Emergency landing using inertial sensors

• US 10,223,925 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
• Inventors: Cutler, Mark Johnson
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US15/470,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20180158344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/12 Rotor drives
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/028 Micro-sized aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/008 Devices for detecting or indicating hard landing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/00 Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for parachutes B64D17/00, B64D19/00; jettisoning of fuel tanks or fuel per se B64D37/00; specially adapted for protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems B64D45/0015 ; safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00; safety belts or body harnesses for land vehicles B60R22/00; jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• 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: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/105 specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing parachutes per se B64D17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/02 Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data landing aids fitted in or to aircraft B64D45/04; visual or acoustic landing aids B64F1/18
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 : Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

An emergency landing procedure that includes a sequence of control settings is continuously generated. An aircraft is landed, including by using the sequence of control settings and a set of one or more inertial sensors to control an actuator.

Claims

1. An aircraft, comprising:

a monitored sensor;

an actuator;

a set of one or more inertial sensors; and

a processor configured to;

prior to a status signal indicating that the monitored sensor has a failure, use information from the monitored sensor to continuously and proactively generate an emergency landing procedure that includes a sequence of control settings;

after the status signal indicates that the monitored sensor has a failure, land the aircraft, including by using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator;

wherein the sequence of control settings includes a sequence of desired attitudes;

the emergency landing procedure further includes a plurality of execution times at which the sequence of desired attitudes are executed; and

landing the aircraft further includes executing the sequence of desired attitudes according to the plurality of execution times.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein:

the actuator is associated with one of a plurality of rotors in a multicopter; and

the sequence of control settings are associated with rotational speed.

3. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive an indication to land the aircraft; and

the processor lands the aircraft, including by using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator, in response to receiving the indication.

4. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive an indication to land the aircraft;

the processor lands the aircraft, including by using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator, in response to receiving the indication; and

the indication is transmitted from an on-the-ground controller.

5. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further configured to receive an indication to land the aircraft;

the processor lands the aircraft, including by using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator, in response to receiving the indication; and

the indication is received via a controller included in the aircraft.

6. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a set of one or more actuator control signals;

receive state information associated with the aircraft and which results from the set of one or more actuator control signals; and

set, based at least in part on the set of actuator control signals and the state information, a setting associated with continuously generating the emergency landing procedure.

7. A method, comprising:

prior to a status signal indicating that a monitored sensor has a failure, using information

from the monitored sensor to continuously and proactively generate an emergency landing procedure that includes a sequence of control settings;

after the status signal indicates that the monitored sensor has a failure, landing an aircraft, including by using the sequence of control settings and a set of one or more inertial sensors to control the actuator;

wherein the sequence of control settings includes a sequence of desired attitudes;

the emergency landing procedure further includes a plurality of execution times at which the sequence of desired attitudes are executed; and

landing the aircraft further includes executing the sequence of desired attitudes according to the plurality of execution times.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the actuator is associated with one of a plurality of rotors in a multicopter; and

the sequence of control settings are associated with rotational speed.

9. The method of claim 7 further including receiving an indication to land the aircraft, wherein landing the aircraft includes using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator, in response to receiving the indication.

10. The method of claim 7 further including receiving an indication to land the aircraft, wherein:

landing the aircraft includes using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator, in response to receiving the indication; and

the indication is transmitted from an on-the-ground controller.

11. The method of claim 7 further including receiving an indication to land the aircraft, wherein:

landing the aircraft includes using the sequence of control settings and the set of inertial sensors to control the actuator, in response to receiving the indication; and

the indication is received via a controller included in the aircraft.

12. The method of claim 7 further including:

receiving a set of one or more actuator control signals;

receiving state information associated with the aircraft and which results from the set of one or more actuator control signals; and

setting, based at least in part on the set of actuator control signals and the state information, a setting associated with continuously generating the emergency landing procedure.

13. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

prior to a status signal indicating that a monitored sensor has a failure, using information

from the monitored sensor to continuously and proactively generate an emergency landing procedure that includes a sequence of control settings;

after the status signal indicates that the monitored sensor has a failure, landing an aircraft, including by using the sequence of control settings and a set of one or more inertial sensors to control the actuator;

wherein the sequence of control settings includes a sequence of desired attitudes;

the emergency landing procedure further includes a plurality of execution times at which the sequence of desired attitudes are executed; and

landing the aircraft further includes executing the sequence of desired attitudes according to the plurality of execution times.