Systems and methods for environment mapping by aerial vehicles leveraging onboard light sources

A method, comprising:

• determining that an aerial vehicle is engaged in vertical flight operations to deliver an item upon a surface, the aerial vehicle including a plurality of anti-collision light sources onboard the aerial vehicle, wherein during horizontal flight operations, the plurality of anti-collision light sources emit anti-collision light at desired strobing frequencies;
• and
• in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is engaged in vertical flight operations:
• selecting, by a controller, a light source of the plurality of anti-collision light sources onboard the aerial vehicle;
• selecting, by the controller, at least one attribute of structured light to be emitted by the light source;
• instructing, by the controller, the light source to emit the structured light having the at least one attribute toward the surface;
• receiving, by the controller from an imaging device onboard the aerial vehicle, imaging data of the structured light upon the surface;
• and
• processing, by the controller, the imaging data of the structured light to determine a surface geometry of the surface.

An aerial vehicle, comprising:

• a light source that comprises one of a plurality of anti-collision light sources onboard the aerial vehicle, wherein during horizontal flight operations, the plurality of anti-collision light sources emit anti-collision light at desired strobing frequencies;
• an imaging device;
• and
• a controller configured to at least:
• determine that the aerial vehicle is engaged in vertical flight operations to deliver an item upon a surface;
• and
• in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is engaged in vertical flight operations:
• select at least one attribute of structured light to be emitted by the light source toward the surface;
• instruct the light source to emit the structured light having the at least one attribute toward the surface;
• receive, from the imaging device, imaging data of the structured light upon the surface;
• and
• process the imaging data of the structured light to determine a surface geometry of the surface.