Systems and methods for managing restricted areas for unmanned autonomous vehicles

• US 9,940,843 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Rajarshi, Taveira, Michael Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US15/286,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20180068570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 701517
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• 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 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for providing data from a server to a UAV, enabling the UAV to navigate with respect to areas of restricted air space (“restricted areas”). A server may receive from a UAV, a request for restricted area information based on a position of the UAV. The server may determine boundaries of a surrounding area containing the position of the UAV and a number of restricted areas. The server may transmit coordinate information to the UAV defining the restricted areas contained within the surrounding area.

Claims

1. A server, comprising:

a network interface; and

a server processor configured with processor-executable instructions to;

receive from an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) a request for information regarding areas of restricted air space (“

restricted areas”

);

determine boundaries of a surrounding area containing a position of the UAV; and

transmit, to the UAV, coordinate information defining restricted areas contained within the surrounding area.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV based at least in part on a density of restricted areas surrounding the UAV.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV by receiving coordinates defining boundaries of the surrounding area from the UAV.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV based on one or more parameters selected from a group including information related to a bandwidth of a communication link between the UAV and the server, an identity of the UAV, a type of the UAV, a speed of the UAV, a destination of the UAV, a direction of the UAV, UAV flying environmental information, a time of day, a day of week, a day of month, a day of year, a season, a change frequency of restricted areas, a presence of an obstacle, or a weather condition in the surrounding area.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV based on communication bandwidth available for transmitting data to the UAV.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV such that the position of the UAV is contained within the surrounding area but is not centered in the surrounding area.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine an expiration time of the coordinate information defining restricted areas contained within the surrounding area; and

transmit the expiration time to the UAV.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to receive additional information from the UAV including information related to one or more of:

a bandwidth of a communication link between the UAV and the server, an identity of the UAV, a type of the UAV, a speed of the UAV, a destination of the UAV, a direction of the UAV, UAV flying environmental information, or a presence of an obstacle near the UAV.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV and locations of restricted areas contained within the surrounding area based in part on the additional information received from the UAV.

10. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to receive, from the UAV along with the received request for information regarding restricted areas, second coordinate information defining the surrounding area.

11. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

receive, from the UAV, position information of the UAV;

determine second coordinate information defining boundaries of the surrounding area based on the received position information; and

transmit the determined second coordinate information to the UAV.

12. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

receive, from the UAV, a request for updated information regarding restricted areas contained within the surrounding area;

determine updated restricted area information; and

transmit the updated restricted area information to the UAV.

13. The server of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to determine a size of the surrounding area based on at least one of the position of the UAV, a number or density of restricted areas relevant to the UAV, or a speed and direction of the UAV.

14. The server of claim 1, wherein the transmitted coordinate information includes a list of the restricted areas.

15. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a server processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving from an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) a request for information regarding areas of restricted air space (“

restricted areas”

);

determining boundaries of a surrounding area containing a position of the UAV; and

transmitting coordinate information defining the restricted areas contained within the surrounding area to the UAV.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising determining boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV based at least in part on a density of restricted areas surrounding the UAV.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising determining boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV by receiving coordinates defining boundaries of the surrounding area from the UAV.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising determining boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV based on one or more parameters selected from a group including information related to a bandwidth of a communication link with the UAV, an identity of the UAV, a type of the UAV, a speed of the UAV, a destination of the UAV, a direction of the UAV, UAV flying environmental information, a time of day, a day of week, a day of month, a day of year, a season, a change frequency of restricted areas, a presence of an obstacle, or a weather condition in the surrounding area.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising determining boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV based on communication bandwidth available for transmitting data to the UAV.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations such that determining boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV comprises determining boundaries of the surrounding area so that the position of the UAV is contained within the surrounding area but is not centered in the surrounding area.

21. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining an expiration time of the coordinate information defining the restricted areas contained within the surrounding area; and

transmitting the determined expiration time to the UAV.

22. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising receiving additional information from the UAV including information related to one or more of:

a bandwidth of a communication link with the UAV, an identity of the UAV, a type of the UAV, a speed of the UAV, a destination of the UAV, a direction of the UAV, UAV flying environmental information, and a presence of an obstacle near the UAV.

23. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising determining boundaries of the surrounding area containing the position of the UAV and locations of restricted areas contained within the surrounding area based in part on the additional information received from the UAV.

24. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising receiving, from the UAV along with the received request for information regarding restricted areas, second coordinate information defining the surrounding area.

25. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, from the UAV, position information of the UAV;

determining second coordinate information defining boundaries of the surrounding area, based on the received position information; and

transmitting the determined second coordinate information to the UAV.

26. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, from the UAV, a request for updated information regarding restricted areas contained within the surrounding area;

determining updated restricted area information; and

transmitting the updated restricted area information to the UAV.

27. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the server processor to perform operations further comprising determining a size of the surrounding area based on at least one of the position of the UAV, a number or density of restricted areas relevant to the UAV, or a speed and direction of the UAV.

28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein transmitted coordinate information includes a list of restricted areas.

29. A server, comprising:

means for receiving, from an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV), a request for information regarding areas of restricted air space (“

restricted areas”

);

means for determining boundaries of a surrounding area containing a position of the UAV; and

means for transmitting, to the UAV, coordinate information defining restricted areas contained within the surrounding area.