Failover navigation for remotely operated aerial vehicles

• US 10,394,240 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: El-Sight Limited
• Original Assignee: Olaeris, Inc.
• Inventors: Pounds, Paul E. I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie M
• Application Number:
  US15/499,788
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1, 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• 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 5/045 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

The present invention extends to methods, systems, devices, and apparatus for failover navigation for remotely operated aerial vehicles. During flight, a primary guidance system uses a higher resolution map for an area to guide a remotely operated aerial vehicle around obstacles (e.g., buildings) in the area. Failure of the primary guidance system is detected during flight. The remotely operated aerial vehicle switches over to a secondary guidance system in response to detecting the failure. The secondary guidance system formulates a flight path to a safer location based on a lower resolution map of the area. The formulated flight path minimizes crossings between different boundaries represented in the lower resolution map. The formulated flight path is biased towards safety over efficiency.

Claims

1. A computer system, the computer system comprising one or more processors;

system memory coupled to the one or more processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors; and

the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to fly a remotely operated aerial vehicle among one or more obstacles, including the following;

use a primary flight guidance system to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle within an area that includes the one or more obstacles, the primarily flight guidance system referring to a higher resolution map to navigate the one or more obstacles, the higher resolution map including more detailed boundary geometry for the one or more obstacles;

detect failure of the primary flight guidance system;

switch to a secondary flight guidance system; and

use the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area, the secondary flight guidance system referring to a lower resolution map to formulate the flight path, the lower resolution map including less detailed boundary geometry for the one or more obstacles, the flight path minimizing crossings between boundaries defined in the less detailed boundary geometry to bias the flight path towards safety of the remotely operated aerial vehicle over efficiency of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:

load the higher resolution map from another computer system into resources of the primary flight guidance system; and

load the lower resolution map from the other computer system into resources of the secondary flight guidance system.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to load the higher resolution map comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to load a map that has concave geometry filtered out based on external dimensions of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to load the lower resolution map comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to load a map that was deconstructed from the more detailed boundary geometry.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to use a primary flight guidance system to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to refer to a map that has concave geometry filtered out based on external dimensions of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to use the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safe location outside of the area comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to refer to a map that was deconstructed from the more detailed boundary geometry.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to use the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to refer to a map that defines a safe separation distance from the one or more obstacles.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to use the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine the shortest route out of the less detailed boundary geometry.

9. A method for use at a computer system, the method for flying a remotely operated aerial vehicle among one or more obstacles, the method comprising:

using a primary flight guidance system to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle within an area that includes the one or more obstacles, the primarily flight guidance system referring to a higher resolution map to navigate the one or more obstacles, the higher resolution map including more detailed boundary geometry for the one or more obstacles;

detecting failure of the primary flight guidance system;

switching to a secondary flight guidance system; and

using the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area, the secondary flight guidance system referring to a lower resolution map to formulate the flight path, the lower resolution map including less detailed boundary geometry for the one or more obstacles, the flight path minimizing crossings between boundaries defined in the less detailed boundary geometry to bias the flight path towards safety of the remotely operated aerial vehicle over efficiency of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

loading the higher resolution map from another computer system into resources of the primary flight guidance system; and

loading the lower resolution map from the other computer system into resources of the secondary flight guidance system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein loading the higher resolution map comprises loading a map that has concave geometry filtered out based on external dimensions of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein loading the lower resolution map comprises loading a map that was deconstructed from the more detailed boundary geometry.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein using a primary flight guidance system to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle comprises referring to a map that has concave geometry filtered out based on external dimensions of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein using the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area comprises referring to a map that was deconstructed from the more detailed boundary geometry.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein using the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area comprises referring to a map that defines a safe separation distance from the one or more obstacles.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein using the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area comprises determining the shortest route out of the less detailed boundary geometry.

17. A remotely operated aerial vehicle, the remotely operated aerial vehicle comprising one or more processors;

system memory coupled to the one or more processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors;

a primary flight guidance system running in a first portion of the system memory;

a higher resolution map of an area including one or more obstacles, the higher resolution map loaded into system memory associated with the primary flight guidance system, the higher resolution map including more detailed boundary geometry for the one or more obstacles;

a secondary flight guidance system running in a second portion of the system memory;

a lower resolution map of the area including one or more obstacles, the lower resolution map loaded into system memory associated with the secondary flight guidance system, the lower resolution map including less detailed boundary geometry for the one or more obstacles; and

the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle among the one or more obstacles, including the following;

use the primary flight guidance system to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle within the area, the primarily flight guidance system referring to the higher resolution map to navigate the one or more obstacles;

detect failure of the primary flight guidance system;

switch to a secondary flight guidance system; and

use the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area, the secondary flight guidance system referring to the lower resolution map to formulate the flight path, the flight path minimizing crossings between boundaries defined in the less detailed boundary geometry to bias the flight path towards safety of the remotely operated aerial vehicle over efficiency of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

18. The remotely operated aerial vehicle of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to use the primary flight guidance system to fly the remotely operated aerial vehicle comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to refer to a map that has concave geometry filtered out based on external dimensions of the remotely operated aerial vehicle.

19. The remotely operated aerial vehicle of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to use the secondary flight guidance system to formulate a flight path to a safer location outside of the area comprises the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to refer to a map that was deconstructed from the more detailed boundary geometry to determine the shortest route out of the less detailed boundary geometry.

20. The remotely operated aerial vehicle of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of rotors used to maneuver the remotely operated aerial vehicle among the one or more obstacles.