US 10,725,139 B1Granted

Organic navigational beacons

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsJohn Clark Coonley Duksta, Camerin Cole Hahn, Fabian Thomas Hensel, Ronald Eugene Huebner

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Navigation beacons may be trained to receive signals of opportunity from one or more vehicles, to recognize their own position based on such signals, and to transmit information regarding their own position to one or more other vehicles accordingly. The navigation beacons may be of small size and feature a basic construction including one or more transceivers, power sources and the like, and may communicate via a Bluetooth® Low Energy, Ultra Wideband or long-range low-power wireless standard, or any other standard. The navigation beacons may be installed in any location, preferably being mounted to one or more existing fixed structures or facilities (e.g., transportation structures or facilities), and may operate in active and/or passive modes when learning their positions or servicing position information to one or more remote devices.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A navigation method comprising:

depositing a navigation beacon in a location, wherein the navigation beacon comprises:
a processor;
a memory;
at least one transceiver;
and
a power source;
receiving, by the at least one transceiver of the navigation beacon, a plurality of signals, wherein each of the plurality of signals is transmitted by one of a plurality of aerial vehicles, and wherein each of the plurality of signals comprises:
a latitude;
a longitude;
and
an altitude;
and
a confidence score associated with at least one of the latitude, the longitude or the altitude;
determining, by the processor of the navigation beacon, a position of the navigation beacon based in part on at least some of the plurality of signals;
storing a position of the navigation beacon in the memory of the navigation beacon;
receiving, by the at least one transceiver of the navigation beacon from a first aerial vehicle, a signal comprising a request for a position of the first aerial vehicle;
and
in response to the request,
transmitting, by the transceiver of the navigation beacon, information regarding the position of the first aerial vehicle to the first aerial vehicle,
wherein the memory is not programmed with a position of the navigation beacon prior to receiving the plurality of signals.

17 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving, by a first navigation beacon, a plurality of position signals, wherein each of the plurality of position signals is transmitted by one of a plurality of signal sources, wherein each of the plurality of position signals comprises information regarding a position of the one of the plurality of signal sources at a time, and wherein at least one of the plurality of position signals is associated with a vehicle;
determining, by the first navigation beacon, a position of the first navigation beacon based at least in part on at least some of the plurality of position signals;
and
transmitting, by the first navigation beacon to a first vehicle at a first time, a first signal comprising information regarding the position of the first navigation beacon and information
regarding a distance between the first navigation beacon and the first vehicle at the first time,
wherein the first navigation beacon comprises a printed circuit board having at least one processor, at least one memory component, at least one transceiver and at least a portion of at least one power source mounted thereto disposed within a frame.

3 more elements

A navigation method comprising:

identifying a region located between a first point of interest and a second point of interest;
depositing a plurality of navigation beacons in or around at least a portion of the region;
causing a first aerial vehicle to travel between the first point of interest and the second point of interest over at least the portion of the region;
transmitting;
by the first aerial vehicle;
at least a first position signal at a first time;
wherein the first position signal comprises a latitude;
a longitude and an altitude of the first aerial vehicle at the first time;
receiving;
by at least a first navigation beacon;
the first position signal;
determining;
by the first navigation beacon;
a position of the first navigation beacon based at least in part on the first position signal;
wherein the position comprises a latitude and a longitude of the first navigation beacon;
causing a second aerial vehicle to travel between the first point of interest and the second point of interest over at least the portion of the region;
and
transmitting;
by the first navigation beacon;
a second position signal at a second time;
wherein the second position signal comprises the latitude and the longitude of the first navigation beacon;
and wherein the second time follows the first time.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/426,829Filed 7 Feb 2017
Granted: 28 Jul 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

G01S 1/06
Details: means for providing multiple indication, e.g. coarse and fine indications
G08G 5/26
Arrangements for acquiring, generating, sharing or displaying traffic information: transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft…
G01S 1/024
Means for monitoring or calibrating: of beacon transmitters
G01S 1/68
Using radio waves: marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information