The Boeing Company

James L Clayton

Justin Cleve Hatcher

Paul S Idell

Jacob A Lucas

Yifan Yang

Trent M Kyono

Nicole Catherine Gagnier

Deepak Khosla

Steven Fulton Griffin

Leon Nguyen

Fan Hin Hung

William Kentarou Kaneko Leach

Jacob Arthur Lucas

A method includes providing an image to a feature extraction model to generate feature data. The image depicts a portion of a first device and a portion of a second device. The feature data includes coordinates representing key points of each of the first and second devices depicted in the image. The method also includes obtaining position data indicating a position in 3D space of a connector of the first device. The method further includes providing the feature data and the position data to a trained autonomous agent to generate a proposed maneuver to mate the connector with a connector of the second device.

Autonomous maneuver generation to mate connectors

Aspects of the disclosure provide solutions for automated air-to-air refueling (A3R) and assisted air-to-air refueling. Examples include: receiving a video frame; generating, from the video frame, a plurality of images having differing decreasing resolutions; detecting, within each of the plurality of images, a set of aircraft keypoints for an aircraft to be refueled; merging the sets of aircraft keypoints into a set of merged aircraft keypoints; based on at least the merged aircraft keypoints, determining a position of a fuel receptacle on the aircraft; and determining a position of a boom tip of an aerial refueling boom. Some examples include, based on at least the position of the fuel receptacle and the position of the boom tip, controlling the aerial refueling boom to engage the fuel receptacle, and for some examples, the video frame is monocular (e.g., provided by a single camera).

Feature detection for automated air-to-air refueling (A3R)

Aspects of the disclosure provide fuel receptacle and boom tip position and pose estimation for aerial refueling. A video frame is received and within the video frame, aircraft keypoints for an aircraft to be refueled are determined. Based on at least the aircraft keypoints, a position and pose of a fuel receptacle on the aircraft is determined. Within the video frame, a boom tip keypoint for a boom tip of an aerial refueling boom is also determined. Based on at least the boom tip keypoint, a position and pose of the boom tip is determined. Based on at least the position and pose of the fuel receptacle and the position and pose of the boom tip, the aerial refueling boom is controlled to engage the fuel receptacle. Some examples overlay projections of an aircraft model on displayed video for a human observer.

Fuel receptacle and boom tip position and pose estimation for aerial refueling

An example system includes a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions that are executable to cause the system to perform various functions. The functions include: (i) acquiring an image of a first aerial vehicle, the image depicting an object of a second aerial vehicle prior to contact between the object and a surface of the first aerial vehicle; (ii) providing the image as input to a data-driven analyzer that is trained in a supervised setting with example images for determining a predetermined point of contact between the object and the surface of the first aerial vehicle; (iii) determining, based on an output of the data-driven analyzer corresponding to the input, an estimated point of contact between the object and the surface of the first aerial vehicle; and (iv) providing the estimated point of contact to a display system.

Virtual laser pointer as a point of contact indicator for machine learning assisted aerial refueling or other targeting

An improved fire-safe waste disposal system uniquely suitable for use in the aft bulk cargo hold (22) of a large capacity passenger aircraft which is compatible with, and can be readily interfaced with, FAA approved waste disposal chutes (39) extending through the passenger deck (25) from the aft galley into the bulk cargo hold (22) and comprising a standardized aircraft cargo container base (40), a floor (45) mounted on the base (40) and parallel therewith, a first pair of vertically extending walls (46, 49) secured to the floor (45) with one of the walls (49) being normal to the floor (45), the other of the walls (46) defining an included obtuse angle with the floor (45) and with the wall (49) having a greater height than the wall (46), and with a second pair of walls (50) rigidly secured to the first pair of walls (46, 49) and to the floor (45) in airtight fire-safe relation, a top (44) secured to the walls (46, 49, 50) in airtight fire-safe relation with the top (44) being normal to the wall (46) and defining an acute angle with respect to the wall (49), and an access opening (55) formed in the top (44) for mutual engagement with the waste chute (39). The fire-safe waste disposal container (38) includes a lip formed on the standard LD2 type base (40) mutually engageable with floor mounted tracks (61, 62) for securely clamping the container (38) to the floor (29) of the bulk cargo hold (22).

Growing community of inventors

Everett, WA, United States of America

James L Clayton