Method and apparatus for dynamic swarming of airborne drones for a reconfigurable array

• US 9,104,201 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unnikrishna Sreedharan Pillai
• Original Assignee: C & P Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Pillai, Unnikrishna Sreedharan, Mangiat, Alain Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Hara, Brian M
• Application Number:
  US13/372,081
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• 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 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station 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 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus to detect when one or more airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are close to each other, and to take necessary actions to maintain a minimum distance between drones as well as a maximum distance among the drones in a dynamic environment by automatic navigation. A computer method and apparatus for holding a group of drones in a swarm formation by maintaining the group centroid of the group of drones within a tolerance of a predetermined location is also disclosed. Additionally, methods to move a swarm of drones along a predetermined path while maintaining the swarm formation of the drones is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising

controlling a flight of a first unmanned aerial vehicle and

controlling a flight of a plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles;

wherein the flight of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles are controlled so that each of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles is kept at least a first distance away from any other of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles;

and wherein the flight of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles are controlled so that each of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles is kept less than a second distance away from any other of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles;

wherein the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles together have a group centroid whose location varies with time as the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles move over time;

wherein the group centroid is a geometric center of a collection of points including a first point associated with the first unmanned aerial vehicle, and a plurality of further points, one associated with each of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles;

and further comprising determining a first location of the group centroid at a first instant in time; and

determining if the first location of the group centroid is within a tolerance distance of a first predetermined location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

the flight of the first unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled by controlling a direction in which the first unmanned aerial vehicle travels;

and

the flight of each of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles is controlled by controlling a direction in which each of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles travels.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein

the flight of the first unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled by controlling a speed at which the first unmanned aerial vehicle travels;

and

the flight of each of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles is controlled by controlling a speed at which each of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles travels.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising

if the first location of the group centroid is not within the tolerance distance of the first predetermined location, controlling the flight of one or more of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles so that a second location of the group centroid at a second instant in time is within the tolerance distance of the first predetermined location or a second predetermined location.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein

the first predetermined location and the second predetermined location are located on a desired path;

and wherein the difference between the first instant of time and the second instant of time is a clock cycle time period;

and further comprising, determining, at least once for every clock cycle time period, for a plurality of clock cycle time periods, whether the group centroid is within the tolerance distance of the desired path.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising

if the group centroid is not within the tolerance distance of the desired path during a current clock cycle time period, controlling the flight of one or more of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles so that the group centroid is within the tolerance distance of the desired path during a subsequent clock cycle time period occurring after the current clock cycle time period.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising

and wherein after the flight of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles are controlled for a first period of time so that each of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles is kept less than a second distance away from each of the other of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles,

the flight of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight of the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles are controlled for a second period of time, following the first period of time, so that each of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles is allowed to be more than the second distance away and is kept less than a third distance away from each of the other of the first unmanned aerial vehicle and the plurality of second unmanned aerial vehicles;

and wherein the third distance is greater than the second distance.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising

determining a second location of the group centroid at a second instant of time during the second period of time;

and

determining if the second location of the group centroid is within the tolerance distance of a second predetermined location.