Methods and apparatus to network unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

• US 9,788,260 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US15/044,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20170238234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to network unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An example method includes establishing, with a processor, a discoverable network node in a first unmanned aerial vehicle in response to deployment in a geographic region of interest, joining, with the processor, a second unmanned aerial vehicle to the communication network in response to a connection request, acquiring, with the processor, payload data with a sensor of the first unmanned aerial vehicle from the geographic region of interest, identifying, with the processor, a profile type of the payload data, and transmitting, with the processor, a first portion of the payload data to the second unmanned aerial vehicle when the profile type of the payload data has a first profile type.

Claims

1. A method to establish a communication network for unmanned aerial vehicles, the method comprising:

establishing, with a processor, a discoverable network node in a first unmanned aerial vehicle in response to deployment in a geographic region of interest;

joining, with the processor, a second unmanned aerial vehicle to the communication network in response to a connection request;

acquiring, with the processor, payload data with a sensor of the first unmanned aerial vehicle from the geographic region of interest;

identifying, with the processor, a profile type of the payload data;

dividing the payload data into a plurality of portions based at least on a number of unmanned aerial vehicles associated with the communication network when the profile type of the payload data has a first profile type; and

transmitting, with the processor, a first portion of the payload data to the second unmanned aerial vehicle when the profile type of the payload data has the first profile type.

2. The method of claim 1, further including improving security of the payload data by deleting the first portion of the payload data from the first unmanned aerial vehicle after receiving an indication that the second unmanned aerial vehicle has received the first portion of the payload data.

3. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting at least one remaining portion of the payload data to a command center after the first portion of the payload data is transmitted to the second unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, further including deleting the at least one remaining portion of the payload data from the first unmanned aerial vehicle after transmitting the at least one remaining portion of the payload data to the command center is complete.

5. The method of claim 1, further including deleting one or more remaining portions of the payload data in response to a failure indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the failure indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle includes a crash indication.

7. The method of claim 1, further including preventing a security breach of one or more remaining portions of the payload data of the first unmanned aerial vehicle by deleting the remaining one or more portions of the payload data if transmission to a command center has not occurred after a threshold duration.

8. An apparatus to establish a communication network for unmanned aerial vehicles, the apparatus comprising:

a discovery engine configured to;

establish a discoverable network node in a first unmanned aerial vehicle in response to a deployment in a geographic region of interest; and

join a second unmanned aerial vehicle to the communication network in response to a connection request;

a payload equipment interface configured to acquire payload data with a sensor of the first unmanned aerial vehicle from the geographic region of interest;

a payload data type identifier configured to identify a profile type of the payload data; and

a data transfer engine configured to;

divide the payload data into a plurality of portions based at least on a number of unmanned aerial vehicles associated with the communication network and the profile type; and

transmit a first portion of the payload data to the second unmanned aerial vehicle when the profile type of the payload data has a first profile type.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further including a data storage interface configured to delete the first portion of the payload data from the first unmanned aerial vehicle after receiving an indication that the second unmanned aerial vehicle has received the first portion of the payload data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further including a communication equipment interface configured to transmit at least one remaining portion of the payload data to a command center after the first portion of the payload data is transmitted to the second unmanned aerial vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further including a data storage interface configured to delete the at least one remaining portion of the payload data from the first unmanned aerial vehicle after transmitting the at least one remaining portion of the payload data to the command center is complete.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further including a data storage interface configured to delete one or more remaining portions of the payload data in response to a failure indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the failure indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle includes a crash indication.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data transfer engine is configured to transmit one or more remaining portions of the payload data to the second unmanned aerial vehicle in response to a flight error indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

15. A tangible computer readable storage medium, including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor at least to perform operations comprising:

establishing a discoverable network node in a first unmanned aerial vehicle in response to deployment in a geographic region of interest;

joining a second unmanned aerial vehicle to a communication network in response to a connection request;

acquiring payload data with a sensor of the first unmanned aerial vehicle from the geographic region of interest;

identifying a profile type of the payload data;

dividing the payload data into a plurality of portions based at least on a number of unmanned aerial vehicles associated with the communication network when the profile type of the payload data has a first profile type; and

transmitting a first portion of the payload data to the second unmanned aerial vehicle when the profile type of the payload data has the first profile type.

16. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further include improving security of the payload data by deleting the first portion of the payload data from the first unmanned aerial vehicle after receiving an indication that the second unmanned aerial vehicle has received the first portion of the payload data.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further include transmitting at least one remaining portion of the payload data to a command center after the first portion of the payload data is transmitted to the second unmanned aerial vehicle.

18. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further include deleting one or more remaining portions of the payload data from the first unmanned aerial vehicle after transmitting the one or more remaining portions of the payload data to the command center is complete.

19. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further include deleting one or more remaining portions of the payload data in response to a failure indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

20. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further include identifying the failure indication of the first unmanned aerial vehicle as including a crash indication.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further include preventing a security breach of one or more remaining portions of the payload data of the first unmanned aerial vehicle by deleting the one or more remaining portions of the payload data if transmission to a command center has not occurred after a threshold duration.