System and method of controlling uninhabited airborne vehicle

• US 9,852,641 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optim LLC
• Original Assignee: Optim LLC
• Inventors: Sugaya, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US14/982,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20170076613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• 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: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a system of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle and method of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle, which are capable of storing a flight route through which an airborne vehicle has flown to reproduce a flight of the uninhibited airborne vehicle. The system of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle by controlling a flight route of an uninhabited airborne vehicle, includes: a memory unit that stores a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown; an acquisition unit that acquires the flight route stored in the memory unit; and a control unit that controls the flight route acquired by the acquisition unit to reproduce a flight of the uninhibited airborne vehicle.

Claims

1. A system of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle by controlling a flight route of an uninhabited airborne vehicle, comprising:

a memory unit that stores a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown;

an acquisition unit that acquires the flight route stored in the memory unit; and

a control unit that controls the flight route acquired by the acquisition unit to reproduce a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle,

wherein the control unit detects a shift distance between the uninhabited airborne vehicle and the acquired flight route while a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle is reproduced, and corrects a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle by returning the uninhabited airborne vehicle to the acquired flight route based on the detected shift distance.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the memory unit stores a plurality of flight routes through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown, and

the acquisition unit selects and acquires a desired flight route from the plurality of flight routes.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a flight-maneuvered procedure.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown from information provided from GPS.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown from an image taken by the uninhabited airborne vehicle.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown from information provided from a sensor.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control stops reproduction flight if the detected shift distance exceeds a threshold.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit

acquires information on outside connected with the system through a network;

and

corrects a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle by returning the uninhabited airborne vehicle to the acquired flight route based on the acquired information.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit maneuvers an uninhabited airborne vehicle to automatically fly to the starting point of the acquired flight route before flight reproduction.

10. A method of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle by controlling a flight route of an uninhabited airborne vehicle, comprising the steps of:

storing a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown;

acquiring the stored flight route; and

controlling the acquired flight route to reproduce a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle,

wherein the step of controlling the flight route includes the steps of;

detecting a shift distance between the uninhabited airborne vehicle and the acquired flight route while a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle is reproduced; and

correcting a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle by returning the uninhabited airborne vehicle to the acquired flight route based on the shift distance detected by the step of detecting a shift distance.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the step of storing a flight route includes the step of storing a plurality of flight routes through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown;

and

the step of acquiring the flight route includes the step of selecting and acquiring a desired flight route from the plurality of flight routes stored in the step of storing a plurality of flight routes.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of storing a flight route includes the step of storing a flight-maneuvered procedure.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of storing a flight route includes the step of analyzing and storing a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown from information on GPS.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of storing a flight route includes the step of analyzing and storing a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown from information on an image taken by the uninhabited airborne vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of storing a flight route includes the step of storing a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown from information on a sensor.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of controlling the flight route includes the step of stopping reproduction flight if the distance detected by the detection unit exceeds a threshold.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of controlling the flight route includes the step of acquiring information on outside connected with the system through a network and correcting a flight of the uninhabited airborne vehicle by returning the uninhabited airborne vehicle to the acquired flight route based on the acquired information on the outside.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of controlling the flight route includes the step of maneuvering an uninhabited airborne vehicle to automatically fly to the starting point of the acquired flight route before flight reproduction.