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UAV power line position and load parameter estimation

  • US 9,037,314 B2
  • Filed: 06/20/2011
  • Issued: 05/19/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for providing autonomous navigation for an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) in the vicinity of power lines, comprising:

  • measuring a set of complex magnetic field values of a magnetic field emitted by each of the power lines using one or more magnetic field sensors mounted on the UAV as the UAV is traversing the magnetic field at a position and an orientation relative to each of the power lines;

    modeling, by a processor, a set of expected complex magnetic field values of the magnetic field when the UAV is at the position and the orientation relative to each of the power lines based on a first model of the power lines;

    estimating an estimated position and an estimated orientation of the UAV relative to each of the power lines and magnitude and phase of current flowing in each of the power lines, based on a residual error between the measured set of complex magnetic field values and the set of expected complex magnetic field values corresponding to the first model of the power lines;

    measuring a set of complex electric field values of an electric field emitted by each of the power lines using one or more electric field sensors mounted on the UAV;

    modeling, by the processor, a set of expected complex electric field values of the electric field emitted by each of the power lines based on a second model when the UAV is at the position and the orientation and when the UAV is at the estimated position and the estimated orientation relative to each of the power lines;

    updating the position and orientation based on the modeling of a set of expected complex electric field values;

    estimating a phase offset of the current flowing in each of the power lines relative to a power grid timebase, based on a residual error between the measured set of complex electric field values and the set of expected electric field values corresponding to the second model of the power lines; and

    navigating the UAV using the parameters related to the position and the orientation of the UAV relative to each of the power lines.

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