US 11,874,656 B2
Unmanned aerial vehicle modular command priority determination and filtering system
Brett Michael Bethke, Millbrea, CA (US); Bernard J. Michini, San Francisco, CA (US); Jonathan Anders Lovegren, San Francisco, CA (US); and Patrick Michael Bouffard, Albany, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., Redwood, CA (US)
Filed on May 1, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/583,097.
Application 15/583,097 is a continuation of application No. 15/132,106, filed on Apr. 18, 2016, granted, now 9,658,619.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/315,903, filed on Mar. 31, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2017/0285631 A1, Oct. 5, 2017
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G05D 1/10 (2006.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01); B64D 47/08 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0016 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); G05D 1/0011 (2013.01); G05D 1/0061 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/102 (2013.01); G08G 5/0069 (2013.01); B64D 47/08 (2013.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01); B64U 2201/104 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method implemented by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising one or more processors, the method comprising:
receiving, by a source determination system included in the UAV and from a first control source that provides modular commands to the UAV, one or more first modular commands associated with performance by the UAV of one or more actions related to a flight plan for the UAV;
receiving, by the source determination system included in the UAV and from a second control source that provides modular commands to the UAV, one or more second modular commands associated with performance by the UAV of one or more actions for enforcing an approved geofence in connection with the flight plan;
filtering, by the source determination system, the one or more received first and second modular commands, thereby discarding from implementation by the UAV one or more of the received first or second modular commands, wherein filtering comprises:
receiving, from the first control source, repeated instances of the same modular command;
determining a number of repeated instances of the same modular command that have been received; and
discarding some of the repeated instances of the same modular command if the number of instances of the repeated modular command exceeds a threshold value;
determining, during implementation of a non-discarded first modular command under control of the first control source, that the UAV has moved outside of the approved geofence;
based on the determination that the UAV has moved outside of the approved geofence, transferring control of the UAV to the second control source to implement a non-discarded second modular command for returning the UAV to within the approved geofence; and
based on the UAV returning to within the approved geofence, transferring control of the UAV to the first control source to continue implementing the non-discarded first modular command.