US 12,411,499 B2
Collision prevention flight control mode
Anthony J. Smith, Trumbull, CT (US); Navid Tehrani Dadkhah, Providence, RI (US); and Michael Gregory Todd, Southington, CT (US)
Assigned to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed by Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed on Feb. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/590,203.
Prior Publication US 2023/0244249 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. G05D 1/229 (2024.01); G01S 13/933 (2020.01); G01S 17/933 (2020.01); G05D 1/246 (2024.01); G05D 1/622 (2024.01); G05D 1/82 (2024.01); G05D 109/25 (2024.01)
CPC G05D 1/229 (2024.01) [G01S 13/933 (2020.01); G01S 17/933 (2013.01); G05D 1/2469 (2024.01); G05D 1/622 (2024.01); G05D 1/82 (2024.01); G05D 2109/25 (2024.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for controlling an aerial vehicle to avoid obstacles, comprising:
generating, by one or more processors coupled to memory of the aerial vehicle, using sensor data captured by one or more sensors of the aerial vehicle, a multi-dimensional distance field comprising a plurality of coordinates, each coordinate of the plurality of coordinates having a distance value indicating a distance between the aerial vehicle and an obstacle;
detecting, by the one or more processors, based on the multi-dimensional distance field, the obstacle for the aerial vehicle;
triggering, by the one or more processors, an augmented manual control mode responsive to a speed of the aerial vehicle being less than a predetermined threshold and detecting the obstacle;
determining, by the one or more processors responsive to triggering the augmented manual control mode, a speed constraint for the aerial vehicle in a direction of the obstacle derived from at least one gradient of the multi-dimensional distance field, the speed constraint determined based on a turn coordination speed limit of the aerial vehicle and a distance between the aerial vehicle and the obstacle;
receiving, by the one or more processors via an inceptor of the aerial vehicle, an instruction to navigate the aerial vehicle in the direction at a second speed greater than the speed constraint; and
adjusting, by the one or more processors, the instruction to replace the second speed with the speed constraint, to cause the aerial vehicle to navigate in the direction at the speed constraint instead of the second speed.