Flight control for flight-restricted regions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11810465-B2
Application number	US-202217648178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2022
Priority date	Apr 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes one or more processors individually or collectively configured to assess a location of the UAV, calculate a distance between the UAV and a flight-restricted region using the location of the UAV, assess whether the distance falls within a first distance threshold, and instruct the UAV to take a flight response measure selected from (1) a first flight response measure when the distance falls within the first distance threshold, and (2) a second flight response measure different from the first flight response measure when the distance falls outside the first distance threshold. The first flight response measure at least includes causing the UAV to descend or hover over a location. A rate at which the UAV descends is determined based on the location of the UAV.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:
one or more processors individually or collectively configured to:
assess a location of the UAV;
calculate a distance between the UAV and a flight-restricted region using the location of the UAV;
assess whether the distance falls within a first distance threshold; and
instruct the UAV to take a flight response measure selected from (1) a first flight response measure when the distance falls within the first distance threshold, and (2) a second flight response measure different from the first flight response measure when the distance falls outside the first distance threshold, wherein the first flight response measure at least comprises causing the UAV to descend or hover over a location, and wherein a rate at which the UAV descends is determined based on the location of the UAV.

2. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the flight-restricted region is selected from a plurality of possible flight-restricted regions based on proximity of the UAV to each of the plurality of possible flight-restricted regions.

3. The UAV of claim 2 , wherein flight-restricted regions outside a second distance threshold from the UAV are excluded from the plurality of possible flight-restricted regions.

4. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the first flight response measure further comprises preventing the UAV from taking off.

5. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the second flight response measure comprises at least one of: providing an operator of the UAV with a time period to ascend the UAV, or providing an alert or a warning to the operator of the UAV.

6. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to limit the UAV's flight within a predetermined flight limitation region.

7. The UAV of claim 6 , wherein the flight limitation region is defined by a user using a graphical user interface or a user interface.

8. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said method comprising:
assessing a location of the UAV;
calculating a distance between the UAV and a flight-restricted region using the location of the UAV;
assessing whether the distance falls within a first distance threshold; and
instructing the UAV to take a flight response measure selected from (1) a first flight response measure when the distance falls within the first distance threshold, and (2) a second flight response measure different from the first flight response measure when the distance falls outside the first distance threshold, wherein the first flight response measure at least comprises causing the UAV to descend or hover over a location, and wherein a rate at which the UAV descends is determined based on the location of the UAV.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the flight-restricted region is selected from a plurality of possible flight-restricted regions based on proximity of the UAV to each of the plurality of possible flight-restricted regions.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein flight-restricted regions outside a second distance threshold from the UAV are excluded from the plurality of possible flight-restricted regions.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first flight response measure further comprises preventing the UAV from taking off.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second flight response measure comprises at least one of: providing an operator of the UAV with a time period to ascend the UAV, or providing an alert or a warning to the operator of the UAV.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising limiting the UAV's flight within a predetermined flight limitation region.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the flight limitation region is defined by a user using a graphical user interface or a user interface.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, configure the computing system to perform the method of claim 8 .

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the flight-restricted region is selected from a plurality of possible flight-restricted regions based on proximity of the UAV to each of the plurality of possible flight-restricted regions.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein flight-restricted regions outside a second distance threshold from the UAV are excluded from the plurality of possible flight-restricted regions.

18. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the first flight response measure further comprises preventing the UAV from taking off.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises limiting the UAV's flight within a predetermined flight limitation region.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 19 , wherein the flight limitation region is defined by a user using a graphical user interface or a user interface.

Assignees

• Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Mingyu
• Wang Tao
• Song Jianyu

Classifications

• G05D1/606

  Compensating for or utilising external environmental conditions, e.g. wind or water currents (station keeping G05D1/611) · CPC title

• G05D1/621

  responding to weather conditions, e.g. storms or wind shear · CPC title

• G05D1/617

  Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) · CPC title

• G08G5/727

  from a ground station · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title