US 12,235,639 B1
Unmanned aerial vehicle flight control system
Jonathan Downey, San Francisco, CA (US); Mark Patrick Bauer, San Francisco, CA (US); Edward Dale Steakley, Cupertino, CA (US); Brian Richman, San Francisco, CA (US); and Bernard J. Michini, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., Redwood, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 8, 2018, as Appl. No. 15/891,736.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/509,626, filed on May 22, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/501,341, filed on May 4, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/456,586, filed on Feb. 8, 2017.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 50/34 (2023.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01)
CPC G05D 1/0011 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 50/34 (2023.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01); B64U 2201/202 (2023.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flight system comprising:
one or more processors comprising hardware;
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive multiple jobs, each job including a respective flight plan associated with a location for an aerial survey to be performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);
display, one or more jobs via a user interface, each job having an associated image of the location where the aerial survey is to be performed and a textual description of the job;
receive, via the user interface, a selection of a job to be performed;
analyze the associated image to determine a home location for the UAV;
receive confirmation that pre-flight checks of the UAV have been performed;
instruct the UAV to autonomously perform the aerial survey, the aerial survey comprising a flight pattern, wherein the flight pattern includes a path from the home location to a starting location, the starting location beginning a path where the UAV periodically obtains sensor information describing a property, land, or other structure;
determine that a contingency event has occurred, the contingency event indicating a loss or degradation of a global positioning satellite (GPS) signal; and
responsive to the contingency event, display, via the user interface, an indication of a physical location of the UAV and instruct the UAV to switch to manual control; or based on a resolution of the contingency event, instruct the UAV to autonomously land at the home location.