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US 2019/0317527 A1Published application
Detecting and following terrain height autonomously along a flight path
AssigneeEAVision Corporation
InventorsHan-Shue Tan, Jihua Huang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A distance from an aerial vehicle to a terrain feature located forward and lower with respect to the aerial vehicle is measured. An orientation of the aerial vehicle with respect to a reference orientation is detected. At least the measured distance and the orientation of the aerial vehicle is utilized to determine a relative vertical difference between a vertical location of the aerial vehicle and a vertical location of the terrain feature. The determined relative vertical difference is utilized to automatically adjust a flight altitude of the aerial vehicle.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- measuring a distance from an aerial vehicle to a terrain feature located forward and lower with respect to the aerial vehicle;
- detecting an orientation of the aerial vehicle, wherein the orientation includes an orientation angle of the aerial vehicle;
- using at least the measured distance, a positioning angle of the measured distance, and the orientation angle of the aerial vehicle to determine a relative vertical difference between a vertical location of the aerial vehicle and a vertical location of the terrain feature, including by using the positioning angle of the measured distance together with the orientation angle of the aerial vehicle to determine a calculated angle of the measured distance;
- and
- using the determined relative vertical difference to automatically adjust a flight altitude of the aerial vehicle.
2 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a first sensor configured to measure a distance from an aerial vehicle to a terrain feature located forward and lower with respect to the aerial vehicle;
- a second sensor configured to detect an orientation of the aerial vehicle, wherein the orientation includes an orientation angle of the aerial vehicle;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- use at least the measured distance, a positioning angle of the measured distance, and the orientation angle of the aerial vehicle to determine a relative vertical difference between a vertical location of the aerial vehicle and a vertical location of the terrain feature, including by using the positioning angle of the measured distance together with the orientation angle of the aerial vehicle to determine a calculated angle of the measured distance;
- and
- use the determined relative vertical difference to automatically cause an adjustment of a flight altitude of the aerial vehicle.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.