Unmanned aerial vehicle collision avoidance system

• US 10,198,956 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Randy Lane Silverman
• Original Assignee: Randy Lane Silverman
• Inventors: Silverman, Randy Lane
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US15/290,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20170301248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• 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

An automatic system to detect and avoid collisions between piloted aircraft operating at low altitudes and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). UAV'"'"'s are typically remote controlled helicopters, quad-copters, airplanes and other airborne vehicles (e.g., Drones). Aircraft operating at low altitudes are subject to interference (accidental or purposefully) by those on the ground operating said UAV'"'"'s, which is likely to cause great injury or death to the aircraft and its occupants.

Claims

1. An apparatus used in a piloted aircraft, the apparatus comprising:

an image-detecting element configured to capture a plurality of frames of visible images in a forward looking field of vision that includes an immediate flight path of the piloted aircraft, process the plurality of frames of visible images, and scan one or more frames of the plurality of frames of visible images to detect a presence of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

a system processor in communication with the image-detecting element determines whether the unmanned aerial vehicle in the forward looking field of vision presents a threat of collision and needs to be avoided by the piloted aircraft; and

a transmitter controlled by the system processor and configured to transmit, in response to detecting, in the one or more frames, the presence of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a signal to interrupt flight commands sent to the unmanned aerial vehicle by a control transmitter for the unmanned aerial vehicle so as to remove the unmanned aerial vehicle from the immediate flight path of the piloted aircraft.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the image-detecting element comprises a video camera configured to detect images in a visible light spectrum, and an image-processing unit configured to analyze each frame of the plurality of frames of visible images to detect the presence of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

and

wherein the system processor is further configured to generate an alert signal in response to receiving an indication of the presence of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and providing the alert signal in a visual form, an audio form, or both.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the video camera comprises an image sensor capable of detecting the unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an infrared camera and an infrared image-processing unit communicating with the system processor, wherein the infrared camera is configured to capture the plurality of frames of infrared images, and wherein the infrared image-processing unit is configured to process each frame in the plurality of frames of infrared images by analyzing each frame for a presence of a heat signature of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a beacon receiver and a radio frequency processor communicating with the system processor, the beacon receiver configured to detect a beacon signal being transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle and the radio frequency processor configured to analyze and process the beacon signal.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the beacon signal is an electromagnetic signal, and wherein the radio frequency processor is configured to process the electromagnetic signal.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a static port that communicates with the system processor via an altitude decoder to provide an altitude, relative to a ground, of the piloted aircraft.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured to activate and/or deactivate itself.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system processor comprises:

a memory and a memory card reader;

a processor configured to read a set of instructions stored in the memory and control the apparatus based on the set of instructions;

an updatable database comprising unmanned aerial vehicle shape envelopes, parameter values for beacon signals, and heat signatures; and

a wideband radio frequency modulator configured to generate a wideband radio frequency, and a radio frequency amplifier configured to amplify the wideband radio frequency.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a test mode, an auto mode, a transmit on mode, or a warn mode.

11. A method performed by a piloted aircraft, the method comprising:

capturing, by the piloted aircraft, an image stream in a visible spectrum, the piloted aircraft using an image-detecting element of the piloted aircraft that is oriented to capture images within a forward looking field of vision that includes an immediate flight path of the piloted aircraft to capture the image stream, wherein the image stream comprises at least one image frame;

processing, by the piloted aircraft, the at least one image frame of the image stream, the piloted aircraft using an image-processing unit of the piloted aircraft that communicates with a system processor of the piloted aircraft;

scanning, by the piloted aircraft using the image-processing unit, the at least one image frame to detect a presence of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that presents a threat of collision and needs to be avoided by the piloted aircraft; and

removing, by the piloted aircraft, the unmanned aerial vehicle from the flight path of the piloted aircraft, including the piloted aircraft using a transmitter of the piloted aircraft to transmit a signal to interrupt flight commands sent to the unmanned aerial vehicle by a control transmitter for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, at the system processor, an indication, from the image-processing unit, of a presence of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and causing a transmission of the signal to disrupt one or more in-flight operations of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

generating an alert signal in response to receiving the indication of the presence of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and providing the alert signal in a visual form, an audio form, or both.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, using an image sensor, the unmanned aerial vehicle.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the image-detecting element is a video camera configured to detect images in a visible light spectrum.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the video camera comprises an image sensor capable of detecting the unmanned aerial vehicle.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a heat signature of the unmanned aerial vehicle via an infrared camera and an infrared image-processing unit, wherein the infrared camera is configured to capture a plurality of frames of infrared images, and wherein the infrared image-processing unit is configured to process each frame in the plurality of frames of infrared images by analyzing each frame for a presence of the heat signature of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

detecting, using a beacon receiver, a beacon signal that is transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the beacon receiver is communicating with a radio frequency processor, which communicates with the system processor, wherein the radio frequency processor is configured to analyze and process the beacon signal.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the beacon signal is an electromagnetic signal, the radio frequency processor is configured to process the electromagnetic signal and transmit a notification to the system processor if the beacon signal of the unmanned aerial vehicle is detected.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

providing, via a static port that communicates with the system processor via an altitude decoder, an altitude, relative to a ground, of the piloted aircraft.

20. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, via a GPS receiver, GPS information about the piloted aircraft; and

transmitting, via a GPS antenna, the GPS information about the piloted aircraft.