Implementation of a rescue drone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10216181-B2
Application number	US-201715848507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Aug 4, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A system and method for optimizing a rescue operation of an individual. The method comprises maintaining, by an individual engaged in an activity, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to the individual. For storage at the UAV, the individual records at a recording device a message. A sensor device is configured to detect a situation requiring a need to rescue the individual at a current location, and generates a trigger signal in response to a detection. In response to the receipt of the trigger signal, a current GPS location of the individual is recorded and a launching of the UAV to traverse a flight-path to a destination location. At or before arriving at the destination location, the UAV contemporaneously provides the stored recorded message and current GPS location of the individual to an emergency response authority to inform of the individual's situation and location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drone based rescue system comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to an individual, said UAV comprising:
one or more sensor devices configured to detect a situation requiring a need to rescue said individual at a current location, and configured to generate a trigger signal in response to detecting the situation;
a recording device configured to record and store a message from the individual;
a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS signals to determine a current GPS location of said individual;
a navigation system configured to control said UAV to traverse a flight-path to a destination location;
a processor unit at said UAV configured to receive said trigger signal and automatically record a current GPS location of said individual and controlling a launching of said UAV to said destination location,

wherein said UAV is further configured to contemporaneously provide said stored recorded message and current GPS location of said individual to one or more playback devices associated with an emergency response authority to inform of said individual's situation and location.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said UAV is mounted to a receptacle carried by the individual while engaging in said activity, and in response to receipt of said trigger signal, said processor unit is further configured to:
automatically actuate a release of said UAV from said receptacle and automatically initiate the launching of said UAV to navigate along the flight-path.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said UAV is carried by the individual while engaging in said activity,
said UAV comprising a physical switch device or a near-field RF communications receiver for receiving directly from the individual or directly from a device operated by the individual, a self-launch control signal; and
in response to receipt of the self-launch control signal, said UAV being configured to initiate the launch of the UAV and enable said UAV to navigate along the flight-path to said destination.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said destination location and said flight-path to said destination location are both pre-determined, said navigation system configured to use GPS information providing said UAV with ability to navigate a pre-programmed path to said destination location.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said flight-path to said destination location are both unknown at a time of the launching of said UAV, said UAV further comprising:
a first communications sub-system configured to establish a network connection over a communications network and access information over the communications network via a network connection, wherein after said launching, said processor unit is further configured to:
employ the first communications sub-system to receive over said network connection information including one or more GPS location coordinates associated with each of one or more destination locations having an emergency response capability, and
generate responsive to said accessed GPS location coordinates a fight-path to enable said UAV to navigate to one of said destination locations.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said communications sub-system is adapted to communicate said recorded message to a receiving device via the communications network.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein said first communications sub-system enables cellular phone network communications, said first communications sub-further configured to:
after said UAV launching, monitor for cellular network signal strength, and navigate said UAV to stay within an area of sufficient cellular phone coverage strength and initiate a cellular phone emergency call to the one or more emergency response authority destinations; and
upon connection to a receiver device at said emergency response authority destination, playback said recorded message contemporaneous with said individual's current GPS location.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said UAV further comprises:
a second communication sub-system configured to communicate with a device carried and/or operated by said individual or a third party via short-range and/or near field wireless communications, said second communications sub-system further configured to:
receive remote-commands from said individual or a third party via remote control wireless signals over at a particular frequency setting.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein said recorded and stored message is selected from a group consisting of: an audio message, a video message, an audio-video formatted message, and text and image data messages, said UAV further comprising:
one or more playback media devices for audio/video playback of said recorded message.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one sensor configured to detect an event is selected from a group consisting of:
a biosensor configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting a biological condition associated with said individual;
an accelerometer configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting a kinetic condition of said individual, said UAV or both said individual and UAV, and
a thermal sensor configured to generate the trigger signal upon detecting an environmental temperature condition.

11. A method for optimizing a rescue operation of an individual engaged in an activity comprising:
maintaining, by an individual engaged in an activity, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) associated with and in proximity to said individual,
recording by a recording device at said UAV a message from an individual, and storing said message in a storage device for subsequent playback;
detecting, at one or more sensor devices, a situation requiring a need to rescue said individual at a current location, and generating a trigger signal in response to said detecting, said UAV having a control processor unit configured to receive said trigger signal, determining, by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver adapted to receive GPS signals at said UAV to determine a current GPS location of said individual;
wherein, responsive to receipt of said trigger signal, said control processor unit automatically recording a current GPS location of said individual and controlling a launching of said UAV to a destination location, said control processing unit controlling a navigating of said UAV to traverse a flight-path to said destination location, and
contemporaneously providing said stored recorded message and current GPS location of said individual to one or more playback devices associated with an emergency response authority to inform of said individual's situation and location.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said UAV is carried by the individual while engaging in said activity, said method further comprising:
receiving, at the UAV, directly from the individual at a physical switch device, or at a receiver for directly receiving from a device operated by the individual, a self-launch control signal, and
in response to receipt of the self-launch control signal, initiating said launching of the UAV and enabling said UAV to navigate along the flight-path to said destination.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said UAV is mounted to a receptacle carried by the individual while engaging in said activity, wherein said method further comprises:
in response to receipt of said trigger signal, configuring said UAV to automatically actuate a release from said receptacle and automatically initiate the launching of said UAV to navigate along the flight-path.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said destination location and said flight-

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Fox Jeremy R
• Jones Andrew R
• Liu Norman Tsu-Han
• Sivasubramanian Balasubramanian

Classifications

• B64U2101/20

  for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms · CPC title

• A62B99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• G08G5/0069

  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

• G08B25/016

  Personal emergency signalling and security systems (emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12) · CPC title