Systems and methods for walking pets

• US 10,159,218 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Shen, Yu, Liu, Ang, Zhou, Guyue
• Primary Examiner(s): Bythrow, Peter M
• Application Number:
  US15/827,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20180077902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/021 Electronic training devices specially adapted for dogs or cats
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/027 Exercising equipment, e.g. tread mills, carousels equipment for racing or riding sports events A63K
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/04 Devices for impeding movement; Devices for impeding passage through fencing , e.g. hobbles or the like; Anti-kicking devices impeding passage under fences A01K15/006
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/00 Leads or collars, e.g. for dogs
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0085 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• 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: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for guiding a target object with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in an environment. The UAV may be able to recognize and locate the target object. The UAV can be configured to communicate the actions and behavior of the target object to a user through a user device in communication with the UAV. The UAV can provide positive and negative stimuli to the target object to encourage an action or behavior. The UAV can be configured to recognize and manage waste generated by the target object.

Claims

1. A method of guiding a target comprising:

receiving, through a user device, a user input indicating a travel route for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to guide the target;

guiding the target using the UAV by flying the UAV along the travel route while the target is in motion, wherein a location of the UAV is known;

receiving, through the user device while the UAV is guiding the target along the travel route, a change to the travel route to provide an updated travel route; and

guiding the target by flying the UAV along the updated travel route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user input comprises global coordinates that define the travel route, or

the change to the travel route comprises changed ones of the global coordinates, the changed ones of the global coordinates and unchanged ones of the global coordinates defining the updated travel route.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target is an animal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the UAV guides the target by being physically attached to the target through an attachment mechanism.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

comparing, with aid of one or more processors on board the UAV, a calculation of a target motion and a UAV motion to determine one or more parameters with which the UAV pulls on the attachment mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the UAV guides the target by displaying an attractor to the target with an attractor display mechanism.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, with aid of one or more vision sensors on board the UAV, a location of the target relative to the UAV; and

adjusting or maintaining, with aid of one or more processors on board the UAV, a flight speed of the UAV to keep the UAV within a proximity of the target that is sufficiently close for the target to perceive the attractor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing, with aid of one or more vision sensors on board the UAV, one or more images of the target; and

detecting, with aid of one or more processors on board the UAV, whether the target is deviating from the travel route or the updated travel route based on the one or more images of the target.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising playing a voice to the target when the target is deviating from the travel route or the updated travel route.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the voice is transmitted from the user device to the UAV in real-time.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising delivering an electric shock to the target when the target deviates from the travel route or the updated travel route beyond a predetermined distance.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user input comprises at least one image or one line on a map defining the travel route, or

the change to the travel route comprises at least one updated image or one updated line on the map defining the updated travel route.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the UAV is a rotorcraft comprising a plurality of rotors that permit the UAV to take off and/or land vertically.

14. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

one or more propulsion mechanisms configured to permit flight of the UAV;

a communication system configured to communicate with a user device to receive a user input indicating a travel route for the UAV to guide a target; and

one or more processors configured to control the one or more propulsion mechanisms to effect the UAV to fly along the travel route while the target is in motion;

wherein;

the communication system is further configured to communicate with the user device to receive a change to the travel route indicating an updated travel route, and

the one or more processors are further configured to control the one or more propulsion mechanisms to effect the UAV to guide the target along the updated travel route.

15. The UAV of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more vision sensors configured to determine a location of the target relative to the UAV;

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the one or more propulsion mechanisms to adjust or maintain a flight speed of the UAV to keep the UAV within a proximity of the target that is sufficiently close for the UAV to guide the target.

16. The UAV of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more vision sensors configured to capture one or more images of the target,

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to detect whether the target is deviating from the travel route or the updated travel route based on the one or more images of the target.

17. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

instruct a speaker to play a voice to the target when the target is deviating from the travel route or the updated travel route, or

instruct an electric shock collar to deliver an electric shock to the target when the target deviates from the travel route or the updated travel route beyond a predetermined distance.

18. The UAV of claim 14, wherein:

the user input comprises global coordinates that define the travel route, or

the change to the travel route comprises changed ones of the global coordinates, the changed ones of the global coordinates and unchanged ones of the global coordinates defining the updated travel route.

19. The UAV of claim 14, wherein:

the user input comprises at least one image or one line on a map defining the travel route, or

the change to the travel route comprises at least one updated image or one updated line on the map defining the updated travel route.

20. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the UAV guides the target by being physically attached to the target through an attachment mechanism, or by displaying an attractor to the target with an attractor display mechanism.