Patents by Inventor Scott Nykl

Scott Nykl has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Stereo vision relative navigation of airborne vehicles
    Patent number: 12118890
    Abstract: An automated aerial formation (AAF) system includes an imaging device mounted on an imaging first aircraft that receives reflected energy from an imaged second aircraft. A controller is communicatively coupled to the imaging device and a flight control system of one of the first and the second aircraft. The controller generates a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud based on the reflected energy and identifies a target 3D model in the 3D point cloud. The controller rotates and scales one of a pre-defined 3D model and the target 3D model to find a 3D point registration between the target 3D model and the pre-defined 3D model. The controller steers the flight control system of the one of first and the second aircraft into formation based on the distance and the relative pose determined from the rotating and scaling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Scott Nykl, Brian Woolley, John Pecarina
  • Stereo Vision Relative Navigation of Airborne Vehicles
    Publication number: 20210104162
    Abstract: An automated aerial formation (AAF) system includes an imaging device mounted on an imaging first aircraft that receives reflected energy from an imaged second aircraft. A controller is communicatively coupled to the imaging device and a flight control system of one of the first and the second aircraft. The controller generates a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud based on the reflected energy and identifies a target 3D model in the 3D point cloud. The controller rotates and scales one of a pre-defined 3D model and the target 3D model to find a 3D point registration between the target 3D model and the pre-defined 3D model. The controller steers the flight control system of the one of first and the second aircraft into formation based on the distance and the relative pose determined from the rotating and scaling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Scott Nykl, Brian Woolley, John Pecarina