SECURITY DRONE SYSTEM

• US 20190025822A1
• Filed: 07/19/2017
• Published: 01/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Superior Communications (Sinclair Broadcast Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Superior Communications (Sinclair Broadcast Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sentosa, Samuel, Chen, Geroge
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/00 Identifying, scaring or incapacitating burglars, thieves or intruders, e.g. by explosives
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A security drone includes a drone housing defining a cavity and an actuator coupled to the drone housing and designed to move the drone housing through the predetermined area. The security drone further includes a camera designed to detect image data corresponding to the predetermined area and a network access device designed to transmit and receive data via a network. The security drone further includes a drone processor positioned within the cavity and coupled to the actuator, the camera, and the network access device. The drone processor is designed to control the actuator to move the drone housing through the predetermined area, identify a potential threat in the predetermined area based on the image data as the drone housing is moved through the predetermined area, and transmit potential threat data corresponding to the potential threat to a remote device when the potential threat is identified.

Claims

1. A security drone for monitoring a predetermined area comprising:

a drone housing defining a cavity;

an actuator coupled to the drone housing and configured to move the drone housing through the predetermined area;

a camera coupled to the drone housing and configured to detect image data corresponding to the predetermined area as the drone housing moves through the predetermined area;

a network access device positioned within the cavity and configured to transmit and receive data via a network; and

a drone processor positioned within the cavity, coupled to the actuator, the camera, and the network access device, and configured to;

control the actuator to move the drone housing through the predetermined area,

identify a potential threat in the predetermined area based on the image data as the drone housing is moved through the predetermined area,

transmit potential threat data corresponding to the potential threat to a remote device when the potential threat is identified,

determine that a portion of the predetermined area is inaccessible to the security drone, and

at least one of avoid the inaccessible portion of the predetermined route, transmit additional potential threat data to the remote device corresponding to the inaccessible portion of the predetermined route, or transmit additional data to the remote device indicating the inaccessible portion of the predetermined route and request instruction regarding the inaccessible portion of the predetermined route in response to determining that the portion of the predetermined route is inaccessible.

2. The security drone of claim 1,, further comprising a memory positioned in the cavity, coupled to the drone processor, and configured to store route data corresponding to a predetermined route through the predetermined area, wherein the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing along the predetermined route based on the stored route data.

3. The security drone of claim 2, wherein the memory is further configured to store at least one predetermined patrol time corresponding to a time of day at which the drone housing should patrol the predetermined area, and the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing along the predetermined route at the stored at least one predetermined patrol time.

4. The security drone of claim 1, wherein the network access device is further configured to receive movement instructions from the remote device and the drone processor is configured to move the drone housing through the predetermined area based on the received movement instructions.

5. The security drone of claim 1, wherein:

the network access device is further configured to receive motion data from at least one motion sensor positioned in the predetermined area, the motion data corresponding to detected motion at a specific location within the predetermined area; and

the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing to the specific location to cause the image data to correspond to the specific location when the network access device receives the motion data from the at least one motion sensor.

6. The security drone of claim 5, wherein the drone processor is configured to control the actuator to operate in each mode listed below based on user input received via the network access device:

a home mode in which the drone processor controls the actuator to cause the drone housing to remain in a single location regardless of the motion data;

a night mode in which the drone processor controls the actuator to cause the drone housing to remain in the single location and to cause the drone housing to move to the specific location when the network access device receives the motion data; and

an away mode in which the drone processor controls the actuator to cause the drone housing to patrol through the predetermined area at least once and to cause the drone housing to move to the specific location when the network access device receives the motion data.

10. The security drone of claim 1, further comprising at least one proximity sensor coupled to the drone housing and configured to detect presence of objects within the predetermined area, wherein the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing through the predetermined area without making contact with the objects based on the detected presence of the objects.

11. The security drone of claim 1, wherein the drone processor is configured to control the drone housing to perform at least one of the below actions, potentially regarding a predetermined distance, when the potential threat is identified:

control the actuator to cause the drone housing to orient the camera towards the potential threat and to maneuver in an orbit around the potential threat;

control the actuator to cause the drone housing to orient the camera towards the potential threat and to maneuver within the predetermined distance of the potential threat;

or

control the actuator to cause the drone housing to orient the camera towards the potential threat and to remain at least the predetermined distance away from the potential threat.

12. The security drone of claim 1, further comprising a microphone coupled to the drone housing and to the drone processor and configured to receive local audio data and a speaker coupled to the drone housing and to the drone processor and configured to output remote audio data, wherein the network access device is further configured to output the remote audio data received from the remote device via the speaker and to transmit the local audio data received via the microphone to the remote device.

13. The security drone of claim 1, further comprising:

a light sensor coupled to the drone housing and the drone processor and configured to detect an ambient amount of light; and

an infrared light source coupled to the drone housing and to the drone processor and configured to output infrared light,

wherein;

the drone processor is further configured to control the infrared light source to output the infrared light when the detected ambient amount of light is less than a threshold amount of light, and

the camera is further configured to detect infrared image data when the infrared light source outputs the infrared light.

7. The security drone of claim h further comprising:

a drone dock coupled to a power source and having an output power port configured to transmit electrical power;

a battery positioned within the cavity and configured to store the electrical power; and

an input power port coupled to the drone housing and electrically coupled to the battery and configured to receive the electrical power from the drone dock and to transmit the electrical power to the battery,

wherein the drone processor is further configured to monitor a current battery status of the battery and to control the actuator to move the drone housing to the drone dock to cause the input power port to receive the electrical power from the drone dock when the current battery status reaches or drops below a predetermined charge level.

8. The security drone of claim 7, further comprising a dock transmitter coupled to the drone dock and configured to transmit a beacon, wherein the network access device is configured to receive the beacon and the drone processor is configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing to the drone dock based on the received beacon.

9. The security drone of claim L wherein:

the network access device is configured to communicate via an IEEE 802.11 protocol and via a cellular protocol;

the network access device is configured to receive a Wi-Fi signal from an access point via the IEEE 802.11 protocol;

the drone processor is further configured to determine a location of the drone housing within the predetermined area based on the received Wi-Fi signal; and

the drone processor is further configured to transmit the potential threat data to the remote device via the IEEE 802.11 protocol in response to communications via the IEEE 802.11 protocol being available and to transmit the potential threat data to the remote device via the cellular protocol in response to communications via the IEEE 802.11 protocol being unavailable.

14. A security drone for monitoring a predetermined area comprising:

a drone housing defining a cavity;

an actuator coupled to the drone housing and configured to move the drone housing through the predetermined area;

a camera coupled to the drone housing and configured to detect image data corresponding to the predetermined area as the drone housing moves through the predetermined area;

a network access device positioned within the cavity and configured to transmit and receive data via a network;

a memory configured to store route data corresponding to a predetermined route through the predetermined area; and

a drone processor positioned within the cavity, coupled to the actuator, the camera, and the network access device, and configured to;

control the actuator to move the drone housing along the predetermined route,

identify a potential threat in the predetermined area based on the image data as the drone housing is moved through the predetermined area,

identify whether the potential threat is a serious threat or a non-serious threat.,

transmit potential threat data corresponding to the potential threat to a remote device in response to determining that the potential threat is the non-serious threat, and

transmit the potential threat data corresponding to the potential threat to authorities in response to identifying that the potential threat is the serious threat.

15. The security drone of claim 14, wherein the memory is further configured to store at least one predetermined patrol time corresponding to a time of day at which the drone housing should patrol the predetermined area, and the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing along the predetermined route at the stored at least one predetermined patrol time.

16. The security drone of claim 14, further comprising:

a light sensor coupled to the drone housing and the drone processor and configured to detect an ambient amount of light; and

an infrared light source coupled to the drone housing and to the drone processor and configured to output infrared light,

wherein;

the drone processor is further configured to control the infrared light source to output the infrared light when the detected ambient amount of light is less than a threshold amount of light, and

the camera is further configured to detect infrared image data when the infrared light source outputs the infrared light.

17. The security drone of claim 16, wherein the memory is further configured to store at least one predetermined patrol time corresponding to a time of day at which the drone housing should move along the predetermined route, wherein the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing along the predetermined route at the stored at least one predetermined patrol time.

18. A security system for monitoring a predetermined area, comprising:

at least one motion sensor positioned in the predetermined area and configured to detect motion data corresponding to detected motion at a specific location within the predetermined area; and

a security drone having;

a drone housing defining a cavity,

an actuator coupled to the drone housing and configured to move the drone housing through the predetermined area,

a camera coupled to the drone housing and configured to detect image data corresponding to the predetermined area as the drone housing moves through the predetermined area,

a microphone configured to detect audio data while in the predetermined area,

a network access device configured to transmit and receive data via a network, and

a drone processor positioned within the cavity, coupled to the actuator, the camera, and the network access device, and configured to;

control the actuator to move the drone housing to the specific location;

identify a potential threat in the specific location based on the image data and the audio data, and

transmit potential threat data corresponding to the potential threat to a remote device when the potential threat is identified.

19. The security system of claim 18, wherein the drone processor is configured to control the actuator to operate in each mode listed below based on user input received via the network access device:

a home mode in which the drone processor controls the actuator to cause the drone housing to remain in a single location regardless of the motion data;

a night mode in which the drone processor controls the actuator to cause the drone housing to remain in the single location and to cause the drone housing to move to the specific location when the network access device receives the motion data; and

an away mode in which the drone processor controls the actuator to cause the drone housing to patrol through the predetermined area at least once and to cause the drone housing to move to the specific location when the network access device receives the motion data.

20. The security system of claim 18, further comprising at least one location transmitter located within the predetermined area and configured to transmit a beacon, herein the network access device is configured to receive the beacon and the drone processor is further configured to control the actuator to move the drone housing within the predetermined area by preventing the actuator from moving the drone housing more than a predetermined distance away from the at least one location transmitter based on the received beacon.