Unmanned aerial vehicle for situational awareness to first responders and alarm investigation

• US 10,089,889 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott Technologies, Inc. (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Scott Technologies, Inc. (3M Company)
• Inventors: Patterson, Jason M., Parson, William Eugene, Phifer, Jerry Alan, Cannon, Jason Richard, Plummer, Darrill Lee, Williams, Cedric
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US15/319,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

A device, and method, for situational awareness of an emergency scene for first responders uses an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a sensor package in populated or otherwise restricted areas. The unmanned aerial vehicle is assigned to a control center for a designated incident while automatically tasking the unmanned aerial vehicle with the initiation of the incident response to autonomously proceed to the incident prior the control center taking active control of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for emergency response, the system comprising at least one unmanned aerial vehicle being configured to:

be automatically activated by receipt by the unmanned aerial vehicle of an emergency response dispatch call containing location information;

receive a pre-set flight path to an emergency scene destination, the emergency scene destination being established by the location information of the emergency response dispatch call; and

use facial recognition to locate a first responder at the emergency scene.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle includes a sensor package.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor package includes at least one of a visual light camera, a long wave infrared camera, a short wave infrared camera, and a multi-spectral camera.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor package includes at least one of a GPS locational device, an audio recorder and a gas detection sensor.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor package includes an aircraft transponder.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to determine a heat intense location.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor package of each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to produce image data, the image data of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle being combinable to produce a three-dimensional image.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor package is configured to analyze at least one of smoke and wind patterns to aid first responders.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-set flight path is within a prescribed travel route.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-set flight path includes a loitering pattern at the target destination.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to automatically begin transmission of data to a command location once the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle arrives at the target destination.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is further configured to receive manual control instructions from a command location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the command location is one of a fire station and a police station.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to alert the command location when each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is at the target destination.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least at least one unmanned aerial vehicle includes a power source having a power status, each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle being configured to automatically return to a base location based on a power status of the power source.

16. A system for emergency response, the system comprising at least one unmanned aerial vehicle, each of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle having a sensor package that:

receives a pre-set flight path to an emergency scene, the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle being automatically activated by the receipt by the unmanned aerial vehicle of an emergency response dispatch call containing location information, the emergency scene being established by the location information of the emergency response dispatch call;

records data about the target destination and communicates the data to a command location;

uses facial recognition to locate a first responder at the emergency scene; and

is configured to receive manual control instructions from the command location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor package includes at least one of:

a visual light camera, a long wave infrared camera, a short wave infrared camera, a multi-spectral camera, a GPS locational device, an audio recorder, a gas detection sensor, an aircraft transponder, and an RFID transceiver.

18. A method for automatically tasking an unmanned aerial vehicle with an incident response task at an emergency scene, the method comprising:

transmitting to the unmanned aerial vehicle an emergency response dispatch call, the emergency response dispatch call containing location information about the emergency scene, the unmanned aerial vehicle being configured to be automatically activated by the emergency response dispatch call and to use facial recognition to locate a first responder at the emergency scene, activation of the unmanned aerial vehicle causing the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel to the emergency scene using a prescribed travel route; and

routing the emergency response dispatch call to an emergency team operator.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a sensor package that is configured to record and transmit data to the emergency team operator, the method further comprising at least one of:

locating a first responder at the emergency scene using at least one of an RFID transceiver, a GPS locational device, and a feature recognition device in the sensor package;

identifying a heat intense location at the emergency scene using the sensor package;

recording video data from the emergency scene and transmitting the video data, the video data being recorded by at least one of a visual light camera, a long wave infrared camera, a short wave infrared camera, and a multi-spectral camera in the sensor package; and

transmitting a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle using the GPS locational device in the sensor package.