US 12,266,131 B2
Autonomous aerial navigation in low-light and no-light conditions
Abraham Galton Bachrach, Redwood City, CA (US); Adam Parker Bry, Redwood City, CA (US); Gareth Benoit Cross, Mountain View, CA (US); Peter Benjamin Henry, San Francisco, CA (US); Kristen Marie Holtz, Menlo Park, CA (US); Ryan David Kennedy, Redwood City, CA (US); Hayk Martirosyan, San Francisco, CA (US); Vladimir Nekrasov, Adelaide (AU); and Samuel Shenghung Wang, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/505,257.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/168,854, filed on Mar. 31, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0315220 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 7/70 (2017.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/37 (2023.01); B64U 70/90 (2023.01); B64U 70/97 (2023.01); B64U 70/99 (2023.01); B64U 80/25 (2023.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01); G01J 1/42 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01); G06T 7/50 (2017.01); G06V 20/17 (2022.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01)
CPC G06T 7/70 (2017.01) [B64U 70/90 (2023.01); B64U 70/97 (2023.01); B64U 70/99 (2023.01); G01J 1/4204 (2013.01); G06T 7/50 (2017.01); G06V 20/17 (2022.01); H04N 23/56 (2023.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/37 (2023.01); B64U 80/25 (2023.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01); G05D 1/0038 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10032 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
causing an onboard light source of an unmanned aerial vehicle to emit infrared light while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a night mode configuration;
collecting image data using an onboard camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle while the onboard light source emits the infrared light;
filtering the image data to reduce pink tones within the image data;
detecting an object within an environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle is operating based on the filtered image data;
determining a flight operation for the unmanned aerial vehicle to avoid a collision with the object; and
causing the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform the flight operation.