Interactive behavior engagement and management in subordinate airborne robots

• US 10,025,303 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Annan, Brandon C., Cole, Joshua R., Gilbert, Deborah L., Indurkar, Dhananjay
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US15/346,697
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/362 Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/23 for providing telephone services
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed. The UAV comprises a battery, a flight mechanism, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a processor, a memory, and an application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the application discovers an environment where the UAV operates by flying in the environment to determine its boundaries; creates a map of the environment that the UAV flew through; and shares the map with a social robot. The application receives a command from the social robot via the RF transceiver, wherein the social robot receives a verbal request from a user of the social robot, wherein the social robot transforms the user request to a command for the UAV. The application then performs the command from the social robot. The application then lands on a designated charging pad to conserve energy. The application then transmits a report back to the social robot.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

a battery;

a flight mechanism actuated by at least one motor powered by the battery;

a radio frequency transceiver;

a processor;

a memory; and

an application, stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor,

receives a command from a social robot via the radio frequency transceiver, wherein the social robot receives a verbal request from a user of the social robot, and wherein the social robot transforms the verbal request to the command for the UAV to perform,

performs the command from the social robot, wherein the UAV flies to a location where the command is to be performed, and

transmits a report back to the social robot when the command is completed via the radio frequency transceiver, wherein the report details that the command was completed.

2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV comprises a plurality of sensors.

3. The UAV of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises one or more of a temperature sensor, an infrared sensor, a gyroscope, or a barometer.

4. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV charges by a charging pad, and wherein the UAV lands on a designated charging pad to conserve energy and charge the battery.

5. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV charges via a charging pad by inducing energy from the charging pad.

6. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the flight mechanism is comprised of propellers.

7. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV further:

discovers an area of an environment where the UAV operates by flying in the environment to determine its boundaries,

creates a map of the environment that the UAV flew through, and

shares the map with a social robot.

8. A method of performing tasks via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

receiving, via a radio frequency transceiver of a UAV, a command from a social robot, wherein the social robot receives a verbal request from a user of the social robot and transforms the verbal request to the command for the UAV to perform;

performing, by the UAV, the command that is received from the social robot, wherein the UAV flies to a location where the command is to be performed; and

transmitting, via the radio frequency transceiver of the UAV, a report to the social robot, wherein the report details that the UAV executed the command.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the UAV flies 5 degrees to the left and 5 degrees to the right when addressing the user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and assumes a certain position relative to the height of the user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and assumes a position of 20 degrees below the head of the user if the user is relatively tall.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and assumes a position of 20 degrees above the head of the user if the user is relatively short.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and flies from side to side.

15. A method of performing tasks via a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising:

receiving, by a first UAV, a command from a social robot;

transmitting, by the first UAV, the command to a second UAV;

performing, by the second UAV, the command transmitted from the first UAV, wherein the second UAV flies to a location where the command is to be performed; and

transmitting, by the second UAV, a report to the social robot, wherein the report details that the command was executed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first UAV and the second UAV charge by one or more charging pads.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more charging pads receive alternating current (AC) power.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first UAV and second UAV charge via the one or more charging pads by inducing energy.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the second UAV maps an environment that the second UAV inhabits, and wherein the second UAV keeps the map stored to a memory of the second UAV.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second UAV uses the map while performing the command to navigate its environment.