Flight control for flight-restricted regions

• US 9,842,505 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wang, Mingyu, Wang, Tao, Song, Jianyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US15/011,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20160163203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• 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: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• 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: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• 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 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for providing flight response to flight-restricted regions. The location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be compared with a location of a flight-restricted region. If needed a flight-response measure may be taken by the UAV to prevent the UAV from flying in a no-fly zone. Different flight-response measures may be taken based on the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted region and the rules of a jurisdiction within which the UAV falls.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured to;

assess a location of an external device in communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the external device is capable of receiving data from the unmanned aerial vehicle or transmitting control data to the unmanned aerial vehicle to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

assess, at a first time, a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to a flight-restricted region using the location of the external device;

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to take a flight response measure when the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region thus within a threshold, wherein the flight response measure defines a behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle that is different from a behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle outside the threshold; and

re-assess, at a second time, the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region using the location of the external device; and

one or more propulsion units in communication with the one or more processors that permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further configured to:

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure when the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region at the second time is such that the unmanned aerial vehicle is within the flight-restricted region, wherein the flight response measure is different from a behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle outside the flight-restricted region.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively configured to:

re-assess the location of the external device, subsequent to instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region comprises a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight-restricted region.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a distance threshold.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the location of the external device is capable of moving from one location to another.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a display capable of showing an image captured by a payload camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the location of the external device is assessed with aid of a GPS signal at the external device.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the location of the flight-restricted region is stored on a local memory of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the location of the flight-restricted region is updated when the unmanned aerial vehicle communicates with the external device.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim l, wherein the flight response measure is to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly outside the flight-restricted region.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim l, wherein the external device comprises a display capable of displaying the unmanned aerial vehicle location or status data.

13. An method for assessing flight response of an unmanned aerial vehicle, said method comprising:

assessing a location of an external device in communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the external device is capable of receiving data from the unmanned aerial vehicle or transmitting control data to the unmanned aerial vehicle to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

assessing, at a first time and with aid of one or more processors, a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to a flight-restricted region using the location of the external device;

instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to take a flight response measure when the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region falls within a threshold, wherein the flight response measure defines a behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle that is different from a behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle outside the threshold; and

re-assessing, at a second time and with aid of the one or more processors, the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region using the location of the external device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure when the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region at the second time is such that the unmanned aerial vehicle is within the flight-restricted region, wherein the flight response measure is different from a behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle outside the flight-restricted region.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising re-assessing the location of the external device, subsequent to instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the flight response measure is to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly outside the flight-restricted region.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region comprises a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight-restricted region.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the threshold is a distance threshold.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the location of the external device is capable of moving from one location to another.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the external device comprises a display capable of displaying the unmanned aerial vehicle location or status data.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the external device comprises a display capable of showing an image captured by a payload camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the location of the external device is assessed with aid of a GPS signal at the external device.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the location of the flight-restricted region on a local memory of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising updating the location of the flight-restricted region when the unmanned aerial vehicle communicates with the external device.

25. A method for assessing flight response of an unmanned aerial vehicle to a flight-restricted region, said method comprising:

assessing a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

assessing a location of a flight-restricted region;

calculating, with aid of a processor, a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight-restricted region using the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the location of the flight-restricted region;

assessing, with aid of the processor, whether the distance falls within a first distance threshold or a second distance threshold greater than the first distance threshold; and

instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to take a flight response measure selected from (1) a first flight response measure when the distance falls within the first distance threshold, and (2) a second flight response measure different from the first flight response measure when the distance falls within the second distance threshold and outside the first distance threshold, wherein the first flight response measure causes the unmanned aerial vehicle to descend or hover over a location.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second flight response measure is a warning response.

27. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured to;

assess a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

assess a location of a flight restricted region;

calculate, with aid of a processor, a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight-restricted region using the location affix unmanned aerial vehicle and the location of the flight-restricted region;

assess, with aid of the processor, whether the distance falls within a first distance threshold or a second distance threshold greater than the first distance threshold; and

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to take a flight response measure selected from (1) a first flight response measure when the distance falls within the first distance threshold, and (2) a second flight response measure different from the first flight response measure when the distance falls within the second distance threshold and outside the first distance threshold, wherein the first flight response measure causes the unmanned aerial vehicle to descend or hover over a location;

and

one or more propulsion units in communication with the one or more processors that permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure.

28. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 27, wherein the second flight response measure is a warning response.

29. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 27, wherein the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle is assessed using a location of an external device in communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle.