FLYING SENSOR

• US 20180099744A1
• Filed: 10/08/2017
• Published: 04/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leica Geosystems AG (Hexagon AB)
• Original Assignee: Leica Geosystems AG (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: BCKEM, Burkhard, DOLD, Jrgen, MARK, Simon
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/20 Transmission of mechanical power to rotors or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4808 Evaluating distance, position or velocity data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

A flying sensor comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and at least one profiler mounted on the UAV, the profiler comprising a base, a scanning unit for providing (LiDAR) data, the scanning unit mounted on the base and comprising a shaft carrying a deflector and being mounted in the scanning unit and rotatable, a transmitter transmitting a transmission beam, a first receiver configured for receiving a first reception beam reflected from the setting via the deflector, and an electric port configured for connecting the profiler to the UAV, and comprising a data interface and a power interface, and wherein the UAV comprises a visual sensor providing visual data, and comprising one or more cameras, a pose sensor for providing pose data, and a computer to compute a 3D point cloud based on the LiDar data and a Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm using the visual and pose data.

Claims

1. A flying sensor comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); and

at least one profiler mounted on the UAV, wherein the at least one profiler comprises;

a base;

a scanning unit configured for providing Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data, the scanning unit mounted on the base and comprising;

a shaft carrying a deflector, the shaft being mounted in the scanning unit and rotatable about a rotation axis,

a first transmitter configured for transmitting a first transmission beam via the deflector towards a setting,

a first receiver configured for receiving a first reception beam reflected from the setting via the deflector, and

an electric port configured for connecting the profiler to the UAV, said

electric port comprising a data interface and a power interface, wherein the UAV comprises;

a visual sensor for providing visual data, the visual sensor comprising one or more cameras,

a pose sensor for providing pose data, the pose sensor comprising;

an Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU), and

a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor or a Pseudo GNSS sensor,

a computer configured to generate a 3D point cloud of the setting based on the LiDar data and a Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm using the visual data and the pose data.

2. The flying sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the pose sensor is integrated in one single box, which is modularly mounted on a main body of the UAV.

3. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the profiler is mounted on a main body of the UAV in such a way that a nodal point of the scanning unit ispositioned

in a levelled state of the UAV and vertically below a central point of the GNSS sensor.

4. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the scanning unit comprises:

second transmitter configured to transmit a second transmission beam via the deflector towards a setting, and

a second receiver configured to receive a second reception beam reflected from the setting via the deflector.

5. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first transmission beam and the second transmission beam is a transmission beam fan.

6. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the profiler further comprises at least one add-on scanning unit configured similar to the scanning unit.

7. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the UAV comprises:

a plurality of propellers, and

an aviation unit configured for providing aviation data, the aviation data comprising data regarding at least one of a height and a velocity of the UAV, and

wherein the computer is configured for controlling the propellers based at least on the aviation data and the pose data.

8. The flying sensor according to claim 5, wherein the SLAM algorithm is further using the aviation data.

9. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein by the base, the profiler is configured to be mounted on one of:

an upper side,

a lateral side, and

a bottom side

of a main body of the UAV.

10. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the scanning unit is mounted to the base by one of:

a pivot joint,

a gimbal joint, and

a ball joint.

11. The flying sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communication unit, wherein the computer is configured for receiving commands by a remote control via the wireless communication unit.

12. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the power interface is configured to provide electric power from a battery of the UAV to the profiler.

13. The flying sensor according to any of claim 7, wherein the computer is configured for controlling the propellers further based on the LiDar data and the visual data.

14. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the computer is configured for controlling at least one of:

a landing approach,

a collision avoidance,

hovering, and

automatic height control,

based at least in part on the LiDar data, the visual data and the pose data.

15. The flying sensor according to claim 1, wherein the at least one camera of the visual sensor is one of:

a thermal infrared camera, and

a hyperspectral camera.