Vehicle system and method for providing services

• US 10,139,825 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2018
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SkyRyse, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SkyRyse, Inc.
• Inventors: Groden, Mark, Adler, Mitch, Harell, Nur
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaude, Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US15/971,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20180253097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 207 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 4, 701 291
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2220/10 Aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 3/001 Vehicles provided with medical equipment to perform operations or examinations
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/08 optical
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/18 Visual or acoustic landing aids
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/17 Helicopters flying platforms B64U10/13
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/55 for life-saving or rescue operations; for medical 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: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/95 Means for guiding the landing UAV towards the platform, e.g. lighting means
• 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 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/652 Take-off delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/654 Landing docking at a base station G05D1/661
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/81 : Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 : Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 : Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 : Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 : Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 : using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 : with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 : Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 : Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 : in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 : for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 : Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 : ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 : for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/80 : Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management

Abstract

A method for providing medical services to a patient, including: receiving a medical service request associated with a patient location; selecting an aircraft, located at an initial location, from a plurality of aircraft based on the patient location and the initial location; determining a flight plan for flying the aircraft to a region containing the patient location; at a sensor of the aircraft, sampling a first set of flight data; at a processor of the aircraft, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly based on the flight plan and the set of flight data; selecting a landing location within the region; and landing the aircraft at the landing location, including: sampling a set of landing location data; determining a safety status of the landing location based on the set of landing location data; outputting a landing warning observable at the landing location; at the sensor, sampling a second set of flight data; and in response to determining the safety status and outputting the landing warning, autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the landing location based on the second set of flight data.

Claims

1. A method for flying an aircraft, comprising:

receiving a service request associated with a region;

selecting the aircraft, located at an initial location, based on the region and the initial location;

determining a flight plan for flying the aircraft to the region;

flying the aircraft to the region, comprising;

at a sensor of the aircraft, sampling a first set of flight data; and

at a processor of the aircraft, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly based on the flight plan and the set of flight data;

controlling the aircraft to perform a search of the region;

based on the search, determining a target location of a human within the region;

after determining the target location, determining a landing location; and

landing the aircraft at the landing location, comprising;

sampling a set of landing location data;

determining a safety status of the landing location based on the set of landing location data;

at the sensor, sampling a second set of flight data; and

in response to determining the safety status, at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the landing location based on the second set of flight data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the landing location is within the region and is determined based on the target location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, after landing the aircraft:

at the aircraft, receiving the human;

determining a second flight plan for flying the aircraft from the region to a destination; and

at the aircraft, transporting the human to the destination, comprising;

at the sensor, sampling a second set of flight data; and

at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly to the destination based on the second flight plan and the second set of flight data, wherein the aircraft contains the human during flight.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, throughout flying the aircraft to the region:

the aircraft contains a second human; and

the aircraft does not contain and does not receive control inputs from a licensed pilot.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second human is an emergency responder.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

flying the aircraft to the region further comprises, during aircraft flight;

receiving ADS-B information; and

receiving an input from the second human; and

controlling the aircraft to fly is performed based further on the ADS-B information and the input.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the safety status of the landing location is further based on a landing approval input received from the second human.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the aircraft comprises:

sampling a set of aircraft inspection data by a set of inspection sensors of the initial location; and

based on the set of aircraft inspection data, determining that the vehicle is safe for operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the set of inspection sensors comprises;

a camera, an active sonar system, and a thermal sensor;

sampling the set of aircraft inspection data comprises;

at the camera, capturing a photograph of the aircraft;

at the active sonar system, sampling a set of sonar data indicative of a mechanical state of the aircraft; and

at the thermal sensor, sampling a set of thermal data indicative of a thermal state of the aircraft; and

determining that the aircraft is safe for operation comprises;

determining that the mechanical state is safe based on the photograph and the sonar data; and

determining that the thermal state is safe based on the thermal data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically generating a declaration of a status report associated with flight of the aircraft; and

automatically submitting the status report to a controlling agency.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein landing the aircraft at the landing location further comprises, before autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the landing location, at the aircraft, outputting a landing warning observable at the landing location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the landing warning comprises a visual warning projected by the aircraft onto the landing location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the landing warning comprises an auditory warning emitted by the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the sensor comprises a radar receiver;

the first set of flight data is a first set of radar data;

the second set of flight data is a second set of radar data;

the aircraft is autonomously controlled to fly based further on a first set of images sampled by a camera of the aircraft; and

the aircraft is autonomously controlled to land at the landing location based further on a second set of images sampled by the camera.

15. A method for flying an aircraft, comprising:

receiving a service request associated with a first region;

selecting the aircraft, located at an initial location, from a plurality of aircraft based on the first region and the initial location;

at the aircraft, receiving the human;

determining a flight plan for flying the aircraft to a destination region; and

at the aircraft, transporting the human to the destination region, comprising;

at a sensor of the aircraft, sampling a first set of flight data;

at a processor of the aircraft, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly to the destination region based on the flight plan and the first set of flight data, wherein the aircraft contains the human during flight;

determining a landing location within the destination region;

sampling a set of landing location data;

determining a safety status of the landing location based on the set of landing location data;

at the sensor, sampling a second set of flight data; and

in response to determining the safety status, at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the landing location based on the second set of flight data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, before receiving the human:

determining a second flight plan for flying the aircraft to the first region;

flying the aircraft to the first region, comprising;

at the sensor, sampling a third set of flight data; and

at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly based on the second flight plan and the third set of flight data;

determining a second landing location within the region;

landing the aircraft at the second landing location, comprising;

sampling a second set of landing location data;

determining a second safety status of the second landing location based on the second set of landing location data;

at the sensor, sampling a fourth set of flight data; and

in response to determining the second safety status, at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the second landing location based on the fourth set of flight data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

controlling the aircraft to perform a search of the region; and

based on the search, determining a target location of the human;

wherein the second landing location is determined based on the target location.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein selecting the aircraft comprises:

sampling a set of aircraft inspection data by a set of inspection sensors of the initial location; and

based on the set of aircraft inspection data, determining that the vehicle is safe for operation.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the aircraft does not contain and does not receive control inputs from a licensed pilot.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the sensor comprises a radar receiver;

the first set of flight data is a first set of radar data;

the second set of flight data is a second set of radar data;

the aircraft is autonomously controlled to fly based further on a first set of images sampled by a camera of the aircraft; and

the aircraft is autonomously controlled to land at the landing location based further on a second set of images sampled by the camera.