Systems and methods for automated landing of a drone

US11454988B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Percepto Robotics Ltd · IL

Inventors

• Sagi Blonder · Nes Ziona, IL
• Ariel Benitah · Ein Zurim, IL
• Eyal GIL-AD · Yavne, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 13, 2020
• Grant date: Sep 27, 2022
• Expiry date: Dec 18, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03B35/02
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

There is provided a method of automatically landing a drone on a landing pad having thereon guiding-elements arranged in a pattern relative to a central region of the landing pad, comprising: receiving first image(s) captured by a camera of the drone, processing the first image(s) to compute a segmentation mask according to an estimate of a location of the landing pad, receiving second image(s) captured by the camera, processing the second image(s) according to the segmentation mask to compute a segmented region and extracting from the segmented region guiding-element(s), determining a vector for each of the extracted guiding-element(s), and aggregating the vectors to compute an estimated location of the central region of the landing pad, and navigating and landing the drone on the landing pad according to the estimated location of the central region of the landing pad.