Automatic taking-off and landing system

• US 8,630,755 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Ohtomo, Fumio, Osaragi, Kazuki, Anai, Tetsuji, Otani, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US13/238,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 701/15, 701/16, 701/3, 348/144, 340/959
• US Class Current: 701/15
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/08 optical
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• 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 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/93 for use on a land or nautical vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0669 specially adapted for vertical take-off
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic taking-off and landing system, comprising a flying object and a taking-off and landing target, wherein the flying object has an image pickup device 21 for taking images found in downward direction, navigation means 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11, and a control unit for processing images acquired by the image pickup device and for controlling the navigation means, and wherein the control unit calculates a positional relation between the taking-off and landing target and the flying object based on the image of the taking-off and landing target as acquired by the image pickup device and controls taking-off and landing operations of the flying object based on a result of the calculation.

Claims

1. An automatic taking-off and landing system, comprising

a flying object and a taking-off and landing target,

wherein said flying object has an image pickup device for taking images found in downward direction, navigation means, and a control unit for processing images acquired by said image pickup device and for controlling said navigation means,

said taking-off and landing target having a target mark in a known size,

said control unit having a recognition pattern in order to recognize target mark images,

wherein said control unit recognizes said target mark image based on said recognition pattern and based on images acquired by said image pickup device,

calculates a positional relation between said taking-off and landing target and said flying object based on said recognized target mark image, calculates an altitude of said flying object by comparing the size of said recognized target mark image and said recognition pattern,

and controls taking-off and landing operations of said flying object based on a result of the calculation.

2. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit obtains a reference position of said target mark through image processing of said target mark taken by said image pickup device and guides taking-off and landing operations of said flying object based on a relation between the reference position of said target mark and a reference position of said flying object.

3. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein a GPS device is provided on said flying object, said taking-off and landing target is disposed at a known position, said control unit determines a positional relation between a position of said flying object and a position of said taking-off and landing target based on a position of said flying object acquired by said GPS device and on said known position and controls the flight, and said control unit determines a reference position of said target mark through image processing of an image of a target mark taken by said image pickup device, and controls the taking-off and landing operation of said flying object based on a relation between the reference position of said target mark and a reference position of said flying object.

4. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said taking-off and landing target has light-emitting means.

5. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit recognizes said target mark image based on said recognition pattern from the image taken by said image pickup device and guides said flying object so that the center of said target mark image will be the center of said image on the image.

6. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein a GPS device is provided on said flying object, said taking-off and landing target is disposed at a known position, said control unit determines a positional relation between a position of said flying object and a position of said taking-off and landing target based on a position of said flying object acquired by said GPS device and on said known position and controls the flight.

7. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein a first GPS device is provided on said flying object, a second GPS device is provided on said taking-off and landing target, and said control unit determines a positional relation between a position of said flying object and a position of said taking-off and landing target based on a position of said flying object acquired by said first GPS device and on a position acquired by said second GPS device and controls the flight.

8. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 7, wherein said taking-off and landing target is provided on a mobile object, said flying object has a first communication unit, said mobile object has a second communication unit, said second communication unit can transmit positional information acquired by said second GPS device to said control unit via said first communication unit, said control unit controls flight of said flying object based on a position acquired by said first GPS device and on a position acquired by said second GPS device so that said flying object tracks the track of said mobile object.

9. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said target mark has similar patterns disposed at concentric multiple positions, the size of each pattern being already known, and at least one pattern can be recognized from an image acquired by said image pickup device in a process when said flying object lands on said taking-off and landing target.

10. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein said taking-off and landing target is provided on a mobile object.

11. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein said taking-off and landing target is provided on a mobile object, said control unit determines a reference position of a target mark at real time through image processing of an image of said target mark taken by said image pickup device and controls flight of said flying object based on a relation between the reference position of said target mark and a reference position of said flying object so that said flying object tracks said mobile object.

12. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, where said target mark has a directional indexing portion to indicate direction, and said control unit corrects the direction of said flying object based on said directional indexing portion.

13. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 1, wherein the shape of said target mark is a circle, said control unit obtains a major axis and a minor axis from the acquired target mark, the deviation and direction of deviation of the flying object with respect to the target mark is calculated by a ratio of said major axis to said minor axis, and the position of said flying object is corrected based on the calculation result.