# US 12,181,894 B2 · Unmanned aircraft, control method, and recording medium

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- Number: US 12,181,894 B2
- Document ID: US12181894B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/929,755
- Filed: 2020-07-15
- Published: 2020-11-05
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-28
- Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Shunsuke Kuhara; Kazunobu Konishi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181894B2

## CPC

- G05D 1/106: {Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones}
- G08B 13/1965: {the vehicle being an aircraft}
- B64C 13/18: using automatic pilot
- B64D 45/00: Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for
- G05D 1/0094: {involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target}
- G05D 1/246: using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM]
- G08B 13/19608: {Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position}
- B64U 10/13: Flying platforms
- B64U 2101/31: for surveillance
- B64U 2201/10: autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
- G08B 7/066: {guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip}
- G08B 13/19613: {Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion}
- G08B 15/00: Identifying, scaring or incapacitating burglars, thieves or intruders, e.g. by explosives
- G08B 21/02: Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR

## Abstract

An unmanned aircraft includes: a sensor (person detection sensor) and so forth) that performs sensing of an external environment of the unmanned aircraft; a detector (suspicious person identifier) that detects a moving object based on a result of the sensing performed by the sensor; an obtainer (movement prohibition position determiner) that obtains area information indicating an area, entry to which by the moving object is undesirable; and a flight controller that causes the unmanned aircraft to move to a position between the moving object and the area indicated by the area information, based on a positional relation between the moving object and the area, and fly at the position that is a destination position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An unmanned aircraft, comprising:
a sensor that performs sensing of an external environment of the unmanned aircraft;
a processor;
a memory that stores a program, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, the program causes the processor to execute:
detecting a suspicious person being in a building based on a result of the sensing performed by the sensor;
obtaining area information indicating an area in the building, entry to which by the suspicious person is undesirable;
identifying a route, within the building, which leads from a position of the suspicious person being in the building to the area, wherein the route is identified using map information indicating an inside of the building;
determining, based on a positional relation between the position of the suspicious person and the area indicated by the area information, a second place as a destination place to which the unmanned aircraft is to move, the second place being within a first predetermined distance from a first place, and being located between the first place and the suspicious person, the first place being a place of which width is the narrowest among one or more places, within the building, included in the route, the first place being one at which the suspicious person has not yet arrived, wherein the second place is one of the one or more places included in the route within the building, and the second place is one at which the suspicious person has not yet arrived; and
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to a destination position above the second place determined as the destination place, and hover at the destination position
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to the destination position only when the position of the suspicious person is within a second predetermined distance from the area.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
when the area comprises a plurality of areas, performing processing of selecting a specific one of the plurality of areas that corresponds to the position of the suspicious person; and
identifying, based on the map information, the route, within the building, which leads the suspicious person from the position of the suspicious person to the specific one of the plurality of areas.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to the destination position based on the positional relation and a direction in which the suspicious person is to move.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 3,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to the destination position only when the direction is toward the area.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 3,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to the destination position only when the moving object has moved in the direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
further performing wind-blow control for controlling the unmanned aircraft to cause wind generated by flight of the unmanned aircraft to be blown to the suspicious person, when the suspicious person is approaching the unmanned aircraft.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 6,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
further adjusting the wind-blow control, based on changes in the position of the suspicious person after performing the wind-blow control.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 6,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
preforming the wind-blow control when the position of the suspicious person is within a second predetermined distance from the area.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 8,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
continuously performing the wind-blow control while the position of the suspicious person is within the second predetermined distance from the area.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1,
wherein the program causes the processor to further execute:
causing a presentation device to perform presentation for directing the suspicious person toward a different direction from a direction that leads from the suspicious person toward the area,
wherein the presentation device is included in the unmanned aircraft or located around the unmanned aircraft, and
the presentation device includes a display that displays information for directing the suspicious person to move in the different direction.

### Claim 11

A control method of controlling an unmanned aircraft, the control method comprising:
detecting a suspicious person being in a building based on a result of sensing performed by a sensor that performs sensing of an external environment of the unmanned aircraft;
obtaining area information indicating an area in the building, entry to which by the suspicious person is undesirable;
identifying a route, within the building, which leads from a position of the suspicious person being in the building to the area, wherein the route is identified using map information indicating an inside of the building;
determining, based on a positional relation between the position of the suspicious person and the area indicated by the area information, a second place as a destination place to which the unmanned aircraft is to move, the second place being within a first predetermined distance from a first place, and being located between the first place and the suspicious person, the first place being a place of which width is the narrowest among one or more places, with in the building, included in the route, the first place being one at which the suspicious person has not yet arrived, wherein the second place is one of the one or more places included in the route within the building, and the second place is one at which the suspicious person has not yet arrived; and
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to a destination position above the second place determined as the destination place, and hover at the destination position
causing the unmanned aircraft to move to the destination position only when the position of the suspicious person is within a second predetermined distance from the area.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to execute the control method according to claim 11.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 10, wherein the presentation device further includes:
a sound output apparatus that outputs a sound for directing the suspicious person to move in the different direction,
wherein the display displays the information when a distance between the position of the suspicious person and the predetermined place is equal to or greater than a threshold, and
the sound output apparatus outputs the sound when the distance is smaller than the threshold.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 13, wherein the presentation device further includes:
a blast apparatus that blasts liquid or gas for directing the suspicious person toward the different direction,
wherein the blast apparatus blasts the liquid or the gas when the distance is smaller than the threshold.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1, wherein
the first place is a place provided with a door.