Methods and systems for providing aerial assistance

• US 9,718,544 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fleck, Mathias Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US15/203,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20160311532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/14 Absorbing landing shocks
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/52 Protection, safety or emergency devices; Survival aids
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• 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: B64U 30/299 Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• 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 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• 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 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 Target detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

Embodiments described herein may relate to systems and methods for navigating to a supply request. An alert device may be controlled to issue alerts to draw the attention of bystanders to associated supplies for a situation. An illustrative method involves (a) receiving, by a computing system, a transmission indicating a situation at a designated location; (b) the computing system determining an approximate target area associated with the designated location; (c) the computing system making a determination that an alert device is located within the approximate target area; and (d) in response to the determination that the alert device is located within the approximate target area, the computing system executing instructions to activate at least one alert on the alert device indicating the situation and the designated location of the situation.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

a navigation module that provides a navigation process to generate flight-control signals for the UAV;

one or more supplies positioned on the UAV;

an alert device associated with the one or more supplies, wherein the alert device, when activated, emits at least one of an audio and a visual signal to draw attention to the supplies; and

a control system configured to cause the UAV to;

receive a transmission indicating a supply request at a designated location;

determine an approximate target area associated with the designated location;

in response to the determination that the one or more supplies are applicable to the supply request, navigate from a launch site to the approximate target area associated with the designated location;

in response to a determination that the UAV is located within the approximate target area, deliver the one or more supplies to a ground level location within the approximate target area; and

in response to a determination that the one or more supplies are positioned at the ground level location, activate at least one alert on the alert device indicating that the one or more supplies are available at the designated location of the supply request.

2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the alert device displays instructions on a user interface to deliver the supplies to the designated location of the supply request.

3. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the alert device displays instructions on a user interface regarding how to handle the supplies associated with the alert device.

4. The UAV of claim 1, wherein a scene of a supply request is known but is not immediately accessible by the UAV.

5. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the at least one alert on the alert device includes a description of the type of supply request.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, a transmission indicating a supply request at a designated location;

the computing system determining an approximate target area associated with the designated location;

the computing system making a determination that fixed-location hardware is located within the approximate target area, wherein the fixed-location hardware is maintained in a stationary position at a particular location when not in use, and wherein an alert device is positioned on the fixed-location hardware;

the computing system making a determination that the fixed-location hardware is associated with the supply request;

the computing system determining that one or more supplies associated with the supply request have been delivered to the approximate target area; and

in response to the determination that the one or more supplies associated with the supply request have been delivered to the approximate target area, the computing system activating at least one alert on the alert device indicating the availability of the one or more supplies at the designated location of the supply request.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instructions to activate at least one alert on the alert device comprises instructions to activate a visual alert.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the instructions to activate at least one alert on the alert device comprises instructions to activate an audio alert.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the instructions to activate at least one alert on the alert device comprises instructions to activate both a visual alert and an audio alert.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one alert on the alert device includes visually displayed instructions regarding how to handle the fixed-location hardware.