Unmanned aerial vehicle and system having the same

• US 10,217,367 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Chun, Chang Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ismail, Mahmoud S
• Application Number:
  US15/585,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20180165973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• 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 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/93 for use on a land or nautical vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0005 with arrangements to save energy
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0653 during a phase of take-off or landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0669 specially adapted for vertical take-off
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0684 on a moving platform, e.g. aircraft carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 : Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system including: a control center configured to monitor a movement of an unmanned aerial vehicle through a communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle; and the unmanned aerial vehicle configured to transmit and receive information regarding a movement through the communication with the control center, and configured to land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to a driving route of a plurality of driving routes of the unmanned aerial vehicle and move together with the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a controller configured to;

monitor a movement of an unmanned aerial vehicle through a communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

transmit a destination and at least one flight route to reach the destination to the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

the unmanned aerial vehicle configured to;

transmit and receive information regarding a movement including the flight route through the communication with the controller;

land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to a driving route of a plurality of driving routes of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

move together with the vehicle; and

when the unmanned aerial vehicle lands on the vehicle and moves with the vehicle, re-search a driving route periodically.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine a vehicle for the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on based on a driving route of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

transmit identification information of the vehicle to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to:

identify a vehicle, wherein the controller determines the vehicle as a landing target vehicle; and

land on the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to:

search vehicles located around the driving route of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

identify a vehicle having a disclosed driving route; and

land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to the driving route of the plurality of the driving routes of the unmanned aerial vehicle among the vehicles having the disclosed driving route.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to:

determine a landing position; and

land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to the driving route of the plurality of driving routes of the unmanned aerial vehicle among vehicles located around the landing position.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

when a remaining distance to a destination is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to take off from the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to:

when the vehicle deviates from the driving route, take off from the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

when the unmanned aerial vehicle lands on the vehicle and moves together with the vehicle, periodically monitor whether the vehicle deviates from the driving route; and

when the vehicle deviates from the driving route, re-search a driving route of the unmanned aerial vehicle and transmit the driving route of the unmanned aerial vehicle to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit flight information to the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the flight information comprises coordinates of the destination, and GPS coordinates and altitude information generated at every predetermined distance.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein

when a predetermined condition occurs, the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to transmit information regarding the condition to the controller;

and

when receiving information regarding a waiting area from the controller, the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to move to the waiting area and wait.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein when receiving information regarding the predetermined condition from the unmanned aerial vehicle, the controller is configured to:

search a waiting area, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to move to the waiting area;

transmit the information regarding the waiting area to the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

send a rescue unmanned aerial vehicle to the waiting area.

12. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

a sensor configured to acquire information regarding the surroundings;

a communicator configured to communicate with a control center; and

a controller configured to;

allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to a driving route of a plurality of driving routes based on information acquired by the sensor and received via the communicator; and

re-search a driving route periodically when the unmanned aerial vehicle lands on the vehicle and moves with the vehicle.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein when the communicator receives identification information of a landing target vehicle that is transmitted from the control center, the controller is configured to identify the landing target vehicle based on the information acquired by the sensor, and to allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on the landing target vehicle.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to:

identify a vehicle having a disclosed driving route among vehicles located around the driving route of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the information acquired by the sensor; and

allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to the driving route of the plurality of the driving routes of the unmanned aerial vehicle among the vehicles having the disclosed driving route.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to determine a landing position and allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to land on a vehicle moving in a route corresponding to the driving route of the plurality of driving routes of the unmanned aerial vehicle among vehicles located around the landing position.

16. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein when a remaining distance to a destination is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the controller is configured to allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off from the vehicle.

17. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein:

when the vehicle deviates from the driving route, the controller is configured to allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off from the vehicle.

18. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein

when a predetermined condition occurs, the controller is configured to transmit information regarding the condition to the control center;

and

when receiving information regarding a waiting area, the controller is configured to move the unmanned aerial vehicle to the waiting area, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle waits at the waiting area.