Autonomous surveillance duo

• US 10,778,943 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2018
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C-Tonomy, LLC
• Original Assignee: C-Tonomy, LLC
• Inventors: Ellis, Stephen W., Jesudason, Basil I., Dolan, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Tsion B
• Application Number:
  US16/215,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20200029054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1679 characterised by the tasks executed
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 10/40 Mobile PV generator systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/30 Supporting structures being movable or adjustable, e.g. for angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A surveillance duo that includes a pod and a rover.

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising:

(a) a stationary pod that acts as a visual landmark and provides a geo-referenced coordinate system together with a pod surveillance system;

(b) said stationary pod having a pod surveillance area for said pod surveillance system;

(c) a mobile rover that moves across the ground that includes a rover surveillance system and a location of said mobile rover being referenced by said geo-referenced coordinate system provided by said stationary pod as it said moves across the ground;

(d) said mobile rover having a rover surveillance area for said rover surveillance system that is different than said pod surveillance area when said mobile rover is spaced apart from said stationary pod;

(e) said mobile rover transmits sensed rover surveillance data to said stationary pod which receives said rover surveillance data.

2. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod determines its location based upon a global positioning system using a temporal integration technique.

3. The surveillance system of claim 2 wherein said mobile rover determines its location based upon a global positioning system using a differential signaling technique.

4. The surveillance system of claim 1 further comprising an additional mobile rover that moves across the ground that includes an additional rover surveillance system and an additional location of said additional mobile rover being referenced by said geo-referenced coordinate system provided by said stationary pod as it said moves across the ground, and said additional mobile rover having an additional rover surveillance area for said additional rover surveillance system that is different than said pod surveillance area when said additional mobile rover is spaced apart from said stationary pod, and said additional mobile rover transmits sensed additional rover surveillance data to said stationary pod which receives said additional rover surveillance data.

5. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a pod solar panel that charges a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.

6. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said mobile rover includes a rover solar panel that charges a rover rechargeable power system included with said mobile rover.

7. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said mobile rover includes a controller that autonomously directs said mobile rover to move to a location proximate to said stationary pod to charge a rover rechargeable power system included with said mobile rover from a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.

8. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod defines an enclosure sized to enclose said mobile rover, wherein said mobile rover includes a controller that is capable of directing said mobile rover to autonomously leave said enclosure.

9. The surveillance system of claim 8 wherein said enclosure of said stationary pod includes a movable door having a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein when said movable door is in said open configuration said mobile rover is capable of moving down said movable door onto the ground.

10. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said rover surveillance data is transmitted as encrypted data over a cellular network.

11. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a detachable towing tongue suitable for being detachably interconnected with a ball hitch of a service vehicle, and said stationary pod defines an enclosure sized to enclose said detached towing tongue.

12. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes an adapter for a detachable towing tongue suitable for being detachably interconnected with a ball hitch of a service vehicle and a detachable charge plate transmitter inter-connectable with said adapter.

13. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod defines an enclosure sized to enclose said mobile rover, wherein said enclosure defines a floor for said mobile rover, wherein said floor is inclined, and said mobile rover includes a controller that is capable of directing said mobile rover to autonomously leave said enclosure.

14. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod defines an enclosure that includes a movable door having a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein when said movable door in said open configuration said mobile rover is capable of moving down said movable door onto the ground, wherein said movable door includes a longitudinal track to restrain the path of said mobile rover down said mobile door.

15. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod and said mobile rover record events within a common database.

16. The surveillance system of claim 15 wherein said stationary pod and said mobile rover include a joint simultaneous localization and mapping supporting progressive refinement of non-transient zonal features within said common database.

17. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said rover surveillance system includes both visual and audio sensors.

18. The surveillance system of claim 17 wherein said visual and audio sensors are affixed to an extendable mast attached to said mobile rover.

19. The surveillance system of claim 18 further comprising lighting affixed to said extendable mast.

20. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod provides an origin of a local zonal coordinate system for said geo-referenced coordinate system.

21. The surveillance system of claim 1 further comprising said mobile rover interconnects with an additional stationary pod when a failure occurs of said mobile rover transmitting sensed rover surveillance data to said stationary pod.

22. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a line input that charges a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.

23. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a mobile service vehicle that charges a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.

24. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes both visual and audio sensors.

25. The surveillance system of claim 24 wherein said visual and audio sensors are affixed to a mast attached to said stationary pod.