US-12623774-B2 - Autonomous aerial vehicle hardware configuration

US12623774B2US 12623774 B2US12623774 B2US 12623774B2US-12623774-B2

Abstract

An introduced autonomous aerial vehicle can include multiple cameras for capturing images of a surrounding physical environment that are utilized for motion planning by an autonomous navigation system. In some embodiments, the cameras can be integrated into one or more rotor assemblies that house powered rotors to free up space within the body of the aerial vehicle. In an example embodiment, an aerial vehicle includes multiple upward-facing cameras and multiple downward-facing cameras with overlapping fields of view to enable stereoscopic computer vision in a plurality of directions around the aerial vehicle. Similar camera arrangements can also be implemented in fixed-wing aerial vehicles.

Inventors

Benjamin Scott Thompson
Zachary Albert West
Josiah Timothy VanderMey
Adam Parker Bry
Asher Mendel Robbins-Rothman
Abraham Galton Bachrach
Yevgeniy Kozlenko
Kevin Patrick Smith O′Leary
Patrick Allen Lowe
Daniel Thomas Adams
Justin Michael Sadowski

Assignees

Skydio, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240425

Claims (20)

1 . An aerial vehicle comprising: a body that extends along a longitudinal axis from a forward end to an aft end, the body having a port side and a starboard side on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis; a first rotor assembly extending from the port side of the body proximate to the forward end of the body; a second rotor assembly extending from the starboard side of the body proximate to the forward end of the body; a third rotor assembly extending from the port side of the body proximate to the aft end of the body; a fourth rotor assembly extending from the starboard side of the body proximate to the aft end of the body; a plurality of upward-facing image capture devices mounted to capture imagery of a space above the aerial vehicle; a plurality of downward-facing image capture devices mounted to capture imagery of a space below the aerial vehicle; and a computer system communicatively coupled to the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices, the computer system configured to: process images captured by any one or more of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices or the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices to estimate a position and/or orientation of the aerial vehicle; generate a planned trajectory for the aerial vehicle through a physical environment based on the processing of the images; and control a propulsion system and/or flight surface of the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to autonomously maneuver along the planned trajectory.
2 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein: the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices are oriented relative to a body of the aerial vehicle to enable stereoscopic computer vision substantially above the aerial vehicle; and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices are oriented relative to the body of the aerial vehicle to enable stereoscopic computer vision substantially below the aerial vehicle.
3 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein: the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices include: three image capture devices arranged on one or more top surfaces of the aerial vehicle so as to enable trinocular stereoscopic computer vision in a first plurality of directions substantially above the aerial vehicle; and the plurality downward-facing image capture devices include: three image capture devices arranged on one or more bottom surfaces of the aerial vehicle so as to enable trinocular stereoscopic computer vision in a second plurality of directions substantially below the aerial vehicle.
4 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and at least one of the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices have overlapping fields of view.
5 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices or the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices has a field of view of at least 180 degrees.
6 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices are arranged so as to enable stereoscopic image capture in all directions around the aerial vehicle.
7 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein: the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices include: a first image capture device arranged along a top surface of the first rotor assembly; a second image capture device arranged along a top surface of the second rotor assembly; and a third image capture device arranged along a top surface of the body proximate to the aft end of the body; and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices include: a fourth image capture device arranged along a bottom surface of the third rotor assembly; a fifth image capture device arranged along a bottom surface of the fourth rotor assembly; and a sixth image capture device arranged along a bottom surface of the body proximate to the forward end of the body.
8 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first rotor assembly includes a first powered rotor arranged along a bottom surface of the first rotor assembly; the second rotor assembly includes a second powered rotor arranged along a bottom surface of the second rotor assembly; the third rotor assembly includes a third powered rotor arranged along a top surface of the third rotor assembly; and the fourth rotor assembly includes a fourth powered rotor arranged along a top surface of the fourth rotor assembly.
9 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first rotor assembly, second rotor assembly, third rotor assembly, or fourth rotor assembly includes: a support arm that extends from a wall of the body to a rotor housing.
10 . The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the support arm, the wall of the body, and the rotor housing are formed as a unitary part in the construction of the aerial vehicle.
11 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of protective structural elements, each of the plurality of protective structural elements arranged proximate to a different one of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices, the plurality of protective structural elements configured to protect the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices from contact with physical objects while the aerial vehicle is in use.
12 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
13 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle is a fixed-wing aircraft.
14 . A computing apparatus comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable media; and program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, direct a control system of an aerial vehicle having a plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and a plurality of downward-facing image capture devices to at least: process images captured by any one or more of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices or the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices to estimate a position and/or orientation of the aerial vehicle; generate a planned trajectory for the aerial vehicle through a physical environment based on the processing of the images; control a propulsion system and/or flight surface of the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to autonomously maneuver along the planned trajectory; wherein the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices are oriented relative to a body of the aerial vehicle to enable stereoscopic computer vision substantially above the aerial vehicle and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices are oriented relative to the body of the aerial vehicle to enable stereoscopic computer vision substantially below the aerial vehicle; and wherein the aerial vehicle includes a body that extends along a longitudinal axis from a forward end to an aft end, the body having a port side and a starboard side on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, a first rotor assembly extending from the port side of the body proximate to the forward end of the body, a second rotor assembly extending from the starboard side of the body proximate to the forward end of the body, a third rotor assembly extending from the port side of the body proximate to the aft end of the body, and a fourth rotor assembly extending from the starboard side of the body proximate to the aft end of the body.
15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein: the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices include: a first image capture device arranged along a top surface of the first rotor assembly; a second image capture device arranged along a top surface of the second rotor assembly; and a third image capture device arranged along a top surface of the body proximate to the aft end of the body; and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices include: a fourth image capture device arranged along a bottom surface of the third rotor assembly; a fifth image capture device arranged along a bottom surface of the fourth rotor assembly; and a sixth image capture device arranged along a bottom surface of the body proximate to the forward end of the body.
16 . An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: a body that extends along a longitudinal axis from a forward end to an aft end, the body having a port side and a starboard side on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis; a first rotor assembly extending from the port side of the body proximate to the forward end of the body; a second rotor assembly extending from the starboard side of the body proximate to the forward end of the body; a third rotor assembly extending from the port side of the body proximate to the aft end of the body; a fourth rotor assembly extending from the starboard side of the body proximate to the aft end of the body; a plurality of upward-facing image capture devices including at least three image capture devices arranged on one or more top surfaces of the aerial vehicle so as to enable trinocular stereoscopic computer vision in a first plurality of directions substantially above the aerial vehicle; a plurality of downward-facing image capture devices including at least three image capture devices arranged on one or more bottom surfaces of the aerial vehicle so as to enable trinocular stereoscopic computer vision in a second plurality of directions substantially below the aerial vehicle; and a computer system communicatively coupled to the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices, the computer system configured to: process images captured by any one or more of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices or the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices to estimate a position and/or orientation of the aerial vehicle; generate a planned trajectory for the aerial vehicle through a physical environment based on the processing of the images; and control a propulsion system and/or flight surface of the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to autonomously maneuver along the planned trajectory.
17 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices and at least one of the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices have overlapping fields of view and at least one of the plurality of upward-facing image capture devices or the plurality of downward-facing image capture devices has a field of view of at least 180 degrees.
18 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to update the planned trajectory in real time in response to visual odometry data extracted from images captured by the image capture devices.
19 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the planned trajectory avoids regions identified by the computer system as obstacle zones based on depth estimation derived from the stereoscopic image capture.
20 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is configured to reject a planned trajectory if any field of view from the image capture devices includes saturated or underexposed pixels exceeding a threshold level.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/873,549, titled “AUTONOMOUS AERIAL VEHICLE HARDWARE CONFIGURATION,” filed Jul. 26, 2022; which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/395,110, titled “AUTONOMOUS AERIAL VEHICLE HARDWARE CONFIGURATION,” filed Apr. 25, 2019; which is entitled to the benefit and/or right of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/663,194, titled “AUTONOMOUS UAV HARDWARE CONFIGURATIONS,” filed Apr. 26, 2018, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. This application is therefore entitled to a priority date of Apr. 26, 2018. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to autonomous aerial vehicle technology. BACKGROUND Vehicles can be configured to autonomously navigate a physical environment. For example, an autonomous vehicle with various onboard sensors can be configured to generate perception inputs based on the surrounding physical environment that are then used to estimate a position and/or orientation of the autonomous vehicle within the physical environment. In some cases, the perception inputs may include images of the surrounding physical environment captured by cameras on board the vehicle. An autonomous navigation system can then utilize these position and/or orientation estimates to guide the autonomous vehicle through the physical environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A shows a first example unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). FIG. 1B shows a second example UAV. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an example navigation system for a UAV. FIG. 3A shows a block diagram that illustrates objective-based motion planning by the navigation system of FIG. 2. FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of an example objective that can be applied as part of the objective-based motion planning illustrated in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4A shows a third example UAV. FIG. 4B shows a perspective view of a first example rotor assembly. FIG. 4C shows a sectional view of the example rotor assembly of FIG. 4B. FIG. 4D shows a perspective view of a second example rotor assembly. FIG. 4E shows a perspective view of a third example rotor assembly. FIG. 4F shows a perspective view of a fourth example rotor assembly. FIG. 5A shows a top view of a fourth example UAV. FIG. 5B shows a bottom view of the example UAV of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5C shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 5A. FIG. 6A shows a top view of a fifth example UAV. FIG. 6B shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 6A. FIG. 7A shows a top view of a sixth example UAV. FIG. 7B shows a bottom view of the example UAV of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7C shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 7A. FIG. 8A shows a perspective view of a fifth example rotor assembly. FIG. 8B shows a sectional view of the example rotor assembly of FIG. 8A. FIG. 9A shows a top view of a seventh example UAV. FIG. 9B shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 9A. FIG. 10A shows a top view of an eighth example UAV. FIG. 10B shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10C shows a top view of a ninth example UAV. FIG. 10D shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 10C. FIG. 11A shows a top view of a tenth example UAV. FIG. 11B shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 11A. FIG. 12A shows a top view of an eleventh example UAV. FIG. 12B shows a bottom view of the example UAV of FIG. 12A. FIG. 12C shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 12A. FIG. 13 shows a detail view of an example protective structural element for an image capture device. FIG. 14A shows a perspective view of an example rotor assembly with removable rotor blades. FIG. 14B shows a perspective view of another example rotor assembly with removable rotor blades. FIG. 14C shows a top view of the example rotor assembly of FIG. 14B. FIG. 15A shows a side view of an example UAV with a removable battery. FIG. 15B shows a side view of the example UAV of FIG. 15A with the battery removed. FIG. 15C shows a view of a user holding the example UAV of FIG. 15A. FIG. 15D shows a side view of an example UAV with a removable battery that includes a user interface component. FIG. 16A shows a top view of an example UAV with a gimbaled image capture device. FIG. 16B shows a side view of the gimbaled image capture device of the UAV of FIG. 16A. FIG. 16C shows a front view of the gimbaled image capture device of the UAV of FIG. 16A. FIG. 16D shows a side view of the gimbaled image capture device of the UAV of FIG. 16A in an unlocked position. FIG. 16E shows a side view of the gimbaled image capture device of the UAV of FIG. 16A in a locked position. FIG. 17 shows a top view of a first example fixed-wing UAV. FIG. 18 shows a diagram of an example flight profile of the example fixed-wing UAV of FIG. 17. FIG. 19A shows a top view of second example fixed-wing UAV. FIG. 19B shows a top view of a third example fixed-wing UAV. FIG. 20A shows a top view of a fourth example fi