US 11,748,997 B2
Obstacle detection
Richard Bomphrey, London (GB); Nathan Phillips, London (GB); Toshiyuki Nakata, London (GB); and Simon Walker, London (GB)
Assigned to The Royal Veterinary College, London (GB)
Appl. No. 16/626,414
Filed by The Royal Veterinary College, London (GB)
PCT Filed Jul. 2, 2018, PCT No. PCT/GB2018/051856
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 24, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/002892, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 3, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1710538 (GB), filed on Jun. 30, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0143178 A1, May 7, 2020
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); B64C 13/16 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01); G08G 1/16 (2006.01)
CPC G06V 20/58 (2022.01) [B64C 13/16 (2013.01); B64C 39/024 (2013.01); G05D 1/0255 (2013.01); G08G 1/165 (2013.01); B64C 2230/14 (2013.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a propulsion unit configured to move the vehicle and to induce a near-vehicle fluid flow field around the vehicle;
a plurality of pressure sensors configured to detect a pressure of the near-vehicle fluid flow field at a plurality of positions around the vehicle;
obstacle detection circuitry configured to determine a presence of an obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle based on a comparison between the detected pressures of the near-vehicle fluid flow field and corresponding reference values; and
a navigation control system configured to control the propulsion unit of the vehicle to avoid the detected object,
wherein the plurality of pressure sensors are at least one chosen from a pitot tube, a strain-gauge pressure plate, and a membrane; and
wherein the obstacle detection circuitry is further configured to:
compare the detected pressure of the near-vehicle flow field to a reference value; and
determine that the obstacle is present if at least one of the detected pressures of the near-vehicle flow field differs from the reference value by more than a predetermined threshold amount.