System and method for controlling flight operations of an unmanned aerial vehicle
First Claim
1. A computerized method for executing a flight mission by one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to be performed on a computer system comprising two or more microprocessors and two or more nonvolatile memory units, wherein at least one of said two or more microprocessors and one of said two or more nonvolatile memory units is integral to an unmanned aerial vehicle further comprising a flight means, said two or more nonvolatile memory units storing instructions which, when executed by said two or more microprocessors, cause said computer system to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, by said computer system, a geographic starting point for a mission to be executed sequentially by at least a first unmanned aerial vehicle and a second unmanned aerial vehicle;
receiving, by said computer system, a geographic end point for said mission to be executed by at least said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle;
calculating, by said computer system, a single geographic flight path for at least said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehiclewherein said single geographic flight path includes said geographic starting point, said geographic end point, and one or more intermediary charging stations respectively containing one or more unmanned aerial vehicles;
wherein said first unmanned aerial vehicle is assigned a first leg of said single geographic flight path;
wherein said second unmanned aerial vehicle is assigned a second leg of said single geographic flight path;
receiving, by said computer system, a preferred distance from said single geographic flight path;
calculating, by said computer system, a geographic position of at least said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle within said preferred distance from said single geographic flight path;
assigning, by said computer system, said mission to said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle prior to the execution of said mission by said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle are selected from among a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles located within said preferred distance from said single geographic flight path; and
wherein said second unmanned aerial vehicle is stationed at an intermediary charging station.
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Abstract
The invention is directed toward a system and method for assigning mission directives to one or more unmanned vehicles and transferring mission directives from one unmanned aerial vehicle to a second unmanned aerial vehicle. The method comprises providing a set of instructions to a first unmanned aerial vehicle, storing the set of instructions on a nonvolatile memory component of the first unmanned aerial vehicle, executing one or more tasks of the set of instructions by the first unmanned aerial vehicle, transferring a set of instructions comprising unexecuted tasks from the first unmanned aerial vehicle to a second unmanned aerial vehicle, and storing the set of instructions on a nonvolatile memory component of the second unmanned aerial vehicle. The invention is further directed toward a method of determining a flight path for one or more unmanned aerial vehicles stationed at charging stations.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A computerized method for executing a flight mission by one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to be performed on a computer system comprising two or more microprocessors and two or more nonvolatile memory units, wherein at least one of said two or more microprocessors and one of said two or more nonvolatile memory units is integral to an unmanned aerial vehicle further comprising a flight means, said two or more nonvolatile memory units storing instructions which, when executed by said two or more microprocessors, cause said computer system to perform operations comprising:
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receiving, by said computer system, a geographic starting point for a mission to be executed sequentially by at least a first unmanned aerial vehicle and a second unmanned aerial vehicle; receiving, by said computer system, a geographic end point for said mission to be executed by at least said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle; calculating, by said computer system, a single geographic flight path for at least said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle wherein said single geographic flight path includes said geographic starting point, said geographic end point, and one or more intermediary charging stations respectively containing one or more unmanned aerial vehicles; wherein said first unmanned aerial vehicle is assigned a first leg of said single geographic flight path; wherein said second unmanned aerial vehicle is assigned a second leg of said single geographic flight path; receiving, by said computer system, a preferred distance from said single geographic flight path; calculating, by said computer system, a geographic position of at least said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle within said preferred distance from said single geographic flight path; assigning, by said computer system, said mission to said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle prior to the execution of said mission by said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein said first unmanned aerial vehicle and said second unmanned aerial vehicle are selected from among a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles located within said preferred distance from said single geographic flight path; and wherein said second unmanned aerial vehicle is stationed at an intermediary charging station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification