SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

• US 20170146995A1
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Easy Aerial, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Easy Aerial, Inc.
• Inventors: STAMATOVSKI, Ivan, HEFNY, Mohammad
• Granted Patent: US 9,811,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A system and method is provided for the establishment of a fleet of networked unmanned vehicles. The system provides at least one vehicle control device configured to interface with a third party unmanned vehicle and establish communications with other unmanned vehicles and with remote control stations. A plurality of vehicle control devices may be used with a plurality of remote control stations to establish a networked fleet of unmanned vehicles. Communication between the networked vehicles may include control information, sensor information, and mission information.

Claims

1. A system for establishing a networked fleet of unmanned vehicles, the system comprising:

a vehicle control device configured to control an unmanned vehicle and comprising one or more physical processors programmed by computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the vehicle control device to;

establish a vehicle communications interface with a vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle;

transmit control instructions to the vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle;

receive control feedback from the vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle;

receive sensor data from at least one sensor associated with the unmanned vehicle;

establish a remote communications interface with a remote control system;

receive control instructions from the remote control system; and

transmit the sensor data to the remote control system.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second vehicle control device configured for attachment to a second unmanned vehicle and comprising one or more second physical processors programmed by computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the second vehicle control device to:

establish a second vehicle communications interface with a second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle;

transmit control instructions to the second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle;

receive control feedback from the second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle;

receive second sensor data from at least one sensor associated with the second unmanned vehicle;

establish a second remote communications interface with the vehicle control device; and

transmit the second sensor data to the vehicle control device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein transmitting the second sensor data to the vehicle control device includes transmitting the second sensor data via a relay server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device is configured for removable attachment to the unmanned vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned vehicle is of a first unmanned vehicle type and the second unmanned vehicle is of a second unmanned vehicle type.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle cannot directly interface with the second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein transmitting the sensor data to the remote control system includes transmitting the sensor data in real-time.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor information includes at least of image data and video data.

9. A method of establishing a networked fleet of unmanned vehicles, comprising:

establishing, by the vehicle control device, a vehicle communications interface with a vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle;

transmitting, by the vehicle control device, control instructions to the vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle;

receiving, by the vehicle control device, control feedback from the vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle;

receiving, by the vehicle control device, sensor data from at least one sensor associated with the unmanned vehicle;

establishing, by the vehicle control device, a remote communications interface with a remote control system;

receiving, by the vehicle control device, control instructions from the remote control system; and

transmitting, by the vehicle control device, the sensor data to the remote control system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

attaching a second vehicle control device to a second unmanned vehicle, the second unmanned vehicle control device having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the vehicle control device to perform actions;

establishing, by the second vehicle control device, a second vehicle communications interface with a second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle;

transmitting, by the second vehicle control device, control instructions to the second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle;

receiving, by the second vehicle control device, control feedback from the second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle;

receiving, by the second vehicle control device, second sensor data from at least one sensor associated with the second unmanned vehicle;

establishing, by the second vehicle control device, a second remote communications interface with the vehicle control device; and

transmitting, by the second vehicle control device the second sensor data to the vehicle control device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the second sensor data to the vehicle control device includes transmitting the second sensor data via a relay server.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle control device is configured for removable attachment to the unmanned vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the unmanned vehicle is of a first unmanned vehicle type and the second unmanned vehicle is of a second unmanned vehicle type.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle control board of the unmanned vehicle cannot directly interface with the second vehicle control board of the second unmanned vehicle.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the sensor data to the remote control system includes transmitting the sensor data in real-time.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor information includes at least of image data and video data.