SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOTE DISTRIBUTED CONTROL OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT

• US 20160370800A1
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chau, Kiet Tuan, Canoy, Michael-David Nakayoshi, DeVico, Michael Orlando
• Granted Patent: US 9,933,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for providing control of an unmanned aircraft (UA). A server may receive an indication from a UA that a transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight is required while the UA is in autonomous flight. The server may select a pilot station for providing pilot controlled flight of the UA. Selecting a pilot station for providing pilot controlled flight of the UA may be based on a pilot criterion associated with the pilot station. A UA may detect a condition that requires a transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight and establish a pilot criterion for pilot controlled flight based on the detected condition. The UA may send a request for a pilot that includes the pilot criterion and information about the condition.

Claims

1. A method for managing control of an unmanned aircraft (UA), comprising:

receiving, by a server, an indication from the UA in autonomous flight of a detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight;

determining, by the server, pilot selection criteria for selecting a pilot at a pilot station that is capable of providing pilot controlled flight of the UA under the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight; and

selecting, by the server, the pilot station for providing pilot controlled flight of the UA based on the pilot selection criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

linking, by the server, the selected pilot station to the UA; and

relaying, by the server, flight control feedback data from the UA to the selected pilot station and flight control data from the selected pilot station to the UA.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pilot selection criteria comprises one or more of:

an overall length of pilot experience;

a length of pilot experience associated with a condition upon which the transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight is based;

a length of pilot experience associated with the UA;

a pilot physical condition;

a pilot mental condition;

a pilot flight recency;

a pilot affiliation;

a pilot qualification;

a pilot flight certification status;

a pilot medical certification status;

a pilot ready status;

a pilot incident history;

a pilot crash history;

a pilot availability status;

a geographic proximity of the pilot to the UA;

or a quality of a network connection of the pilot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight comprises one or more of:

a weather condition;

a geographic condition;

a visibility condition;

a UA mechanical condition;

a UA instrument condition;

a communication link quality condition;

a mission requirement condition;

a UA type;

or a UA characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting, by the server, the pilot station for providing pilot controlled flight of the UA based on the pilot selection criteria comprises:

selecting, by the server, one or more pilot candidates to pilot the UA based on the pilot selection criteria; and

transmitting, by the server, a mission offer to the one or more pilot candidates to pilot the UA.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the server, one or more acceptances from the one or more pilot candidates accepting the mission offer to pilot the UA; and

selecting, by the server, a pilot candidate from among the one or more pilot candidates accepting the mission offer to pilot the UA based on the pilot selection criteria.

4. (canceled)

8. An apparatus for managing control of an unmanned aircraft (UA), comprising:

a transceiver; and

a server processor coupled to the transceiver, the server processor configured with processor-executable instructions for performing operations comprising;

receiving an indication from the UA in autonomous flight of a detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight;

determining pilot selection criteria for selecting a pilot at a pilot station that is capable of providing pilot controlled flight of the UA under the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight; and

selecting the pilot station for providing pilot controlled flight of the UA based on the pilot selection criteria.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server processor is configured with processor-executable instructions for performing operations further comprising:

linking the selected pilot station to the UA; and

relaying flight control feedback data from the UA to the selected pilot station and flight control data from the selected pilot station to the UA.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pilot selection criteria comprises one or more of:

an overall length of pilot experience;

a length of pilot experience associated with a condition upon which the transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight is based;

a length of pilot experience associated with the UA;

a pilot physical condition;

a pilot mental condition;

a pilot flight recency;

a pilot affiliation;

a pilot qualification;

a pilot flight certification status;

a pilot medical certification status;

a pilot ready status;

a pilot incident history;

a pilot crash history;

a pilot availability status;

a geographic proximity of the pilot to the UA;

or a quality of a network connection of the pilot.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight comprises one or more of:

a weather condition;

a geographic condition;

a visibility condition;

a UA mechanical condition;

a UA instrument condition;

a communication link quality condition;

a mission requirement condition;

a UA type;

or a UA characteristic.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server processor is configured with processor-executable instructions for performing operations such that selecting the pilot station for providing pilot controlled flight of the UA based on the pilot selection criteria comprises:

selecting one or more pilot candidates to pilot the UA based on the pilot selection criteria; and

transmitting a mission offer to the one or more pilot candidates to pilot the UA.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the server processor is configured with processor-executable instructions for performing operations further comprising:

receiving one or more acceptances from the one or more pilot candidates accepting the mission offer to pilot the UA; and

selecting a pilot candidate from among the one or more pilot candidates accepting the mission offer to pilot the UA based on the pilot selection criteria.

11. (canceled)

15. A method for managing control of an unmanned aircraft (UA), comprising:

detecting, by the UA, a condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight; and

determining, by the UA, pilot selection criteria for selecting a pilot at a pilot station that is capable of providing pilot controlled flight of the UA under the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending, by the UA, a request for a pilot at a pilot station to perform pilot controlled flight of the UA, the request for the pilot including the pilot selection criteria.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the UA, mapping information for the pilot station that is selected in response to the request for a pilot at a pilot station to perform pilot controlled flight of the UA; and

establishing, by the UA, a link to the selected pilot station based on the received mapping information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the UA on the established link to the selected pilot station, flight control data configured to control flight of the UA; and

relaying, by the UA on the established link to the selected pilot station, flight control feedback data to the selected pilot station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the flight control data comprises flight commands for enabling pilot controlled flight of the UA.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the flight control feedback data comprises at least one of a UA flight instrument data feed and a UA flight video data feed.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the pilot selection criteria comprises one or more of:

an overall length of pilot experience;

a length of pilot experience associated with a condition upon which the transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight is based;

a length of pilot experience associated with the UA;

a pilot physical condition;

a pilot mental condition;

a pilot flight recency;

a pilot affiliation;

a pilot qualification;

a pilot flight certification status;

a pilot medical certification status;

a pilot ready status;

a pilot incident history;

a pilot crash history;

a pilot availability status;

a geographic proximity of the pilot to the UA;

or a quality of a network connection of the pilot.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight comprises one or more of:

a weather condition;

a geographic condition;

a visibility condition;

a UA mechanical condition;

a UA instrument condition;

a communication link quality condition;

a mission requirement condition;

a UA type;

or a UA characteristic.

23. An unmanned aircraft (UA), comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor configured with processor-executable instructions to;

detect a condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight; and

determine pilot selection criteria for selecting a pilot at a pilot station that is capable of providing pilot controlled flight of the UA under the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight.

24. The UA of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to send a request for a pilot to perform pilot controlled flight of the UA, the request for a pilot including the pilot selection criteria.

25. The UA of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

receive mapping information for a pilot station that is selected in response to the request for a pilot at a pilot station to perform pilot controlled flight of the UA; and

establish a link to the selected pilot station based on the received mapping information.

26. The UA of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

receive flight control data configured to control the flight of the UA; and

relay flight control feedback data to the selected pilot station.

27. The UA of claim 26, wherein the flight control data comprises flight commands for enabling the pilot controlled flight of the UA.

28. The UA of claim 26, wherein the flight control feedback data comprises one of a UA flight instrument data feed, and a UA flight video data feed.

29. The UA of claim 23, wherein the pilot selection criteria comprises one or more of:

an overall length of pilot experience;

a length of pilot experience associated with a condition upon which the transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight is based;

a length of pilot experience associated with the UA;

a pilot physical condition;

a pilot mental condition;

a pilot flight recency;

a pilot affiliation;

a pilot qualification;

a pilot flight certification status;

a pilot medical certification status;

a pilot ready status;

a pilot incident history;

a pilot crash history;

a pilot availability status;

a geographic proximity of the pilot to the UA;

or a quality of a network connection of the pilot.

30. The UA of claim 23, wherein the detected condition that requires the UA to transition from autonomous flight to pilot controlled flight comprises one or more of:

a weather condition;

a geographic condition;

a visibility condition;

a UA mechanical condition;

a UA instrument condition;

a communication link quality condition;

a mission requirement condition;

a UA type;

or a UA characteristic.