Systems and methods for programming drones

• US 10,564,940 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ismail, Saad, Manweiler, Justin G., Weisz, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Brophy, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US15/970,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20190339949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• 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 50/30 Supply or distribution of electrical power
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

The present application relates to systems for programing devices, such as unmanned autonomous vehicles or “drones,” with a card-based format and methods for using the same. The system and methods generally comprise a programing system that receives one or more instructional cards selected by a user. The system generates an executable program based on the instructional cards received, and transmits the program to a device for execution.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method in a data processing system comprising a processor and a memory comprising instructions which are executed by the processor to cause the processor to implement a card-based programing system, the method comprising:

displaying, by the programing system, a list of instructional cards available for selection by a user;

wherein the list includes at least one instructional card that represents an action or behavior to be performed by a device, at least one instructional card that represents an input to at least one other instructional card, and at least one instructional card that represents a modifier to at least one other instructional card; and

wherein each individual instructional card displays at least one image, and belongs to at least one category;

receiving, by the programing system, one or more instructional cards selected by the user;

organizing, by the programing system, the selected instructional cards into at least one hand, wherein an individual hand comprises one or more instructional cards that are interpreted as a logical program step, and wherein the instructional cards in the at least one hand are restricted by the physical limitations of the device;

generating, by the programing system, an executable program based on the instructional cards received by the programing system; and

transmitting, by the programing system, the executable program to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the programing system interprets the one or more instructional cards in a hand simultaneously with each other.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the programing system further comprises one or more decks, wherein an individual deck comprises one or more hands that are interpreted as a logical program group.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the programing system interprets the one or more hands in a deck sequentially.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the programing system generates the executable program from an individual deck.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the programming system comprises a graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the programing system is capable of displaying a selection of instructional cards to the user via the graphical user interface.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the programing system receives one or more instructional cards via the graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the programing system receives the one or more instructional cards via a digitized representation of a photograph of a card layout.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each instructional card comprises a category, a subcategory, an image, a description, and a title.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the category comprises one or more of:

movement, input, modifier, tech, think, trigger, hand, deck, and token.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each instructional card further comprises one or more of an end flag, an end description, a yield, a yield description, one or more yield icons, one or more requirements, and one or more tokens.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the programing system further comprises a battery meter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the programing system is capable of electronic communication with the device, such that the battery meter is capable of displaying a battery level or an approximate battery level of the device via the user interface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more instructional cards are capable of modifying the battery meter, such that the one or more instructional cards reduce the displayed battery level based on an estimation of energy output required for the actions to be performed by the instructional cards.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the device executes the executable program, and wherein the device is a unmanned autonomous vehicle.

17. A system for programing a device via a card-based programing system, comprising:

a programing system processor configured to;

display a list of instructional cards available for selection by a user;

wherein the list includes at least one instructional card that represents an action or behavior to be performed by a device, at least one instructional card that represents an input to at least one other instructional card, and at least one instructional card that represents a modifier to at least one other instructional card; and

wherein each individual instructional card displays at least one image, and belongs to at least one category;

receive one or more instructional cards selected by the user;

organize the selected instructional cards into at least one hand, wherein an individual hand comprises one or more instructional cards that are interpreted as a logical program step, and wherein the instructional cards in the at least one hand are restricted by the physical limitations of the device;

generate an executable program based on the instructional cards received by the programing system; and

transmit the executable program to a device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the programing system further comprises one or more decks, wherein an individual deck comprises one or more hands that are interpreted as a logical program group, wherein the programing system interprets the one or more hands in a deck sequentially, and wherein the programing system generates the executable program from an individual deck.