Unmanned aerial system assisted navigational systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11430332-B2
Application number	US-201916273011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2019
Priority date	Sep 2, 2016
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

Flight based infrared imaging systems and related techniques, and in particular unmanned aerial system (UAS) based systems, are provided for aiding in operation and/or piloting of a mobile structure. Such systems and techniques may include determining environmental conditions around the mobile structure with the UAS detecting the presence of objects and/or persons around the mobile structure and/or determining the presence of other structures around the mobile structure. Instructions for the operation of such mobile structures may then be accordingly determined responsive to such data.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a logic device associated with a mobile structure and configured to operate when positioned with the mobile structure and, when positioned with the mobile structure, to:
communicate, to at least one of the one or more unmanned aerial systems (UASs), instructions to use an imaging device coupled to the one or more UASs to image at least a portion of the mobile structure;
receive unmanned aerial systems data (UAS data) from the one or more UASs associated with the mobile structure, wherein at least a portion of the UAS data comprises data associated with the imaged portion of the mobile structure, the imaging device comprising a thermal camera coupled to the one or more UASs;
determine one or more environmental conditions based, at least in part, on the UAS data;
generate an environmental condition determination based, at least in part, on the UAS data and/or the determined one or more environmental conditions; and
using the imaged portion of the mobile structure in the UAS data, identify one or more concern areas of the mobile structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more concern areas comprise at least one of:
a damaged area of the mobile structure,
wildlife on the mobile structure,
a flap angle of the mobile structure comprising a flap, and/or
a sail configuration of the mobile structure comprising a sail.

3. An apparatus comprising:
a logic device associated with a mobile structure and configured to communicate with an imaging device, wherein the logic device is configured to operate when positioned with the mobile structure and, when positioned with the mobile structure, to:
receive unmanned aerial systems (UAS) data from one or more UASs associated with the mobile structure, wherein at least a portion of the UAS data comprises data associated with the imaging device, the imaging device comprising a thermal camera coupled to the one or more UASs;
determine one or more environmental conditions based, at least in part, on the UAS data;
generate an environmental condition determination based, at least in part, on at least one of: (1) the UAS data and (2) the determined one or more environmental conditions; and

determine instructions associated with landing at least one of the UASs on the mobile structure; and
provide the determined instructions to the at least one UAS;
wherein the UAS data is associated with one or more of:
at least one of the one or more environmental conditions, wherein the at least one environmental condition is associated with an environment local to the mobile structure;
a sway of the mobile structure;
a velocity of the mobile structure; and
a position of a flight platform receiver on the mobile structure, wherein:
the determining the instructions associated with landing the at least one UAS on the mobile structure comprises determining an orientation of the flight platform receiver and matching an orientation of the at least one UAS to the orientation of the flight platform receiver; and
the determined instructions are based, at least in part, on the UAS data and/or on the position of the flight platform receiver on the mobile structure;

wherein the logic device is configured to use one or more sensors coupled to the mobile structure to provide measurements of motion of the mobile structure to the at least one UAS in real time as the at least one UAS is landing on the mobile structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the one or more concern areas comprise the sale configuration allowing determination of a wind speed and/or direction.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is further configured to:
determine a presence and/or location of an object within an environment local to the mobile structure based, at least in part, on the UAS data; and
communicate instructions to the one or more UASs to monitor a portion of the environment local to the mobile structure for the presence and/or location of the object, wherein the portion of the environment is determined based, at least in part, on the environmental condition determination, and wherein the generated environmental condition determination is associated with water current conditions and/or water temperature conditions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is further configured to determine and communicate positioning instructions to the one or more UASs, and wherein the positioning instructions are determined based, at least in part, on a velocity of the mobile structure.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the motion comprises moving laterally or longitudinally, heaving vertically, rolling, and pitching.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is further configured to:
determine a distance between the mobile structure and at least one of the one or more UASs;
determine a traversal range of the at least one UAS is less than the distance between the mobile structure and the at least one UAS;
identify a second mobile structure within the traversal range of the at least one UAS; and
direct the at least one UAS to travel to and/or land upon the second mobile structure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface comprising a display, wherein the logic device is further configured to:
display information on the one or more concern areas on the user interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the information on the one or more concern areas comprises a text message or a highlight.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mobile structure is a watercraft, and the logic device is further configured to:
receive one or more search patterns from a user interface of the apparatus and/or from a shore base;
generate and/or transmit maneuvering and/or monitoring instructions for the one or more UASs based on the received one or more search patterns; and
monitor the UAS data received from the one or more UASs as they traverse the one or more search patterns.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more UASs comprises first and second UASs, and wherein the logic device is further configured to:
receive a range warning from the first UAS indicating that it lacks traversal capacity to complete an assigned search pattern;
transmit a return control signal to the first UAS to return to the mobile structure; and
generate and/or transmit maneuvering and/or monitoring instructions for the second UAS to complete the assigned search pattern.

13. A method comprising:
communicating by the mobile structure, to at least one of one or more UASs, instructions to image at least a portion of the mobile structure;
receiving unmanned aerial systems (UAS) data from the one or more UASs associated with a mobile structure, wherein at least a portion of the UAS data comprises data associated with a thermal camera coupled to the one or more UASs, wherein the data associated with the thermal camera comprises data associated with the imaged portion of the mobile structure;
determining one or more environmental conditions based, at least in part, on the UAS data;
generating an environmental condition determination based, at least in part, on the UAS data and/or the determined one or more environmental conditions; and
using the imaged portion of the mobile structure in the UAS data to identify, by a logic device, one or more concern areas of the mobile structure.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining instructions associated with landing at least one of the one or more UASs on the mobile structure; and
providing by the mobile structure the determined instructions to the

Assignees

• FLIR Belgium BVBA

Inventors

• Rivers Mark
• Gatland Christopher D
• Tugcetin Cenk
• Jones Chris
• Murphy Adam

Classifications

• B64U80/86

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• B64U80/84

  Waterborne vehicles · CPC title

• B64U2201/10

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

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• G08G3/00

  Traffic control systems for marine craft (marking of navigational route B63B22/16, B63B51/00) · CPC title