System and method for developing dynamic positional database for air vehicles and terrain features

• US 8,682,504 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins Control Technologies, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Vos, David W., Gavrilets, Vladislav, Jourdan, Damien B., Ludington, Ben T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/487,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/02 Picture taking arrangements specially adapted for photogrammetry or photographic surveying, e.g. controlling overlapping of pictures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935

Abstract

A system for creating a digital representation of a status of one or more air vehicles and of sensed external objects includes one or more air vehicles, one or more sensors coupled to each of the one or more air vehicles, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine navigation information associated with travel of each of the one or more air vehicles, and capture data associated with the sensed external objects sensed by the one or more sensors. The processor is further configured to identify and track the sensed external objects in the captured data, geo-locate the identified sensed external objects via dynamic landmarking, and dynamically update a landmark database. The processor is further configured to utilize the landmark database to control at least one or more functions in a respective air vehicle of the one or more air vehicles.

Claims

1. A system for creating a digital representation of a status of one or more air vehicles and of sensed external objects, the system comprising:

one or more sensors configured to be coupled to each of the one or more air vehicles; and

a processor associated with the one or more sensors and configured to;

determine navigation information associated with travel of at least one of the one or more air vehicles;

capture data associated with the sensed external objects sensed by the one or more sensors during travel of the one or more air vehicles, the sensed external objects comprising terrain features and sensed signals;

identify and track the sensed external objects in the captured data;

geo-locate the identified sensed external objects via dynamic landmarking;

dynamically update a landmark database, the landmark database comprising at least two or more of positional data associated with travel of each of the one or more air vehicles and the sensed external objects based on the determined navigation information and the dynamic landmarking, covariance of the positional data, and sensor signal snippets of the sensed external objects; and

utilize the landmark database to control at least one or more functions in a respective air vehicle of the one or more air vehicles,

wherein one of the functions in the at least one or more functions comprises navigating the respective air vehicle based on the positional data in the absence of availability to the respective air vehicle of a global positioning system and generating stabilizing gimbal commands for a payload control system based on imagery feedback, and

wherein the imagery feedback comprises an air vehicle'"'"'s movement obtained via tracking of images of terrain features and image processing.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

dynamically update the landmark database with respect to identified sensed external objects based on geo-locating the identified sensed external objects in three dimensions when a global positioning system is available to the one or more air vehicles, and

dynamically update the landmark database data with respect to the one or more air vehicles by utilizing stored positional data with respect to the identified sensed external objects to determine the position of the one or more air vehicles when the global positioning system is not available to the one or more air vehicles.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the captured data associated with the sensed external objects comprises at least one of raw sensor data, signal strength, distance, and sensor source.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the status of the one or more air vehicles comprises altitudes and positions of the one or more air vehicles both absolute and relative to the sensed external objects and the other ones of the one or more air vehicles, and wherein the status of the sensed external objects comprises relative positions, dynamics, and attributes of the sensed external objects.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to update the positional data by updating at least one of position information associated with the identified sensed external objects, sensor sources associated with the identified sensed external objects, and information related to other attributes associated with the identified sensed external objects.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to update the landmark database based on data from a server remote from the one or more air vehicles.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the functions in the at least one or more functions comprises at least one of calibrating a camera associated with the respective air vehicle, stabilizing a camera associated with the respective air vehicle, and providing to a recipient located remote from the air vehicle data captured by at least one of a camera and another sensor associated with the respective air vehicle.

8. A processor implemented method for creating a digital representation of a status of one or more air vehicles and of sensed external objects, the method comprising:

determining navigation information associated with travel of at least one of the one or more air vehicles;

capturing data associated with the sensed external objects sensed by the one or more sensors during travel of the one or more air vehicles, the sensed external objects comprising terrain features and sensed signals;

identifying and tracking the sensed external objects in the captured data;

geo-locating the identified sensed external objects via dynamic landmarking;

dynamically updating a landmark database, the landmark database comprising at least two or more of positional data associated with travel of each of the one or more air vehicles and the sensed external objects based on the determined navigation information and the dynamic landmarking, covariance of the positional data, and sensor signal snippets of the sensed external objects; and

utilizing the landmark database to control at least one or more functions in a respective air vehicle of the one or more air vehicles,

wherein one of the functions in the at least one or more functions comprises navigating the respective air vehicle based on the positional data in the absence of availability to the respective air vehicle of a global positioning system and generating stabilizing gimbal commands for a payload control system based on imagery feedback, and

wherein the imagery feedback comprises an air vehicle'"'"'s movement obtained via tracking of terrain features and image processing.

9. The processor implemented method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

dynamically updating the landmark database with respect to identified sensed external objects based on geo-locating the identified sensed external objects in three dimensions when a global positioning system is available to the one or more air vehicles, and

dynamically updating the landmark database data with respect to the one or more air vehicles by utilizing stored positional data with respect to the identified sensed external objects to determine the position of the one or more air vehicles when the global positioning system is not available to the one or more air vehicles.

10. The processor implemented method according to claim 8, wherein the captured data associated with the sensed external objects comprises at least one of raw sensor data, signal strength, distance, and sensor source.

11. The processor implemented method according to claim 8, wherein the status of the one or more air vehicles comprises altitudes and positions of the one or more air vehicles both absolute and relative to the sensed external objects and the other ones of the one or more air vehicles, and wherein the status of the sensed external objects comprises relative positions, dynamics, and attributes of the sensed external objects.

12. The processor implemented method according to claim 8, wherein updating the positional data by updating at least one of position information associated with the identified sensed external objects, sensor sources associated with the identified sensed external objects, and information related to other attributes associated with the identified sensed external objects.

13. The processor implemented method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises updating the landmark database based on data from a server remote from the one or more air vehicles.

14. The processor implemented method according to claim 8, wherein one of the functions in the at least one or more functions comprises at least one of calibrating a camera associated with the respective air vehicle, stabilizing a camera associated with the respective air vehicle, and providing to a recipient located remote from the air vehicle data captured by at least one of a camera and another sensor associated with the respective air vehicle.

15. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the device to:

determine navigation information associated with travel of one or more air vehicles;

capture data associated with sensed external objects sensed during travel of the one or more air vehicles, the sensed external objects comprising terrain features and sensed signals;

identify and track the sensed external objects in the captured data;

geo-locate the identified sensed external objects via dynamic landmarking;

dynamically update a landmark database, the landmark database comprising at least two or more of positional data associated with travel of each of the one or more air vehicles and the sensed external objects based on the determined navigation information and the dynamic landmarking, covariance of the positional data, and sensor signal snippets of the sensed external objects; and

utilize the landmark database to control at least one or more functions in a respective air vehicle of the one or more air vehicles,

wherein one of the functions in the at least one or more functions comprises navigating the respective air vehicle based on the positional data in the absence of availability to the respective air vehicle of a global positioning system and generating stabilizing gimbal commands for a payload control system based on imagery feedback, and

wherein the imagery feedback comprises an air vehicle'"'"'s movement obtained via tracking of terrain features and image processing.