Multi-part navigation process by an unmanned aerial vehicle for navigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9823654-B2
Application number	US-201615082205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2016
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments described herein may relate to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigating to a target in order to provide medical support. An illustrative method involves a UAV (a) determining an approximate target location associated with a target, (b) using a first navigation process to navigate the UAV to the approximate target location, where the first navigation process generates flight-control signals based on the approximate target location, (c) making a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location, and (d) in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location, using a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to the target, wherein the second navigation process generates flight-control signals based on real-time localization of the target.

First claim

We claim:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
at least one distance-sensing system comprising at least one of a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system or a laser detection and ranging (LaDAR) system;
a navigation module comprising program instructions stored in data storage and executable by at least one processor to provide both a first and a second navigation process to generate flight-control signals for a UAV, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals based on a predetermined location of a target, and wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals based on a real-time localization process that locates the target in real-time; and
a control system comprising program instructions stored in data storage and executable by at least one processor to:
use the at least one distance-sensing system to generate environmental data indicative of distance to each of one or more objects in an environment of the UAV;
determine an approximate target location associated with the target;
use the first navigation process to navigate the UAV from a remote location to the approximate target location of the target;
make a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location of the target;
in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location of the target, switch to use of the second navigation process to locate, and navigate the UAV to, a position hovering above the target;
use the environmental data to detect and avoid obstacles while hovering over the target; and
determine that the UAV is positioned above the target and responsively operate a winch system to lower a payload from the UAV to the target.

2. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the approximate target location comprises a geographic location of a remote device, wherein the remote device is associated with the target.

3. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the first navigation process generates the first flight-control commands based on predetermined waypoints that provide a route to the approximate target location.

4. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the real-time localization process comprises at least one of: (a) an environment-sensing localization process and (b) a beacon-sensing localization process.

5. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the real-time localization process comprises a beacon-sensing localization process to locate and navigate to a source of a beacon signal, wherein the source is a remote device that is associated with the target.

6. The UAV of claim 5 , wherein the beacon-sensing localization process comprises:
detecting the beacon signal;
determining a security key that is encoded in the beacon signal; and
determining whether or not the security key matches a predefined security key for the target, wherein navigation to the source of the beacon signal is conditioned upon the security key matching a predefined security key for the target.

7. The UAV of claim 6 , wherein the predefined security key was generated and sent to the remote device in response to a request for medical support made by the remote device.

8. A method comprising:
determining, by a computing system of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an approximate target location associated with a target, wherein the computing system comprises at least one processor;
using, by the computing system, a first navigation process to navigate the UAV from a remote location to the approximate target location of the target, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals based on the approximate target location of a target;
operating at least one distance-sensing system to generate environmental data indicative of distance to objects in an environment of the UAV, wherein the at least one distance-sensing system comprises at least one of a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system or a laser detection and ranging (LaDAR) system;
making, by the computing system, a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location of the target;
in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location of the target, using, by the computing system, a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to a position hovering above the target, wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals based on real-time localization of the target;
using, by the computing system, the environmental data as a basis for detecting and avoiding obstacles while hovering over the target; and
determining, by the computing system, that the UAV is positioned above the target and responsively operating a winch system to lower a payload from the UAV to the target.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the real-time localization process comprises at least one of: (a) an environment-sensing localization process and (b) a beacon-sensing localization process.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the real-time localization process comprises a beacon-sensing localization process for locating and navigating to a source of a beacon signal, wherein the beacon-sensing localization process comprises:
detecting the beacon signal;
determining a security key that is encoded in the beacon signal; and
determining whether or not the security key matches a predefined security key for the target, wherein navigation to the source of the beacon signal is conditioned upon the security key matching a predefined security key for the target.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second navigation process comprises:
using an autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target;
if a predetermined period of time has elapsed without locating the target, then:
determining that the autonomous real-time localization is unsuccessful; and
responsively implementing a fallback process to locate and navigate to the target; and

if the predetermined period of time has not elapsed, then continuing to use the autonomous real-time localization process in an effort to locate the target.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fallback process comprises at least one of: (a) causing the UAV to switch to a remote-control mode where the UAV is controllable by a remote computing system and (b) causing the UAV to switch to a local-assistance mode where the UAV seeks local assistance.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions that are executable by at least one processor to cause a computing device to perform functions comprising:
determining an approximate target location associated with a target;
using a first navigation process to navigate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a remote location to the approximate target location of the target, wherein the first navigation process generates first flight-control signals based on the approximate target location of the target;
operating at least one distance-sensing system to generate environmental data indicative of distance to objects in an environment of the UAV, wherein the at least one distance-sensing system comprises at least one of a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system or a laser detection and ranging (LaDAR) system;
making a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location of the target;
in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location of the target, using a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to a position hovering over the target, wherein the second navigation process generates second flight-control signals based on real-time localization of the target;
using the environmenta

Assignees

• X Dev Llc

Inventors

• Peeters Eric
• Teller Eric
• Patrick William Graham

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2201/104

  using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• G05D1/00 Primary

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title

• G01S13/882

  for altimeters (measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06) · CPC title