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to;

apply at least one signal processing filter to a digital image of a lenticular array;

identify that a color of the lenticular array in the digital image is within a color error threshold;

estimate an amount of deviation of an aircraft from a desired flight path based at least in part on the color of the lenticular array identified from the digital image; and

control a flight of the aircraft based at least in part on the amount of deviation estimated.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to:

determine that the aircraft is within a specified distance of the lenticular array; and

attempt to visually identify the lenticular array in an environment using an imaging device in response to the aircraft being within the specified distance of the lenticular array.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one computing device is at least a portion of a positioning system module onboard the aircraft.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to adjust at least one of a pitch, a roll, or a yaw of the aircraft to reduce the amount of deviation estimated.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein a type of the aircraft is selected from a group consisting of a land-based aircraft, a seaplane, an amphibian aircraft, a helicopter, a dirigible, a gyrocopter, a tilt-wing aircraft, a glider, and a sailplane.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein a type of the aircraft is a multi-rotor helicopter;

and

further comprising program instructions that, when executed by the at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to adjust a speed of rotation of at least one rotor of the multi-rotor helicopter to reduce the amount of deviation estimated.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the lenticular array is one of a first plurality of lenticular arrays in a first lenticular array collection;

the system further comprises a second lenticular array being one of a second plurality of lenticular arrays in a second lenticular array collection; and

the first lenticular array collection and the second lenticular array collection are positioned at separate locations.

12. A method, comprising:

accessing, by at least one computing device comprising at least one hardware processor, a digital image of a lenticular array captured by an imaging device onboard an aircraft, the lenticular array comprising a color gradient;

applying, by the at least one computing device, at least one signal processing filter to the digital image of the lenticular array;

in response to the at least one signal processing filter being applied to the digital image, determining, by the at least one computing device, that a color of the lenticular array in the digital image is within a color error threshold;

estimating, by the at least one computing device, a position of the aircraft relative to a specified flight path based at least in part on the color of the lenticular array; and

controlling, by the at least one computing device, a trajectory of the aircraft to follow the specified flight path based at least in part on the color determined to be within the color error threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the at least one computing device, that the aircraft is within a predefined distance of the lenticular array; and

attempting, by the at least one computing device, to visually locate the lenticular array using an imaging device in response to a determination that the aircraft is within the predefined distance of the lenticular array.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining, by the at least one computing device, that the aircraft is within the predefined distance of the lenticular array comprises comparing, by the at least one computing device, a positioning system location of the aircraft to a known location of the lenticular array.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a type of the aircraft is selected from a group consisting of a land-based aircraft, a seaplane, an amphibian aircraft, a helicopter, a dirigible, a gyrocopter, a tilt-wing aircraft, a glider, and a sailplane.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a type of the aircraft is a multi-rotor helicopter.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the lenticular array further comprises an arrangement of a plurality of lenticular arrays.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the specified flight path is used in a landing of the aircraft at a predefined landing site.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the lenticular array further comprises a wavelength gradient of electromagnetic waves.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one computing device is at least a portion of a positioning system module onboard the aircraft.