UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING VIDEO USING THE SAME

• US 20110264311A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LO, CHIH-PING, LEE, HOU-HSIEN, LEE, CHANG-JUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/869,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264311A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/15
• 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 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A method for collecting video using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) captures video upon the condition that the UAV flies along a preset flight path, stores the captured video in a storage device of the UAV, and directs the UAV to land on a relay station upon the condition that the UAV is at a certain longitude and latitude relative to the relay station. The method further refuels the UAV at the relay station, transmits the captured video stored in the storage device to a computer of the relay station, and directs the UAV to fly to a next relay station along the flight path.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

a storage device operable to store a flight path and locations of a plurality of relay stations along the flight path at known longitudes, latitudes, and elevations;

a video capturing unit operable to capture video upon the condition that the UAV flies along the flight path, and store the captured video in the storage device;

a position module operable to determine a longitude, a latitude, and an altitude of the UAV;

a flight control module operable to directs the UAV to execute a landing sequence and land on a relay station upon the condition that the UAV is within an established distance or at a certain longitude and latitude relative to the relay station;

a refueling module operable to control a refueling equipment at the relay station to refuel the UAV;

a data downloading module operable to transmit the captured video stored in the storage device to a computer of the relay station; and

the flight control module further operable to direct the UAV to fly to a next relay station along the flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at a flight endpoint.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the data downloading module is further operable to delete the captured video stored in the storage device after the captured video stored in the storage device has been transmitted to the computer of the relay station.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the video capturing unit comprises a night vision function.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the position module determines the longitude, the latitude, and the altitude of the UAV using a global position system (GPS).

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the flight control module directs the UAV to execute a landing sequence and land on the relay station according to a falling distance of the UAV, the falling distance of the UAV being equal to a difference value between the altitude of the UAV and the elevation of the relay station.

6. A method for collecting video using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

capturing video using a video capturing unit of the UAV upon the condition that the UAV flies along a preset flight path, and store the captured video in a storage device of the UAV, the flight path being divided into a plurality of relay stations;

determining a longitude, a latitude, and a altitude of the UAV;

directing the UAV to execute a landing sequence and land on a relay station upon the condition that the UAV is within an established distance or at a certain longitude and latitude relative to the relay station;

controlling a refueling equipment at the relay station to refuel the UAV, and transmitting the captured video stored in the storage device to a computer of the relay station; and

directing the UAV to fly to a next relay station along the flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at a flight endpoint.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting the captured video from the computer of the relay station to a central computer.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

deleting the captured video stored in the storage device of the UAV after the captured video stored in the storage device of the UAV has been transmitted to the computer of the relay station.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of directing the UAV to execute a landing sequence and land on the relay station according to a falling distance of the UAV, the falling distance of the UAV being equal to a difference value between the altitude of the UAV and the elevation of the relay station.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

setting a flight path of the UAV and a plurality of relay stations along the flight path using a central computer.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of setting a flight path of the UAV and a plurality of relay stations along the flight path using a central computer comprises:

setting the flight path of the UAV, and dividing the flight path into a plurality of division points along the flight path;

installing a relay station at each of the division points along the flight path, the relay station comprising a refueling equipment and a computer;

recording a longitude, a latitude, and an elevation of each relay station; and

uploading the flight path, the longitude, the latitude, and the elevation of each relay station to the UAV.

12. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), causes the processor to perform a method for collecting video using the UAV, the method comprising:

capturing video using a video capturing unit of the UAV upon the condition that the UAV flies along a preset flight path, and store the captured video in a storage device of the UAV, the flight path being divided into a plurality of relay stations;

determining a longitude, a latitude, and an altitude of the UAV;

directing the UAV to execute a landing sequence and land on a relay station upon the condition that the UAV is within an established distance or at a certain longitude and latitude relative to the relay station;

controlling a refueling equipment at the relay station to refuel the UAV, and transmitting the captured video stored in the storage device to a computer of the relay station; and

directing the UAV to fly to a next relay station along the flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at a flight endpoint.

13. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the captured video from the computer of the relay station to a central computer.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising:

deleting the captured video stored in the storage device of the UAV after the captured video stored in the storage device of the UAV has been transmitted to the computer of the relay station.

15. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the step of directing the UAV to execute a landing sequence and land on the relay station according to a falling distance of the UAV, the falling distance of the UAV being equal to a difference value between the altitude of the UAV and the elevation of the relay station.

16. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising:

setting a flight path of the UAV and a plurality of relay stations along the flight path using a central computer.

17. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the step of setting a flight path of the UAV and a plurality of relay stations along the flight path using a central computer comprises:

setting the flight path of the UAV, and dividing the flight path into a plurality of division points along the flight path;

installing a relay station at each of the division points along the flight path, the relay station comprising a refueling equipment and a computer;

recording a longitude, a latitude, and an elevation of each relay station; and

uploading the flight path, the longitude, the latitude, and the elevation of each relay station to the UAV.

18. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the medium is selected from the group consisting of a hard disk drive, a compact disc, a digital video disc, and a tape drive.