Flight control system for flying object

• US 8,666,571 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Ohtomo, Fumio, Otani, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US13/314,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 701/15, 701/16, 701/3, 701/14, 701/20, 701/400, 701/23, 701/2, 348/144, 340944-980, 244/3.15, 244/3.16, 244 1711- 1727
• US Class Current: 701/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/04 Interpretation of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones

Abstract

A flight control system for a flying object comprises a flying object, a navigating means provided in the flying object, a position measuring unit 17, a flight control unit 18 for controlling the navigating means, and a main arithmetic control unit 19 for controlling the position measuring unit and the flight control unit, and in the flight control system for a flying object, the position measuring unit has a GPS device 23 for measuring a ground coordinate of the flying object and a vertical camera 13 for taking a digital image below the flying object and measures an altitude of the flying object based on images at two points taken by the vertical camera, on ground coordinates of the two points measured by the GPS device, and on a focal length of the vertical camera, and the main arithmetic control unit controls the navigating means via the flight control unit based on the measured altitude and makes the flying object fly at a predetermined altitude.

Claims

1. A flight control system for a flying object, comprising a flying object, a navigating means provided in said flying object, a position measuring unit, a flight control unit for controlling said navigating means, and a main arithmetic control unit for controlling said position measuring unit and said flight control unit,

wherein said position measuring unit has a GPS device for measuring a ground coordinate of said flying object, a vertical camera for taking a digital image below said flying object, and a tilting mechanism for tilting said vertical camera, wherein said tilting mechanism tilts said vertical camera in such a manner that an optical axis of said vertical camera becomes vertical to a tilted plane when said flying object flies above said tilted plane, wherein said vertical camera takes an image from a first point and a ground coordinate of said first point is measured using said GPS device, said flying object then moves from a said first point to a second point, said vertical camera takes an image from said second point and a ground coordinate of said second point is measured using said GPS device, and said main arithmetic control unit measures an altitude of said flying object based on images taken at said first point and said second point, on ground coordinates of said two points, and on a focal length of said vertical camera, and wherein said main arithmetic control unit controls said navigating means via said flight control unit based on said measured altitude and makes said flying object fly at a predetermined altitude.

2. The flight control system for a flying object according to claim 1, wherein said position measuring unit continuously acquires images from a first point to a second point, extracts feature points from said image acquired at said first point, specifies said feature point of said image at said first point into said image at said second point by an image tracking in said images from said first point to said second point, and carries out the three-dimensional measurement of a measuring point on a ground surface which corresponds to said feature point based on said image at said first point and on said image at said second point.

3. The flight control system for a flying object according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a flight plan data is set in said main arithmetic control unit, and said main arithmetic control unit controls a flight course and a flight altitude of said flying object based on said flight plan data.

4. The flight control system for a flying object according to claim 3, further comprising a posture detector for detecting a tilting of said flying object, wherein said posture detector detects the tilting of said flying object at the time of image pickup by said vertical camera, and said position measuring unit carries out the absolute orientation of said image at said first point and said image at said second point based on said tilting of said flying object.

5. The flight control system for a flying object according to claim 1, further comprising a foresight camera for acquiring an image of a front side, wherein said main arithmetic control unit recognizes an obstacle ahead from said image acquired by said foresight camera and avoids said obstacle.

6. The flight control system for a flying object according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a posture detector for detecting a tilting of said flying object, wherein said posture detector detects the tilting of said flying object at the time of image pickup by said vertical camera, and said position measuring unit carries out the absolute orientation of said image at said first point and said image at said second point based on said tilting of said flying object.