US 11,807,362 B2
Systems and methods for autonomous navigation and computation of unmanned vehicles
Christopher E. Prest, Waterloo (CA); Jerry Mailloux, Waterloo (CA); David R. Proulx, Guelph (CA); Thomas C. Nagy, Waterloo (CA); David D. Kroetsch, Waterloo (CA); and Bradley Benninger, Waterloo (CA)
Assigned to FLIR Unmanned Aerial Systems ULC, Vancouver (CA)
Filed by FLIR Unmanned Aerial Systems ULC, Vancouver (CA)
Filed on Oct. 23, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/079,389.
Application 17/079,389 is a continuation of application No. PCT/CA2019/050532, filed on Apr. 25, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/662,591, filed on Apr. 25, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0053680 A1, Feb. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01); B64U 101/60 (2023.01); B64U 101/31 (2023.01)
CPC B64C 39/024 (2013.01) [G08G 5/0069 (2013.01); B64U 2101/31 (2023.01); B64U 2101/60 (2023.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
11. A method for navigating an unmanned vehicle (UV), the method comprising:
receiving data from sensors, camera or data line for UV processor analysis;
navigating the UV while using a wireless communication link;
determining that a link-free trigger event has occurred, the link-free trigger event comprising a natural communication link failure or a threat detection; and
autonomously navigating the UV in response to the link-trigger event without using the communication link or with a reduced use of the communication link;
wherein the threat detection comprises at least one of:
(i) detection, through an on-board surveillance subsystem, of a pre-determined target whose image or other data may have been uploaded to the vehicle from the control station and whose identity may have been selected for autonomous detection by the control station;
(ii) detection of a change in a characteristic of a specified target;
(iii) detection of an indication that the presence of the UV has been detected by a hostile party; and
(iv) detection, by the vehicle's communication subsystem or by another wireless sensing subsystem, of jamming or attempted jamming of the communications link;
wherein autonomously navigating the UV comprises:
(A) for the natural communication link failure,
determining whether a link-free mode is enabled;
if the link-free mode is enabled, then performing a link-free mode link failure action;
if the link-free mode is not enabled, then performing a regular mode link failure action which is different from the link-free mode link failure action;
(B) for the threat detection, deactivating the UV's wireless transmitter.