Unmanned aerial vehicle authorization and geofence envelope determination

• US 9,607,522 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skydio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Unmanned Innovation Inc (Delair SAS)
• Inventors: Downey, Jonathan, Michini, Bernard J., Moster, Joseph, Weigel, Donald Curry, Ogden, James
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US15/158,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20160260332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/2, 342/29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 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: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• 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 5/0091 : for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• 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 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for unmanned aerial vehicle authorization and geofence envelope determination. One of the methods includes determining, by an electronic system in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV. An estimated fuel consumption of the UAV is determined. Estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV is determined using information obtained from sensors included in the UAV. Estimated flights times remaining for a current path, and one or more alternative flight paths, are determined using the determined estimated fuel remaining, determined estimated fuel consumption, determined information associated wind, and information describing each flight path. In response to the electronic system determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a first threshold, an alternative flight path is selected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a system, comprising one or more processing devices comprising hardware, geofence envelopes respectively allocated, using the system, for each UAV in a first plurality of UAVs, wherein each allocated geofence envelope associated with a UAV represents a virtual static barrier for a real-world geographic area that limits allowable locations of travel of the UAV;

receiving information describing a first flight path of a first UAV, wherein the first flight path includes one or more waypoints the first UAV will pass through;

determining that the first flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes allocated to one or more other UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs; and

at least partly in response to the determination that the first flight path of the first UAV would violate the one or more geofence envelopes respectively allocated to the one or more other UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs, providing a response to the first UAV or to a ground station in communication with the first UAV;

wherein the response includes information indicating a recommended second flight path, wherein the second flight path includes one or more waypoints for the first UAV to pass through that would not violate the geofence envelopes respectively allocated to the UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first UAV, information identifying that the first UAV is configured to enforce a geofence envelope of the first UAV.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommended second flight path comprises an alternative direction of travel than the first flight path.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first UAV, a request for allocation of a new geofence envelope; and

allocating a new geofence envelope to the first UAV if the new geofence envelope has not been allocated.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the new geofence envelope for the first UAV is unallocated by comparing airspace for the allocated geofence envelopes to airspace of the new geofence envelope.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

upon determination that the requested new geofence envelope of the first UAV interferes with a previously allocated geofence envelope, generating a response indicating denial of the requested new geofence envelope.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating information identifying the first UAV with the requested new geofence envelope of the first UAV.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information that the first UAV has incurred one or more contingency situations.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing flight information comprising three-dimensional locations in space of each UAV of the first plurality of UAVs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes comprises determining that the flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes during a flight time associated with the first UAV.

11. A system comprising one or more processors comprising hardware, the one or more processors configured to at least:

maintain, by the system, geofence envelopes respectively allocated, using the system, for each UAV in a first plurality of UAVs, wherein each allocated geofence envelope associated with a UAV represents a virtual static barrier for a real-world geographic area that limits allowable locations of travel of the UAV;

receive information describing a first flight path of a first UAV, wherein the first flight path includes one or more waypoints the first UAV will pass through;

determine that the first flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes allocated to one or more other UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs; and

at least partly in response to the determination that the first flight path of the first UAV would violate the one or more geofence envelopes respectively allocated to the one or more other UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs, provide a response to the first UAV or to a ground station in communication with the first UAV;

wherein the response includes information indicating a recommended second flight path, wherein the second flight path includes one or more waypoints for the first UAV to pass through that would not violate the geofence envelopes respectively allocated to the UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processors are further configured to:

receive, from the first UAV, information identifying that the first UAV is configured to enforce a geofence envelope of the first UAV.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the recommended second flight path comprises an alternative direction of travel than the first flight path.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processors are further configured to:

receive from the first UAV a request for allocation of a new geofence envelope; and

allocate a new geofence envelope to the first UAV if the new geofence envelope has not been allocated.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processors are further configured to:

determine whether the new geofence envelope for the first UAV is unallocated by comparing airspace for the allocated geofence envelopes to airspace of the new geofence envelope.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processors are further configured to:

upon determination that the requested new geofence envelope of the first UAV interferes with a previously allocated geofence envelope, generate a response indicating denial of the requested new geofence envelope.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the processors are further configured to:

associate information identifying the first UAV with the requested geofence envelope of the first UAV.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processors are further configured to:

receive information that the first UAV has incurred one or more contingency situations.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processors are further configured to:

store flight information comprising three-dimensional locations in space of each UAV of the first plurality of UAVs.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein determining that the flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes comprises determining that the flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes during a flight time associated with the first UAV.

21. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by a system, comprising one or more computers, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

maintaining, by the system, geofence envelopes respectively allocated, using the system, for each UAV in a first plurality of UAVs, wherein each allocated geofence envelope associated with a UAV represents a virtual static barrier for a real-world geographic area that limits allowable locations of travel of the UAV;

receiving information describing a first flight path of a first UAV, wherein the first flight path includes one or more waypoints the first UAV will pass through;

determining that the first flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes allocated to one or more other UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs; and

at least partly in response to the determination that the first flight path of the first UAV would violate the one or more geofence envelopes respectively allocated to the one or more other UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs, providing a response to the first UAV or to a ground station in communication with the first UAV;

wherein the response includes information indicating a recommended second flight path, wherein the second flight path includes one or more waypoints for the first UAV to pass through that would not violate the geofence envelopes respectively allocated to the UAVs in the first plurality of UAVs.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the first UAV, information identifying that the first UAV is configured to enforce a geofence envelope of the first UAV.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the recommended second flight path comprises an alternative direction of travel than the first flight path.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving from the first UAV a request for allocation of a new geofence envelope; and

allocating a new geofence envelope to the first UAV if the new geofence envelope has not been allocated.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the new geofence envelope for the first UAV is unallocated by comparing airspace for the allocated geofence envelopes to airspace of the new geofence envelope.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise:

upon determination that the requested new geofence envelope of the first UAV interferes with a previously allocated geofence envelope, generating a response indicating denial of the requested new geofence envelope.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating information identifying the first UAV with the requested geofence envelope of the first UAV.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information that the first UAV has incurred one or more contingency situations.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing flight information comprising a three-dimensional location in space of each UAV of the first plurality of UAVs.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein determining that the flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes comprises determining that the flight path of the first UAV would violate one or more geofence envelopes during a flight time associated with the first UAV.