Implementation of a rescue drone

• US 10,216,181 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fox, Jeremy R., Jones, Andrew R., Liu, Norman Tsu-Han, Sivasubramanian, Balasubramanian
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/848,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 33/00 Devices for allowing seemingly-dead persons to escape or draw attention; Breathing apparatus for accidentally buried persons
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• 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: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

A system and method for optimizing a rescue operation of an individual. The method comprises maintaining, by an individual engaged in an activity, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to the individual. For storage at the UAV, the individual records at a recording device a message. A sensor device is configured to detect a situation requiring a need to rescue the individual at a current location, and generates a trigger signal in response to a detection. In response to the receipt of the trigger signal, a current GPS location of the individual is recorded and a launching of the UAV to traverse a flight-path to a destination location. At or before arriving at the destination location, the UAV contemporaneously provides the stored recorded message and current GPS location of the individual to an emergency response authority to inform of the individual'"'"'s situation and location.

Claims

1. A drone based rescue system comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to an individual, said UAV comprising;

one or more sensor devices configured to detect a situation requiring a need to rescue said individual at a current location, and configured to generate a trigger signal in response to detecting the situation;

a recording device configured to record and store a message from the individual;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS signals to determine a current GPS location of said individual;

a navigation system configured to control said UAV to traverse a flight-path to a destination location;

a processor unit at said UAV configured to receive said trigger signal and automatically record a current GPS location of said individual and controlling a launching of said UAV to said destination location,

wherein said UAV is further configured to contemporaneously provide said stored recorded message and current GPS location of said individual to one or more playback devices associated with an emergency response authority to inform of said individual'"'"'s situation and location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said UAV is mounted to a receptacle carried by the individual while engaging in said activity, and in response to receipt of said trigger signal, said processor unit is further configured to:

automatically actuate a release of said UAV from said receptacle and automatically initiate the launching of said UAV to navigate along the flight-path.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said UAV is carried by the individual while engaging in said activity,

said UAV comprising a physical switch device or a near-field RF communications receiver for receiving directly from the individual or directly from a device operated by the individual, a self-launch control signal;

and

in response to receipt of the self-launch control signal, said UAV being configured to initiate the launch of the UAV and enable said UAV to navigate along the flight-path to said destination.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said destination location and said flight-path to said destination location are both pre-determined, said navigation system configured to use GPS information providing said UAV with ability to navigate a pre-programmed path to said destination location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said flight-path to said destination location are both unknown at a time of the launching of said UAV, said UAV further comprising:

a first communications sub-system configured to establish a network connection over a communications network and access information over the communications network via a network connection, wherein after said launching, said processor unit is further configured to;

employ the first communications sub-system to receive over said network connection information including one or more GPS location coordinates associated with each of one or more destination locations having an emergency response capability, and

generate responsive to said accessed GPS location coordinates a fight-path to enable said UAV to navigate to one of said destination locations.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said communications sub-system is adapted to communicate said recorded message to a receiving device via the communications network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said first communications sub-system enables cellular phone network communications, said first communications sub-further configured to:

after said UAV launching, monitor for cellular network signal strength, and navigate said UAV to stay within an area of sufficient cellular phone coverage strength and initiate a cellular phone emergency call to the one or more emergency response authority destinations; and

upon connection to a receiver device at said emergency response authority destination, playback said recorded message contemporaneous with said individual'"'"'s current GPS location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said UAV further comprises:

a second communication sub-system configured to communicate with a device carried and/or operated by said individual or a third party via short-range and/or near field wireless communications, said second communications sub-system further configured to;

receive remote-commands from said individual or a third party via remote control wireless signals over at a particular frequency setting.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said recorded and stored message is selected from a group consisting of:

an audio message, a video message, an audio-video formatted message, and text and image data messages, said UAV further comprising;

one or more playback media devices for audio/video playback of said recorded message.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor configured to detect an event is selected from a group consisting of:

a biosensor configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting a biological condition associated with said individual;

an accelerometer configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting a kinetic condition of said individual, said UAV or both said individual and UAV, and

a thermal sensor configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting an environmental temperature condition.

11. A method for optimizing a rescue operation of an individual engaged in an activity comprising:

maintaining, by an individual engaged in an activity, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to said individual,

recording by a recording device at said UAV a message from an individual, and storing said message in a storage device for subsequent playback;

detecting, at one or more sensor devices, a situation requiring a need to rescue said individual at a current location, and generating a trigger signal in response to said detecting, said UAV having a control processor unit configured to receive said trigger signal, determining, by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver adapted to receive GPS signals at said UAV to determine a current GPS location of said individual;

wherein, responsive to receipt of said trigger signal, said control processor unit automatically recording a current GPS location of said individual and controlling a launching of said UAV to a destination location, said control processing unit controlling a navigating of said UAV to traverse a flight-path to said destination location, and

contemporaneously providing said stored recorded message and current GPS location of said individual to one or more playback devices associated with an emergency response authority to inform of said individual'"'"'s situation and location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said UAV is carried by the individual while engaging in said activity, said method further comprising:

receiving, at the UAV, directly from the individual at a physical switch device, or at a receiver for directly receiving from a device operated by the individual, a self-launch control signal, and

in response to receipt of the self-launch control signal, initiating said launching of the UAV and enabling said UAV to navigate along the flight-path to said destination.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said UAV is mounted to a receptacle carried by the individual while engaging in said activity, wherein said method further comprises:

in response to receipt of said trigger signal, configuring said UAV to automatically actuate a release from said receptacle and automatically initiate the launching of said UAV to navigate along the flight-path.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said destination location and said flight-path to said destination location are both pre-determined, said method further comprising:

configuring said navigation system to use GPS information to navigate said UAV to a pre-programmed path to said destination location.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said flight-path to said destination location are both unknown at a time of the launching of said UAV, said method further comprising:

configuring a first communications sub-system to establish a network connection over a communications network and access information over the communications network via a network connection, wherein after said launching, said method further comprises;

receiving via the first communications sub-system information including one or more GPS location coordinates associated with each of one or more destination locations having an emergency response capability, and

responsive to said accessed GPS location coordinates information generating a fight-path to enable said UAV to navigate to one of said destination locations.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring said first communications sub-system to communicate said recorded message to a receiving device via the communications network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said first communications sub-system enables cellular phone network communications, said method further comprising:

monitoring for a cellular network signal strength, and navigating said UAV to stay within an area of sufficient cellular phone coverage strength and initiating a cellular phone emergency call to the one or more emergency response authority destinations; and

upon connection to a receiver device at said emergency response authority destination, playback said recorded message contemporaneous with said individual'"'"'s current GPS location.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

configuring a second communications sub-system to communicate with a device carried and/or operated by said individual or a third party via a short-range and/or near field wireless communication links, and receive from said device remote-commands from said individual or a third party via remote control wireless signals over at a particular frequency setting.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said recorded and stored message is selected from a group consisting of:

an audio message, a video message, an audio-video formatted message and/or text and image data messages, said method further comprising;

enabling at said UAV a playback of said recorded audio/video message via one or more playback media devices.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said sensor device is selected from a group consisting of:

a biosensor configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting a biological condition associated with said individual;

an accelerometer configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting a kinetic condition of said individual, said UAV or both said individual and UAV, or

a thermal sensor configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting an environmental temperature condition.