Method and system for continued navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles beyond restricted airspace boundaries

• US 10,082,802 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Erickson, Thomas D., Pickover, Clifford A., Vukovic, Maja
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US15/234,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20180046201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones

Abstract

A system for continued navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles beyond restricted boundaries. The system comprises a monitoring device to track a geolocation corresponding to an unmanned aerial vehicle and to compare the geolocation corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle with a geolocation corresponding to a restricted boundary to determine a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to a restricted environment, and a route generator to generate an alternative navigation method to navigate the restricted environment when the unmanned aerial vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the restricted environment.

Claims

1. A system for continued navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles beyond restricted boundaries, the system comprising:

a monitoring device to track at least one geolocation corresponding to an unmanned aerial vehicle and to compare the at least one geolocation corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle with at least one geolocation corresponding to a restricted boundary to determine a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to a restricted environment; and

a route generator to generate at least one alternative navigation method to navigate the restricted environment when the unmanned aerial vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the restricted environment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an authentication device to authenticate the unmanned aerial vehicle to physically traverse the at least one restricted boundary.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the authentication device is further configured to disable one or more functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle upon authentication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the route generator is further configured to terminate movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle is prevented from physically traversing the at least one restricted boundary.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one alternative navigation method includes generating a virtual representation corresponding to a geolocation beyond the at least one restricted boundary such that the virtual representation provides continued virtual navigation of at least a portion of the restricted environment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the virtual representation is selected from the group consisting of satellite imagery, street maps, graphical representations of environments, limited real-time imagery, and stored imagery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one alternative navigation method includes providing a secondary unmanned aerial vehicle to physically navigate at least a portion of the restricted environment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the restricted environment includes at least one environment selected from the group consisting of no-fly zones, military bases, airports, hospitals, wildlife sanctuaries, and private property.

9. A method for continued navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles beyond restricted boundaries, the method comprising:

tracking, using a processor-based monitoring device, at least one geolocation corresponding to an unmanned aerial vehicle;

comparing the at least one geolocation corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle with at least one geolocation corresponding to a restricted boundary to determine a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to a restricted environment; and

generating at least one alternative navigation method to navigate the restricted environment when the unmanned aerial vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the restricted environment.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising authenticating the unmanned aerial vehicle to physically traverse the at least one restricted boundary.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising disabling one or more functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle upon authentication.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the at least one alternative method includes terminating movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle is prevented from physically traversing the at least one restricted boundary.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the at least one alternative method includes generating a virtual representation corresponding to a geolocation beyond the at least one restricted boundary such that the virtual representation provides continued virtual navigation of at least a portion of the restricted environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual representation is selected from the group consisting of satellite imagery, street maps, graphical representations of environments, limited real-time imagery, and stored imagery.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the at least one alternative method includes providing a secondary unmanned aerial vehicle to physically navigate at least a portion of the at least one restricted environment.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer readable program for continued navigation of unmanned aerial vehicles beyond restricted boundaries, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute:

tracking, using a processor-based monitoring device, at least one geolocation corresponding to an unmanned aerial vehicle;

comparing the at least one geolocation corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle with at least one geolocation corresponding to a restricted boundary to determine a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to a restricted environment; and

generating at least one alternative navigation method to navigate the restricted environment when the unmanned aerial vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of the restricted environment.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising authenticating the unmanned aerial vehicle to physically traverse the at least one restricted boundary.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein generating the at least one alternative navigation method includes terminating movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle is prevented from physically traversing the at least one restricted boundary.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein generating the at least one alternative navigation method includes generating a virtual representation corresponding to a geolocation beyond the at least one restricted boundary such that the virtual representation provides continued virtual navigation of at least a portion of the restricted environment.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein generating the at least one alternative navigation method includes providing a secondary unmanned aerial vehicle to physically navigate at least a portion of the at least one restricted environment.