Flight control for flight-restricted regions

• US 9,317,036 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wang, Mingyu, Wang, Tao, Song, Jianyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US14/262,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/8, 701/10, 701/11, 701/23, 701/26, 701/120, 701/122, 701/411, 701/412, 701/468, 244/3.15, 244/76.R, 244/183, 244/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• 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 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 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 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for providing flight response to flight-restricted regions. The location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be compared with a location of a flight-restricted region. If needed a flight-response measure may be taken by the UAV to prevent the UAV from flying in a no-fly zone. Different flight-response measures may be taken based on the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted region and the rules of a jurisdiction within which the UAV falls.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured to;

assess a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculate a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to a flight-restricted region using the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the location of the flight-restricted region;

assess a jurisdiction within which the flight-restricted region is located, based on the location of the flight-restricted region;

access one or more flight restriction rules specific to the assessed jurisdiction; and

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to take a flight response measure when the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region falls under the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction; and

one or more propulsion units in communication with the processor that permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the relative positioning between the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight-restricted region, and wherein the one or more flight restriction rules provide the flight response measure when the distance falls within a distance threshold.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the distance threshold is selected based on the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the jurisdiction is selected from a group consisting of continents, unions, countries, states/provinces, counties, cities, towns, private property or land, bodies of water, and natural landmarks.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction impose restrictions on altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction impose restrictions on proximity of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction impose restrictions on boundaries of the flight-restricted region.