Multicopter three-phase precision auto-landing

Abstract

A multicopter landing platform includes a base portion, a bottom portion, disposed in the base portion, that accepts a protruding portion of the multicopter, and walls of the base portion that are sloped toward the bottom portion. The walls of the base portion may form a conic-shape. The multicopter landing platform may also include a GPS device that sends RTK corrections to a different GPS device on the multicopter. The multicopter landing platform may also include a beacon that guides the multicopter to cause the multicopter to contact the walls of the base station. The beacon may be disposed in the bottom portion. The beacon may provide a signal that is detected by the multicopter. The beacon may provide a light signal that is detected by a camera on the multicopter to guide the multicopter toward the base portion. A charging ring may be disposed in the bottom portion.

Claims

1. A landing platform for a multicopter, comprising: a base portion; walls of the base portion formed in a cone to cause the multicopter to slide inside the cone using gravity prior to coming to a resting position; and an opening at a smaller end of the cone that engages a protruding portion of the multicopter to bring the multicopter to a resting position, wherein the protruding portion slides on the walls of the base portion prior to engaging the opening and wherein any bitangent line formed between an outermost point of the multicopter and points where the multicopter touches the walls of the base portion does not cross a propeller enclosure of the multicopter.

2. A landing platform, according to claim 1, further comprising: a GPS device that sends corrections to a different GPS device on the multicopter.

3. A landing platform, according to claim 1, further comprising: a beacon that guides the multicopter to cause the multicopter to contact the walls of the base portion.

4. A landing platform, according to claim 3, wherein the beacon is disposed in the opening.

5. A landing platform, according to claim 4, wherein the beacon provides a signal that is detected by the multicopter.

6. A landing platform, according to claim 5, wherein the beacon provides a light signal that is detected by a camera on the multicopter to guide the multicopter toward the base portion.

7. A landing platform, according to claim 1, wherein a bitangent line in a vertical cross-section of the multicopter when the multicopter is in an upright position has an angle, measured from a horizontal plane, that is slightly different from an angle of the walls of the base portion, measured from the horizontal plane.

8. A landing platform, according to claim 7, wherein the angle of the walls of the base portion is greater than the angle of the bitangent line.

9. A landing platform, according to claim 8, wherein a difference between the angles is between zero and five degrees.

10. A landing platform, according to claim 1, further comprising: a charging mechanism that charges the multicopter when the protruding portion of the multicopter is disposed in the opening.

11. A landing platform, according to claim 10, wherein a charging ring is disposed in the opening.

12. A landing platform, according to claim 11, wherein the charging ring includes separate cathode and anode semi-rings and the multicopter connects to the charging ring using pogo pins.

13. A method of landing a multicopter on a landing platform, comprising: causing the multicopter to touch a portion of a sloped wall of the landing platform, wherein the sloped wall is formed in a cone; following the multicopter touching the portion of the sloped wall of the landing platform, the multicopter sliding along the sloped wall in a downward direction using gravity toward an opening formed in the landing platform at a smaller end of the cone that engages a protruding portion of the multicopter to bring the multicopter to a resting position, wherein any bitangent line formed between an outermost point of the multicopter and points where the multicopter touches the walls of the base portion does not cross a propeller enclosure of the multicopter; and following the multicopter sliding along the sloped wall, the protruding portion of the multicopter engaging the opening to bring the multicopter to a resting position.

14. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 13, wherein causing the multicopter to touch the portion of the sloped wall of the landing platform includes guiding the multicopter towards the landing platform.

15. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 13, wherein causing the multicopter to touch the portion of the sloped wall of the landing platform includes guiding the multicopter towards the landing platform using a beacon provided in the landing platform that is detected by the multicopter.

16. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 15, wherein the beacon provides a light signal that is detected by a camera on the multicopter to guide the multicopter toward the base portion.

17. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 13, wherein any possible bitangent line that touches two outermost points of the multicopter does not cross any propeller or propeller enclosures of the multicopter.

18. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 13, wherein a bitangent line in a vertical cross-section of the multicopter when the multicopter is in an upright position has an angle, measured from a horizontal plane, that is slightly different from an angle of the walls of the base portion, measured from the horizontal plane.

19. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 18, wherein the angle of the walls of the base portion is greater than the angle of the bitangent line.

20. A method of landing a multicopter, according to claim 19, wherein a difference between the angles is between zero and five degrees.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing software that lands a multicopter on a landing platform, the software comprising: executable code that causes the multicopter to touch a portion of a sloped wall of the landing platform, wherein the sloped wall is formed in a cone; and executable code that causes the multicopter to slide along the sloped wall in a downward direction using gravity toward an opening formed in the landing platform at a smaller end of the cone that engages a protruding portion of the multicopter following the multicopter touching the portion of the sloped wall of the landing platform, wherein the protruding portion of the multicopter engages the opening to bring the multicopter to a resting position and wherein any bitangent line formed between an outermost point of the multicopter and points where the multicopter touches the walls of the base portion does not cross a propeller enclosure of the multicopter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the system described herein will now be explained in more detail in accordance with the figures of the drawings, which are briefly described as follows.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a GPS controlled phase of landing, according to an embodiment of the system described herein.

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a beacon and camera controlled phase of landing, according to an embodiment of the system described herein.

(4) FIGS. 3A-3B are schematic illustrations of gravity and slope controlled landing phase and a bottom position of a multicopter at rest, according to an embodiment of the system described herein.

(5) FIG. 4 is a system flow diagram illustrating system functioning in connection with multicopter approach and precision landing, according to an embodiment of the system described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

(6) The system described herein provides a design, control systems and processes for a combination of a multicopter and a landing platform securing a three-phase, automatic precision auto-landing of the multicopter on the platform where the multicopter may rest between deployments and may be recharged.

(7) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of 100 of a GPS controlled phase of landing (Phase 1, explained elsewhere herein). A multicopter 110 with a GPS receiver 120 approaches a landing platform 130, equipped with a GPS receiver 120a. Guided by the GPS receivers 120, 120a, the multicopter 110 is positioned above the platform at a height 140 (here, at a height >2 m altitude AGL).

(8) FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration 200 of a beacon and camera controlled phase of landing (Phase 2, explained elsewhere herein). Upon positioning the multicopter 110 at a sufficiently low height over the landing platform 130, the multicopter 110 is capable of capturing with a camera 210 a signal (in FIG. 2, a beam of light, as explained elsewhere herein) of a beacon 220, installed at the platform 130. Accordingly, Phase 2 of descent of the multicopter 110 is based on processing images captured by the camera 210 used for guidance corrections. Phase 2 ends when a bottom surface of the multicopter touches a funnel-shaped portion of the landing platform, as explained in subsequent FIGS. 3A-3B.

(9) FIGS. 3A-3B are schematic illustrations of a gravity and slope controlled landing phase and a bottom position of the multicopter at rest.

(10) FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration of gravity and slope controlled landing phase (Phase 3) of the multicopter 110. A conic-shaped bottom portion 310 and a protruding portion corresponding to a bottom portion of a motor compartment 320 of the multicopter 110 are shown as connected for illustration purposes by a dashed line of a characteristic chord 330 (explained elsewhere herein) formed by a bitangent line that touches two outermost points of the multicopter 110 and does not cross any propeller enclosures 325 of the multicopter 110. The characteristic chord 330 coincides with a slope (inner wall 340) of the funnel-shaped portion, representing an interior part of the landing platform (item 130 in FIGS. 1 and 2). The configuration shown in FIG. 3A represents an intermediate position of the multicopter 110, which has touched the slope and slides along the slope contacting a surface of the multicopter 110 with two points (on a bottom conic-shaped part of the multicopter 110 and the bottom portion of the motor compartment 320, connected with the characteristic chord 330. In an embodiment, there may be a slight inward tilt 350 of a vertical axis of the multicopter 110, securing a stable gravitational descent towards the bottom of the funnel.

(11) FIG. 3B is a schematic illustration of a bottom position of the multicopter at rest. At a bottom portion of the slope, a charging ring 360 (split into cathode and anode semi-rings, as illustrated by a semi-ring 360a) secures, along with potential vertical correction using rotors of the multicopter, a stable final position of the multicopter 110 at a bottom portion 380 of the funnel proximal to where the multicopter 110 may contact the charging ring 360 with pogo pins 370 and may immediately start charging while resting above the beacon 220 (see FIG. 2 for details about the beacon 220). Note that, generally, the bottom portion 380 may be provided in any appropriate shape that accepts a protruding member of the multicopter 110 and may be provided, essentially, as an opening.

(12) Referring to FIG. 4, a system flow diagram 400 illustrates processing in connection with the multicopter 110 approaching and landing. Processing begins at a step 410, where a landing command is received. After the step 410, processing proceeds to a step 415, where the beacon 220 on the landing platform is turned on. After the step 415, processing proceeds to a step 420, where the camera 210 in a bottom part of the multicopter 110 captures and processes images of the platform (note that a height of the multicopter 110 may still be too great to reliably process images for a precision landing and capture the light beam emanated by the beacon, which may also depend on weather conditions). After the step 420, processing proceeds to a step 425, where GPS approach is activated. After the step 425, processing proceeds to a test step 430, where it is determined whether the beam from the beacon has been captured by the multicopter camera. If not, processing proceeds to a step 435, where a horizontal GPS guidance is performed to correct multicopter position. After the step 435, processing proceeds back to the test step 430, which may be independently reached from the step 425.

(13) If it was determined at the test step 430 that the beam emanated by the beacon has been captured by the multicopter camera, processing proceeds to a step 440, where the beacon and camera controlled precision landing is activated (Phase 2, explained, for example, in FIG. 2 and the accompanying text). After the step 440, processing proceeds to a test step 445, where it is determined whether the multicopter has contacted with the funnel-shaped platform. If not, processing proceeds to a step 450, where the descent with a horizontal guidance by the beacon continues. After the step 450, processing proceeds back to the test step 445, which may be independently reached from the step 440.

(14) If it was determined at the test step 445 that the multicopter has contacted with the funnel-shaped landing platform, processing proceeds to a step 455, where the multicopter descends sliding along the funnel wall, in which case active horizontal guidance may not be provided. After the step 455, processing proceeds to a test step 460, where it is determined whether the multicopter has stopped descending (zero vertical speed). If not, processing proceeds back to the step 455, which may be independently reached from the test step 445. If it is determined at the step 460 that the multicopter has stopped descending, processing proceeds to a step 465 where multicopter motors are shut down. After the step 465, processing is complete.

(15) Various embodiments discussed herein may be combined with each other in appropriate combinations in connection with the system described herein. Additionally, in some instances, the order of steps in the flowcharts, flow diagrams and/or described flow processing may be modified, where appropriate. Subsequently, system configurations, tracking mechanisms and decisions may vary from the illustrations presented herein. Further, various aspects of the system described herein may be implemented using software, hardware, a combination of software and hardware and/or other computer-implemented modules or devices having the described features and performing the described functions.

(16) Software implementations of the system described herein may include executable code that is stored in a computer readable medium and executed by one or more processors. The computer readable medium may be non-transitory and include a computer hard drive, ROM, RAM, flash memory, portable computer storage media such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a flash drive, an SD card and/or other drive with, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and/or any other appropriate tangible or non-transitory computer readable medium or computer memory on which executable code may be stored and executed by a processor. The system described herein may be used in connection with any appropriate operating system.

(17) Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.