Unmanned aerial vehicle guidance and communication device with system and method

• US 10,368,295 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FreeFlight Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FreeFlight Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: DeBusk, John, Taylor, Timothy, Frazier, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Abby Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taveras, Kenny A.
• Application Number:
  US15/165,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information

Abstract

A communication device of a communication system to guide unmanned aerial vehicles.

Claims

1. A guidance communication system comprising:

a controller configured to manage flight path guidance data stored in a memory via a processor, the flight path guidance data configured to be updated via other data received via a receiver-transmitter, the flight path guidance data associated with at least one unmanned aerial vehicle in an environment controlled by the controller; and

at least one beacon configured to (i) be remotely deployed in the environment of the controller to define a flight path of the vehicle by transmitting the flight path guidance data to the vehicle, (ii) communicate with the receiver-transmitter of the controller via a beacon transmitter-receiver, and (iii) communicate with the vehicle via the beacon transmitter-receiver,

wherein,

the flight path includes a plurality of virtual lanes defined at least in part by the controller,

each of the plurality of virtual lanes has a direction of travel defined by the controller,

the plurality of virtual lanes include two adjacent lanes with opposite directions of travel defined by the controller,

the at least one beacon includes a plurality of beacons deployed in the environment of the controller to define at least a portion of the flight path,

each of the plurality of beacons spaced from each other at predetermined distances to provide redundancy such that, when one of the plurality of beacons is offline, one adjacent beacon maintains an adjacent portion of the flight path previously maintained by the one of the plurality of beacons that is offline, and

the adjacent portion of the flight path previously maintained by the one of the plurality of beacons that is offline is entirely maintained by only the one adjacent beacon so that all functionality of the offline beacon is maintained by the one adjacent beacon.

2. The guidance communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to broadcast the flight path guidance data to the vehicle in the environment via the plurality of beacons.

3. The guidance communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to communicate (i) directly with the vehicle via the receiver-transmitter, or (ii) indirectly with the vehicle via at least one of the plurality of beacons.

4. The guidance communication system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is configured to communicate (i) directly with the controller via a vehicle receiver-transmitter, or (ii) indirectly with the controller via at least one of the plurality of beacons.

5. The guidance communication system of claim 1, wherein the at least one beacon is configured to store the flight path guidance data associated with an area of the environment in a proximity to the at least one beacon in a beacon memory.

6. The guidance communication system of claim 5, wherein the flight path guidance data is at least one of (i) geographic data, (ii) obstruction data, (iii) weather data, (iv) a minimum speed, a maximum speed and/or an exact speed, and (v) a minimum altitude, a maximum altitude and/or an exact.

7. The guidance communication system of claim 6, wherein the beacon memory includes a plurality of rules associated with the flight path guidance data, and a plurality of commands each associated with one of the plurality of rules.

8. The guidance communication system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of commands are configured to cause the vehicle to (i) maintain a speed, a direction, and/or an altitude of the vehicle, (ii) increase a speed, a direction, and/or an altitude of the vehicle, and/or (iii) decrease a speed, a direction, and/or an altitude of the vehicle.

9. The guidance communication system of claim 1, wherein the at least one beacon is configured to detect (i) an event that occurs in a proximity to the at least one beacon, and/or (ii) a condition present in the proximity to the at least one beacon, and maintain a log of the event and/or the condition via a beacon memory.

10. A method of guiding a vehicle using a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a controller configured to manage flight path guidance data stored in a memory via a processor, the flight path guidance data configured to be updated via other data received via a receiver-transmitter, the flight path guidance data associated with at least one unmanned aerial vehicle in an environment controlled by the controller; and

deploying at least one beacon configured to (i) be remotely deployed in the environment of the controller to define a flight path of the vehicle by transmitting the flight path guidance data to the vehicle, (ii) communicate with the receiver-transmitter of the controller via a beacon transmitter-receiver, and (iii) communicate with the vehicle via the beacon transmitter-receiver,

wherein,

the flight path includes a plurality of virtual lanes defined at least in part by the controller,

each of the plurality of virtual lanes has a direction of travel defined by the controller,

the plurality of virtual lanes include two adjacent lanes with opposite directions of travel defined by the controller,

the at least one beacon includes a plurality of beacons deployed in the environment of the controller to define at least a portion of the flight path,

each of the plurality of beacons spaced from each other at predetermined distances to provide redundancy such that, when one of the plurality of beacons is offline, one adjacent beacon maintains an adjacent portion of the flight path previously maintained by the one of the plurality of beacons that is offline, and

the adjacent portion of the flight path previously maintained by the one of the plurality of beacons that is offline is entirely maintained by only the one adjacent beacon so that all functionality of the offline beacon is maintained by the one adjacent beacon.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

broadcasting the flight path guidance data to the vehicle in the environment via the plurality of beacons via the controller.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

broadcasting the flight path guidance data, via the controller, (i) directly to the vehicle via the receiver-transmitter, or (ii) indirectly to the vehicle via at least one of the plurality of beacons.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is configured to communicate (i) directly with the controller via a vehicle receiver-transmitter, or (ii) indirectly with the controller via at least one of the plurality of beacons.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one beacon is configured to store the flight path guidance data associated with an area of the environment in a proximity to the at least one beacon in a beacon memory.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the flight path guidance data is at least one of (i) geographic data, (ii) obstruction data, (iii) weather data, (iv) a minimum speed, a maximum speed and/or an exact speed, and (v) a minimum altitude, a maximum altitude and/or an exact.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the beacon memory includes a plurality of rules associated with the data, and a plurality of commands each associated with one of the plurality of rules.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of commands are configured to cause the vehicle to (i) maintain a speed, a direction, and/or an altitude of the vehicle, (ii) increase a speed, a direction, and/or an altitude of the vehicle, and/or (iii) decrease a speed, a direction, and/or an altitude of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to set and/or change the plurality of rules.