Facilitating location positioning service through a UAV network

• US 9,786,165 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wellen Sham
• Original Assignee: Wellen Sham
• Inventors: Sham, Wellen
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US15/341,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• 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 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/03 Airborne
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 : Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for providing location positioning service for locating a transportation apparatus through a UAV network. A location center may be employed to receive a location service request for locating a specific transportation apparatus. After receiving such a request, the location center may inquire a location database for last known location of the requested transportation apparatus. Based on the last known location of the requested transportation apparatus, the location center may predict one or more areas in which the requested transportation apparatus may be currently in. Based on the prediction, the location center may be configured to generate one or more control instructions to one or more UAVs in the UAV network to locate the requested transportation apparatus in those areas.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a transportation apparatus through a UAV network, the method being implemented in one or more of a processor configured to execute programmed components, the method comprising:

receiving a request to locate a transportation apparatus, the request including information regarding the transportation apparatus;

communicating with a location database to obtain a last known location, a last known speed and a last know traveling direction of the requested transportation apparatus using the information regarding the transportation apparatus in the request;

predicting one or more areas the requested transportation apparatus can be in based on the last known location, the last known speed and the last know traveling direction of the requested transportation apparatus;

determining a set of UAVs available for deployment in the predicted one or more areas to locate the requested transportation apparatus based on areas covered by the set of UAVs;

selecting a UAV from the set of the UAVs for locating the requested transportation apparatus based on the availability of the UAV;

instructing, through the UAV network, the selected UAV to find the requested transportation apparatus;

receiving, through the UAV network, identification information regarding multiple transportation apparatuses as collected by the selected UAV, the received identification information including identification information regarding the requested transportation apparatus; and

generating instructions to instruct, through the UAV network, the selected UAV to provide updated location information about the requested transportation apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation apparatus includes a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the transportation apparatus in the request comprises transportation apparatus identity information indicating a license plate number, a make and build, and/or a color of the transportation apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the transportation apparatus in the request comprises a registration number of the transportation apparatus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing, through the UAV network, the selected UAV to find the requested transportation apparatus includes sending the instruction, through the UAV network, to a UAV controller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information regarding the multiple transportation apparatuses as collected by the selected UAV include imagery information regarding the multiple transportation apparatuses.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising analyzing the imagery information regarding the multiple transportation apparatuses to identify the requested transportation apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, through the UAV network, the updated location information about the requested transportation apparatus; and

storing the updated location information about the requested transportation apparatus in the location database.

9. A system for determining a location of a transportation apparatus through a UAV network, the system comprising one or more of a processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions to cause the system to perform:

receiving a request to locate a transportation apparatus, the request including information regarding the transportation apparatus;

communicating with a location database to obtain a last known location, a last known speed and a last know traveling direction of the requested transportation apparatus using the information regarding the transportation apparatus in the request;

predicting one or more areas the requested transportation apparatus can be in based on the last known location, the last known speed and the last know traveling direction of the requested transportation apparatus;

determining a set of UAVs available for deployment in the predicted one or more areas to locate the requested transportation apparatus based on areas covered by the set of UAVs;

selecting a UAV from the set of the UAVs for locating the requested transportation apparatus based on the availability of the UAV;

instructing, through the UAV network, the selected UAV to find the requested transportation apparatus;

receiving, through the UAV network, identification information regarding multiple transportation apparatuses as collected by the selected UAV, the received identification information including identification information regarding the requested transportation apparatus; and

generating instructions to instruct, through the UAV network, the selected UAV to provide updated location information about the requested transportation apparatus.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the transportation apparatus includes a vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the information regarding the transportation apparatus in the request comprises transportation apparatus identity information indicating a license plate number, a make and build, and/or a color of the transportation apparatus.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the information regarding the transportation apparatus in the request comprises a registration number of the transportation apparatus.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the last known location of the requested transportation apparatus as stored in the location database comprises information indicating a last known location, a last known speed, and/or a last known direction of the requested transportation apparatus.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the identification information regarding the multiple transportation apparatuses as collected by the selected UAV include imagery information regarding the multiple transportation apparatuses.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further caused to perform analyzing the imagery information regarding the multiple transportation apparatuses to identify the requested transportation apparatus.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further caused to perform:

receiving, through the UAV network, the updated location information about the requested transportation apparatus; and

storing the updated location information about the requested transportation apparatus in the location database.