Unmanned aerial vehicle electromagnetic avoidance and utilization system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11835561-B2
Application number	US-202117314838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2021
Priority date	May 18, 2016
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus, for an unmanned aerial vehicle electromagnetic avoidance and utilization system. One of the methods includes obtaining a flight package indicating a flight pattern associated with inspecting a structure, the flight pattern causing the UAV to remain at a standoff distance from the structure, wherein the standoff distance is based on an electromagnetic field associated with the structure, and wherein the flight pattern is laterally constrained according to a property geofence associated with a right of way of the structure. The UAV is navigated according to the flight pattern, and the UAV captures images of the structure. For an initial portion of the flight pattern, the UAV navigates at an altitude based on the standoff distance and the property geofence towards the structure. The UAV determines a location at which to capture images of the structure, and the UAV provides the captured images to a user device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining an altitude at which an electromagnetic field of a structure affects an unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle navigates about the structure according to a flight plan;
determining a standoff distance from the structure based on the altitude;
updating the flight plan according to the standoff distance; and
navigating the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the updated flight plan.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the altitude at which the electromagnetic field of the structure affects the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle navigates about the structure according to the flight plan comprises:
ascending the unmanned aerial vehicle to an initial altitude at which the electromagnetic field of the structure is not expected to affect the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
descending the unmanned aerial vehicle from the initial altitude until navigational functionality of the unmanned aerial vehicle becomes affected.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the altitude at which the electromagnetic field of the structure affects the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle navigates about the structure according to the flight plan comprises:
determining the altitude based on the navigational functionality outputting a modified north direction while the unmanned aerial vehicle vertically descends from the initial altitude.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the altitude while the unmanned aerial vehicle vertically descends based on the navigational functionality outputting the modified north direction comprises:
determining that output from a first sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle indicates that a direction associated with north is moving while output from a second sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle indicates that an orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not changing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updated flight plan limits navigation of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to a geofence surrounding the structure and based on the standoff distance.

6. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:
adjusting a configuration for a camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle to use to capture one or more images of the structure based on the standoff distance.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the configuration for the camera relates to one or both of an angle for the camera or a focal length for the camera, the method comprising:
determining to adjust the configuration for the camera based on a ground sampling distance.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
transmitting an indication of the updated flight plan to a ground control system.

9. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:
one or more sensors configured to produce output while the unmanned aerial vehicle navigates about a structure according to a flight plan; and
a flight planning system configured to:
determine an altitude at which an electromagnetic field of the structure affects the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the output; and
update the flight plan based on the altitude.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein, to determine the altitude at which the electromagnetic field of the structure affects the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the output, the flight planning system is configured to:
determine the altitude based on the output indicating a modified north direction while the unmanned aerial vehicle descends from an initial altitude above the structure.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the one or more sensors include a first sensor and a second sensor, and wherein, to determine the altitude based on the output indicating the modified north direction while the unmanned aerial vehicle descends from the initial altitude above the structure, the flight planning system is configured to:
determine that output from the first sensor indicates that a direction associated with north is moving while output from the second sensor indicates that an orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not changing.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the first sensor is an electronic compass and the second sensor is an inertial measurement unit.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 9 , comprising a camera, wherein a configuration for the camera to use to capture one or more images of the structure is adjusted based on the updated flight plan.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the flight planning system is configured to:
transmit an indication of the updated flight plan to a ground control system.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
determine, while an unmanned aerial vehicle navigates about a structure according to a flight plan, a standoff distance from the structure for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on an altitude at which an electromagnetic field of the structure affects the unmanned aerial vehicle;
update the flight plan according to the standoff distance; and
navigate the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the updated flight plan.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the instructions to determine the standoff distance from the structure for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the altitude at which the electromagnetic field of the structure affects the unmanned aerial vehicle, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
determine the altitude based on the unmanned aerial vehicle outputting a modified north direction while the unmanned aerial vehicle vertically descends from an initial altitude above the structure; and
determine the standoff distance based on the altitude.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the instructions to determine the altitude based on the unmanned aerial vehicle outputting the modified north direction while the unmanned aerial vehicle vertically descends from the initial altitude above the structure, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
determine that output from a first sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle indicates that a direction associated with north is moving while output from a second sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle indicates that an orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not changing.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the instructions to determine the altitude based on the unmanned aerial vehicle outputting the modified north direction while the unmanned aerial vehicle vertically descends from the initial altitude above the structure, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
ascend the unmanned aerial vehicle to the initial altitude; and
descend the unmanned aerial vehicle from the initial altitude until navigational functionality of the unmanned aerial vehicle becomes affected.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the updated flight plan limits navigation of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to a geofence surrounding the structure and based on the standoff distance.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
adjust a configuration for a camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle to use to capture one or more images of the structure based on the standoff distance.

Assignees

• Skydio Inc

Inventors

• Blanc-Paques Fabien
• Michini Bernard J
• Bauer Mark Patrick

Classifications

• G05D1/689

  Pointing payloads towards fixed or moving targets (positioning towed, pushed or suspended implements G05D1/672) · CPC title

• G08G5/74

  for monitoring terrain · CPC title

• G08G5/80 Primary

  Anti-collision systems · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title