Navigation Using Self-Describing Fiducials

• US 20200012829A1
• Filed: 09/16/2019
• Published: 01/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canyon Navigation, LLC
• Original Assignee: Canyon Navigation, LLC
• Inventors: Davidson, Morgan E., Christensen, Randall S., Robinson, Richard C.
• Granted Patent: US 11,036,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/022 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/202 using tethers for connecting to ground station
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/20 with arrangements for servicing the UAV
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06131 the marking comprising a target pattern, e.g. for indicating the center of the bar code or for helping a bar code reader to properly orient the scanner or to retrieve the bar code inside of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06168 the marking being a concentric barcode
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10485 Arrangement of optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1421 Circular bar codes

Abstract

In one embodiment, a self-describing fiducial includes a communication element that optically communicates navigation-aiding information. The navigation-aiding information may include a position of the self-describing fiducial with respect to one or more coordinate systems and the communication element communicates the navigation-aiding information to one or more navigating objects in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial. In another embodiment, the communication element is further configured to communicate supplementary information describing a spatial relationship between the self-describing fiducial and the surrounding environment.

Claims

1. A self-describing fiducial comprising:

a communication element that is configured to optically communicate navigation state estimation aiding information to one or more navigating objects in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial, wherein the navigation-aiding information comprises a geographic position of the self-describing fiducial with respect to one or more coordinate systems; and

the communication element is further configured to communicate supplementary information describing a spatial relationship between the self-describing fiducial and the surrounding environment, wherein the supplementary information comprises at least one of;

additional navigation-aiding information and guidance-aiding information.

2. The fiducial of claim 1, wherein the position comprises a three dimensional position.

3. The fiducial of claim 1, wherein the supplementary information comprises an external directionality of a feature of the self-describing fiducial.

4. The fiducial of claim 1, wherein the supplementary information comprises attitude of the self-describing fiducial with respect to one or more coordinate systems, wherein the attitude information comprises at least one of:

cardinal directions, compass heading, true north, magnetic north, path direction, zenith directionality, nadir directionality and a gravitational orientation.

5. The fiducial of claim 4, wherein the self-describing fiducial is enhanced with an associated observable attitude describing feature comprising at least one of:

an oriented matrix barcode, an arrow, a triangle, a row of lights, a matrix barcode wrapped on a cylinder, and a matrix barcode on a sphere.

6. The fiducial of claim 1, wherein the supplementary information comprises at least one of:

perspective-based information and range to target.

7. The fiducial of claim 1, wherein the supplementary information comprises at least one of:

a point measurement of wind speed in one or more directions, a volumetric measurement of wind speed in one or more directions, a force generated by wind on a feature of the self-describing fiducial, an in situ wind measurement produced by a navigating object in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial.

8. The fiducial of claim 1, wherein the communication element comprises a first optical communication component comprising an optically observable description of the position of the self-describing fiducial and a second communication component configured to communicate the supplementary information.

9. The fiducial of claim 8, wherein the first optical communication component is further configured to communicate existence of the second communication component.

10. The fiducial of claim 8, wherein the first optical communication component communicates at least one characteristic of the second communication component.

11. A self-describing fiducial comprising:

a communication element configured to communicate air flow information to one or more navigating objects, the air flow information comprising air flows interacting with local obstructions at ground level,

wherein the communication element communicates the air flow information to the one or more navigating objects in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial.

12. The fiducial of claim 11, wherein the self-describing fiducial comprises an air flow measurement device, wherein the air flow measurement device produces at least one of:

a point measurement of wind speed in one or more directions, a volumetric measurement of wind speed in one or more directions, the force generated by wind on a feature of the self-describing fiducial, an in situ wind measurement produced by the one or more navigating objects in the vicinity of the self-describing fiducial.

13. The fiducial of claim 12, wherein measurements produced by the air flow measurement device are combined with additional information to produce an enhanced air flow model, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of:

other air flow measurements, local air flow model, local weather forecast, local geometric models, and information from other self-describing fiducials.

14. The fiducial of claim 11, further comprising a second communication element that is configured to communicate a position of the self-describing fiducial with respect to one or more spatial coordinate systems to one or more navigating objects.

15. The fiducial of claim 11, wherein the local obstructions at ground level comprise one or more of buildings, trees, signs, large vehicles, towers, bridges, sculptures, and local terrain features.

16. A method comprising:

observing, by a navigating object, a self-describing fiducial in the vicinity of the navigating object;

optically communicating, by a communication element of the self-describing fiducial to the navigating object, a position of the self-describing fiducial;

communicating, by the self-describing fiducial, supplementary information to the navigating object;

processing, by the navigating object, at least one of;

the position of the self-describing fiducial and the supplementary information;

making, by the navigating object, an adjustment to at least one of;

navigation states of the navigating object and guidance parameters of the navigating object.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising communicating, by the communication element, characteristics of the supplementary information.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

communicating applicability information of the self-describing fiducial to the navigating object;

processing, by the navigating object, the applicability information to determine if supplementary information is applicable to the navigating object;

based on the determination, making changes to at least one of;

the navigation parameters and guidance parameters of the navigating object.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

communicating, by the self-describing fiducial to the navigating object, validation information;

validating, by the navigating object, the self-describing fiducial; and

based on the validating, incorporating the position of the self-describing fiducial and supplementary information into at least one of;

navigation states and guidance parameters of the navigating object.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

evaluating, based on information known by the navigating object, the position reported by the self-describing fiducial and the supplementary information reported by the self-describing fiducial;

assigning a reliability score to the position reported by the self-describing fiducial and the supplementary information reported by the self-describing fiducial based on the evaluating;

weighting the position reported by the self-describing fiducial and the supplementary information reported by the self-describing fiducial based on the reliability score;

applying, based on the weighting, the position reported by the self-describing fiducial and the supplementary information reported by the self-describing fiducial to at least one of;

navigation states and guidance parameters of the navigating object.