Unmanned aerial vehicle electromagnetic avoidance and utilization system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12504454-B2
Application number	US-202318526678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2023
Priority date	May 18, 2016
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

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 . An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system comprising one or more processors comprising hardware, the one or more processors configured to:
determine a standoff distance from a structure, wherein the standoff distance is a distance the UAV maintains from the structure while navigating based on electromagnetic field strength measurements from the structure; dynamically adjust the standoff distance based on continuous monitoring of electromagnetic field strength; determine a flight pattern configured such that the UAV maintains the dynamically adjusted standoff distance; and navigate the UAV according to the dynamically determined flight pattern.

2 . The system of claim 1 , the one or more processors configured to:
during navigation of the UAV, increase the standoff distance from the structure when the system determines an increased magnetic field strength of the structure.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to determine a standoff distance from the structure, the one or more processors are configured to:
navigate the UAV to a first altitude above one or more conductors carried by the structure; navigate the UAV to descend from the first altitude towards the conductors; determine information indicative of an electromagnetic field associated with the one or more conductors; determine, using the information, a second altitude at which the electromagnetic field associated with the one or more conductors affects navigation of the UAV; and set the standoff distance based on the second altitude.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to determine a standoff distance from the structure, the one or more processors are configured to:
obtain a magnetic field measurement of the structure; determine a distance from the structure and a location where the measurement was taken; and use a model to select a distance for the standoff distance where the selected distance would be at or below a predetermined threshold value.

5 . The system of claim 1 , the one or more processors configured to:
actively prevent flight of the UAV closer to the structure than the dynamically adjusted standoff distance based on electromagnetic field strength.

6 . The system of claim 1 , the one or more processors configured to:
periodically determine a magnetic interference of the structure; and adjust the standoff distance based on the periodically determined magnetic interference.

7 . The system of claim 1 , the one or more processors configured to:
measure by the UAV, a magnetic field strength of a magnetic field of the structure; and obtain the geospatial location of the UAV and the magnetic field measurement associated with the structure; and utilize the model to determine different standoff distances at various locations along the flight pattern.

8 . A non-transitory computer storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by one or more processors of an aerial vehicle, cause the one or more processors to:
determine a standoff distance from a structure, wherein the standoff distance is a distance the aerial vehicle maintains from the structure while navigating based on electromagnetic field strength measurements from the structure; dynamically adjust the standoff distance based on continuous monitoring of electromagnetic field strength; determine a flight pattern configured such that the aerial vehicle maintains the dynamically adjusted standoff distance; navigate the aerial vehicle according to the dynamically determined flight pattern.

9 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
during navigation, increase the standoff distance from the structure in real-time when the system detects an increase in electromagnetic field strength, thereby dynamically adjusting the flight pattern.

10 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein to determine a standoff distance from the structure, the one or more processors are configured to:
navigate the aerial vehicle to a first altitude above one or more conductors carried by the structure; navigate the aerial vehicle to descend from the first altitude towards the conductors; determine information indicative of an electromagnetic field associated with the one or more conductors; determine, using the information, a second altitude at which the electromagnetic field associated with the one or more conductors affects navigation of the aerial vehicle; and set the standoff distance based on the second altitude.

11 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein to determine a standoff distance from the structure, the one or more processors are configured to:
obtain a magnetic field measurement of the structure; determine a distance from the structure and a location where the measurement was taken; and use a model to select a distance for the standoff distance where the selected distance would be at or below a predetermined threshold value.

12 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
prevent flight of the aerial vehicle closer to the structure than the standoff distance.

13 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
periodically determining a magnetic interference of the structure; and adjusting the standoff distance based on the periodically determined magnetic interference.

14 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
measure by the aerial vehicle, a magnetic field strength of a magnetic field of the structure; and obtain the geospatial location of the aerial vehicle and the magnetic field measurement.

15 . A computerized method comprising:
determining, by an aerial vehicle, a standoff distance from a structure, wherein the standoff distance is a distance the aerial vehicle maintains from the structure while navigating based on electromagnetic field strength measurements from the structure; dynamically adjust, by the aerial vehicle, the standoff distance based on continuous monitoring of electromagnetic field strength; determine a flight pattern configured such that the aerial vehicle maintains the dynamically adjusted standoff distance; and navigate the aerial vehicle according to the dynamically determined flight pattern.

16 . The computerized method of claim 15 , further comprising:
during navigation of the aerial vehicle, increasing the standoff distance from the structure when the system determines an increased magnetic field strength of the structure.

17 . The computerized method of claim 15 , wherein determining a standoff distance from the structure comprises:
navigating the aerial vehicle to a first altitude above one or more conductors carried by the structure; navigating the aerial vehicle to descend from the first altitude towards the conductors; determining information indicative of an electromagnetic field associated with the one or more conductors; determining, using the information, a second altitude at which the electromagnetic field associated with the one or more conductors affects navigation of the aerial vehicle; and setting the standoff distance based on the second alti

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