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  • Apparatus for redirecting field of view of lidar scanner, and lidar scanner including same
    Patent number: 10754034
    Abstract: A lidar scanning instrument includes one or more optical elements for redirecting a portion of the output beam sweep of the lidar scanning instrument in a different direction. Three dimensional environment data for both fields of view can be generated. The optical element(s) can be static or moveable, with constant or dynamic motion patterns, to change the direction of the second field of view if desired for the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Near Earth Autonomy, Inc.
    Inventors: Lyle J. Chamberlain, Paul Bartlett, David Duggins
  • Rotor safety system
    Patent number: 10139493
    Abstract: Piloted or autonomous rotorcraft includes a rotor safety system. The rotor safety system comprises a lidar scanner toward a rotor of the rotorcraft, e.g., the tail rotor, that scans the 3D space in the vicinity of the rotor. Objects in the vicinity of the rotor are detected from the lidar point data. In a piloted rotorcraft, predictive warnings can be provided to the helicopter's flight crew when a detected object presents a hazard to the rotor of the rotorcraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: NEAR EARTH AUTONOMY, INC.
    Inventors: Lyle Chamberlain, Sanjiv Singh, Adam Stambler, Hugh Cover, Bradley Hamner
  • On-board, computerized landing zone evaluation system for aircraft
    Patent number: 10029804
    Abstract: A computerized, on-board flight system for an aircraft has a landing-zone evaluation system for evaluating a landing zone for the aircraft based on sensory data from numerous sensing systems, including lidar, radar, and/or various cameras, to identify potential, suitable landing sites in the landing zone. Based on data from these sensory systems, the landing-zone evaluation system geometrically and semantically evaluates the landing zone's terrain, as well as identifies moving and stationary objects in the landing zone to identify the suitable landing sites for the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: NEAR EARTH AUTONOMY, INC.
    Inventors: Lyle Chamberlain, Hugh Cover, Benjamin Grocholsky, Bradley Hamner, Sebastian Scherer, Sanjiv Singh
  • Determining position and orientation for aerial vehicle in GNSS-denied situations
    Patent number: 10151588
    Abstract: On-board, computer-based systems and methods compute continuously updated, real-time state estimates for an aerial vehicle by appropriately combining, by a suitable Kalman filter, local, relative, continuous state estimates with global, absolute, noncontinuous state estimates. The local, relative, continuous state estimates can be provided by visual odometry (VO) and/or an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The global, absolute, noncontinuous state estimates can be provided by terrain-referenced navigation, such as map-matching, and GNSS. The systems and methods can provide the real-time, continuous estimates even when reliable GNSS coordinate data is not available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: NEAR EARTH AUTONOMY, INC.
    Inventors: Sanjiv Singh, Jeffrey Mishler, Michael Kaess, Garrett Hemann
  • Contingency landing site map generation system
    Patent number: 10562643
    Abstract: A computer system determines contingency landing sites for an aircraft, piloted or autonomous. The computer system decomposes data from various types of maps into multiple separate risk maps, which can include: one for the risk to people being present on the ground at the landing site; one for the risk of damage to property on the ground at the landing site; one for the risk of damage to the aircraft; and/or one for the risk to people on-board the aircraft. From these maps, the computer system generates a contingency landing site map that the aircraft can use to determine an appropriate landing site in the case of an emergency. The computer system can also perform landing simulations to determine the various risks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignees: NEAR EARTH AUTONOMY, INC., CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Kyle Strabala, Sebastian Scherer, Vaibhav Arcot
  • Multimodal beacon based precision landing system for autonomous aircraft
    Patent number: 11762398
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for autonomously estimating the position and orientation (“pose”) of an aircraft relative to a target site are disclosed herein, including a system including a plurality of beacons arranged about the target site, wherein the plurality of beacons collectively comprise at least one electromagnetic radiation source and at least one beacon ranging radio, a sensor system coupled to the aircraft including an electromagnetic radiation sensor and a ranging radio configured to determine a range of the aircraft relative to the target site, and a processor configured to determine an estimated pose of the aircraft based on at least: (i) detected electromagnetic radiation, and (ii) time-stamped range data for the aircraft relative to the target site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Near Earth Autonomy, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Taylor, Sanjiv Singh, Lyle Chamberlain, Sebastian Scherer, Benjamin Grocholsky, Vladimir Brajovic
  • Limited-sensor 3D localization system for mobile vehicle
    Patent number: 11525697
    Abstract: A system configured to autonomously operate a vehicle within an environment is disclosed herein. The system includes a vehicle including a sensing system with a single active sensor configured to detect objects within an environment as the vehicle travels on a journey along a travel path within the environment. The system further includes a computing system communicably coupled to the vehicle. The computing system includes a memory configured to store a three-dimensional map of the environment, and a processor configured to determine an updated pose of the vehicle based on the three-dimensional map and input from the single active sensor of the vehicle. The processor is further configured to generate an updated travel path for the vehicle, wherein the updated travel path is generated based on the updated pose of the vehicle within the environment determined by the computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Near Earth Autonomy, Inc.
    Inventors: Ji Zhang, Sanjiv Singh
  • Addressing multiple time around (MTA) ambiguities, particularly for lidar systems, and particularly for autonomous aircraft
    Patent number: 10131446
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a time-of-flight ranging sensor that scans in two or more directions relative to the apparatus over a series of scanning cycles. A processor computes, and to communicates to the time-of-flight ranging sensor, a pulse repetition rate (PRR) for the time-of-flight ranging sensor for each of the two or more directions based on information about surrounding terrain of the apparatus and a sensor pointing schedule for the time-of-flight ranging sensor that indicates directions that the time-of-flight ranging sensor is scheduled to point at time during the scanning cycles. In addition or lieu of computing the PRR, the processor(s) matches returns from pulses of the time-of-flight ranging sensor to the pulses probabilistically based on a current map of the vehicle's surroundings and scan coherence analysis for shapes in the returns. The current map can then be updated based on the matched returns for the next iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: NEAR EARTH AUTONOMY, INC.
    Inventors: Adam Stambler, Lyle J. Chamberlain, Sebastian Scherer
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