Method for adaptive mission execution on an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,196,142 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DroneDeploy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Infatics, Inc.
• Inventors: Winn, Michael, Millin, Jonathan, Pilkington, Nicholas, Eastwood, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/601,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20170259917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• 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 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft

Abstract

A method for adaptive mission execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle includes receiving a set of pre-calculated mission parameters corresponding to an initial UAV mission; collecting UAV operation data during flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle; calculating a set of modified mission parameters from the set of pre-calculated mission parameters and the UAV operation data, the set of modified mission parameters corresponding to a modified UAV mission; and executing the modified UAV mission on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for mission execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

executing a pre-mission flight test evaluating;

level flight at a first altitude with determination of an airspeed parameter of the UAV, a climb to a second altitude with determination of a thrust parameter of the UAV, and a transition of a motor of the UAV from a first to a second power setting with determination of a range of the UAV and a weight parameter of the UAV;

determining a set of mission parameters, based upon the pre-mission flight test and corresponding to an initial mission, the mission parameters defining a first area to be imaged by a camera of the UAV;

initiating execution of the initial UAV mission;

collecting UAV operation data during flight of the UAV, the UAV operation data comprising aerial images taken at a first imaging resolution and flight telemetry data;

calculating a set of modified mission parameters from the set of mission parameters and an analysis of aerial images, the set of modified mission parameters corresponding to a modified UAV mission; and

automatically executing the modified mission with the UAV.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-mission flight test further evaluates at least one of:

a stalling configuration with determination of a stall speed parameter of the UAV, battery management parameters of the UAV, terrain features associated with the initial mission, and image overlap characteristics.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-mission flight test evaluates the transition of the motor of the UAV from a no-power setting to a full-power setting with determination of a motor torque curve, a maximum motor torque, a motor efficiency curve, a propeller efficiency, a battery state of charge, and a maximum battery supply current.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of mission parameters further defines a first set of camera parameters including an image capture setting.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters comprises modifying the first set of camera parameters based on the analysis of aerial images.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the analysis of the aerial images, wherein generating comprises identifying a first image of the aerial images as including at least one of blur artifacts and shadow artifacts;

wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters comprises modifying the set of mission parameters to allow a subregion captured by the first image to be recaptured in another image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that a first imaging resolution from the initial mission is below a threshold, wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters comprises modifying the set of mission parameters with a second imaging resolution, wherein the second imaging resolution is higher than the first imaging resolution.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising prompting a user, via a management application executing at a controller device, to set the second imaging resolution.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters further comprises prompting the user, via the management application, to accept execution of the modified mission according to the set of modified mission parameters.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the modified mission comprises executing the modified mission after initiating and before completing execution of the initial mission.

11. A method for adaptive mission execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

executing a pre-mission flight test evaluating;

level flight at a first altitude with determination of an airspeed parameter of the UAV, a climb to a second altitude with determination of a thrust parameter of the UAV, and a transition of a motor of the UAV from a first to a second power setting with determination of a range of the UAV;

determining a set of mission parameters, based upon the pre-mission flight test and corresponding to an initial mission, the mission parameters defining a first area to be imaged by a camera of the UAV;

initiating execution of the initial mission with collection of a UAV operation dataset during the initial mission; and

modifying behavior of the UAV based upon an analysis of the UAV operation dataset.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating the analysis of the UAV operation dataset, wherein generating the analysis comprises generating a set of modified mission parameters from the set of mission parameters and an analysis of aerial images taken with the UAV, the set of modified mission parameters corresponding to a modified mission.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of mission parameters comprise a first flight path and a first set of UAV flight parameters corresponding to the first flight path;

wherein the set of modified mission parameters comprise a second flight path and a second set of UAV flight parameters corresponding to the second flight path;

wherein the second flight path is modified from the first flight path.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising prompting the user, via a management application executing at a controller device, to accept execution of the modified mission according to the set of modified mission parameters.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein modifying behavior of the UAV comprises automatically executing the modified mission with the UAV.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the analysis comprises tracking at least one of a motor speed parameter, a propeller usage parameter, a control surface actuator usage parameter, and a fuselage usage parameter of the UAV during the initial mission;

and generating a comparison between of at least one of the motor speed parameter, the propeller usage parameter, a control surface actuator usage parameter, and a fuselage usage parameter to and its respective life limit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein modifying behavior of the UAV comprises pre-emptively replacing at least one of a motor, a propeller, a control surface actuator, and a fuselage of the UAV based on the comparison.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the analysis comprises analyzing UAV battery charge data;

wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters comprises modifying the set of mission parameters based on the UAV battery charge data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein generating the analysis further comprises determining, from the UAV battery charge data, that the unmanned aerial vehicle is incapable of completing the initial UAV mission;

wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters comprises verifying that the unmanned aerial vehicle is capable of completing the modified UAV mission.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein calculating the set of modified mission parameters further comprises receiving an input from the user regarding modification of mission parameters and calculating the set of modified mission parameters based on the input from the user.