Flight control for flight-restricted regions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9317036-B2
Application number	US-201414262563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2014
Priority date	Apr 17, 2014
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for providing flight response to flight-restricted regions. The location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be compared with a location of a flight-restricted region. If needed a flight-response measure may be taken by the UAV to prevent the UAV from flying in a no-fly zone. Different flight-response measures may be taken based on the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted region and the rules of a jurisdiction within which the UAV falls.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
one or more processors individually or collectively configured to:
assess a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
calculate a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to a flight-restricted region using the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the location of the flight-restricted region;
assess a jurisdiction within which the flight-restricted region is located, based on the location of the flight-restricted region;
access one or more flight restriction rules specific to the assessed jurisdiction; and
instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to take a flight response measure when the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region falls under the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction; and

one or more propulsion units in communication with the processor that permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to take the flight response measure.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the relative positioning between the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the flight-restricted region, and wherein the one or more flight restriction rules provide the flight response measure when the distance falls within a distance threshold.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the distance threshold is selected based on the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the jurisdiction is selected from a group consisting of continents, unions, countries, states/provinces, counties, cities, towns, private property or land, bodies of water, and natural landmarks.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction impose restrictions on altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction impose restrictions on proximity of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the flight-restricted region.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more flight restriction rules of the jurisdiction impose restrictions on boundaries of the flight-restricted region.

Assignees

• Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Mingyu
• Wang Tao
• Song Jianyu

Classifications

• B64U10/10

  Rotorcrafts · 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

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• G05D1/606

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