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

• US 20180239369A1
• Filed: 04/23/2018
• Published: 08/23/2018
• 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 10,671,095 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:

receiving a first plurality of flight missions into a UAV;

deploying the UAV in a first region;

autonomously launching the UAV in the first region a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions;

providing first survey data from the UAV; and

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

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

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second plurality of flight missions into the UAV;

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

autonomously launching the UAV in the second region a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and

providing a second survey data from the UAV;

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

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing, by a first processor of the first UAV, 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 region; and

charging the battery of the UAV in the second region.

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

7. 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.

8. 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 a landing location in the first region if the determined UAV battery power level drops below a predetermined voltage threshold.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

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

providing the data analysis to a customer.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

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

storing the provided second survey data in the UAV memory in the second region.

11. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

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

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

12. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

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

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

13. The method of claim 2 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.

14. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

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

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

providing third survey data from the second UAV;

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

receiving a fourth plurality of flight missions in the second region;

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

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

providing a fourth survey data from the second UAV;

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

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

a first region;

a second region;

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

receive one or more flight missions in the first region;

provide flight survey data from the received one or more flight missions in the first region; and

migrate the UAV from the first region to the second region.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

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

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

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a first transceiver of the UAV;

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

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.

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

19. The system of claim 15 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.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

a weather sensor in communication with a processor of the UAV;

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

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the migration of the UAV from the first region to the second region happens autonomously and without active human intervention.