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Controlling unmanned aerial vehicles to avoid obstacle collision

  • US 10,665,115 B2
  • Filed: 12/29/2016
  • Issued: 05/26/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to avoid obstacle collision, comprising:

  • (a) acquiring range data of a real-world scene using one or more range sensors, wherein the range data comprises depth data to one or more visible objects;

    (b) combining the range data into an egospace representation comprising a first set of one or more pixels in egospace, wherein;

    (1) each pixel in the first set of one or more pixels corresponds to a specific direction;

    (2) each pixel in the first set of one or more pixels stores a depth;

    (3) the depth comprises a distance, to one of the one or more visible objects encountered in the specific direction; and

    (4) the egospace comprises a coordinate system given by a second set of all possible pixel and depth combinations;

    (c) expanding an apparent size of each of the one or more visible objects based on a dimension of the UAV, wherein the UAV comprises a configuration flat vehicle (CFV), wherein a UAV with state variables x, control inputs u, and state equations {dot over (x)}=f (x,u) comprises a CFV if there exists a set of flat outputs
    z

    (x,u,{dot over (u)}, . . . ,u(k)),that are a smooth function α

    of the state variables and control inputs, smooth functions β and

    γ

    such that
    x

    (z,ż

    , . . . ,z
    (j)),
    u

    (z,ż

    , . . . ,z
    (j)),and obstacle and configuration spaces O, C⊂

    {z} such that C={z}\O;

    (d) receiving an assigned destination in the real world scene based on world space;

    (e) transforming the assigned destination into egospace coordinates in egospace;

    (f) generating a trackable path from the UAV to the assigned destination through egospace that avoids collision with the one or more visible objects based on the expanded apparent sizes of each of the one or more visible objects; and

    (g) identifying and providing one or more inputs to control the UAV to follow the trackable path, and wherein the UAV follows the trackable path based on the one or more inputs.

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