Drone Tours In Security Systems

• US 20160116914A1
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Mucci, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 11,157,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19604 involving reference image or background adaptation with time to compensate for changing conditions, e.g. reference image update on detection of light level change
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1965 the vehicle being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle is described and includes a computer carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle and at least one sensor. The unmanned aerial vehicle is caused to fly a specific pattern within a facility, receive sensor data from a sensor carried by the vehicle, apply processing to the sensor data to detect an unacceptable level of detected feature differences in features contained in the sensor data, determine a new flight instruction for the vehicle based on the processing; and send the new flight instruction for the vehicle to a system for controlling flight of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprises:

programming a computer that assists in controlling flight of a drone to cause the drone to fly a specific pattern within a facility;

receiving by the computer sensor data from a sensor carried by the drone;

processing by the computer the sensor data to detect an unacceptable level of detected feature differences in features contained in the sensor data;

determining by the computer a new flight instruction for the drone based on the processing; and

sending by the computer the new flight instruction for the drone to a system for controlling flight of the drone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the drone to make an initial tour of a facility, prior to scheduled tours of the facility.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving from a database data captured from a previous day'"'"'s tour; and

processing the sensor data captured by the initial tour to compare with sensor data captured from the previous day'"'"'s tour to determine whether the data captured by the initial tour is acceptable for a baseline.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the drone to check in at pre-programmed locations within the facility to indicate its presence

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the drone to return to a pre-programmed location within the facility to indicate its presence;

transmitting by the drone to a server computer, records that detail time, identity of the station and identity of the drone;

with the location being a waypoint that includes a device that sends a signal to the drone to identify to the drone, the waypoint as a home station for the drone, and

recharging the drone at the home station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the drone to check in at pre-programmed locations within the facility to indicate its presence, with checking in transmitting to a server computer, records that detail time, identity of the station and identity of the drone.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the system for controlling flight of the drone includes the computer, with the computer being carried by the drone.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the system for controlling flight of the drone includes the computer, with the computer being remote from the drone

9. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprises:

a computer carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

at least one sensor carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle, with the computer configured to cause the unmanned vehicle to;

fly a specific pattern within a facility;

receive sensor data from a sensor carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

apply processing to the sensor data to detect an unacceptable level of detected feature differences in features contained in the sensor data;

determine a new flight instruction for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the processing; and

send the new flight instruction for the unmanned aerial vehicle to a system for controlling flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.