FLIGHT CONTROL FOR FLIGHT-RESTRICTED REGIONS

• US 20160321930A9
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Yu, Yun, Lin, Canlong, Chen, Xi, Wang, Mingyu, Wang, Tao, Song, Jianyu
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,408 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: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• 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 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for providing flight response to flight-restricted regions. The location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be compared with a location of a flight-restricted region. If needed a flight-response measure may be taken by the UAV to prevent the UAV from flying in a no-fly zone. Different flight-response measures may be taken based on the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted region and the rules of a jurisdiction within which the UAV falls.

Claims

1. A method for determining a flight-restricted region along a boundary, said method comprising:

acquiring data regarding a location of the boundary;

selecting, with aid of one or more processors, a plurality of points along the boundary; and

generating, with aid of the one or more processors, a plurality of flight restriction zones along the boundary, wherein each flight restriction zone of the plurality of flight restriction zones (1) includes at least one of the plurality of points along the boundary, and (2) overlaps at least one other flight restriction zone of said plurality of flight restriction zones.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each flight restriction zone of the plurality of flight restriction zones is associated with instructions for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) within or near the flight restriction zone to take one or more flight response measures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more flight response measures include preventing the UAV from entering the flight restriction zone.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more flight response measures include sending an alert to a UAV operator.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more flight response measures include causing the UAV to fly beneath a predetermined altitude or set of altitudes while within the flight restriction zone.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more flight response measures include causing the UAV to land after a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more flight response measures include causing the UAV to land within a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the instructions may be ignored by an authorized user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each flight restriction zone encompasses at least two coordinate points A and B and wherein each flight restriction zone is a flight restriction strip comprising a first and second circle, the first circle having a center at point A and the second circle having a center at point B.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each circle has a radius R and the flight restriction strip has a length L equal to the distance between coordinate points A and point B.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing data regarding the flight restriction strip in a database, wherein the data comprises three entries R, R+L/2 and (A+B)/2 or is sufficient to recreate the flight restriction zone.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each flight restriction zone is defined by an area encompassed by a first circle and a second circle and lines running tangent to the first and second circle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points are spaced regularly along the length of the boundary.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a size or shape of the flight restriction zones are selected based on a shape of the boundary.

15. An apparatus for determining a flight-restricted region along a boundary, said apparatus comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured to;

acquire data regarding a location of the boundary;

select a plurality of points along the boundary; and

generate a plurality of flight restriction zones along the boundary, wherein each flight restriction zone of the plurality of flight restriction zones (1) includes at least one of the plurality of points along the boundary, and (2) overlaps at least one other flight restriction zone of said plurality of flight restriction zones.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a communication unit operably coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the data regarding the location of the boundary.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each flight restriction zone of the plurality of flight restriction zones is associated with instructions for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) within or near the flight restriction zone to take one or more flight response measures.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the boundary is a jurisdictional boundary or an airport boundary.

19. A method for assessing a flight response of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a flight-restricted region, said method comprising:

assessing a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

assessing a location of a flight-restricted region, wherein the flight-restricted region comprises a plurality of flight restriction zones along a boundary, wherein each flight restriction zone of the plurality of flight restriction zones (1) includes one point along the boundary, (2) overlaps at least one other flight restriction zone of said plurality, and (3) is associated with instructions for an unmanned aerial vehicle within or near the flight restriction zone to take one or more flight response measures; and

instructing, with aid of one or more processors, the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the one or more flight response measures when the unmanned aerial vehicle is within or near the flight restriction zone.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle is assessed with aid of a GPS signal at the unmanned aerial vehicle.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein each flight restriction zone is defined by an area encompassed by a first circle and a second circle and lines running tangent to the first and second circle.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein a location of the plurality of points are selected based on a shape of the boundary.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more flight response measures are stored in a memory with location information about the plurality of flight restriction zones.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more flight response measures include preventing the UAV from entering the flight restriction zone.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more flight response measures include causing the UAV to fly beneath a predetermined altitude or set of altitudes while within the flight restriction zone

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more flight response measures include sending an alert to a UAV operator.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more flight response measures include causing the UAV to land after a predetermined period of time.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more flight response measures include causing the UAV to land within a predetermined period of time.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the instructions may be ignored by an authorized user.

30. An apparatus for assessing a flight response of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a flight-restricted region, said apparatus comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured to;

assess a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

assess a location of a flight-restricted region, wherein the flight-restricted region comprises a plurality of flight restriction zones along a boundary, wherein each flight restriction zone of the plurality of flight restriction zones (1) includes one point along the boundary, (2) overlaps at least one other flight restriction zone of said plurality, and (3) is associated with instructions for an unmanned aerial vehicle within or near the flight restriction zone to take one or more flight response measures; and

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the one or more flight response measures when the unmanned aerial vehicle is within or near the flight restriction zone.