Granted Patent B2

US 12,449,810 · App. 17/651,323 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Inventors: Trent M. Kyono (Wailuku, HI); Jacob Arthur Lucas (Makawao, HI); Nicole Catherine Gagnier (Kihei, HI); Justin Cleve Hatcher (Sumner, WA); Yifan Yang (Kirkland, WA); James Lee Clayton (Everett, WA); Paul S. Idell (Thousand Oaks, CA)

Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY

G05D1/0094B64D39/02B64D39/06B64D47/08B64G1/6462B64G1/66G05D1/101G06T3/40G06T7/11G06V10/40G06T2207/30252

Abstract

Claims (15)

1. A method comprising:

providing a first image as input to a feature extraction model to generate feature data, wherein the first image depicts a first portion of a first device and a second portion of a second device, wherein the feature data includes first coordinates representing key points of the first device depicted in the first image and includes second coordinates representing key points of the second device depicted in the first image;

obtaining, from one or more sensors onboard the first device, position data indicating a position in three-dimensional space of a first connector of the first device, wherein the first connector is disposed on the first portion of the first device; and

providing the feature data and the position data as input to a trained autonomous agent to maneuver to mate the first connector with a second connector of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device includes a tanker aircraft, the first portion of the first device includes a refueling boom, the first connector includes a refueling connector of the refueling boom, the second device includes an aircraft, and the second connector includes a refueling receptacle of the aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device includes a first spacecraft, the first connector includes a first docking connector, the second device includes a second spacecraft, and the second connector includes a second docking connector.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position data indicates the position in a reference frame that is associated with the first device and is independent of the second device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before providing the first image as input to the feature extraction model, receiving a source image and downsampling the source image one or more times to generate the first image.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing the first image to a segmentation model to generate a segmentation map representing distinct regions of the first image; and

providing the segmentation map as input to the feature extraction model to generate the feature data.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

performing a comparison of the second coordinates representing the key points of the second device to known geometry of the second device; and

modifying the feature data based on the comparison.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising commanding repositioning of the first portion of the first device based on the proposed maneuver.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (12)