Systems and methods for unmanned aerial vehicle object avoidance

• US 10,109,204 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2017
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchmueller, Daniel, Paczan, Nathan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D
• Application Number:
  US15/482,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20180308370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• 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 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to a detection and avoidance apparatus for an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) and systems, devices, and techniques pertaining to automated object detection and avoidance during UAV flight. The system may detect objects within the UAV'"'"'s airspace through acoustic, visual, infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral, or object detectable signal emitted or reflected from an object. The system may identify the source of the object detectable signal by comparing features of the received signal with known sources signals in a database. The features may include, for example, an acoustic signature emitted or reflected by the object. Furthermore, a trajectory envelope for the object may be determined based on characteristic performance parameters for the object such as cursing speed, maneuverability, etc. The UAV may determine an optimized flight plan based on the trajectory envelopes of detected objects within the UAV'"'"'s airspace.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring airspace at least partially surrounding an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:

receiving one or more signals representative of an environment extending from the UAV;

analyzing the one or more signals to determine a presence of an object;

identifying an object type of the object based at least in part on the one or more signals;

determining one or more operating characteristics of the object based at least in part on the one or more signals; and

determining a trajectory envelope of the object based at least in part on the object type and the one or more operating characteristics of the object, wherein the trajectory envelope includes at least a probability of possible future locations of the object during a predetermined period of time.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the trajectory envelope is determined as a series of isoprobability lines indicative of a range of probabilities of a location of the object during the predetermined period of time.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining one or more performance parameters of the object by querying a database based at least in part on the object type, the database correlating one or more object types with one or more performance parameters, and wherein the determining the trajectory envelope is based at least in part on the performance parameters of the object.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the database includes one or more scalable trajectory envelopes associated with the object type.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining the trajectory envelope includes calculating a scaling factor based at least in part on the one or more operating characteristic of the object and applying the calculated scaling factor to a scalable trajectory envelope.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the trajectory envelope of the object to a flight plan of the UAV; and

determining whether the flight plan of the UAV intersects with at least a portion of the trajectory envelope.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

updating the flight plan of the UAV based at least in part on determining that the flight plan of the UAV intersects with the at least a portion of the trajectory envelope.

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

one or more processors;

memory to store computer-readable instructions;

one or more sensors generating signals representative of at least a portion of an airspace about the UAV; and

a flight management component stored within the memory that, when executed, causes the one or more processors to process at least some of the signals and to perform acts comprising;

detecting a presence of an object in the at least a portion of the airspace about the UAV based at least in part on the at least some of the signals;

determining, based at least in part on the at least some of the signals, at least an object type of the object and an operating characteristic of the object; and

determining a trajectory envelope of the object based at least in part on the object type of the object and the operating characteristic of the object, wherein the trajectory envelope includes at least a probability of possible future locations of the object.

9. The UAV as recited in claim 8, wherein the flight management component further analyzes the trajectory envelope based at least in part on a flight plan of the UAV and updates the flight plan of the UAV in response to the analysis indicating an intersection of the flight plan of the UAV and the trajectory envelope.

10. The UAV as recited in claim 8, wherein the trajectory envelope is determined as a series of isoprobability lines indicative of a range of probabilities of a location of the object at a future time.

11. The UAV as recited claim 8, further comprising a performance parameter database that includes one or more performance parameters associated with one or more object types.

12. The UAV as recited in claim 11, wherein the performance parameter database further includes one or more scalable trajectory envelopes associated with the one or more object types.

13. The UAV as recited in claim 11, wherein determining the trajectory envelope is further based at least in part on the one or more performance parameters associated with the object.

14. The UAV as recited in claim 8, wherein determining the trajectory envelope includes retrieving a scalable trajectory envelope and applying a scaling factor to the scalable trajectory envelope based at least in part on the operating characteristic of the object.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory to store computer readable instructions that when executed, causes the one or more processors to perform acts to;

analyze signals generated by one or more sensors onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to determine a presence of an object in an airspace around the UAV;

determine an object type of the object in response to determining the presence of the object in the airspace around the UAV; and

determine a trajectory envelope of the object based at least in part on the object type of the object, wherein the trajectory envelope includes at least a probability of potential changes of a location of the object over a period of time.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the determining the trajectory envelope includes querying a performance parameter database to obtain the trajectory envelope.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the performance parameter database includes one or more scalable volumes associated with one or more object types, the one or more scalable volumes used to create the trajectory envelope.

18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein determining the trajectory envelope includes retrieving a scalable volume from a performance parameter database based at least in part on the object type;

applying a scaling factor, based at least in part on the object type, to the scalable volume from the performance parameter database to create a scaled volume; and

associating the scaled volume with a location of the object.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the acts further comprise updating a flight plan of the UAV based at least in part on the trajectory envelope of the object.

20. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the acts further comprise determining one or more performance parameters for the object based at least in part on the object type of the object, the one or more performance parameters including speed capabilities of the object and maneuverability of the object, and wherein the trajectory envelope is determined based at least in part on the one or more performance parameters.