Multi-part navigation process by an unmanned aerial vehicle for navigation

• US 10,345,803 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Peeters, Eric, Teller, Eric, Patrick, William Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen
• Application Number:
  US15/785,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20180307223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• 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 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/57 for bringing emergency supplies to persons or animals in danger, e.g. ropes or life vests
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/299 Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/882 for altimeters measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/935 for terrain-avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/93 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/227 Handing over between remote control and on-board control; Handing over between remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/247 using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/248 : generated by satellites, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/667 : Delivering or retrieving payloads
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2105/55 : for emergency activities, e.g. search and rescue, traffic accidents or fire fighting
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2107/17 : Spaces with priority for humans, e.g. populated areas, pedestrian ways, parks or beaches
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2109/22 : with fixed wings
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2111/30 : Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

Embodiments described herein may relate to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigating to a target in order to provide medical support. An illustrative method involves a UAV (a) determining an approximate target location associated with a target, (b) using a first navigation process to navigate the UAV to the approximate target location, where the first navigation process generates flight-control signals based on the approximate target location, (c) making a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location, and (d) in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location, using a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to the target, wherein the second navigation process generates flight-control signals based on real-time localization of the target.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

a control system comprising at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is operable to execute program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium to;

determine an approximate target area associated with a target;

use a first navigation process to navigate the UAV from a first location to the approximate target location of the target, wherein the target is located at a ground location within the approximate target area, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals for the UAV based on a predetermined location of the target;

make a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target area;

in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target area, switch to use of a second navigation process to locate, and navigate the UAV to, a position hovering above the ground location of the target, wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals for the UAV using a real-time localization process that is based at least in part on real-time sensor data generated by one or more sensors on the UAV; and

determine that the UAV is positioned above the ground location of the target and responsively, while hovering above the ground location, operate a winch system to lower a payload from the UAV to the ground location of the target.

2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the approximate target area corresponds to a geographic location of a remote device, wherein the remote device is associated with the target.

3. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the first navigation process generates the first flight-control commands based on predetermined waypoints that provide a route to the approximate target area.

4. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the real-time localization process comprises at least one of:

(a) an environment-sensing localization process and (b) a beacon-sensing localization process.

5. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the real-time localization process comprises a beacon-sensing localization process to locate and navigate to a source of a beacon signal, wherein the source is a remote device that is associated with the target.

6. The UAV of claim 5, wherein the beacon-sensing localization process comprises:

detecting the beacon signal;

determining a security key that is encoded in the beacon signal; and

determining whether or not the security key matches a predefined security key for the target, wherein navigation to the source of the beacon signal is conditioned upon the security key matching a predefined security key for the target.

7. The UAV of claim 6, wherein the predefined security key was generated and sent to the remote device in response to a request for medical support made by the remote device.

8. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing system of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an approximate target area associated with a target, wherein the target is located at ground location within the approximate target area, and wherein the computing system comprises at least one processor;

using, by the computing system, a first navigation process to navigate the UAV from a first location to the approximate target area of the target, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals based on the approximate target area of the target;

making, by the computing system, a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target area;

in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target area, using, by the computing system, a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to a position hovering above the ground location of the target, wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals using a real-time localization process based at least in part on real-time sensor data generated by one or more sensors on the UAV; and

determining, by the computing system, that the UAV is positioned above the ground location of the target and responsively operating a winch system to lower a payload from the UAV to the ground location of the target.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the real-time localization process comprises at least one of:

(a) an environment-sensing localization process and (b) a beacon-sensing localization process.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the real-time localization process comprises a beacon-sensing localization process for locating and navigating to a source of a beacon signal, wherein the beacon-sensing localization process comprises:

detecting the beacon signal;

determining a security key that is encoded in the beacon signal; and

determining whether or not the security key matches a predefined security key for the target, wherein navigation to the source of the beacon signal is conditioned upon the security key matching a predefined security key for the target.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second navigation process comprises:

using an autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target;

when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after initiating the real-time localization process without locating the target, then;

determining that the autonomous real-time localization is unsuccessful; and

responsively implementing a fallback process to locate and navigate to the target; and

when the predetermined period of time after initiating the real-time localization process has not elapsed, then continuing to use the autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the fallback process comprises at least one of:

(a) causing the UAV to switch to a remote-control mode where the UAV is controllable by a remote computing system and (b) causing the UAV to switch to a local-assistance mode where the UAV seeks local assistance.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions that are executable by at least one processor to cause a computing to perform functions comprising:

determining an approximate target area associated with a target, wherein the target is located at a ground location within the approximate target area;

using a first navigation process to navigate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a first location to the approximate target area of the target, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals based on the approximate target area of the target;

making a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target area;

in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target area, using a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to a position hovering over the ground location of the target, wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals using a real-time localization based on real-time sensor data generated by one or more sensors on the UAV; and

determining that the UAV is positioned over the target and responsively operating a winch system to lower a payload from the UAV to the target.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the real-time localization process comprises at least one of:

(a) an environment-sensing localization process and (b) a beacon-sensing localization process.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the real-time localization process comprises a beacon-sensing localization process for locating and navigating to a source of a beacon signal, wherein the beacon-sensing localization process comprises:

detecting the beacon signal;

determining a security key that is encoded in the beacon signal; and

determining whether or not the security key matches a predefined security key for the target, wherein navigation to the source of the beacon signal is conditioned upon the security key matching a predefined security key for the target.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second navigation process comprises:

using an autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target;

when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after initiating the real-time localization process without locating the target, then;

determining that the autonomous real-time localization is unsuccessful; and

responsively implementing a fallback process to locate and navigate to the target; and

when the predetermined period of time after initiating the real-time localization process has not elapsed, then continuing to use the autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the fallback process comprises at least one of:

(a) causing the UAV to switch to a remote-control mode in which the UAV is controllable by a remote computing system and (b) causing the UAV to switch to a local-assistance mode in which the UAV seeks local assistance.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second navigation process comprises:

using an autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target, wherein the UAV moves through a search area while using the autonomous real-time localization process, and wherein the search area is determined based on the approximate target location;

when the UAV has covered the entire search area without locating the target, then;

determining that the autonomous real-time localization is unsuccessful; and

responsively implementing a fallback process to locate and navigate to the target; and

when the UAV has not covered the entire search area without locating the target, then using an autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target.

19. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an approximate target area associated with a target, wherein the target is located at ground location within the approximate target area;

using, by the computing system, a first navigation process to navigate the UAV from a first location to the approximate target area, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals based on the approximate target area;

either;

(a) making a determination, by the computing system, that the UAV is located at the approximate target area or (b) receiving, by the computing system, local target-location data that is usable to navigate to a position over the ground location of the target;

in response to either (a) or (b), using, by the computing system, a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to a position hovering over the ground location of the target, wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals using a real-time localization of the target based at least in part on real-time sensor data generated by one or more sensors on the UAV; and

determining that the UAV is positioned over to the ground location of the target and responsively operate a winch system to lower a payload from the UAV to the to the ground location of target.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the real-time localization comprises using the local target-location data to generate the second flight-control signals to navigate to the to the ground location of target.