US 11,726,498 B2
Aerial vehicle touchdown detection
Rowland Wilde O'Flaherty, Chicago, IL (US); Teodor Tomic, Redwood City, CA (US); Hayk Martirosyan, Emerald Hills, CA (US); Abraham Galton Bachrach, San Francisco, CA (US); Kristen Marie Holtz, Redwood City, CA (US); and Jack Louis Zhu, Redwood City, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on May 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/306,204.
Application 17/306,204 is a continuation of application No. 16/272,132, filed on Feb. 11, 2019, granted, now 10,996,683.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/628,876, filed on Feb. 9, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0271264 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/04 (2006.01); G05D 1/06 (2006.01); G06N 20/00 (2019.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64U 70/00 (2023.01)
CPC G05D 1/042 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); G06N 20/00 (2019.01); B64U 70/00 (2023.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media having program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, direct the processor to:
responsive to initiation of a landing sequence, generate a first control command configured to cause a propulsion system of an aerial vehicle to reduce thrust to land on a physical surface in a physical environment;
continually estimate, based on perception inputs, external forces acting on the aerial vehicle during the landing sequence,
wherein the perception inputs do not include data output by a tactile force sensor;
determine, based on the estimated external forces, that the aerial vehicle is in contact with the physical surface;
responsive to determining that the aerial vehicle is in contact with the physical surface, generate a second control command configured to cause the aerial vehicle to further reduce thrust;
determine, based on the estimated external forces, that the aerial vehicle is supported by the physical surface; and
responsive to determining that the aerial vehicle is supported by the physical surface, generate a third control command configured to cause the propulsion system to power down.