System and method for autonomous vehicle control

• US 9,710,710 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xollai, LLC (ReconRobotics Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xollai, LLC (ReconRobotics Inc.)
• Inventors: Malecki, Robert S., Her, Lue, Thompson, Ryan S., Giang, Anthony H.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US14/823,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches

Abstract

A system for localizing an autonomous vehicle to a target area can include a position indicator adapted for association with the vehicle in a three dimensional configuration, a detection device configured to detect the position indicator, a computation device configured to compute a position of the vehicle based on the detected position indicator and the relationship of the configuration to the vehicle orientation, a transmitter configured to receive information from the computation device and produce a signal carrying the information, a receiver configured to receive the signal from the transmitter and filter the information therefrom, and a control system configured for association with and control of one or more directional control components of the vehicle, the control being based on the information received from the receiver relating to localizing the vehicle to the target area. A method of for localizing a vehicle to a target area is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle configured to be localized to a target area by a detection system, the autonomous vehicle comprising:

at least one directional control component;

a position indicator configured to associate the vehicle in a three-dimensional configuration, the configuration having a relationship to the vehicle orientation;

a receiver configured to receive a signal from the detection system and filter the information therefrom;

an inertial measurement unit configured to measure vehicle orientation; and

a control system in communication with the detection system and the inertial measurement unit, the control system configured to control the at least one directional control component, the control being based on the vehicle orientation measured by the inertial measurement unit and the information received from the receiver.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is one of an autonomous underwater vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, or an unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one directional control component is at least one of an elevator, a rudder, a fin, an aileron, an accelerator, a decelerator, a steering mechanism, or a powerplant.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the position indicator emits electromagnetic radiation, the electromagnetic radiation being at least one of microwave, terahertz radiation, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-ray, or gamma ray.

5. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the position indicator is located at the greatest distance from the center of gravity of the autonomous vehicle.

6. The autonomous vehicle of claim 3, further comprising three or more position indicators.

7. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a computation device in communication with the detection system and configured to compute a position of the vehicle based on a detected position indicator and the relationship of the position indicator configuration to the vehicle orientation measured by the inertial measurement unit.

8. A detection system for localizing an autonomous vehicle to a target area,

the detection system comprising:

a detection device adapted for association with the target area and configured to detect the autonomous vehicle and capture at least a portion of the autonomous vehicle in an image;

a computation device including;

an image capture module configured to control the detection device to capture an image,

an image analyzing module configured to analyze the image, and

a position calculating module configured to compute a position of the autonomous vehicle based on the image; and

a transmitter in communication with the computation device and configured to receive information from the computation device, produce a signal carrying the information, and transmit the signal to the autonomous vehicle.

9. The detection system of claim 8, wherein the image capture module is further configured to control the detection device to detect the autonomous vehicle by detection of one or more position indicators on the autonomous vehicle, and the position calculating module is further configured to compute a position of the autonomous vehicle based on a relationship of the one or more position indicators to the orientation of the autonomous vehicle.

10. The detection system of claim 8, wherein the computation device further includes a control development module configured to compare the computed position of the autonomous vehicle to a desired position of the autonomous vehicle and generate a control command for the autonomous vehicle.

11. In combination, an autonomous vehicle configured to be localized to a target area by a detection system, and a detection system for localizing the autonomous vehicle to the target area;

wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises;

at least one directional control component;

a position indicator configured to associate the vehicle in a three-dimensional configuration, the configuration having a relationship to the vehicle orientation;

a receiver configured to receive a signal from the detection system and filter the information therefrom;

an inertial measurement unit configured to measure vehicle orientation; and

a control system in communication with the detection system and the inertial measurement unit, the control system configured to control the at least one directional control component, the control being based on the vehicle orientation measured by the inertial measurement unit and the information received from the receiver; and

wherein the detection system comprises;

a detection device adapted for association with the target area and configured to detect the autonomous vehicle and capture at least a portion of the autonomous vehicle in an image;

a computation device including;

an image capture module configured to control the detection device to capture an image,

an image analyzing module configured to analyze the image, and

a position calculating module configured to compute a position of the autonomous vehicle based on the image; and

a transmitter in communication with the computation device and configured to receive information from the computation device, produce a signal carrying the information, and transmit the signal to the autonomous vehicle.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein the position indicator of the autonomous vehicle emits electromagnetic radiation, the electromagnetic radiation being at least one of microwave, terahertz radiation, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-ray, or gamma ray.

13. The combination of claim 11, wherein the position indicator of the autonomous vehicle is located at the greatest distance from the center of gravity of the autonomous vehicle.

14. The combination of claim 11, wherein the image capture module of the computation device is further configured to control the detection device to detect the autonomous vehicle by detection of the position indicator of the autonomous vehicle, and the position calculating module is further configured to compute a position of the autonomous vehicle based on a relationship of the position indicator to the orientation of the autonomous vehicle.

15. The combination of claim 11, wherein the computation device further includes a control development module configured to compare the computed position of the autonomous vehicle to a desired position of the autonomous vehicle and generate a control command for the autonomous vehicle.