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Altitude estimator for a rotary-wing drone with multiple rotors

  • US 8,989,924 B2
  • Filed: 03/12/2013
  • Issued: 03/24/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A rotary-wing drone (10) with multiple rotors (12) driven by respective motors (110) controlled by application of differentiated motor commands (158) so as to pilot the drone in attitude and speed, said drone comprising altitude estimator circuit (134), adapted to deliver an absolute altitude value of the drone expressed in an absolute terrestrial system, comprising:

  • a telemetry sensor (154), adapted to estimate a relative distance separating the drone from a surface (18) reflecting echoes of ultrasound pulses emitted by the drone,characterized in that the altitude estimator circuit (134) further comprise;

    a barometric sensor (156), adapted to deliver a drone altitude variation signal;

    an estimator (152), receiving as an input the signals delivered by the telemetry sensor and by the barometric sensor, and combining these signals to deliver as an output said absolute value of altitude of the drone;

    a state estimator module for validating the signal delivered by the telemetry sensor, adapted to analyze the echoes reflected, and, based on the result of this analysis, to modify accordingly the parameters of the estimator and/or allow or inhibit the application to the estimator of the signal delivered by the telemetry sensor; and

    wherein the state estimator module is further adapted to analyze the echoes reflected, and, based on the result of this analysis, to deduce the presence and the configuration of an obstacle in the operating range of the telemetry sensor and to apply to the estimator a corrective action adapted to compensate for the effect of the obstacle on the relative distance estimated by the telemetry sensor.

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