UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20160046374A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airphrame, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Airphrame, Inc.
• Inventors: Kugelmass, Bret
• Granted Patent: US 9,346,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/80 UAVs characterised by their small size, e.g. micro air vehicles [MAV]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/65 Composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/32 for cartography or topography
• 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 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• 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
• 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 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 : using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 : using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters

Abstract

One variation of a method for imaging an area of interest includes: within a user interface, receiving a selection for a set of interest points on a digital map of a physical area and receiving a selection for a resolution of a geospatial map; identifying a ground area corresponding to the set of interest points for imaging during a mission; generating a flight path over the ground area for execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission; setting an altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle along the flight path based on the selection for the resolution of the geospatial map and an optical system arranged within the unmanned aerial vehicle; setting a geospatial accuracy requirement for the mission based on the selection for the mission type; and assembling a set of images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission into the geospatial map.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

within a user interface, receiving a selection for a set of interest points on a digital map of a physical area and a selection for a resolution of a geospatial map;

selecting a ground area corresponding to the set of interest points for imaging during a mission;

generating a first flight path over a first portion the ground area for execution by a first unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission;

generating a second flight path over a second portion of the ground area for execution by a second unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission, the second portion of the ground area different from the first portion of the ground area;

based on a flight condition detected during the mission, assigning a segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle;

generating a third flight path over a third portion of the ground area for execution by the first unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission, the third portion of the ground area comprising the first portion the ground area less the segment of the first portion of the ground area and less a region of the ground area previously imaged by the first unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission;

generating a fourth flight path over a fourth portion of the ground area for execution by the second unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission, the fourth portion of the ground area comprising a union of the second portion of the ground area and the segment of the first portion of the ground area less a region of the ground area previously imaged by the second unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission;

loading the third flight path to the first unmanned aerial vehicle in replacement of the first flight path prior to completion of the mission by the first unmanned aerial vehicle; and

uploading the fourth flight path to the second unmanned aerial vehicle in replacement of the second flight path prior to completion of the mission by the second unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

within the user interface, receiving a resolution selection for the geospatial map;

setting a first target altitude for the first unmanned aerial vehicle along the first flight path based on the selection for the resolution of the geospatial map and a first imaging system arranged within the first unmanned aerial vehicle; and

setting a second target altitude for the second unmanned aerial vehicle along the second flight path based on the selection for the resolution of the geospatial map and a second imaging system arranged within the second unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

within the user interface, receiving a selection for a type of the mission from a set of mission types consisting of a land area survey and structural survey;

setting a geospatial accuracy requirement for the mission based on the selection for the type of the mission; and

assembling a first set of images captured by the first unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission and a second set of images captured by the second unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission into the geospatial map based on the geospatial accuracy requirement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle comprises:

receiving telemetry data from first unmanned aerial vehicle;

transforming the telemetry data into an actual flight path of the first unmanned aerial vehicle; and

redistributing the segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle in response to the actual flight path of the first unmanned aerial vehicle deviating from the first flight path by greater than a threshold deviation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle comprises:

receiving telemetry data from first unmanned aerial vehicle;

transforming the telemetry data into a wind condition local the first unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission; and

redistributing the segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle in response to wind condition exceeding a threshold wind condition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the first flight path comprises setting a first target altitude for the first unmanned aerial vehicle over the ground area;

and wherein generating the third flight path comprises, based on the wind condition local to the first unmanned aerial vehicle, setting a third target altitude for the first unmanned aerial vehicle over the ground area, the third target altitude less than the first target altitude.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the first flight path comprises setting a first target image overlap for consecutive images captured by the first unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the first flight path;

and wherein generating the third flight path comprises setting a third target image overlap for consecutive images captured by the first unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the third flight path, the third target image target overlap greater than the first target image overlap.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle comprises retrieving forecast weather data proximal the ground area and redistributing the segment of the first portion of the ground area to the second unmanned aerial vehicle based on the forecast weather data.

9. A method, comprising:

within a user interface, receiving a selection for a set of interest points on a digital map of a physical area and a selection for a resolution of a geospatial map;

selecting a ground area for imaging during a mission based on the set of interest points;

generating a primary flight path for execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission;

setting a first target altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle along the primary flight path based on an imaging system arranged within the unmanned aerial vehicle and a first resolution target corresponding to the selection for the resolution of the geospatial map;

during the mission, identifying an area of interest within the ground area based on images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path;

generating a secondary flight path over the area of interest for execution by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission;

setting a second target altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle along the secondary flight path, the second target altitude lower than the first target altitude and corresponding to a second resolution target for the area of interest; and

assembling a first set of images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path and a second set of images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the secondary flight path into the geospatial map.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the area of interest within the ground area comprises analyzing an image captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission to identify a localized event occurring within the ground at the time of the mission;

and wherein generating the secondary flight path comprises defining the secondary flight path over the localized event for execution by the unmanned aerial vehicle prior to landing at the end of the mission.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising, through the user interface, receiving a time accuracy requirement for the geospatial map;

wherein selecting the ground area comprises;

selecting a survey land area bounded by the set of interest points;

retrieving, from a database, a group of previous images of the survey land area previously captured by unmanned aerial vehicles within a threshold duration of time from the current time based on the time accuracy requirement; and

selecting the ground area based on a disjoint of the survey land area and a ground region captured in the group of images;

wherein assembling the first set of images and the second set of images into the geospatial map comprises assembling the first set of images, the second set of images, and the group of previous images into the geospatial map.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting optical distortion in a region of an image in the first set of images and identifying the area of interest from the region of the image;

wherein setting the second target altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises setting the second target altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the second resolution target greater than the first resolution target to yield optical distortion in images of the area of interest in the second set of images less than optical distortion in images of the area of interest in the first set of images.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein setting the first target altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle along the primary flight path comprises accessing altitude data of physical features within the ground area and setting a first sequence of target altitudes along the primary flight path for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on altitudes of the physical features within the ground area and the imaging system installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle.

14. A method, comprising:

within a user interface, receiving a selection for a set of interest points on a digital map of a physical area and a selection for a geospatial accuracy of a geospatial map;

selecting a ground area for imaging during a mission based on the set of interest points;

generating a primary flight path for execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission to capture images of the ground area;

assigning a first target image capture density to the primary flight path based on the selection for the geospatial accuracy of the geospatial map;

during the mission, identifying an area of interest within the ground area based on images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path;

generating a secondary flight path over the area of interest for execution by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission;

assigning a second target image capture density to the secondary flight path; and

assembling a first set of images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path and a second set of images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the secondary flight path into the geospatial map.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting, over a wireless network, the secondary flight path and the second target image capture density to the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission, the first target image capture density greater than the second target image capture density.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein assigning the first target image capture density comprises setting the first target image capture density according to a first target overlap of consecutive images in the first set of images based on the selection for geospatial accuracy of the geospatial map;

and wherein assigning the second target image capture density comprises setting the second target image capture density according to a second target overlap of consecutive images in the second set of images greater than the first target overlap, the second target overlap greater than the first target overlap.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the primary flight path comprises defining a first cutback distance between legs of the primary flight path based on the first target overlap of consecutive images in the first set of images;

wherein generating the secondary flight path comprises defining a second cutback distance less than the first cutback distance between legs of the secondary flight path based on the second target overlap of consecutive images in the second set of images.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting optical distortion in a region of an image in the first set of images and identifying the area of interest in the region of the image;

wherein assigning the first target image capture density comprises setting the first target image capture density to achieve a first image overlap percentage between consecutive images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path; and

wherein assigning the second target image capture density comprises setting the second target image capture density to achieve a second image overlap percentage between consecutive images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the secondary flight path, the second image overlap percentage greater than the first image overlap percentage.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein assembling the first set of images and the second set of images into the geospatial map comprises:

cropping regions of consecutive images in the first set of images based on the first image overlap percentage;

cropping regions of consecutive images in the second set of images based on the second image overlap percentage; and

combining cropped images in the first image set and cropped images in the second image set into the geospatial map.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising uploading the primary flight path to the unmanned aerial vehicle prior to commencement of the mission and uploading the secondary flight path to the unmanned aerial vehicle during execution of the primary flight path during the mission.