US 12,148,184 B2
Temporally consistent position estimation refinement for aerial refueling
Leon Nhat Nguyen, Santa Ana, CA (US); Haden Harrison Smith, Topanga, CA (US); Fan Hin Hung, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Deepak Khosla, Camarillo, CA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Jan. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/569,448.
Prior Publication US 2023/0215042 A1, Jul. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. G06T 7/73 (2017.01); B64D 39/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06T 19/00 (2011.01)
CPC G06T 7/75 (2017.01) [B64D 39/00 (2013.01); G05D 1/104 (2013.01); G06T 19/006 (2013.01)] 40 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of aerial refueling, the method comprising:
receiving a video stream showing an aircraft to be refueled, wherein the video stream comprises a plurality of video frames, each video frame showing the aircraft;
determining, for each video frame of the plurality of video frames, an initial position estimate for the aircraft, wherein the initial position estimates for the plurality of video frames comprises an estimated flight history for the aircraft;
based on at least the estimated flight history for the aircraft, determining, by an estimate refiner, a temporally consistent refined position estimate for the aircraft;
based on at least the refined position estimate for the aircraft, determining a position of a fuel receptacle on the aircraft;
determining a position of a boom tip of an aerial refueling boom, wherein the aerial refueling boom is telescopically extendable;
tracking a distance between the boom tip and the fuel receptacle; and
based on at least the position of the fuel receptacle and the position of the boom tip, controlling the aerial refueling boom, using boom control parameters, to engage the fuel receptacle, wherein the boom control parameters include a parameter for telescopically extending the aerial refueling boom.