Taking-off and landing target instrument and automatic taking-off and landing system

• US 9,020,666 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Ohtomo, Fumio, Osaragi, Kazuki, Otani, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/453,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20120277934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• US Class Current: 701/15
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0669 specially adapted for vertical take-off
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The taking-off and landing target instrument 2 to be used in an automatic taking-off and landing system, comprising a target 37 having as many light emitting elements 44 as required for displaying patterns and a target control unit 38 for controlling light emission of the light emitting elements, wherein the light emitting elements are provided on a taking-off and landing surface of the target and are arranged so that a target mark 43 having the center of pattern under all turned-on status is formed, and wherein the target control unit controls a light emission so as to display firstly all turned-on patterns where all of the light emitting elements are turned on, and next, so as to display the light emitting elements in a predetermined pattern.

Claims

1. A taking-off and landing target instrument to be used in an automatic taking-off and landing system, comprising a target having a taking-off and landing surface, providing light emitting elements for displaying patterns and a target control unit for selectively controlling light emission of each of said light emitting elements, wherein said light emitting elements are provided on said taking-off and landing surface in a two dimensional arrangement, wherein a target mark having the center of pattern under all turned-on status is formed by turning on all of said light emitting elements and different predetermined two dimensional patterns may be formed by turning on different subsets of said light emitting elements,

and wherein said target control unit controls a light emission so as to display firstly said all turned-on pattern by turning on all of said light emitting elements, and next, so as to display a predetermined two dimensional pattern by turning on a subset of said light emitting elements, wherein said patterns are formed by light emitted by said light emitting elements.

2. A taking-off and landing target instrument according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined two dimensional pattern includes a pattern to indicate address of said taking-off and landing target instrument.

3. A taking-off and landing target instrument according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said predetermined two dimensional pattern includes a pattern to indicate direction with respect to said taking-off and landing target instrument.

4. An automatic taking-off and landing system, comprising a flying object and a taking-off and landing target instrument, wherein said taking-off and landing target instrument comprises a target having light emitting elements for displaying patterns, and a target control unit for selectively controlling light emission of each of said light emitting elements,

wherein said light emitting elements are provided on said taking-off and landing surface in a two dimensional arrangement, wherein a target mark having the center of pattern under all turned-on status is formed by turning on all of said light emitting elements and different predetermined two dimensional patterns may be formed by turning on different subsets of said light emitting elements,

and wherein said target control unit controls a light emission so as to display firstly said all turned-on pattern by turning on all of said light emitting elements, and next, so as to display a two dimensional predetermined pattern by turning on a subset of said light emitting elements, wherein said patterns are formed by light emitted by said light emitting elements, and wherein said flying object comprises an image pickup device for taking an image in downward direction, a navigation means, and a flying object control unit for processing images acquired by said image pickup device and for controlling said navigation means, and said flying object control unit calculates positional relation of said target mark and said flying object based on image of said target mark as acquired by said image pickup device, and controls taking-off and landing operation of said flying object based on the result of calculation.

5. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 4, wherein said predetermined two dimensional pattern includes a pattern to indicate address of said taking-off and landing target instrument, said flying object control unit calculates a position of the center of said target according to all turned-on pattern, calculates horizontal distance between said target and said flying object, calculates altitude of said flying object based on size of all turned-on pattern on said image, and judges whether said taking-off and landing target instrument is an object for landing based on the pattern indicated by said address or not.

6. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 4, wherein said predetermined two dimensional pattern includes a pattern to indicate direction with respect to said target, and said flying object control unit judges moving direction of said flying object according to the two dimensional pattern to indicate said direction.

7. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined two dimensional pattern includes a pattern to indicate direction with respect to said target, and said flying object control unit judges moving direction of said flying object according to said two dimensional pattern to indicate said direction.

8. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to one of claim 4-6 or 7, wherein said taking-off and landing target instruments are installed at two or more points, an inherent address is given to each of said taking-off and landing target instruments, a flight planning data are set up at said flying object control unit, said flying object control unit repeats taking-off and landing operations sequentially to two or more taking-off and landing target instruments based on said flight planning data, and makes said flying object fly autonomously while a power supply unit of said flying object is replaced by said taking-off and landing target instrument.

9. An automatic taking-off and landing system according to one of claim 4-6 or 7, wherein said flying object has a flight communication unit, said taking-off and landing target instrument has a target communication unit, wherein said target communication unit transmits a synchronization signal for turning on and turning off when said light emitting elements are turned on or turned off, said flying object control unit acquires images of said target at the time of turning on and turning off by said image pickup device based on the synchronization signal received by said flying object communication unit, and extracts a pattern image of each pattern based on image data of said target at the time of turning on and turning off.