Multi-zone montoring systems and methods for detection and avoidance of objects by an unmaned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10109209-B1
Application number	US-201715473468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to a detection and avoidance apparatus for an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) and systems, devices, and techniques pertaining to automated object detection and avoidance during UAV flight. The system may detect objects within the UAV's airspace through acoustic, visual, infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral, or object detectable signal emitted or reflected from an object. The system may identify the source of the object detectable signal by comparing features of the received signal with known sources signals in a database. The features may be, for example, a light arrangement or number of lights associated with the object. Furthermore, a trajectory envelope for the object may be determined based on characteristic performance parameters for the object such as cursing speed, maneuverability, etc. The UAV may determine an optimized flight plan based on the trajectory envelopes of detected objects within the UAV's airspace to avoid the detected objects.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring airspace at least partially surrounding an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:
establishing an object detection zone within the airspace extending from the UAV to a first boundary;
establishing an active monitoring zone within the airspace extending from the UAV to a second boundary that is closer to the UAV than the first boundary;
generating first signals representative of the airspace by at least a sensor of the UAV;
detecting an aircraft within the object detection zone based at least in part on the first generated signals indicating that the aircraft is within the first boundary and outside of the second boundary;
generating second signals representative of the airspace by at least the sensor of the UAV;
detecting the aircraft within the active monitoring zone based at least in part on the second generated signals indicating that the aircraft is within the second boundary;
determining at least an operating characteristic of the aircraft based at least in part on the detecting the aircraft within the active monitoring zone; and
determining a trajectory envelope of the aircraft based at least in part on the determining the operating characteristic of the aircraft, wherein the trajectory envelope includes a range of possible trajectories of the aircraft from a given location.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the generating the first signals includes generating the first signals at a first fidelity, and wherein the generating the second signals includes generating the second signals at a second fidelity that includes a higher degree of fidelity than the first fidelity.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second boundary is a dynamic boundary, and further comprising determining the dynamic boundary based at least in part on the operating characteristic of the UAV or a number of UAVs in the active monitoring zone.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first boundary is defined based at least in part on a detection limit associated with the sensor.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising transmitting at least one of a location of the aircraft or the operating characteristic of the aircraft to a second UAV.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 , further comprising determining that the second UAV is outside of the active monitoring zone and within the object detection zone with respect to the UAV prior to transmitting the at least one of the location of the aircraft or the operating characteristic of the aircraft to the second UAV.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a type of the aircraft based at least in part on the first generated signals or the second generated signals.

8. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
one or more sensors having an operating range and generating signals representative of at least a portion of an airspace about the UAV; and
a flight management component establishing an object detection zone within the airspace extending from the UAV to a first boundary based at least in part on the operating range of the one or more sensors and establishing an active monitoring zone within the airspace extending from the UAV to a dynamic second boundary that is closer to the UAV than the first boundary, the flight management component to perform acts comprising:
detecting an object within the object detection zone based at least in part on the signals indicating the object is within the first boundary and not within the dynamic second boundary;
monitoring the object at a first fidelity while the object is in the object detection zone and within the first boundary and not within the dynamic second boundary;
determining the object is within the active monitoring zone based at least in part on the signals indicating the object is within the dynamic second boundary;
monitoring the object at a second fidelity while the object is in the active monitoring zone and within the dynamic second boundary, the second fidelity including a higher degree of fidelity than the first fidelity;
modifying the dynamic second boundary based at least in part on a number of objects detected in the active monitoring zone; and
determining a trajectory envelope of the object based at least in part on the determining the object is within the active monitoring zone.

9. The UAV as recited in claim 8 , wherein the flight management component further generates a flight plan of the UAV based at least in part on the determining the object is within the active monitoring zone.

10. The UAV as recited in claim 8 , wherein the flight management component further determines at least an operating characteristic of the object based at least in part on the determining the object is within the active monitoring zone, and further comprising an object parameter database that includes at least the operating characteristic associated with at least one or more objects, the object parameter database queryable by the flight management component.

11. The UAV as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a communication component that maintains a communication network between the UAV and one or more additional UAVs operating within the airspace about the UAV, the communication component to facilitate sharing of data associated with at least the active monitoring zone.

12. The UAV as recited in claim 11 , wherein the UAV modifies the dynamic second boundary based at least in part on receiving from one or more additional UAVs at least one of additional signals generated by at least a sensor of the one or more additional UAVs, a detection of the object by the one or more additional UAVs, or an operating characteristic of the object determined by the one or more additional UAVs.

13. The UAV as recited in claim 11 , wherein the signals representative of the at least a portion of the airspace surrounding the UAV have a first signal to noise ratio and the communication component receives from the one or more additional UAVs the additional signals representative of the at least a portion of the airspace surrounding the UAV having a second signal to noise ratio, the flight management utilizing the signals or the additional signals based at least in part on a comparison of the first signal to noise ratio and the second signal to noise ratio.

14. The UAV as recited in claim 11 , wherein the UAV and the one or more additional UAVs detect a same object and the UAV, and wherein the flight management component further triangulates a position of the object based at least in part on data received from the one or more additional UAVs and data generated by the UAV.

15. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
memory to store computer readable instructions that, when executed, causes the one or more processors to perform acts to:
establishing a detection zone extending from a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a first boundary, the first boundary based at least in part on an operating range of one or more sensors onboard the UAV;
establishing an active monitoring zone extending from the first UAV to a second boundary, the second boundary closer to the first UAV than the first boundary;
receiving signals from the one or more sensors, the generated signals representative of the detection zone;
detecting an object at a location within the second boundary as being within the active monitoring zone based at least in part on the signals;
in response to the detecting of the object within the active monitoring zone, determine an operating characteristic of the object;
transmit data associated with the operating characteris

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Buchmueller Daniel
• Paczan Nathan Michael

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• G08G5/045 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• G08G5/0039

  Physics · mapped topic

• B64C39/02

  characterised by special use · CPC title