Methods and Apparatus for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Autonomous Aviation

• US 20160054737A1
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cape Productions, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cape Productions, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soll, Jason, Finsterbusch, Thomas, Gresham, Louis, Murphy, Mark, Charalambides, Gabriel, Loo, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/832,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• 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 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/13 the information being derived from movement of the record carrier, e.g. using tachometer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

In some embodiments, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is configured to navigate to a first location point from a plurality of location points. The plurality of location points defines a flight pattern. The UAV is further configured to receive a set of location coordinates of a moving object. The UAV is configured to determine the distance between the moving object and the UAV based on the set of location coordinates of the moving object and the first location point of the UAV. When the distance between the moving object and the UAV reaches a pre-determined threshold, the UAV is configured to advance to a second location point from the plurality of location points.

Claims

1. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), configured to:

navigate to a first location point from a plurality of location points, the plurality of location points defining a flight pattern;

receive a set of location coordinates of a moving object;

determine the distance between the moving object and the UAV based on the set of location coordinates of the moving object and the first location point of the UAV; and

when the distance between the moving object and the UAV reaches a pre-determined threshold, advance to a second location point from the plurality of location points.

2. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, further configured to:

record a video of the moving object from a camera disposed on the UAV.

3. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, further configured to:

monitor a velocity vector of the moving object; and

adjust a velocity vector of the UAV such that the UAV advances along the flight pattern at a speed corresponding to the speed of the moving object.

4. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, further configured to:

monitor the distance between the moving object and the UAV based on data from computer vision produced from a camera disposed on the UAV.

5. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, further configured to:

monitor the distance between the moving object and the UAV based on data received from the moving object.

6. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, further configured to:

record a video of the moving object from a camera disposed on the UAV; and

adjust a gimbal head of the camera such that the moving object stays in a frame of the camera.

7. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, wherein the set of location coordinates of the moving object includes is a pair of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coordinates.

8. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle of claim 1, wherein the set of location coordinates of the moving object includes coordinates relative to a reference location.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions executed by the processor to;

establish an initial flight plan of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV);

update the initial flight plan based on a spatial safety consideration to form an updated flight plan;

store the updated flight plan in the memory;

download the updated flight plan from the memory.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the initial flight plan includes a plurality of location points, the plurality of location points being spaced evenly along the initial flight plan.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the spatial safety consideration includes a distance between the initial flight plan and an obstacle.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory stores instructions executed by the processor to:

update the initial flight plan based on a distance between an obstacle and a nearest location point from a plurality of location points in the initial flight plan such that the distance between the obstacle and the nearest location point is maximized.