Drone data locker system

• US 10,489,649 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2017
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson, Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): Blouin, Mark S
• Application Number:
  US15/718,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20190095687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0035 adapted for acquisition of images from more than one imaging mode, e.g. combining MRI and optical tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0046 Arrangements of imaging apparatus in a room, e.g. room provided with shielding or for improved access to apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0053 by applying pressure, e.g. compression, indentation, palpation, grasping, gauging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0935 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1079 using optical or photographic means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1176 Recognition of faces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/741 using synthesised speech
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/747 in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/02 Measuring pulse or heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 : for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 : Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 : involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 : Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/00 : Equipment not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 : Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 : Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 : for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 : for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/55 : for life-saving or rescue operations; for medical use
• 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 2201/20 : Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 : Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 : Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 : taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 : Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 : Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 : Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations

Abstract

Systems for a drone data storage or data locker system include an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, which includes sensors, including an imaging sensor, a communications interface, and a memory storing identity data associated with one or more users and observation data associated with the one or more users which is collected on a continuous basis. The drone may navigate to an area including individuals, and obtain, using the sensors, sensor data corresponding to the individuals. The drone may determine, based on the obtained sensor data and the identity data, that one of the individuals corresponds to identity data of a user stored in the memory. The drone may determine that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance, using the sensors. The drone may transmit health data associated with the user corresponding to the identity data, which may be used to administer care to the user.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least an imaging sensor;

at least one communications interface;

at least one non-transitory memory storing identity data associated with one or more users and health data associated with the one or more users; and

one or more processors coupled to the plurality of sensors, communications interface, and non-transitory memory and configured to execute instructions to cause the apparatus to;

navigate the unmanned aerial vehicle to an area including one or more individuals;

obtain, from a first subset of the plurality of sensors including at least the imaging sensor, sensor data corresponding to the one or more individuals;

determine, based on the obtained sensor data and the stored identity data, that one of the one or more individuals corresponds to identity data of a user stored in the non-transitory memory;

determine, using a second subset of the plurality of sensors, that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance, wherein the instructions to determine that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance further include instructions to cause the apparatus to process data received by the communications interface to determine that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance; and

transmit, to a third party, health data associated with the user corresponding to the identity data.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first subset of the plurality of sensors further includes an acoustic sensor.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second subset of the plurality of sensors includes a biometric sensor.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises an acoustic emitter, and wherein the instructions further cause the apparatus to audibly emit, using the acoustic emitter, care instructions associated with the user corresponding to the identity data.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the user is a first user, and wherein the instructions to cause the apparatus to determine, using a second subset of the plurality of sensors, that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance further cause the apparatus to process sensor data, captured by an acoustic sensor from a second user, to determine that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the apparatus to determine, based on the imaging sensor data, one or more sensors to be included in the second subset of the plurality of sensors.

7. A method of transmitting data, the method comprising:

navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle to an area including one or more individuals;

obtaining, from a first subset of a plurality of sensors on the unmanned aerial vehicle, including at least an imaging sensor, sensor data corresponding to the one or more individuals;

determining, based on the obtained sensor data and stored identity data, that one of the one or more individuals corresponds to identity data of a user stored on the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining, based at least on imaging sensor data from the imaging sensor, one or more sensors to be included in a second subset of the plurality of sensors on the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining, using the second subset of the plurality of sensors on the unmanned aerial vehicle, that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance; and

transmitting, to a third party, stored health data associated with the user corresponding to the identity data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first subset of the plurality of sensors further includes an acoustic sensor.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second subset of the plurality of sensors includes a biometric sensor.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising audibly emitting, using an acoustic emitter on the unmanned aerial vehicle, care instructions associated with the user corresponding to the identity data.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the user is a first user, and wherein determining, using the second subset of the plurality of sensors, that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance further includes processing sensor data, captured by an acoustic sensor from a second user, to determine that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining, using a second subset of the plurality of sensors, that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance further includes processing data received by the communications interface to determine that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle to an area including one or more individuals;

obtaining, from a first subset of a plurality of sensors on the unmanned aerial vehicle, including at least an imaging sensor and an acoustic sensor, sensor data corresponding to the one or more individuals;

determining, based on the obtained sensor data and stored identity data, that one of the one or more individuals corresponds to identity data of a user stored on the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining, using a second subset of the plurality of sensors on the unmanned aerial vehicle including at least a biometric sensor, that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance; and

transmitting, to a third party, stored health data associated with the user corresponding to the identity data.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising audibly emitting, using an acoustic emitter on the unmanned aerial vehicle, care instructions associated with the user corresponding to the identity data.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the user is a first user, and wherein determining, using the second subset of the plurality of sensors, that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance further includes processing sensor data, captured by an acoustic sensor from a second user, to determine that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein determining, using a second subset of the plurality of sensors, that the user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance further includes processing data received by the communications interface to determine that the first user corresponding to the identity data requires medical assistance.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising determining, based on the imaging sensor data, one or more sensors to be included in the second subset of the plurality of sensors.