Geographic area monitoring systems and methods utilizing computational sharing across multiple unmanned vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10423169-B2
Application number	US-201715699936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

In some embodiments, unmanned aerial task systems are provided that comprise: multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising: a UAV control circuit; a motor; and a propulsion system; and wherein data acquired through a first set of at least one of the multiple UAVs while performing a first set of at least one task is caused to be distributed to a second set of at least two of the multiple UAVs, and cause cooperative computational processing of the data through the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs and cooperatively identify based on the cooperative computational processing a second set of at least one task to be performed, and identify a set of at least two tool systems to be utilized by a third set of at least two of the multiple UAVs in cooperatively performing the second set of at least one task.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial task system, comprising:
multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) each comprising:
a UAV control circuit;
a motor; and
a propulsion system coupled with the motor and configured to enable the respective UAVs to move themselves; and

wherein data acquired through a first set of at least one of the multiple UAVs while performing a first set of at least one task is caused to be distributed to a second set of at least two of the multiple UAVs, and cause cooperative computational processing of the data through the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs and cooperatively identify based on the cooperative computational processing a second set of at least one task to be performed, and identify a set of at least two tool systems to be utilized by a third set of at least two of the multiple UAVs in cooperatively performing the second set of at least one task.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV is configured to access computational processing capacity information associated with each of the multiple UAVs, and to identify the second set of the at least two UAVs to be utilized in performing the cooperative computational processing based on the computational processing capacity information associated with each of the second set of the at least two UAVs.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV is configured to communicate instructions to a first set of at least one mounting stations directing each of the first set of mounting stations to: access the data acquired through at least the first set of at least one UAV, and further implement cooperatively computational processing of the data along with the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs in cooperatively identifying the second set of at least one task to be performed and the set of at least two tool systems.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first UAV control circuit is configured to communicate instructions to a central control system directing the central control system to: access the data acquired through at least the first set of at least one UAV, and further implement cooperatively computational processing of the data along with the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs and the first set of mounting stations in cooperatively identifying the second set of at least one task to be performed and the set of at least two tool systems.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV is configured to identify at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas and communicate instructions, in implementing the cooperative computational processing of the data, to each of the identified at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas directing each of the identified at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas to perform at least a portion of the cooperative computational processing to identify at least one UAV, of the third set of multiple UAVs, that is associated with the respective one of the multiple geographic areas to be activated in cooperatively performing the second set of at least one task.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV is configured to identify at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas and communicate instructions, in implementing the cooperative computational processing of the data, to each of the identified at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas directing each of the identified at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas to perform at least a portion of the cooperative computational processing to identify at least one tool system, of the set of at least two tool systems, that is associated with the respective one of the multiple geographic areas to be utilized in cooperatively performing the second set of at least one task.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the UAV control circuit of each of the second set of UAVs is configured to access power level data corresponding to each of multiple other UAVs and select at least one of the third set UAVs to be utilized in cooperatively performing the second set of the at least one task based at least in part on power levels of each of the multiple other UAVs relative to a threshold power level corresponding to at least one of the second set of at least one task.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first UAV control circuit of a first UAV is configured to: access a UAV database storing UAV processing capability data defining processing capabilities of each of the multiple UAVs, and select the second set of at least two of the multiple UAVs based on the processing capabilities of each of the second set of at least two UAVs.

9. A method of performing tasks through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), comprising:
causing data, acquired through a first set of at least two UAVs while performing a first set of at least one task, to be distributed to a second set of at least two of the multiple UAVs;
causing cooperative computational processing of the data through the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs;
cooperatively identifying based on the cooperative computational processing a second set of at least one task to be performed; and
identifying a set of at least two tool systems to be utilized by a third set of at least two of the multiple UAVs in cooperatively performing the second set of at least one task.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
accessing computational processing capacity information associated with each of the multiple UAVs; and
identifying the second set of the at least two UAVs to be utilized in performing the cooperative computational processing based on the computational processing capacity information associated with each of the second set of the at least two UAVs.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
communicating instructions to a first set of at least one mounting stations directing each of the first set of mounting stations to access the data acquired through at least the first set of at least one UAV; and
causing the cooperatively computational processing of the data by the first set of mounting stations along with the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs in cooperatively identifying the second set of at least one task to be performed and the set of at least two tool systems.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
communicating instructions to a central control system directing the central control system to access the data acquired through at least the first set of at least one UAV; and
causing the cooperatively computational processing of the data by the central control system along with the UAV control circuits of the second set of UAVs and the first set of mounting stations in cooperatively identifying the second set of at least one task to be performed and the set of at least two tool systems.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas;
wherein the causing the cooperative computational processing of the data comprises:
communicating instructions to each of the identified at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas directing each of the identified at least one UAV in each of multiple geographic areas to perform at least a portion of the cooperative computational processing to identify at least one UAV, of the third set of multiple UAVs, that is associated with the respective one of the multiple geographic areas to be activated in cooperatively performing the second set of at least one task.

14. The method of claim 9

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Cantrell Robert L
• Thompson John P
• Winkle David C
• Atchley Michael D
• High Donald R
• Mattingly Todd D
• Mchale Brian G
• O'Brien John J
• Simon John F
• Jones Nathan G
• Taylor Robert C

Classifications

• B64C2211/00

  Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters · CPC title

• B64D1/22

  Taking-up articles from earth's surface · CPC title

• B64D1/16

  Dropping or releasing powdered, liquid, or gaseous matter, e.g. for fire-fighting (jettisoning fuel B64D37/26) · CPC title

• B64C2201/127

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G05D1/104 Primary

  involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying (traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00) · CPC title