Remote sensing calibration, validation, and signature characterization from unmanned aircraft systems

• US 10,641,616 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geothinktank LLC
• Original Assignee: Geothinktank LLC
• Inventors: Padula, Francis, Pearlman, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Satanovsky, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kay, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US15/423,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20170219376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 702 5
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/1014 Navigation satellites
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/1021 Earth observation satellites
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 3/00 Observing or tracking cosmonautic vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

A method, computer program product and system where a processor(s) configures sensor(s) on an unmanned aircraft system, to capture data related to a surface of a defined geographic area. The processor(s) navigate the unmanned aircraft system in a repeatable defined travel path proximate to the defined geographic area, such that the sensor(s) capture surface data related to the defined geographic area during the navigating, wherein a position of the unmanned aircraft system in the travel path is within a satellite view geometry of a satellite. The processor(s) maintain the unmanned aircraft system at a distance from the surface at which atmosphere does not obscure the data and obtain the data collected by the sensor(s). The processor(s) compares the data collected by the sensor(s) to data collected by one or more instruments on the satellite related to the defined geographic area to determine is the instrument(s) of the satellite are calibrated.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by one or more processors, a pre-mission flight plan of a satellite, wherein the satellite comprises remote sensing instruments configured to capture satellite data comprising data selected from a data type consisting of;

near surface directional observations and hemispheric directional observations for a portion of a surface below the satellite, wherein the surface comprises a surface of a defined geographic area;

configuring, by the one or more processors, over a communications connection, one or more sensors on an unmanned aircraft system, to capture data related to the surface of the defined geographic area, wherein the one or more sensors are selected to match spectral channels of the remote sensing instruments in the satellite, and wherein the data captured by the one or more sensors is of the same data type as the satellite data;

navigating, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft system in a repeatable defined travel path proximate to the defined geographic area, the repeatable defined travel path based on the pre-mission flight plan of the satellite, such that the one or more sensors capture surface data related to the defined geographic area during the navigating, wherein the repeatable defined travel path of the unmanned aircraft system is within a view geometry of the remote sensing instruments of the satellite;

maintaining, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft system at a distance from the surface of the defined geographic area at which atmosphere does not obscure the data captured by the one or more sensors;

maintaining, by the one or more processors, a fixed length between the one or more sensors and the surface of the defined geographic area for view angles utilized to capture the data, during the repeatable defined travel path of the unmanned aircraft system;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, based on maintaining the distance and the length, the data captured by the one or more sensors;

comparing, by the one or more processors, the data captured by the one or more sensors of the unmanned aircraft system to satellite data collected by the remote sensing instruments of the satellite related to the defined geographic area; and

validating, by the one or more processors, a calibration of the remote sensing instruments of the satellite, based on determining, by the one or more processors, that the data captured by the one or more sensors of the unmanned aircraft system matches the data collected by the remote sensing instruments of the satellite, within a predefined tolerance.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, where a first sensor of the one or more sensors is an upward viewing sensor and a second sensor of the one or more sensors is a downward viewing sensor.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first sensor obtains data by observing total incoming energy in a hemisphere above the defined geographic area.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the second sensor obtains data by observing outgoing surface energy of the pre-defined geographic area at a given view angle.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

modifying, by the one or more processors, the second sensor to collect data at multiple view angles.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first sensor measures total incoming optical energy in a hemisphere over the defined geographic area.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the second measures reflected energy in a direction of interest from the surface.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the distance from the surface is one to twenty meters above the surface.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium readable by one or more processors and storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors for performing a method comprising;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, a pre-mission flight plan of a satellite, wherein the satellite comprises remote sensing instruments configured to capture satellite data comprising data selected from a data type consisting of;

near surface directional observations and hemispheric directional observations for a portion of a surface below the satellite, wherein the surface comprises a surface of a defined geographic area;

configuring, by the one or more processors, over a communications connection, one or more sensors on an unmanned aircraft system, to capture data related to the surface of the defined geographic area, wherein the one or more sensors are selected to match spectral channels of the remote sensing instruments in the satellite, and wherein the data captured by the one or more sensors is of the same data type as the satellite data;

navigating, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft system in a repeatable defined travel path proximate to the defined geographic area, the repeatable defined travel path based on the pre-mission flight plan of the satellite, such that the one or more sensors capture surface data related to the defined geographic area during the navigating, wherein the repeatable defined travel path of the unmanned aircraft system is within a view geometry of the remote sensing instruments of the satellite;

maintaining, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft system at a distance from the surface of the defined geographic area at which atmosphere does not obscure the data captured by the one or more sensors;

maintaining, by the one or more processors, a fixed length between the one or more sensors and the surface of the defined geographic area for view angles utilized to capture the data during the repeatable defined travel path of the unmanned aircraft system;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, based on maintaining the distance and the length, the data captured by the one or more sensors;

comparing, by the one or more processors, the data captured by the one or more sensors of the unmanned aircraft system to satellite data collected by the remote sensing instruments of the satellite related to the defined geographic area; and

validating, by the one or more processors, a calibration of the remote sensing instruments of the satellite, based on determining, by the one or more processors, that the data captured by the one or more sensors of the unmanned aircraft system matches the data collected by the remote sensing instruments of the satellite, within a predefined tolerance.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, where a first sensor of the one or more sensors is an upward viewing sensor and a second sensor of the one or more sensors is a downward viewing sensor.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the first sensor obtains data by observing total incoming energy in a hemisphere above the defined geographic area.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the second sensor obtains data by observing outgoing surface energy of the pre-defined geographic area at a given view angle.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

modifying, by the one or more processors, the second sensor to collect data at multiple view angles.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the first sensor measures total incoming optical energy in a hemisphere over the defined geographic area.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the second measures reflected energy in a direction of interest from the surface.

16. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors in communication with the memory;

one or more sensors and a second one or more sensors in communication with the one or more processors over a wireless communications connection; and

program instructions executable by the one or more processors via the memory to perform a method, the method comprising;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, a pre-mission flight plan of a satellite, wherein the satellite comprises remote sensing instruments configured to capture satellite data comprising data selected from a data type consisting of;

near surface directional observations and hemispheric directional observations for a portion of a surface below the satellite, wherein the surface comprises a surface of a defined geographic area;

configuring, by the one or more processors, over a communications connection, one or more sensors on an unmanned aircraft system, to capture data related to the surface of the defined geographic area, wherein the one or more sensors are selected to match spectral channels of the remote sensing instruments in the satellite, and wherein the data captured by the one or more sensors is of the same data type as the satellite data;

navigating, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft system in a repeatable defined travel path proximate to the defined geographic area, the repeatable defined travel path based on the pre-mission flight plan of the satellite, such that the one or more sensors capture surface data related to the defined geographic area during the navigating, wherein the repeatable defined travel path of the unmanned aircraft system is within a view geometry of the remote sensing instruments of the satellite;

maintaining, by the one or more processors, the unmanned aircraft system at a distance from the surface of the defined geographic area at which atmosphere does not obscure the data captured by the one or more sensors;

maintaining, by the one or more processors, a fixed length between the one or more sensors and the surface of the defined geographic area for view angles utilized to capture the data during the repeatable defined travel path of the unmanned aircraft system;

obtaining, by the one or more processors, based on maintaining the distance and the length, the data captured by the one or more sensors;

comparing, by the one or more processors, the data captured by the one or more sensors of the unmanned aircraft system to satellite data collected by the remote sensing instruments of the satellite related to the defined geographic area; and

validating, by the one or more processors, a calibration of the remote sensing instruments of the satellite, based on determining, by the one or more processors, that the data captured by the one or more sensors of the unmanned aircraft system matches the data collected by the remote sensing instruments of the satellite, within a predefined tolerance.