METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIRECTING UNMANNED VEHICLES

• US 20100084513A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Unmanned Aerial Systems ULC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aeryon Labs, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: GARIEPY, Ryan, KROETSCH, Dave, PEASGOOD, Mike, LINDNER, Steffen
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/190
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

A method of remotely controlling an aerial vehicle within an environment, including providing a control station in communication with the aerial vehicle, providing a map of the environment, receiving target world coordinates for the aerial vehicle within the environment, determining a desired velocity vector to direct the aerial vehicle to the target world coordinates at a speed proportional to the distance between the aerial vehicle and the target world coordinates, and directing the aerial vehicle along the desired velocity vector until the aerial vehicle reaches the target world coordinates.

Claims

1. A method of remotely controlling an aerial vehicle within an environment, comprising:

providing a control station in communication with the aerial vehicle;

providing a visual representation of the environment;

receiving target world coordinates for the aerial vehicle within the environment;

determining a desired velocity vector to direct the aerial vehicle to the target world coordinates; and

directing the aerial vehicle along the desired velocity vector until the aerial vehicle reaches the target world coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired velocity vector comprises a speed proportional to the distance between the aerial vehicle and the target world coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the aerial vehicle to cease travelling to the target world coordinates and to remain at a current position if the user ceases to provide input providing target world coordinates.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising recalculating the desired velocity vector as the aerial vehicle travels towards the target world coordinates to reduce the speed of the aerial vehicle as it approaches the target world coordinates.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically directing the aerial vehicle to remain at a current position if to continue travelling along the desired velocity vector would otherwise direct the aerial vehicle into a no-fly zone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically directing the aerial vehicle to remain at a current position prior to beginning to travel along the vector if to travel along the vector would at any point direct the aerial vehicle into a no-fly zone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically directing the aerial vehicle to remain at a current position if to continue travelling along the desired velocity vector would otherwise direct the aerial vehicle outside a perimeter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically directing the aerial vehicle to remain at a current position prior to beginning to travel along the vector if to travel along the vector would at any point direct the aerial vehicle outside a perimeter.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a maximum speed which the aerial vehicle will not exceed.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the aerial vehicle to take an action upon reaching the target world coordinates.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling one or more functions of one or more of the aerial vehicles by multiple control stations.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the target world coordinates are received by a graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface is a touch interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user provides the target world coordinates by touching a target position icon on the visual representation of the environment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the aerial vehicle remains at a current position if the user ceases to touch the target position icon.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a flight parameter within the environment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the flight parameter is selected from the group of a no-fly zone, a perimeter, a target, a home location, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the flight parameter is polygonal in shape.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a sensory payload on the aerial vehicle; and

transmitting data gathered by the sensory payload, directly or indirectly, to the control station.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising controlling the sensory payload independently of the aerial vehicle.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing a plurality of aerial vehicles from the control station.