Systems and methods for providing flight control for an unmanned aerial vehicle based on tilted optical elements

摘要

This disclosure relates to providing flight control for an unmanned aerial vehicle based on tilted optical elements. The UAV may include a housing, a motor, a first image sensor, a second image sensor, a first optical element having a first field of view, a second optical element having a second field of view, and one or more processors. The first optical element and the second optical element may be carried by the housing such that the vertical fields of view above the midline plane of the housing are greater than the vertical fields of view below the midline plane of the housing when the UAV is tilted during flight, and such that portions of the fields of view overlap. Flight control for the UAV may be provided based on parallax disparity of an object within the overlapping fields of view.

主权项

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
a housing having a midline plane that runs through a middle of the housing, the midline plane being horizontal when the unmanned aerial vehicle operates leveled with respect to ground and being tilted when the unmanned aerial vehicle is tilted during flight, wherein the tilt of the midline plane is the tilt of the unmanned aerial vehicle; a motor carried by the housing, the motor configured to drive a rotor; a first image sensor carried within the housing and configured to generate a first output signal conveying first visual information based on light that becomes incident thereon; a second image sensor carried within the housing and configured to generate a second output signal conveying second visual information based on light that becomes incident thereon; a first optical element configured to guide light within a first field of view to the first image sensor, the first optical element being carried by the housing such that the vertical field of view of the first field of view above the midline plane of the housing is greater than the vertical field of view of the first field of view below the midline plane of the housing when the unmanned aerial vehicle is tilted during flight; a second optical element configured to guide light within a second field of view to the second image sensor, the second optical element being carried by the housing such that the vertical field of view of the second field of view above the midline plane of the housing is greater than the vertical field of view of the second field of view below the midline plane of the housing when the unmanned aerial vehicle is tilted during flight, and such that a portion of the first field of view and a portion of the second field of view overlap; and one or more processors carried by the housing, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine readable instructions to:
receive the first output signal and the second output signal;determine a disparity of an object within the portion of the first field of view and the portion of the second field of view that overlap; andprovide flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the disparity, wherein providing flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle includes operating the unmanned aerial vehicle to avoid the object.