UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AUTHORIZATION AND GEOFENCE ENVELOPE DETERMINATION
First Claim
1. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system, comprising:
- one or more sensor interfaces; and
a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, said computing system programmed to implement;
an estimator engine, the estimator engine configured to;
determine an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV;
determine an estimated fuel consumption of the UAV;
determine, using information obtained via the one or more sensor interfaces from sensors included in the UAV, estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV;
determine estimated flight times remaining for a current flight path, and one or more alternative flight paths, wherein determining an estimated flight time, for each of the current and alternative flight paths, uses;
the estimated fuel remaining,the estimated fuel consumption,the information associated with wind, andinformation describing the current and alternative flight paths; and
in response to determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a threshold, select an alternative flight path based at least in part on the determined estimated fuel remaining, the determined estimated fuel consumption, and the information associated with wind.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for unmanned aerial vehicle authorization and geofence envelope determination. One of the methods includes determining, by an electronic system in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV. An estimated fuel consumption of the UAV is determined. Estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV is determined using information obtained from sensors included in the UAV. Estimated flights times remaining for a current path, and one or more alternative flight paths, are determined using the determined estimated fuel remaining, determined estimated fuel consumption, determined information associated wind, and information describing each flight path. In response to the electronic system determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a first threshold, an alternative flight path is selected.
64 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system, comprising:
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one or more sensor interfaces; and a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, said computing system programmed to implement; an estimator engine, the estimator engine configured to; determine an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV; determine an estimated fuel consumption of the UAV; determine, using information obtained via the one or more sensor interfaces from sensors included in the UAV, estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV; determine estimated flight times remaining for a current flight path, and one or more alternative flight paths, wherein determining an estimated flight time, for each of the current and alternative flight paths, uses; the estimated fuel remaining, the estimated fuel consumption, the information associated with wind, and information describing the current and alternative flight paths; and in response to determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a threshold, select an alternative flight path based at least in part on the determined estimated fuel remaining, the determined estimated fuel consumption, and the information associated with wind. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method implemented by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in flight, the UAV comprising an electronic system comprising hardware, the method comprising:
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determining, by the UAV electronic system, an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV; determining, by the UAV electronic system, an estimated fuel consumption of the UAV; determining by the UAV electronic system, using information obtained from sensors included in the UAV, estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV; determining estimated flight times remaining for a current flight path, and one or more alternative flight paths, wherein determining an estimated flight time, for each of the current and alternative flight paths, uses; the determined estimated fuel remaining, the determined estimated fuel consumption, the information associated with wind, and information describing the current and alternative flight paths; and in response to determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a first threshold, selecting an alternative flight path based at least in part on the determined estimated fuel remaining, the determined estimated fuel consumption, and the information associated with wind. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more processors included in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
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determining an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV; determining an estimated fuel consumption of the UAV; determining, using information obtained from sensors included in the UAV, estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV; determining estimated flight times remaining for a current flight path, and one or more alternative flight paths, wherein determining an estimated flight time, for each of the current and alternative flight paths, uses; the determined estimated fuel remaining, the determined estimated fuel consumption, the information associated with wind, and information describing the current and alternative flight paths; and in response to determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a first threshold, selecting an alternative flight path based at least in part on the determined estimated fuel remaining, the determined estimated fuel consumption, and the information associated with wind. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification