US 12,443,199 B2
Position-based control of unmanned aerial vehicles
Ruihui Di, Castro Valley, CA (US); Ashwani Arya, Encinitas, CA (US); Mehran Ferdowsi, Foster City, CA (US); and Nirmit Kamalbhai Shah, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed by Skydio, Inc., San Mateo, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/392,428.
Application 17/392,428 is a continuation of application No. 15/915,630, filed on Mar. 8, 2018, granted, now 11,099,581.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/564,386, filed on Sep. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0019244 A1, Jan. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2024.01); B64U 10/14 (2023.01); B64U 20/87 (2023.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01)
CPC G05D 1/101 (2013.01) [B64U 10/14 (2023.01); B64U 20/87 (2023.01); G05D 1/0094 (2013.01); G05D 1/102 (2013.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
determining first sensor data for a first sensor of a remote controller that is in communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle;
determining second sensor data for a second sensor of the remote controller that is in communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle;
applying a filter to the first sensor data and the second sensor data to provide filtered first sensor data and filtered second sensor data;
processing the filtered first sensor data and the filtered second sensor data to generate processed sensor data;
responsive to determining that the processed sensor data satisfies one or more thresholds, determining a delta value as a difference between a first altitude measurement and a second altitude measurement of the remote controller relative to an object;
determining an altitude of the remote controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the object based on the delta value;
determining a position of the remote controller within a three-dimensional space based on the processed sensor data and the altitude;
determining an altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle above the object;
transmitting the position of the remote controller within the three-dimensional space to the unmanned aerial vehicle to cause a change in a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle within the three-dimensional space relative to the object;
determining an amount of time that lapses between a signal leaving the remote controller and the signal arriving at the unmanned aerial vehicle;
determining if the amount of time is within a threshold of time and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the signal if the amount of time is within the threshold of time;
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to end a follow mode if the amount of time exceeds the threshold of time; and
maintaining a fixed angle between the remote controller and the unmanned aerial vehicle.