Methods and Apparatus for Regulating a Position of a Drone

• US 20190324460A1
• Filed: 04/18/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
• Inventors: EGNER, Will A.
• Granted Patent: US 11,112,798 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 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• 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: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

A drone autonomously operates to track an object and/or observe the details of an object while maintaining communication at a rate equal to or greater than a threshold. A drone may operate to maintain the image of an object at or above a predetermined resolution in an image captured by a camera mounted on the drone and to maintain a wireless communication rate equal to or greater than a threshold rate. The object resolution may be a function of the position of the drone relative to the object. The position of the drone may include the altitude of the drone. The communication rate may be a function of the position of the drone relative to one or more base stations. The position of the drone relative to the object and to the base stations may be a function of altitude. A drone may autonomously move to capture an image of an object at an object resolution and maintain wireless communication at or above a threshold. A drone may operate in one or more modes while moving to accomplish the objectives of object resolution and communication data rate.

Claims

1. A method performed by a drone for regulating an altitude of the drone, the method performed autonomously by the drone, the method comprising:

detecting a mode of operation, the mode of operation includes a stealth mode and an observation mode;

while in the observation mode;

performing at least one of decreasing the altitude of the drone to move closer to an object and changing a zoom factor of a camera until a resolution of the object in an image captured by the camera is equal to or greater than an observation resolution; and

transmitting wirelessly to a server a video data captured by the camera at a rate that is equal to or greater than a threshold;

while in the stealth mode;

increasing the altitude of the drone to move away from the object;

adjusting the zoom factor of the camera until the resolution of the object in the image is about a surveillance resolution; and

transmitting wirelessly to the server the video data captured by the camera at the rate;

wherein;

the camera is coupled to the drone; and

the observation resolution is greater than the surveillance resolution.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the observation resolution is thirty-five percent of a total number of pixels of the image captured by the camera.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the surveillance resolution is one percent of a total number of pixels of the image captured by the camera.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein while the resolution of the object is at least the surveillance resolution, the drone may identify the object in the image captured by the camera.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein while the resolution of the object is at least the surveillance resolution, the drone may track the object.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein while the resolution of the object is equal to or greater than the observation resolution, the image of the object includes visual details of the object for identifying the object.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the object is a human; and

the observation resolution includes visual details of the human.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold for the rate of wireless communication is sufficient to support live-streaming of the video data captured by the camera.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising while in the stealth mode, if the rate of wireless communication at all altitudes is less than the threshold:

changing at least one of the altitude of the drone and the zoom factor of the camera until the resolution of the object captured by the camera is about equal to the surveillance resolution; and

recording the video data captured by the camera.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising while in the observation mode, if the rate of wireless communication at all altitudes is less than the threshold:

changing at least one of the altitude of the drone and the zoom factor of the camera until the resolution of the object captured by the camera is equal to or greater than the observation resolution; and

recording the video data captured by the camera.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein while in one of the stealth mode and the observation mode, transmitting the video data comprises transmitting a live-stream of the video data captured by the camera to the server.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising while in one of the stealth mode and the observation mode, tracking a movement of the object.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the mode of operation further comprises a tracking mode; and

the method further comprises;

while in the tracking mode;

changing at least one of the altitude of the drone and the zoom factor of the camera until a resolution of the object in the image is equal to or greater than an surveillance resolution; and

transmitting wirelessly to the server the video data captured by the camera at the rate.

14. A system for regulating an altitude of a drone, the system comprising:

a processing circuit, the processing circuit positioned on the drone, the processing circuit controls a flight of the drone;

a communication circuit, the communication circuit communicates with a server via a wireless communication link, the communication circuit positioned on the drone;

a camera, the camera captures an image, the image includes a plurality of pixels, the camera positioned on the drone;

wherein;

the processing circuit detects a mode of operation, the mode of operation includes a stealth mode and an observation mode;

while in the observation mode, the system;

performs at least one of decreases the altitude of the drone to move closer to an object and changes a zoom factor of the camera until a resolution of the object in the image is equal to or greater than an observation resolution; and

transmits wirelessly to the server a video data captured by the camera at a rate that is equal to or greater than a threshold;

while in the stealth mode, the system;

increases the altitude of the drone to move away from the object;

adjusts the zoom factor of the camera until the resolution of the object in the image is about a surveillance resolution; and

transmits to the server the video data captured by the camera at the rate; and

the observation resolution is greater than the surveillance resolution.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the observation resolution is thirty-five percent of the plurality of pixels.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the surveillance resolution is about one percent of the plurality of pixels.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising while in the stealth mode, if the rate of wireless communication at all altitudes is less than the threshold:

changing at least one of the altitude of the drone and the zoom factor of the camera until the resolution of the object in the image is about equal to the surveillance resolution; and

recording the video data captured by the camera.

18. The system of claim 14 further comprising while in the observation mode, if the rate of wireless communication at all altitudes is less than the threshold:

changing at least one of the altitude of the drone and the zoom factor of the camera until the resolution of the object captured by the camera is equal to or greater than the observation resolution; and

recording the video data captured by the camera.

19. The system of claim 14 further comprising while in the stealth mode or in the observation mode, the system tracks a movement of the object.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the mode of operation further comprises a tracking mode;

while in the tracking mode, the system;

changes at least one of the altitude of the drone and the zoom factor of the camera until a resolution of the object in the image is equal to or greater than an surveillance resolution; and

transmits wirelessly to the server the video data captured by the camera at the rate.