Unmanned device interaction methods and systems

• US 9,061,102 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US13/601,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.2, 340/5.64
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/002 Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/20 Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically A61M5/142 , A61M5/46 take precedence; hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• 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 1/005 by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for configuring an unmanned aerial device to participate in the performance of tasks, for using data resulting from such a configuration or performance, or for facilitating other interactions with such devices.

Claims

1. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a delivery of a package to a device associated with a recipient of the package, the wireless signal indicating at least one of the second unmanned aerial device or the package or a sender of the package.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to transmit a wireless signal indicative of having performed a particular task and not to store any indication of having performed the particular task.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for overriding a first task being performed by the second unmanned aerial device by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the second unmanned aerial device.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

6. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing a modular observation unit to be lifted and activated within at most about an hour of the modular observation unit becoming part of the second unmanned aerial device.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal comprises:

a proximity sensor configured to detect whether the first unmanned aerial device is within the vicinity of the portal, the vicinity being a detection range of the proximity sensor.

8. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for presenting navigation guidance via a display aboard the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

9. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the second unmanned aerial device to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person.

10. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of a specific person moving at least a threshold distance away from the second unmanned aerial device.

11. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task.

12. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for identifying an operating mode of the second unmanned aerial device audibly or visibly while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

13. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing a third unmanned aerial device to capture delivery data relating to the second unmanned aerial device.

14. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to an indication of the second unmanned aerial device becoming within a proximity of the first unmanned aerial device.

15. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

16. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the second unmanned aerial device to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person.

17. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for overriding a first task being performed by the second unmanned aerial device by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the second unmanned aerial device.

18. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the second unmanned aerial device and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the second unmanned aerial device.

19. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing a data handling device aboard the second unmanned aerial device to contain a task schedule indicating a first future delivery of a first object to a first destination and a second future delivery of a second object to a second destination.

20. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for identifying an operating mode of the second unmanned aerial device audibly or visibly while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

21. The system of claim 19 in which the circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal comprises:

a proximity sensor configured to detect whether the first unmanned aerial device is within the vicinity of the portal, the vicinity being a detection range of the proximity sensor.

22. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject.

23. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to an indication of the second unmanned aerial device becoming within a proximity of the first unmanned aerial device.

24. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of a specific person moving at least a threshold distance away from the second unmanned aerial device.

25. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to execute a delivery of a particular object to a human recipient contemporaneously with an image capture of a portion of the human recipient.

26. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task.

27. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to release any light sensors.

28. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the second unmanned aerial device and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the second unmanned aerial device.

29. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to transmit a wireless signal indicative of having performed a particular task and not to store any indication of having performed the particular task.