Method for remote-controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 6,377,875 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Schwaerzler, Hans-Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/582,815
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/36, 340/853.2, 244/1.R
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• 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 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00

Abstract

To avoid an uncontrolled flight of a remotely controlled unmanned air vehicle (UAV), upon loss of radio contact between a control station (6) and the UAV (1), the UAV (1) flies on a preprogrammed safety route (3), as required the UAV is guided to a flight path (2) that is remote-controlled from the control station (6), and, in the event of an interruption of the radio contact, the UAV will fly on a substitute route calculated with on-board equipment, without active intervention from the remote control station.

Claims

1. A remote control method for controlling an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) from a control station by means of radio contact therebetween and radio transmission of images from the unmanned air vehicle to the control station, comprising:

flying the unmanned air vehicle on a preprogrammed safety route (3),

as required, guiding the unmanned air vehicle to a flight path (2) that is remotely-controlled through the radio contact from the control station (6), and

if the radio contact is interrupted, then flying the unmanned air vehicle on a substitute route calculated with on-board equipment of the unmanned air vehicle, without active intervention from the control station.

2. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the interrupted radio contact based on an input signal received by a radio receiver of the unmanned air vehicle such that a non-existence of the input signal is recognized as shadowing and an existence of the input signal with unreadable modulation thereof is recognized as interference from an interference source, and

dependent on and responsive to a result of the analyzing, selecting a suitable calculation routine to calculate the substitute route.

3. The remote control method according to claim 1, comprising calculating the substitute route, while monitoring the following criteria in the calculating:

flight through a critical zone in which the radio contact is interrupted,

return to the safety route, and

return to a landing strip.

4. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising extrapolating an instantaneous flight path of the unmanned air vehicle using on-board equipment of the unmanned air vehicle under the following criteria:

recognition of dangerous situations,

safety control of the flight path that is remotely controlled, with respect to ground terrain being flown over,

generation and execution of an anticollision program.

5. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating an instantaneous flight path of the unmanned air vehicle, calculating expected shadow and interference zones, determining a location of a directly occurring interference source, and transmitting to and presenting at the control station:

the instantaneous flight path, the expected shadow and interference zones, and the location of the directly occurring interference source.

6. The remote control method according to claim 1, comprising calculating the substitute route as a preventive measure during the radio contact which is uninterrupted.

7. An unmanned air vehicle comprising:

an on-board preprogrammable flight guidance system for guiding the unmanned air vehicle to fly selectively on a preprogrammed safety route and on a substitute flight route; and

on-board equipment for calculating shadow and interference zones as well as the substitute flight routes;

wherein the flight guidance system comprises an interface for intervention by a radio remote control executed from a control station.

8. A method of controlling an unmanned air vehicle, comprising:

transmitting control signals from a remote control station, receiving said control signals in an unmanned air vehicle, and flying said unmanned air vehicle along a remotely controlled flight path responsive to and in accordance with said control signals;

calculating a substitute flight route on-board said unmanned air vehicle;

upon an interruption of said receiving of said control signals, flying said unmanned air vehicle along said substitute flight route.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said calculating of said substitute flight route is carried out after and responsive to said interruption of said receiving of said control signals.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said calculating of said substitute flight route is carried out during said receiving of said control signals, before said interruption.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said substitute flight route guides said unmanned air vehicle to a location for re-establishing said receiving of said control signals, and thereafter further comprising again flying said unmanned air vehicle responsive to and in accordance with said control signals.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said substitute flight route guides said unmanned air vehicle to a preprogrammed safety route that has been stored in a flight guidance system on-board said unmanned air vehicle, and then further comprising flying said unmanned air vehicle responsive to and in accordance with said preprogrammed safety route.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein said substitute flight route guides said unmanned air vehicle to a preprogrammed landing location that has been stored in a flight guidance system on-board said unmanned air vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising evaluating said interruption of said receiving of said control signals, wherein a failure to receive any input signal is interpreted as shadowing of said control signals transmitted from said remote control station and receiving an input signal with an unrecognizable signal content is interpreted as interference of said control signals transmitted from said remote control station.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said evaluating determines that said interruption resulted from said shadowing, and then further comprising calculating an expected shadow zone in which said shadowing is expected to prevail based on terrain data including data representing known shadowing formations, and then determining an optimum flight path for flying said unmanned air vehicle through and out of said expected shadow zone.