SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXECUTION OF RECOVERY ACTIONS ON AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

• US 20150225081A1
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Firmatek Software LLC
• Original Assignee: Kespry, Inc.
• Inventors: Stabler, Benjamin Stuart, Clark, Robert Parker, Hall-Snyder, Nathaniel, Doersch, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,938,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/95 Means for guiding the landing UAV towards the platform, e.g. lighting means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0286 Modifications to the monitored process, e.g. stopping operation or adapting control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and methods for providing reliable control of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A system for providing reliable control of the UAV can include a computing device that can execute reliable and unreliable programs. The unreliable programs can be isolated from the reliable programs by virtue of executing one or more of the programs in a virtual machine client. The UAV can initiate a recovery action when one or more of the unreliable programs fail. The recovery action can be performed without input from one or more of the unreliable programs.

Claims

1. A method of providing a reliable control system on-board an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

executing with one or more computer processors a first program and a second program in memory onboard the UAV, wherein upon execution, the first program collects sensor data directly from one or more sensors of the UAV;

transmitting the sensor data from the first program to the second program;

monitoring the sensor data transmitted from the first program to the second program to determine a level of accuracy of the sensor data transmitted from the first program to the second program with respect to the sensor data collected from the one or more sensors of the UAV; and

initiating a recovery action by the UAV if the level of accuracy falls below a threshold accuracy over a given time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving instructions describing the recovery action of the UAV at discrete time intervals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second software program is more reliable than the first software program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovery action includes one or more instructions to return the UAV to a given location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovery action includes one or more instructions to land the UAV.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovery action includes one or more instructions to return the UAV to a closest or nearby safe landing area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second program is executed on a host operating system on a computer onboard the UAV.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first program is executed on a client virtual machine on the computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second program receives and follows instructions transmitted from the first program upon execution.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second program receives and disregards instructions transmitted from the first program upon execution.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating instructions describing the recovery action based on UAV state and location parameter(s) corresponding to the UAV in real time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the UAV state parameter(s) include current charge remaining on a battery of the UAV.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the location parameter(s) include distance between a current location of a UAV and a starting point of the UAV.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the location parameter(s) include distance between a current location of a UAV and a nearest landing area of the UAV.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions are generated by one or computer processors off-board the UAV.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer processors are onboard the UAV.

17. A system for providing reliable control of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

one or more sensors onboard the UAV, wherein the one or more sensors provide sensor data;

memory onboard the UAV for storing the sensor data from the one or more sensors; and

one or more computer processors that are programmed to (i) execute a first program and a second program in memory onboard the UAV, wherein upon execution, the first program collects the sensor data directly from the one or more sensors of the UAV, (ii) transmit the sensor data from the first program to the second program, (iii) monitor the sensor data transmitted from the first program to the second program to determine a level of accuracy of the sensor data transmitted from the first program to the second program with respect to the sensor data collected from the one or more sensors of the UAV, and (iv) initiate a recovery action by the UAV if the level of accuracy falls below a threshold accuracy over a given time interval.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more computer processors are programmed to receive instructions describing the recovery action of the UAV at discrete time intervals.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the second software program is more reliable than the first software program.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the recovery action includes one or more instructions in memory to return the UAV to a given location.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the recovery action includes one or more instructions in memory to land the UAV.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the recovery action includes one or more instructions to return the UAV to a closest or nearby safe landing area.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the second program is executed on a host operating system on a computer onboard the UAV.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more computer processors are programmed to execute the first program on a client virtual machine on the computer.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more computer processors are programmed to generate instructions describing the recovery action based on UAV state and location parameter(s) corresponding to the UAV in real time.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the UAV state parameter(s) is current charge remaining on a battery of the UAV.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the location parameter(s) include distance between a current location of a UAV and a starting point of the UAV.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the location parameter(s) include distance between a current location of a UAV and a nearest landing area of the UAV.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more computer processors are onboard the UAV.

30. A computer readable medium comprising machine executable code that, upon execution by one or more computer processors, implements a method of providing a reliable control system on-board an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:

executing a first program and a second program in memory onboard the UAV, wherein upon execution, the first program collects sensor data directly from one or more sensors of the UAV;

transmitting the sensor data from the first program to the second program;

monitoring the sensor data transmitted from the first program to the second program to determine a level of accuracy of the sensor data transmitted from the first program to the second program with respect to the sensor data collected from the one or more sensors of the UAV; and

initiating a recovery action by the UAV if the level of accuracy falls below a threshold accuracy over a given time interval.

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

a host processing system;

a flight control system coupled to the host processing system and to one or more motor controllers and/or sensors, servos, stepper motors, or other subsystems of the UAV;

one or more motors coupled to the one or more motor controllers;

wherein the host processing system is configured to generate information defining at least one recovery flight plan;

wherein the information defining the recovery flight plan is stored in a memory associated with the flight control system; and

wherein the flight control system is configured to retrieve the information and execute the recovery flight plan in the event of a failure in the host processing system.

32. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 31, wherein the flight control system is configured to generate recovery motor controller commands, and wherein the recovery motor controller commands are stored in a memory associated with the motor controllers.

33. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 31, wherein the host processing system is configured to generate a plurality of recovery flight paths.