System and method for indicating drones flying overhead

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10567917-B2
Application number	US-201916284385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2018
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

A system and method for tracking and alerting a drone flying overhead are provided herein. The method includes acquiring a first data associated with a user device position; detecting a path corresponding to movement of the user device; receiving, from a server at the user device, drone data associated with a plurality of drones; filtering the drone data to obtain a second data associated with a drone position and a respective drone route which intersects with the path; predicting an intersection area; determining a distance between the user device position and the drone position based on the first data and the second data; determining whether a determined distance is equal to or less than a preset distance; and instructing a user to change the path or the speed of travel down a path when the determined distance is equal to or less than the preset distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method implemented on a user device carried by a user, the user device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the method comprising:
acquiring a first data associated with a position of the user device, the first data comprising a first latitude and a first longitude and being updated based on movement of the user device;
detecting a path corresponding to the movement of the user device;
receiving, from a server at the user device, drone data associated with a plurality of drones in an area where the user device is located;
filtering the drone data to obtain a second data associated with a position of a drone and a respective drone route which intersects with the path, the second data of the drone comprising a second latitude and a second longitude and being updated based on movement of the drone;
predicting an intersection area where the drone route intersects with the path, the intersection area having a center indicative of the position of the drone on a display screen of the user device and a circular area with a radius indicative of a preset distance between the drone and the user device;
determining a distance between the position of the user device and the position of the drone based on the first data and the second data;
determining whether a determined distance is equal to or less than a preset distance;
detecting user's travel speed, user's travel direction, and the path based on an update of the first data related to the movement of the user device;
predicting a drone route and a time that the drone flies overhead of the user based on operational parameters of the drone, the path, the user's travelling speed, and the user's travelling direction; and
instructing, via a display screen of the user device, the user to change the path or a speed of travel down a path for preventing the user from traveling beneath the drone flying overhead when the determined distance is equal to or less than the preset distance.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprises:
mapping the first data and the path on a map shown on a display screen of the user device; and
mapping the second data and the drone route on the map shown on the display screen of the user device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preset distance is an adjustable parameter set by the user based on user's personal preferences.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprises:
generating a predictive visual cone with an intersection area and an altitude of the drone; and
mapping the intersection area on the map on the display screen of the user device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprises providing instructions to direct the drone to change the drone route for preventing from flying overhead of the user when the determined distance is equal to or less than the preset distance.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the user comprises providing an alert, and information shown on a map on the display screen; and wherein the information indicates the position of the drone, the drone route, the path, a suggested travel speed for the user, and a suggested travel direction for the user.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the alert comprises a sound and a vibration; and an intensity of the alert vary with a closeness of the drone from the position of the user device, the intensity comprising a volume of the sound and a strength of the vibration.

8. A system comprising:
a server in communication with a plurality of drones;
a user device carried by a user and comprising at least one processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and
a non-transitory computer program product containing executable instructions, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
acquiring a first data associated with a position of the user device, the first data comprising a first latitude and a first longitude and being updated based on movement of the user device;
detecting a path corresponding to the movement of the user device; receiving, from the server at the user device, drone data associated with a plurality of drones in an area where the user device is located;
filtering the drone data to obtain a second data associated with a position of a drone and a respective drone route which intersects with the path, the second data of the drone comprising a second latitude and a second longitude and being updated based on movement of the drone;
predicting an intersection area where the drone route intersects with the path, the intersection area having a center indicative of the position of the drone on a display screen of the user device and a circular area with a radius indicative of a preset distance between the drone and the user device;
determining a distance between the position of the user device and the position of the drone based on the first data and the second data;
determining whether a determined distance is equal to or less than a preset distance;
detecting user's travel speed, user's travel direction, and the path based on an update of the first data related to the movement of the user device;
predicting the drone route and a time that the drone flies overhead of the user based on operational parameters of the drone, the path, the user's travelling speed, and the user's travelling direction; and
instructing, via a display screen of the user device, the user to change the path or a speed of travel down a path for preventing the user from traveling beneath the drone flying overhead when the determined distance is equal to or less than the preset distance.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
mapping the first data and the path on a map shown on a display screen of the user device; and
mapping the second data and the drone route on the map shown on the display screen of the user device.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the preset distance is an adjustable parameter set by the user based on user's personal preferences.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
generating a predictive visual cone with an intersection area and an altitude of the drone; and
mapping the intersection area on the map on the display screen of the user device.

12. The system of claim 8 , further comprises generating instructions to direct the drone to change the drone route for preventing from flying overhead of the user when the determined distance is equal to or less than the preset distance.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions comprise an alert, and information shown on a map on the display screen; and wherein the information indicates the position of the drone, the drone route, the path, a suggested travel speed for the user and a suggested travel direction for the user.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein instructing the user comprises providing the alert comprises a sound and a vibration; and an intensity of the alert vary with a closeness of the drone from the position of the user device, the intensity comprising a volume of the sound and a strength of the vibration.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by a processor associated with a user device carried by a user, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
acquiring a first data associated with a position of the user device, the first data comprising a first latitude and a first longitude and being updated based on movement of the user

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Cantrell Robert
• O'Brien John J
• Mchale Brian

Classifications

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/024 Primary

  Guidance services · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• G08B7/06

  using electric transmission {, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources} · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title