UNMANNED DEVICE INTERACTION METHODS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20140067160A1
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,798,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/002 Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/20 Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically A61M5/142 , A61M5/46 take precedence; hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/005 by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for configuring an unmanned aerial device to participate in the performance of tasks, for using data resulting from such a configuration or performance, or for facilitating other interactions with such devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more articles of manufacture including

circuitry for obtaining an indication of a first time interval from when a device-detectable energy signature path existed between a first entity and a second entity until a reference time; and

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to change an aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as an automatic and conditional response to a result of comparing a threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the first entity, including the circuitry for signaling the decision whether or not to change the aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as the automatic and conditional response to the result of comparing the threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device, the device-detectable energy signature path comprising a line of sight through a free space medium.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

a handheld device, including the circuitry for obtaining the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time and including the circuitry for signaling the decision whether or not to change the aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as the automatic and conditional response to the result of comparing the threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

26. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

circuitry for causing the first entity to execute a delivery of a single dose of a therapeutic material to a human hand within one minute of an image capture of a portion of the human hand, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

3-4. -4. (canceled)

6-25. -25. (canceled)

27-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A system comprising:

one or more articles of manufacture including

means for obtaining an indication of a first time interval from when a device-detectable energy signature path existed between a first entity and a second entity until a reference time; and

means for signaling a decision whether or not to change an aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as an automatic and conditional response to a result of comparing a threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

32. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the first entity, including the means for signaling the decision whether or not to change the aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as the automatic and conditional response to the result of comparing the threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device, the device-detectable energy signature path comprising a line of sight through a free space medium.

33. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the first entity, being a first unmanned aerial device, the device-detectable energy signature path comprising a line of sight through a free space medium, the reference time being within one minute of a present instant.

34. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

a wearable device, including the means for signaling the decision whether or not to change the aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as the automatic and conditional response to the result of comparing the threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

35. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

a handheld device, including the means for obtaining the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time and including the means for signaling the decision whether or not to change the aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as the automatic and conditional response to the result of comparing the threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

38. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for configuring the first entity to perform a first observation of a particular task in a first zone and a third entity to perform a second observation of the particular task in a second zone, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

39. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for configuring the first entity to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

40. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing the first entity to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

41. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a delivery of a package to a device associated with a recipient of the package, the wireless signal indicating at least one of the first entity or the package or a sender of the package, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

42. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for presenting navigation guidance via a display aboard the first entity while a primary motor of the first entity is not moving the first entity.

43. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the first entity while a primary motor of the first entity is not moving the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

44. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for identifying an operating mode of the first entity audibly or visibly while a primary motor of the first entity is not moving the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

45. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing another unmanned aerial device to capture delivery data relating to the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

46. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for configuring the first entity not to be equipped with any light sensors, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

47. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing a data handling device aboard the first entity to contain a task schedule indicating a first future delivery of a first object to a first destination and a second future delivery of a second object to a second destination, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

48. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for determining whether or not an operator of the first entity has indicated a tracking mode of the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

49. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for overriding a first task being performed by the first entity by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

50. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for configuring the first entity to transmit a wireless signal indicative of having performed a particular task and not to store any indication of having performed the particular task, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

51. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for signaling a decision whether or not to reserve a space for a passenger vehicle, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

52. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for signaling a decision whether or not to reserve a specific resource by associating the specific resource with a specific device or with a specific person, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

53. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for responding to an indication of the first entity becoming within a proximity of the second entity, the second entity being a mobile device.

54. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing a modular observation unit to be lifted and activated within at most about an hour of the modular observation unit becoming part of the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

55. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the first entity to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

56. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing the first entity to execute a delivery of a single dose of a therapeutic material to a human hand within one minute of an image capture of a portion of the human hand, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

57. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for configuring the first entity to execute a delivery of a particular material to a vicinity of a portable device within one minute of an image capture of the vicinity of the portable device, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

58. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing the first entity to execute a delivery of a particular object to a human recipient contemporaneously with an image capture of a portion of the human recipient, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

59. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for causing the first entity to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of a specific person moving at least a threshold distance away from the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

60. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture further comprise:

means for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the first entity and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

67. The system of claim 31 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the first entity, being a first unmanned aerial device and a handheld device, the device-detectable energy signature path comprising a line of sight through a free space medium, the reference time being within one minute of a present instant;

means for causing a modular observation unit to be lifted and activated within at most about an hour of the modular observation unit becoming part of the first entity;

means for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the first entity and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the first entity;

means for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the first entity while a primary motor of the first entity is not moving the first entity;

means for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the first entity to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person;

means for configuring the first entity to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject, the human subject being the first person;

means for causing the first entity to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task;

means for causing the first entity to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of the first person moving at least a threshold distance away from the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device;

means for causing the first entity to execute a delivery of a single dose of a therapeutic material to a human hand within one minute of an image capture of a portion of the human hand; and

means for causing another unmanned aerial device to capture delivery data relating to the first entity.

36-37. -37. (canceled)

61. A method comprising:

obtaining an indication of a first time interval from when a device-detectable energy signature path existed between a first entity and a second entity until a reference time; and

invoking circuitry configured for signaling a decision whether or not to change an aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as an automatic and conditional response to a result of comparing a threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

62. The method of claim 61 further comprising:

causing a modular observation unit to be lifted and activated within at most about an hour of the modular observation unit becoming part of the first entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device.

63. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more physical media configured to bear a device-detectable implementation of a method including at least

obtaining an indication of a first time interval from when a device-detectable energy signature path existed between a first entity and a second entity until a reference time; and

signaling a decision whether or not to change an aerial navigation protocol of the first entity as an automatic and conditional response to a result of comparing a threshold against the indication of the first time interval from when the device-detectable energy signature path existed between the first entity and the second entity until the reference time.

64. The article of manufacture of claim 63 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more signal-bearing media configured to transmit one or more instructions for responding to an indication of the first entity becoming within a proximity of a third entity, the first entity being a first unmanned aerial device, the third entity being a portable device.

65-66. -66. (canceled)