Target value detection for unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 10,557,936 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Inventors: Moskovchenko, Stepan, Enke, Joseph Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Alsomiri, Isam A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Jonathan D
• Application Number:
  US15/639,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20190004173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/00 Equipment not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/30 Supply or distribution of electrical power
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46

Abstract

Target value detection for an unmanned aerial vehicle is described. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a first transducer that transmits a first ultrasonic signal and receives a first ultrasonic response and a second transducer that transmits a second ultrasonic signal and receives a second ultrasonic response. The second transducer has a wider beam pattern than the first transducer. Determinations are made as to whether either or both of the first or second ultrasonic responses includes a target value within range areas associated with the respective beam patterns of the first and second transducers. A confidence value is generated based on the determinations. The target value is reflected from an object and the confidence value indicates a likelihood of a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the object.

Claims

1. A method for target value detection, the method comprising:

receiving a first ultrasonic response using a first transducer of an unmanned aerial vehicle responsive to a first ultrasonic signal transmitted using the first transducer;

receiving a second ultrasonic response using a second transducer of the unmanned aerial vehicle responsive to a second ultrasonic signal transmitted using the second transducer, wherein the second transducer has a wider beam pattern than the first transducer;

determining whether the first ultrasonic response includes a target value within a first range area associated with the first transducer;

determining whether the second ultrasonic response includes the target value within a second range area associated with the second transducer, wherein the second range area includes an inner region and an outer region and the inner region corresponds to the first range area;

responsive to determining that the first ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the first range area and determining that the second ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the inner region, determining whether the second ultrasonic response includes the target value within the outer region; and

responsive to determining that the second ultrasonic response includes the target value within the outer region, generating a confidence value based on a detection of the target value using the second transducer and not using the first transducer, wherein the target value is reflected from an object and the confidence value indicates a likelihood of a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the first ultrasonic response includes the target value within the first range area and determining that the second ultrasonic response includes the target value within the inner region, generating the confidence value based on the detection of the target value using the first transducer and using the second transducer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the first ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the first range area and determining that the second ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the second range area, generating the confidence value based on a non-detection of the target value using the first transducer and using the second transducer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the first ultrasonic response includes the target value within the first range area and determining that the second ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the second range area, generating the confidence value based on the detection of the target value using the first transducer and using the second transducer, wherein the confidence value indicates to not use the target value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a modeling filter, generating a prediction for a second detection of the target value using the second transducer and not using the first transducer;

responsive to the second detection of the target value using the second transducer and not using the first transducer, updating the confidence value according to a weight associated with the prediction, wherein, the confidence value indicates an increased likelihood of the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the object responsive to the updating.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

reducing a first ring-down time for the first transducer based on first feedback of the first ultrasonic signal exceeding a saturation threshold, or reducing a second ring-down time for the second transducer based on second feedback of the second ultrasonic signal exceeding the saturation threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first transducer operates at a first frequency and the second transducer operates at a second frequency.

8. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a first transducer configured to use a first beam pattern to transmit a first ultrasonic signal and receive a first ultrasonic response to the first ultrasonic signal;

a second transducer configured to use a second beam pattern to transmit a second ultrasonic signal and receive a second ultrasonic response to the second ultrasonic signal, wherein the second beam pattern is wider than the first beam pattern; and

a signal processor including a target detection mechanism and a confidence mechanism,

wherein the target detection mechanism is configured to determine whether a target value is detected using the first transducer based on a first range area associated with the first beam pattern and determine whether the target value is detected using the second transducer based on a second range area associated with the second beam pattern, wherein the second range area includes an inner region and an outer region and the inner region corresponds to the first range area, and

wherein the confidence mechanism is configured to generate confidence values based on detections of the target value using the first transducer and using the second transducer by the target detection mechanism.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, wherein when the first ultrasonic response includes the target value within the first range area and the second ultrasonic response includes the target value within the inner region, the target detection mechanism determines that the target value is detected using the first transducer and using the second transducer,

wherein when the first ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the first range area and the second ultrasonic response includes the target value within the outer region, the target detection mechanism determines that the target value is detected using the second transducer and not using the first transducer, or

wherein when the first ultrasonic response does not include the target value within the first range area and the second ultrasonic response does not include the target value within then second range area, the target detection mechanism determines that the target value is not detected using the first transducer or using the second transducer.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, further comprising:

drive circuitry configured to cause the first transducer to transmit the first ultrasonic signal and cause the second transducer to transmit the second ultrasonic signal; and

receive circuitry configured to communicate the first ultrasonic response and the second ultrasonic response to the signal processor.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 10, wherein the drive circuitry includes first drive circuitry and second drive circuitry, and the receive circuitry includes first receive circuitry and second receive circuitry,

wherein the first drive circuitry is configured to cause the first transducer to transmit the first ultrasonic signal,

wherein the first receive circuitry is configured to communicate the first ultrasonic response to the signal processor,

wherein the second drive circuitry is configured to cause the second transducer to transmit the second ultrasonic signal, and

wherein the second receive circuitry is configured to communicate the second ultrasonic response to the signal processor.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, further comprising:

a counter-drive mechanism configured to reduce a first ring-down time for the first transducer responsive to a first determination that first feedback of the first ultrasonic signal exceeds a saturation threshold or reduce a second ring-down time for the second transducer responsive to a second determination that second feedback of the second ultrasonic signal exceeds the saturation threshold.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first transducer operates at a first frequency and the second transducer operates at a second frequency.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, further comprising:

a non-transmissive element to which an electronic component is mechanically coupled, wherein at least one of the first transducer or the second transducer is mechanically coupled to the non-transmissive element independent of the electronic component, wherein the non-transmissive element prevents a transmission of vibration between the electronic component and the at least one of the first transducer or the second transducer.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising processor-executable routines that, when executed by a processor, facilitate a performance of operations comprising:

instructing a first transducer of an unmanned aerial vehicle to transmit a first ultrasonic signal using a first beam pattern and a second transducer of the unmanned aerial vehicle to transmit a second ultrasonic signal using a second beam pattern, wherein the second beam pattern is wider than the first beam pattern; and

generating a confidence value indicating a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to an object from which a target value is reflected, wherein the target value is included in one or more of a first range area associated with the first beam pattern or a second range area associated with the second beam pattern.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the second range area includes an inner region and an outer region and the inner region corresponds to the first range area.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

determining whether a first ultrasonic response received based on the first ultrasonic signal includes the target value within the first range area; and

determining whether a second ultrasonic response received based on a second ultrasonic signal includes the target value within the inner region or the outer region.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations for generating the confidence value indicating the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the object from which the target value is reflected comprise:

generating a first confidence value to indicate that the target value is detected using the first transducer responsive to determining that first ultrasonic response includes the target value within the first range area;

or

generating a second confidence value to indicate that the target value is detected using the second transducer responsive to determining that second ultrasonic response includes the target value within the second range area.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations for instructing the first transducer of the unmanned aerial vehicle to transmit the first ultrasonic signal using the first beam pattern and the second transducer of the unmanned aerial vehicle to transmit the second ultrasonic signal using the second beam pattern comprise:

instructing the first transducer to transmit the first ultrasonic signal using a first frequency and the second transducer to transmit the second ultrasonic signal using a second frequency.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

reducing a first ring-down time for the first transducer based on first feedback of the first ultrasonic signal exceeding a saturation threshold;

or

reducing a second ring-down time for the second transducer based on second feedback of the second ultrasonic signal exceeding the saturation threshold.