Accommodating mobile destinations for unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017372256-A1
Application number	US-201715680943-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 18, 2017
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	Dec 28, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device receives a request for a flight path for a UAV to travel from a location to an anticipated location associated with a mobile device, and determines capability information for the UAV based on component information associated with the UAV. The device receives information associated with a current location, a direction of travel, and a speed of the mobile device, and calculates the flight path from the location to the anticipated location associated with the mobile device based on the capability information and based on the information associated with the current location, the direction of travel, and the speed of the mobile device. The device generates flight path instructions for the flight path, and provides the flight path instructions to the UAV to permit the UAV to travel from the location to the anticipated location associated with the mobile device, based on the flight path instructions.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, feedback information from a mobile device,
the feedback information including at least one of:
an update to a location of the mobile device,
an update to a direction of travel of the mobile device, or
an update to a speed of travel of the mobile device;

determining, by the device and based on feedback information, whether an unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to an anticipated location of the mobile device; generating, by the device and based on determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle is unable to travel to the anticipated location, flight path instructions for a modified flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and providing, by the device, the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

22 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
receiving a notification that the unmanned aerial vehicle arrived at the location of the mobile device.

23 . The method of claim 21 , where the feedback information is first feedback information, and
where the method further comprises:
receiving second feedback information from the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
where determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to the anticipated location comprises:
determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to the anticipated location based on the second feedback information.

24 . The method of claim 23 , where the second feedback information includes information received by one or sensors of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

25 . The method of claim 21 , where the flight path instructions are associated with modifying a flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

26 . The method of claim 21 , where the feedback information is first feedback information; and
where the method further comprises:
receiving second feedback information that indicates that the unmanned aerial vehicle is in danger of colliding with an obstacle; and
modifying the modified flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the second feedback information.

27 . The method of claim 21 , where the feedback information is first feedback information; and
where the method further comprises:
receiving second feedback information that indicates a weather condition; and
modifying the modified flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the second feedback information.

28 . A device, comprising:
one or more processors to:
receive feedback information from a mobile device,
the feedback information including at least one of:
an update to a location of the mobile device,
an update to a direction of travel of the mobile device, or
an update to a speed of travel of the mobile device;

determine, based on feedback information, whether an unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to an anticipated location of the mobile device;
generate, based on determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle is unable to travel to the anticipated location, flight path instructions for the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
provide the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

29 . The device of claim 28 , where the one or more processors are further to:
modify a flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop and recharge.

30 . The device of claim 28 , where the one or more processors are further to:
provide, to the mobile device, navigation information associated with an anticipated location of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

31 . The device of claim 28 , where the one or more processors are further to:
receive, from the unmanned aerial vehicle, a request for a flight path to the location of the mobile device; and where the one or more processors, when receiving the feedback information from the mobile device, are to:
receive the feedback information from the mobile device based on receiving the request.

32 . The device of claim 28 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is registered with an appropriate authority; and where the one or more processors, when generating the flight path instructions, are to:
generate the flight path instructions based on determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle is registered with the appropriate authority.

33 . The device of claim 28 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is authenticated for a network; and where the one or more processors, when generating the flight path instructions, are to:
generate the flight path instructions based on determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle is authenticated for the network.

34 . The device of claim 28 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine capability information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle; and where the one or more processors, when determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to the anticipated location of the mobile device, are to:
determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to the anticipated location of the mobile device based on the capability information.

35 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive feedback information from a mobile device,
the feedback information including at least one of:
an update to a location of the mobile device,
an update to a direction of travel of the mobile device, or
an update to a speed of travel of the mobile device;

determine, based on feedback information, whether an unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to an anticipated location of the mobile device;
generate, based on determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle is unable to travel to the anticipated location, flight path instructions for the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
provide the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

36 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
determine component information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle; and where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to the anticipated location of the mobile device, cause the one or more processors to:
determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to travel to the anticipated location of the mobile device based on the component information.

37 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
determine a waypoint for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle is unable to travel to the anticipated location of the mobile device.

38 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
determine historical information including one or more prior flight paths associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle; and where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to generate the flight path instructions, cause the one or mor

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Kantor Igor
• Srivastava Ashok N
• Pasko Douglas M
• Batla Hani
• Ubhi Gurpreet

Classifications

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W4/024

  Guidance services · CPC title

• H04W4/027

  using movement velocity, acceleration information · CPC title

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · 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