US 11,668,569 B2
Position estimation device and position estimation method
Kohtaro Sabe, Tokyo (JP); Haruto Takeda, Tokyo (JP); Peter Duerr, Tokyo (JP); Satoru Shimizu, Tokyo (JP); Tsutomu Sawada, Tokyo (JP); and Kousuke Suzuki, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SONY GROUP CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on May 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/325,861.
Application 17/325,861 is a continuation of application No. 16/531,737, filed on Aug. 5, 2019, granted, now 11,067,396.
Application 16/531,737 is a continuation of application No. 16/236,749, filed on Dec. 31, 2018, granted, now 10,436,591, issued on Oct. 8, 2019.
Application 16/236,749 is a continuation of application No. 15/512,837, granted, now 10,203,208, issued on Feb. 12, 2019, previously published as PCT/JP2015/076315, filed on Sep. 16, 2015.
Claims priority of application No. 2014-212311 (JP), filed on Oct. 17, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2021/0270610 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01C 21/16 (2006.01); G05D 1/10 (2006.01); G01S 19/47 (2010.01); G01C 21/18 (2006.01); G01S 19/49 (2010.01); G01S 19/48 (2010.01)
CPC G01C 21/1656 (2020.08) [G01C 21/1652 (2020.08); G01C 21/18 (2013.01); G01S 19/47 (2013.01); G05D 1/102 (2013.01); G01S 19/485 (2020.05); G01S 19/49 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flight vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of rotors;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver configured to receive a GPS signal from a GPS satellite;
a camera of the flight vehicle, wherein the camera is configured to capture an image;
a first sensor, different from the camera, configured to receive an invisible signal for estimation of an altitude of the flight vehicle; and
circuitry configured to:
control a flight of the flight vehicle based on the plurality of rotors, wherein
the flight corresponds to at least one of a hovering operation of the flight vehicle, a movement of the flight vehicle, or a turning operation of the flight vehicle, and
the flight is based on flight route information; and
control, during the flight of the flight vehicle, a flight position of the flight vehicle based on the received GPS signal, the captured image, and the received invisible signal.