SURVEY MIGRATION SYSTEM FOR VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING (VTOL) UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVS)

• US 20170177006A1
• Filed: 02/10/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerovironment
• Original Assignee: Aerovironment
• Inventors: FISHER, CHRISTOPHER EUGENE, Mukherjee, Jason Sidharthadev, Lott, William Arden, Aagaard, Eric James
• Granted Patent: US 9,977,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/02 having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/02 Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/222 for storing aircraft, e.g. in hangars
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/20 Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• 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 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 : Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 : Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 : for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations

Abstract

A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod; autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.

Claims

1. A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, comprising:

uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod;

deploying the UAV pod;

autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions;

providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod;

autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod;

receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod;

providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod;

autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and

providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod;

wherein the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing data analysis of the first and second survey data; and

providing the data analysis to the customer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing, by a first processor of the first UAV pod, the provided first survey data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the processing comprises at least one of:

converting the provided first survey data into one or more viewable images with accompanying geospatial location and stitching the one or more images into an orthomosaic.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

charging a battery of the UAV in the first UAV pod; and

charging the battery of the UAV in the second UAV pod.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the provided first survey data in a UAV pod memory of the first UAV pod; and

storing the provided second survey data in a UAV pod memory of the second UAV pod.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by a first weather sensor in communication with a first processor of the first UAV pod, a flight decision based on a measurement of the external environment prior to each autonomous launch of the UAV from the first UAV pod; and

determining, by a second weather sensor in communication with a second processor of the second UAV pod, a flight decision based on a measurement of the external environment prior to each autonomous launch of the UAV from the second UAV pod.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

autonomously landing the UAV in the first UAV pod a plurality of times after each of the performed first plurality of flight missions; and

autonomously landing the UAV in the second UAV pod a plurality of times after each of the performed second plurality of flight missions.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

autonomously routing the UAV to a local area network (LAN) for wireless transmission of at least one of;

the first survey data and the second survey data by a transceiver of the UAV.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first plurality of flight missions comprises dropping a payload by the UAV.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first plurality of flight missions comprises loitering the UAV over an event of interest.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a UAV battery power level during the first plurality of flight missions; and

autonomously re-routing the UAV to the first UAV pod if the determined UAV battery power level drops below a predetermined voltage threshold.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

uploading a third plurality of flight missions into the first UAV pod;

autonomously launching a second UAV from the first UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the third plurality of flight missions;

providing third survey data from the second UAV to the first UAV pod;

autonomously migrating the second UAV from the first UAV pod to the second UAV pod;

receiving a fourth plurality of flight missions in the second UAV pod;

providing the second UAV with one of the fourth plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod;

autonomously launching the second UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the fourth plurality of flight missions; and

providing a fourth survey data from the second UAV to the second UAV pod;

wherein the autonomous migrating of the second UAV to accomplish the third and fourth survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.

14. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveying system comprising:

a first region having one or more UAV pods;

a second region having one or more UAV pods;

a UAV having a UAV processor, wherein the UAV processor is configured to;

receive one or more flight missions from a UAV pod in the first region;

provide flight survey data from the received one or more flight missions to the UAV pod in the first region;

migrate the UAV from the UAV pod in the first region to a UAV pod in the second region;

receive one or more flight missions from the UAV pod in the second region; and

provide flight survey data from the received one or more flight missions to the UAV pod in the second region.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the UAV is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the received one or more flight missions includes at least one of:

waypoints, altitude, flight speed, sensor suite configuration data, launch time, launch day, and mission sensor go and no-go parameters.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a first transceiver of the UAV; and

a second transceiver of the UAV pod in the first region; and

a third transceiver of the UAV pod in the second region;

wherein the provided flight survey data from the one or more flight missions in the first region is sent by the first transceiver of the UAV and received by the second transceiver of the UAV pod in the first region; and

wherein the provided flight survey data from the one or more flight missions in the second region is sent by the first transceiver of the UAV and received by the third transceiver of the UAV pod in the second region.

18. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a weather sensor in communication with a processor of the UAV pod in the first region;

wherein the processor of the UAV pod in the first region determines a UAV flight decision based on a measurement of the external environment by the weather sensor prior to each launch of the UAV from the UAV pod in the first region.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the migration of the UAV from the UAV pod in the first region to the UAV pod in the second region happens autonomously and without active human intervention.

20. A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, comprising:

launching, from a first location, a UAV having a portable UAV pod, wherein the portable UAV pod is attached to the UAV at launch;

flying the UAV having the portable UAV pod to a second location;

landing the UAV having the portable UAV pod at the second location; and

detaching the UAV from the UAV pod.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the portable UAV pod folds up after launching and unfolds prior to landing.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the portable UAV pod comprises one or more solar panels for charging the UAV.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

charging a battery of the UAV in the first UAV pod prior to launch.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

determining, by a weather sensor in communication with a processor of the UAV pod, a flight decision based on a measurement of the external environment by the weather sensor prior to launching the UAV from the first location.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein flying the UAV having the portable UAV pod to the second location happens autonomously and without active human intervention.