Reticle control and network based operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,567,497 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cape Mcuas, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cape Mcuas, Inc.
• Inventors: Charalambides, Gabriel, Pasetto, Richard Stephen, Stockford, John David, Gresham, Louis, Finsterbusch, Thomas, El Assad, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berns, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US16/043,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20180329413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• 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: 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 80/30 with arrangements for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/1064 specially adapted for avoiding collisions with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 : involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 : Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 : Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 : Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 : Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include methods, apparatuses and systems for network based operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle. One apparatus includes a controller. The controller is operative to receive a request for change in a camera view of a camera of a drone from a tele-operator, generate positioning of a reticle of a display of the tele-operator based on the received request for change in the camera view, and generate a camera attitude control based on the received request for change in the camera view, wherein the camera attitude control provides orientation control of the camera of the drone, wherein the positioning control of the reticle is more responsive than the orientation control of the camera.

Claims

1. A controller, the controller operative to:

receive a request for change in a camera view of a camera of a drone from a user computing device of a tele-operator;

generate positioning of a reticle of a display of the tele-operator based on the received request for change in the camera view;

generate a camera attitude control based on the received request for change in the camera view, wherein the camera attitude control provides orientation control of the camera of the drone;

wherein the positioning control of the reticle is more responsive than the orientation control of the camera; and

wherein the controller is connected to the user computing device of the tele-operator though a network, and the controller is connected to the drone through a remote control and a wireless link; and

wherein the controller is further operative to generate positioning control of the reticle of the display to re-center the reticle on the display as a camera orientation approaches or has reached an orientation as requested by the request for change in the camera view of the camera of the drone from the tele-operator.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the response rate of the positioning control of the reticle is selected to be slower than the camera view control provided by the user, but faster than a response time of the orientation control of the camera.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the controller receives the change in the camera view of the camera from a computing device of the tele-operator through a network.

4. The controller of claim 1, wherein the camera attitude control provides the orientation control of the camera of the drone comprises generating at least one of an orientation control of the drone or an orientation control of a gimbal of the drone that aids in camera orientation.

5. The controller of claim 1, wherein the camera attitude control provides the orientation control of the camera of the drone comprises generating an orientation control of the drone and an orientation control of a gimbal of the drone that aids in camera orientation.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein a rate at which the reticle is re-centered on the display is dependent on a rate in which the orientation of the camera reaches the orientation as requested by the request for change in the camera view of the camera of the drone from the tele-operator.

7. The controller of claim 1, wherein the controller generating the camera attitude control includes calculating an angle movement of the camera.

8. The controller of claim 7, wherein calculating the angle of movement of the camera operates to center the camera view of the camera on the reticle.

9. The controller of claim 1, wherein the controller is further operative determine three-dimensional geo-fencing restrictions on operation of the drone.

10. The controller of claim 9, wherein the camera attitude control is restricted to maintain the operation of the drone within the three-dimensional geo-fencing restrictions.

11. The controller of claim 1, wherein the controller facilitates a peer-to-peer connection between a computing device of the tele-operator and the drone.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a controller, a request for change in a camera view of a camera of a drone from a user computing device of a tele-operator;

generating positioning of a reticle of a display of the tele-operator based on the received request for change in the camera view;

generating a camera attitude control based on the received request for change in the camera view, wherein the camera attitude control provides orientation control of the camera of the drone;

wherein the positioning control of the reticle is more responsive than the orientation control of the camera;

wherein the controller is connected to the user computing device of the tele-operator though a network, and the controller is connected to the drone through a remote control and a wireless link; and

generating, by the controller, positioning control of the reticle of the display to re-center the reticle on the display as a camera orientation approaches or has reached an orientation as requested by the request for change in the camera view of the camera of the drone from the tele-operator.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the response rate of the positioning control of the reticle is selected to be slower than the camera view control provided by the user, but faster than a response time of the orientation control of the camera.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the change in the camera view of the camera is received from a computing device of the tele-operator through a network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the camera attitude control provides the orientation control of the camera of the drone comprises generating at least one of an orientation control of the drone or an orientation control of a gimbal of the drone that aids in camera orientation.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a rate at which the reticle is re-centered on the display is dependent on a rate in which the orientation of the camera reaches the orientation as requested by the request for change in the camera view of the camera of the drone from the tele-operator.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the camera attitude control includes calculating an angle movement of the camera.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein calculating the angle of movement of the camera operates to center the camera view of the camera on the reticle.