US 12,296,981 B2
Automated docking of unmanned aerial vehicle
Yevgeniy Kozlenko, Mountain View, CA (US); Jack Zhu, San Mateo, CA (US); Gareth Cross, San Carlos, CA (US); Teodor Tomic, Redwood City, CA (US); Adam Bry, Redwood City, CA (US); and Abraham Galton Bachrach, Emerald Hills, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/390,949.
Application 18/390,949 is a division of application No. 16/991,122, filed on Aug. 12, 2020, granted, now 11,873,116.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/915,639, filed on Oct. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0409237 A1, Dec. 12, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B64F 1/222 (2024.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64D 45/08 (2006.01); B64F 1/18 (2006.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 80/25 (2023.01); B64U 80/70 (2023.01)
CPC B64F 1/222 (2013.01) [B64D 45/08 (2013.01); B64F 1/18 (2013.01); B64U 80/25 (2023.01); B64C 39/024 (2013.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 80/70 (2023.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of docking an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:
controlling a propulsion mechanism of the UAV to cause the UAV to approach a dock in a generally vertical landing direction;
moving a landing surface of the dock along a generally horizontal axis of movement to facilitate landing of the UAV;
accessing one or more images captured by the UAV;
determining a pose of a first fiducial on the landing surface based on the one or more images; and
controlling the propulsion mechanism to cause the UAV to land on the landing surface based on the pose of the first fiducial.