Interactive behavior engagement and management in subordinate airborne robots

• US 9,529,359 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gilbert, Deborah L., Annan, Brandon C., Cole, Joshua R., Indurkar, Dhananjay
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US14/592,677
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/362 Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/23 for providing telephone services
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• 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

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed. The UAV comprises a battery, a flight mechanism, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a processor, a memory, and an application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the application discovers an environment where the UAV operates by flying in the environment to determine its boundaries; creates a map of the environment that the UAV flew through; and shares the map with a social robot. The application receives a command from the social robot via the RF transceiver, wherein the social robot receives a verbal request from a user of the social robot, wherein the social robot transforms the user request to a command for the UAV. The application then performs the command from the social robot. The application then lands on a designated charging pad to conserve energy. The application then transmits a report back to the social robot.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

a battery;

a flight mechanism actuated by at least one electric motor powered by the battery;

a radio frequency transceiver;

a processor;

a memory; and

an application, stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor,

discovers an area of the environment where the UAV operates by flying in the environment to determine its boundaries, creates a map of the environment that the UAV flew through,

shares the map with a social robot,

receives a command from the social robot via the radio frequency transceiver, wherein the social robot receives a verbal request from a user of the social robot, and wherein the social robot transforms the verbal request to a UAV command for the UAV to perform,

performs the UAV command from the social robot,

lands on a designated charging pad to conserve energy, wherein the designated charging pad charges the battery, and

transmits a report back to the social robot when the UAV command is completed via the radio frequency transceiver, wherein the report details that the UAV command was completed.

2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV comprises a plurality of sensors.

3. The UAV of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises one or more of a temperature sensor, an infrared sensor, a gyroscope, and a barometer.

4. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV charges by the charging pad.

5. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV charges via the charging pad by inducing energy from the charging pad.

6. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the flight mechanism is comprised of propellers.

7. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV and the social robot communicate according to a wireless communication link according to one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless protocol, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) wireless protocol, a long term evolution (LTE) wireless protocol, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless protocol, a Wi-Fi wireless protocol, a Bluetooth wireless protocol, a near field communication (NFC) wireless protocol or another well-known wireless communication protocol.

8. A method of performing tasks via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

receiving a user verbal request by a microphone of a social robot;

transforming the user verbal request to a command for a UAV by a processor of the social robot;

transmitting the command via a radio communication link to the UAV by the social robot;

receiving the command from a social robot by the UAV;

performing the command that is received from the social robot by the UAV, wherein the UAV flies to the location where the command is to be performed;

transmitting a report to the social robot by the UAV, wherein the report details that the UAV executed the command; and

engaging in a dialog with a user of the social robot by the social robot, wherein the social robot recites the report that was transmitted by the UAV.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and assumes a certain position relative to the height of the user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and assumes a position of 20 degrees below the head of the user if the user is relatively tall.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and assumes a position of 20 degrees above the head of the user if the user is relatively short.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV addresses the user and flies from side to side.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV flies 5 degrees to the left and 5 degrees to the right when addressing the user.

15. A method of performing tasks via a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising:

receiving a command from a social robot by a first UAV;

flying to the location where the command is to be executed by the first UAV;

recognizing that a battery of the first UAV has been drained by flying to the location where the command is to be executed;

landing on a designated charging pad in close proximity to the first UAV by the first UAV, wherein the designated charging pad charges the battery of the first UAV;

transmitting the command to a second UAV by the first UAV;

performing the command transmitted from the first UAV by the second UAV;

landing on another designated landing pad, wherein the other designated charging pad charges a battery of a second UAV;

transmitting a report to the social robot by the second UAV, wherein the report details that the command was executed; and

engaging in a dialog with a user of the social robot and the plurality of UAVs by the social robot, wherein the social robot recites the report that was transmitted by the second UAV.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the designated charging pad receives alternating current (AC) power.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second UAVs charge via the designated and other designated charging pads by inducing energy.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first or second UAV maps an environment that it inhabits.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first or second UAV keeps the map stored to a memory of the UAV.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first or second UAV uses the map to navigate its environment.