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Toyota is no stranger to using barcodes for its manufacturing operations. This invention helps a delivery drone land in an exact location for unloading or recharging. The invention uses a series of hieroglyphs to help the drone orient itself correctly.
Regrettably, the patent text seems to have been translated from Japanese to English with a pocket translator one would get as swag at some convention. For example, try to make sense of this: “An object of the present disclosure is therefore to prevent or reduce a decrease in accuracy of landing of the flying object using the markers to identify a relative position between the flying object and the stage when the takeoff and landing assist apparatus forming the markers is used.”
Briefly, cameras on the drone can recognize an arrangement of several images on top of a docking bay. The drone knows where it is based on orientation and sequence of these images. Presumably, each docking bay has its own images so there is no confusion. Once the drone is over the bay, a door opens and the drone can land and either complete its delivery or recharge.
Claim 1: “A takeoff and landing assist apparatus, comprising: a stage having a takeoff and landing surface that a flying object takes off from and lands on; an opening that is formed in the takeoff and landing surface and through which loading and unloading to and from the flying object is carried out; and a lid provided at the opening and configured to open and close the opening, the lid includes a lid body, and an edge portion, at an edge of the lid body, having a thickness less than that of the lid body and defining a step along an edge of the lid, wherein the edge portion includes a visual recognition assist surface positioned lower than a surface of the lid body in a vertical direction, wherein a marker for identifying a relative position between the flying object and the stage is formed on the takeoff and landing surface, the opening is formed in the takeoff and landing surface such that an edge of the opening does not cross the marker, and the visual recognition assist surface has a color different from that of the marker and same as that of a portion of the takeoff and landing surface where the marker is not formed.”
Title: “Takeoff And Landing Assist Apparatus”
US Patent No: 12246865
Filed (JP): 2022-09-01
Granted: 2025-03-11
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
