Search and Rescue UAV System and Method

• US 20170088261A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sequeira, Melwyn F., Mohiuddin, Mohammad
• Granted Patent: US 11,467,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/56 for locating missing persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/57 for bringing emergency supplies to persons or animals in danger, e.g. ropes or life vests
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/90 using synthetic aperture techniques , e.g. synthetic aperture radar [SAR] techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/0245 Radar with phased array antenna
• 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: G08G 5/00 Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having at least one sensor for detecting the presence of a survivor in a search and rescue area. The at least one sensor is preferably an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver sensor. The UAV includes a UAV data link transceiver for wirelessly communicating information concerning the survivor to a command center.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver sensor for detecting the presence of a survivor in a search and rescue area; and

a UAV data link transceiver for wirelessly communicating information concerning the survivor to a command center.

2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the information concerning the survivor includes survivor vital signs telemetry data.

3. The UAV of claim 2, wherein the survivor vital signs telemetry data comprises the heart and/or respiration rate of the survivor.

4. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising an inter-UAV data link transceiver for wirelessly communicating information concerning the survivor to another UAV.

5. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a medical supply compartment for holding emergency medical supplies, wherein the medical supply compartment is configured to release medical supplies to the survivor based on the detected presence of the survivor.

6. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a UAV local positioning system module for receiving local positioning signals from multiple local positioning system portable antennas surrounding the search and rescue area for determining the position of the UAV in the search and rescue area.

7. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV data link transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate the information concerning the survivor via a UAV-command data link to the command center.

8. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor for detecting the presence of objects in the search and rescue area, wherein the UAV data link transceiver wirelessly communicates the detected presence of objects to the command center.

9. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a gas sensor for detecting the presence of different kinds of gases, wherein the UAV data link transceiver wirelessly communicates the detected presence of different gases to the command center.

10. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a visible light camera for detecting video and communicating the video to the command center.

11. A search and rescue system, comprising:

a command center; and

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having at least one sensor for detecting the presence of a survivor in a search and rescue area, and a UAV data link transceiver for wirelessly communicating information concerning the survivor to the command center.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor is an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the command center comprises a local positioning system command center module for receiving and/or local positioning signals from multiple local positioning system portable antennas surrounding the search and rescue area for determining the position of the UAV in the search and rescue area.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the command center comprises a 3-dimensional mapping system for creating a 3-dimensional contour map of the search and rescue area.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the command center comprises a wide-area modem for communicating over a cellular network.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the UAV further comprises an inter-UAV data link transceiver for wirelessly communicating the information concerning the survivor to another UAV.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein UAV data link transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate the information concerning the survivor via a UAV-command data link to the command center.

18. A search and rescue method, comprising:

deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver sensor in a search and rescue area;

the UWB transceiver sensor detecting the presence of a survivor in the search and rescue area; and

the UAV wirelessly communicating information concerning the survivor to a command center.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the command center loading a reference location into a UAV location positioning system module of the UAV; and

the UAV using the UAV location positioning system module for determining the survivor'"'"'s location based on a preloaded reference location.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining an ingress/egress path to the survivor.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the command center identifying a hazardous condition in the determined ingress/egress path.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the UAV requesting deployment of a substitute UAV if the UAV is damaged or trapped.