Responsive navigation of an unmanned aerial vehicle to a remedial facility

• US 8,909,391 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Peeters, Eric, Teller, Eric, Patrick, William Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen
• Application Number:
  US13/730,110
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 709/201
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 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: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• 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 5/0056 in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a deployment system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In one aspect, an illustrative deployment system includes a communication system configured for receiving diagnostic data corresponding to an object held by a UAV, wherein the object has an expiration condition; and a logic module configured for (i) determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the received diagnostic data, and (ii) responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that includes sending to the UAV both (a) navigation data relating to a remedial facility, and (b) instructions to navigate to the remedial facility based, at least in part, on the navigation data.

Claims

1. A deployment system comprising:

a communication system configured for receiving diagnostic data corresponding to an object held by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the object has an expiration condition; and

a logic module configured for (i) determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the received diagnostic data, and (ii) responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that comprises sending to the UAV both (a) navigation data relating to a remedial facility, and (b) instructions to navigate to the remedial facility based, at least in part, on the navigation data.

2. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the initiated action further comprises launching the UAV.

3. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a medical item.

4. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied comprises determining that an expiration time of the object has lapsed.

5. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the object is associated with a near-field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein receiving the diagnostic data comprises detecting and determining the diagnostic data from the NFC tag.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, by a deployment system, diagnostic data corresponding to an object held by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the object has an expiration condition;

determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the received diagnostic data; and

responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that comprises sending to the UAV both (i) navigation data relating to a remedial facility, and (ii) instructions to navigate to the remedial facility based, at least in part, on the navigation data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the initiated action further comprises launching the UAV.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the object comprises a medical item.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied comprises determining that an expiration time of the object has lapsed.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the object is associated with a near-field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein receiving the diagnostic data comprises detecting and determining the diagnostic data from the NFC tag.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of a set of functions, the set including:

receiving, by a deployment system, diagnostic data corresponding to an object held by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the object has an expiration condition;

determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the received diagnostic data; and

responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that comprises sending to the UAV both (i) navigation data relating to a remedial facility, and (ii) instructions to navigate to the remedial facility based, at least in part, on the navigation data.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the initiated action further comprises launching the UAV.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the object comprises a medical item.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied comprises determining that an expiration time of the object has lapsed.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the object is associated with a near-field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein receiving the diagnostic data comprises detecting and determining the diagnostic data from the NFC tag.

16. A deployment system comprising:

a logic module configured for (i) determining diagnostic data corresponding to an item held by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the item has an expiration condition, (ii) determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the determined diagnostic data, and (ii) responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that comprises sending to the UAV (a) navigation data relating to a remedial facility, and (b) instructions to retrieve the item and navigate with the retrieved item to the remedial facility based, at least in part, on the navigation data.

17. The deployment system of claim 16, wherein the initiated action further comprises launching the UAV.

18. The deployment system of claim 16, wherein the item comprises a medical item.

19. The deployment system of claim 16, wherein determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied comprises determining that an expiration time of the item has lapsed.

20. The deployment system of claim 16, wherein the item is associated with a near-field communication (NFC) tag, and wherein determining the diagnostic data comprises detecting and determining the diagnostic data from the NFC tag.

21. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

a navigation module; and

a logic module configured for (i) determining diagnostic data corresponding to an object held by the UAV, wherein the object has an expiration condition;

(ii) determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the determined diagnostic data; and

(iii) responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that comprises the UAV using the navigation module to navigate to a remedial facility.

22. The UAV of claim 21, further comprising a communication system, wherein the logic module is further configured to determine the remedial facility based on a message received via the communication system.

23. The UAV of claim 21, wherein the initiated action further comprises the UAV launching itself.

24. The UAV of claim 21, wherein the object comprises a medical item.

25. The UAV of claim 21, wherein determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied comprises determining that an expiration time of the object has lapsed.