Commercial drone detection

• US 10,498,955 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Nadler, Gary J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beasley, Deirdre L
• Application Number:
  US14/816,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 435 611, 506 9, 51421113, 514220, 5142258, 51425404, 51425941, 709 19
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/75 Organisation of the matching processes, e.g. simultaneous or sequential comparisons of image or video features; Coarse-fine approaches, e.g. multi-scale approaches; using context analysis; Selection of dictionaries
• 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: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

One embodiment provides a method of capturing the presence of a drone, including: collecting, using at least one sensor, data associated with an aerial object; analyzing, using a processor, the data to determine at least one characteristic of the aerial object; accessing, in a database, a library of stored characteristics of commercially available drones; determining, based on the analyzing, if the at least one characteristic of the aerial object matches a characteristic of a commercially available drone; and responsive to the determining, generating an indication of a positive match. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method of capturing the presence of a drone, comprising:

collecting, using an array of pods, data associated with an aerial object, each pod in the array of pods comprising a plurality of sensors capable of collecting different types of the data, wherein the different types of data comprise at least two types of data selected from the group consisting of video data, acoustic data, and radiofrequency communication data;

determining a confidence score for each of the different types of the data, wherein the confidence score is a representation of data quality;

analyzing, using a processor, the different types of the data to determine at least one characteristic of the aerial object;

accessing, in a database, a library of stored characteristics of commercially available drones;

prioritizing the different types of the data based on a current weather condition, wherein the prioritizing comprises ignoring types of the different types of the data identified as having a confidence score below a predetermined threshold in the current weather condition;

determining, based on the analyzing and the prioritizing, if the at least one characteristic of the aerial object matches a characteristic of a commercially available drone; and

responsive to the determining, generating an indication of a positive match.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic of the aerial object is selected from the group consisting of physical appearance, noise signature and operating frequency.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating frequency comprises a control communication frequency.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, from the data associated with the aerial object, an operating frequency of the aerial object; and

collecting, using a receiver and storage device, communication data of the aerial object.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising analyzing the communication data to obtain one or more of video data and image data captured by the aerial object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an array of video cameras;

said method further comprising;

sending, to a server, video data captured by the array of video cameras; and

stitching together the video data captured by the array of video cameras to create a field of view greater than a specified field of view of any individual video camera.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

identifying at least one video camera in the array of video cameras that detects the aerial object; and

placing the at least one video camera into an isolation mode.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising operating the at least one video camera in isolation mode in response to operator inputs.

9. A system for detecting the presence of a drone, comprising:

an array of pods, each pod in the array comprising a plurality of sensors capable of collecting different types of data, wherein the different types of data comprise at least two types of data selected from the group consisting of video data, acoustic data, and radiofrequency data;

an electronic device including a processor that is operatively coupled to the array of pods;

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to;

collect, using the array of pods, data associated with an aerial object;

determine a confidence score for each of the different types of the data, wherein the confidence score is a representation of data quality;

analyze the different types of the data to determine at least one characteristic of the aerial object;

access, in a database, a library of stored characteristics of commercially available drones;

prioritize the different types of the data based on a current weather condition, wherein the prioritizing comprises ignoring types of the different types of the data identified as having a confidence score below a predetermined threshold in the current weather condition;

determine, based on the analyzing and the prioritizing, if the at least one characteristic of the aerial object matches a characteristic of a commercially available drone; and

generate an indication of a positive match.

10. The system of 9, wherein the at least one characteristic of the aerial object is selected from the group consisting of physical appearance, noise signature and operating frequency.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operating frequency comprises a control communication frequency.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

determine, from the data associated with the aerial object, an operating frequency of the aerial object; and

collect, using a receiver and storage device, communication data of the aerial object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

analyze the communication data to obtain one or more of video data and image data captured by the aerial object.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an array of video cameras;

and

wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to;

send, to a server, video data captured by the array of video cameras; and

stitch together the video data captured by the array of video cameras to create a field of view greater than a specified field of view of any individual video camera.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

identify at least one video camera in the array of video cameras that detects the aerial object; and

place the at least one video camera into an isolation mode.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

operate, the at least one video camera in isolation mode in response to operator inputs.

17. A program product that captures the presence of a drone, comprising:

a storage device having code stored therewith, the code being executable by the processor and comprising;

code that collects, using an array of pods, data associated with an aerial object, each pod in the plurality of comprising a plurality of sensors capable of collecting different types of the data, wherein the different types of data comprise at least two types of data selected from the group consisting of video data, acoustic data, and radiofrequency communication data;

code that determines a confidence score for each of the different types of the data, wherein the confidence score is a representation of data quality;

code that analyzes, using a processor, the different types of the data to determine at least one characteristic of the aerial object;

code that accesses, in a database, a library of stored characteristics of commercially available drones;

code that prioritizes the different types of the data based on a current weather condition, wherein the code that prioritizes comprises code that ignores types of the different types of the data identified as having a confidence score below a predetermined threshold in the current weather condition;

code that determines, based on the analyzing and using the different types of the data having a confidence score greater than a predetermined threshold, if the at least one characteristic of the aerial object matches a characteristic of a commercially available drone; and

code that generates, based on the determining, an indication of a positive match.