Digital tethering for tracking with autonomous aerial robot

• US 9,367,067 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerial Shadow LLC
• Original Assignee: Aerial Shadow LLC
• Inventors: Gilmore, Ashley A, Dewey, David L
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/214,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• 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 1/0808 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control

Abstract

An aerial device automatically maintains a relative position with respect to a target. The aerial device can set a relative multi-dimensional position with respect to the target. The target can have an indicator (e.g., a visual marker for image capture tracking, or a radio indicator for tracking via signaling) that the aerial device reads. The aerial device can automatically adjust its flight path in response to movement of the target as indicated by the indicator. Thus, the aerial device can maintain a digital tether, moving with the target to maintain substantially the same relative position with respect to the target, tracking the target in multiple dimensions.

Claims

1. A method in an aerial robot comprising:

setting a relative position of the aerial robot with respect to a target;

determining a current position of the target;

determining a current position of the aerial robot;

generating a prediction of a future position of the aerial robot to maintain substantially the same relative position for the future position of the aerial robot with respect to a future position of the target, wherein the future position of the aerial robot and the future position of the target are based on the determined current positions and respective previous positions and further based on a target velocity vector based on inertial measurement information generated by an accelerometer or gyroscope at the target; and

automatically adjusting a flight path of the aerial robot in response to movement of the target based at least in part on the prediction of the future position of the aerial robot, to maintain substantially the same relative position of the aerial robot with respect to the target.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the relative position of the aerial robot comprises:

manually initializing the position of the aerial robot with respect to the target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the relative position of the aerial robot further comprises:

setting a distance of the aerial robot from the target;

setting an altitude of the aerial robot above the target; and

setting an angle of the aerial robot relative to the target.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the relative position of the aerial robot further comprises:

setting global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the aerial robot with respect to GPS coordinates of the target.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the flight path of the aerial robot comprises:

moving a location of the aerial robot in response to a radio signal from the target indicating new coordinates of the target due to movement of the target.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the target with a video capture device from the aerial robot.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein monitoring the target with the video capture device further comprises:

moving the video capture device independently from adjusting the flight path of the aerial robot.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein monitoring the target with the video capture device further comprises:

setting one or more of a pitch or a yaw of the video capture device with respect to the target.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically changing in flight at least one aspect of the relative position of the aerial robot with respect to the target to create an updated relative position; and

automatically adjusting the flight path of the aerial robot in response to movement of the target based at least in part on the prediction of the future position of the aerial robot, to maintain substantially the same updated relative position of the aerial robot with respect to the target.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the relative position of the aerial robot further comprises:

setting a relative angle offset of the aerial robot with respect to the target.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current position of the target and determining the current position of the aerial robot are determined with commercial GPS equipment that introduces a time lag into position determination when the aerial robot and/or the target are moving, and wherein generating the prediction comprises generating a prediction of a sufficient length of time to correct the time lag.

12. An aerial robot comprising:

a position detection unit to determine a three dimensional position of the aerial robot;

a flight management unit (FMU) to control a flight path of the aerial robot;

a target tracking unit to identify a target, determine a current position of the target, determine a relative position of the aerial robot with respect to the target based on the position detection unit, and compute motion calculations for the FMU to automatically adjust the flight path of the aerial robot in response to movement of the target, to maintain substantially the same relative three dimensional position of the aerial robot with respect to the target, including generate a prediction of a future position of the aerial robot to maintain substantially the same relative position for the future position of the aerial robot with respect to a future position of the target, wherein the future position of the aerial robot and the future position of the target are based on the determined current positions and respective previous positions and further based on a target velocity vector based on inertial measurement information generated by an accelerometer or gyroscope at the target.

13. The aerial robot of claim 12, wherein the target tracking unit is further to set the relative three dimensional position of the aerial robot including

setting a distance of the aerial robot from the target;

setting an altitude of the aerial robot above the target; and

setting an angle of the aerial robot relative to the target.

14. The aerial robot of claim 12, wherein the target tracking unit is to set the relative three dimensional position of the aerial robot further including setting global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the aerial robot with respect to GPS coordinates of the target.

15. The aerial robot of claim 12, wherein the target tracking unit is to adjust the flight path of the aerial robot including:

receiving a radio signal from the target indicating new coordinates of the target; and

moving a location of the aerial robot in response to receiving the radio signal.

16. The aerial robot of claim 12, further comprising an image capture device to monitor the target.

17. The aerial robot of claim 16, further comprising an image capture device control unit to monitor the target including moving the image capture device independently from adjustment of the flight path of the aerial robot.

18. The aerial robot of claim 12, wherein the target tracking unit is to further dynamically change in flight at least one aspect of the relative three dimensional position of the aerial robot with respect to the target.

19. The aerial robot of claim 12, wherein the target tracking unit is further to set the relative three dimensional position of the aerial robot including setting a relative angle offset of the aerial robot with respect to the target.

20. The aerial robot of claim 12, wherein the position detection unit is to determine the three dimensional position of the aerial robot with commercial GPS equipment that introduces a time lag into position determination when the aerial robot is moving, and wherein the target tracking unit is to generate the prediction having sufficient length of time to correct the time lag.