Unmanned aerial vehicle and landing method thereof

• US 9,878,779 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsai, Pei-Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen H
• Application Number:
  US15/169,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20170267334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2025/008 Comprising means for modifying their length, e.g. for kneeling, for jumping, or for leveling the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/10 retractable, foldable, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/20 specially adapted for uneven terrain
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/40 foldable or retractable
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/50 with landing legs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/55 from multiple images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a landing method thereof are provided. The landing method includes the following steps. Firstly, a depth image of a scene is obtained. Next, a landing position is determined in accordance with the depth image. Next, a height information of the landing position is obtained. Next, a plurality of relative distances of the landing gears relative to the landing position are adjusted in accordance with the height information to make the relative distances substantially the same. Then, the UAV lands on the landing position.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

a fuselage;

a plurality of landing gears disposed on the fuselage;

a 3D image recognition system disposed in bottom of the fuselage for obtaining a depth image of a terrain;

a processor coupled to the 3D image recognition system for determining a landing position in accordance with the depth image; and

a distance sensing unit disposed in each of the plurality of landing gears for obtaining height information of the landing position, such that a height between each landing gear and the terrain respectively below each landing gear is obtained;

wherein the processor independently extends or retracts in a vertical direction with respect to the terrain each of plurality of the landing gears to adjust a vertical position of each of the plurality of landing gears, based on the height information obtained, so as to make the distance between each landing gear and the terrain substantially the same, and land the UAV on the landing position in accordance with the depth image.

2. The UAV according to claim 1, wherein the 3D image recognition system captures a 2D image of the terrain, divides the 2D image into a plurality of regions, obtains depth values of all pixels in each of the plurality of regions, and calculates average depth values respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of regions to obtain the depth image.

3. The UAV according to claim 2, wherein the processor obtains a maximum average depth value and a minimum average depth value from the average depth values of the plurality of regions, subtracts the minimum average depth value from the maximum average depth value to obtain a difference value, and determines whether the difference value is smaller than a threshold value;

wherein when the difference value is smaller than the threshold value, the processor determines to land the UAV on the landing position;

wherein when the difference value is larger than the threshold value, the processor determines the 3D image recognition system to re-obtain a depth image of a terrain to search for a suitable landing position.

4. The UAV according to claim 3, wherein the threshold value is a maximum extension length of each of the plurality of landing gears.

5. The UAV according to claim 2, wherein the processor aims each of plurality of the landing gears to correspond to each of the plurality of regions.

6. The UAV according to claim 5, wherein the distance sensing units are infrared sensors.