# US 12,602,061 B2 · Unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus and method

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- Number: US 12,602,061 B2
- Document ID: US12602061B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/490,776
- Filed: 2023-10-20
- Published: 2024-10-31
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2023-04-28
- Assignees: Delta Electronics, Inc.
- Applicants: Delta Electronics, Inc.
- Inventors: Kual-Zheng Lee; Tzu-Yang Lin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12602061B2

## CPC

- G05D 1/229: Command input data, e.g. waypoints
- G05D 1/644: Optimisation of travel parameters, e.g. of energy consumption, journey time or distance
- G01C 21/20: Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence)
- G05D 1/2297: {positional data taught by the user, e.g. paths (G05D1/2295 takes precedence)}
- G05D 1/2465: {using a 3D model of the environment}
- G08G 5/32: for flight plan preparation
- G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft
- G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft
- G08G 5/80: Anti-collision systems
- G05D 2105/89: {for inspecting structures, e.g. wind mills, bridges, buildings or vehicles}
- G05D 2109/20: Aircraft, e.g. drones
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})

## Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus generates a plurality of inspection points corresponding to a target object to be inspected, and each of the inspection points corresponds to a spatial coordinate. The apparatus calculates a plurality of flight segments based on a three-dimensional model corresponding to the target object to be inspected and the spatial coordinates corresponding to the inspection points, and each of the flight segments corresponds to two of the inspection points. The apparatus calculates a risk value corresponding to each of the flight segments. The apparatus generates an inspection route corresponding to the target object to be inspected based on the risk values and the flight segments.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus, comprising:
a storage, being configured to store a three-dimensional model corresponding to a target object to be inspected; and
a processor, being electrically connected to the storage, and being configured to perform operations comprising:
generating a plurality of inspection points corresponding to the target object to be inspected, wherein each of the inspection points corresponds to a spatial coordinate;
calculating a plurality of flight segments based on the three-dimensional model and the spatial coordinates corresponding to the inspection points, wherein each of the flight segments corresponds to two of the inspection points;
calculating a risk value corresponding to each of the flight segments, wherein the risk value corresponding to each of the flight segments is calculated based on a ratio of each path length of the flight segments to a straight line distance; and
generating an inspection route corresponding to the target object to be inspected based on the risk values and the flight segments.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation of calculating the flight segments comprises the following operations:
performing the following operations for any of a first inspection point and a second inspection point among the inspection points:
calculating at least one non-collision path between the first inspection point and the second inspection point based on a plurality of nodes contained in the three-dimensional model, the spatial coordinate corresponding to the first inspection point, and the spatial coordinate corresponding to the second inspection point, wherein each of the at least one non-collision path does not collide with the nodes of the three-dimensional model; and
selecting a shortest path from the at least one non-collision path as the flight segment corresponding to the first inspection point and the second inspection point.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation of generating the inspection route corresponding to the target object to be inspected comprises the following operations:
enumerating a plurality of candidate inspection paths, wherein each of the candidate inspection paths passes through all of the inspection points;
calculating a path risk value corresponding to each of the candidate inspection paths based on the risk values corresponding to the flight segments; and
selecting a first candidate inspection path among the candidate inspection paths as the inspection route based on the path risk values.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first candidate inspection path corresponds to the lowest path risk value.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the following operations:
selecting the first candidate inspection path after deleting the candidate inspection paths corresponding to the path risk value greater than a risk threshold among the candidate inspection paths, wherein the risk threshold is related to a route angle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the inspection route further corresponds to an unmanned aerial vehicle quantity and at least one inspection sub-route corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle quantity, and each of the at least one inspection sub-route passes through at least one of the inspection points.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the following operations:
adjusting the unmanned aerial vehicle quantity of the first candidate inspection path based on a flight distance threshold of a single aerial vehicle; and
generating the at least one inspection sub-route based on the unmanned aerial vehicle quantity.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the flight distance threshold of the single aerial vehicle is calculated based on a flight speed and a maximum flight time of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

### Claim 9

An unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method, being adapted for use in an electronic apparatus, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method comprises the following steps:
calculating a plurality of flight segments based on a three-dimensional model corresponding to a target object to be inspected and a plurality of spatial coordinates corresponding to a plurality of inspection points, wherein the inspection points correspond to the target object to be inspected, and each of the flight segments corresponds to two of the inspection points;
calculating a risk value corresponding to each of the flight segments, wherein the risk value corresponding to each of the flight segments is calculated based on a ratio of each path length of the flight segments to a straight line distance; and
generating an inspection route corresponding to the target object to be inspected based on the risk values and the flight segments.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 9, wherein the step of calculating the flight segments comprises the following steps:
performing the following steps for any of a first inspection point and a second inspection point among the inspection points:
calculating at least one non-collision path between the first inspection point and the second inspection point based on a plurality of nodes contained in the three-dimensional model, the spatial coordinate corresponding to the first inspection point, and the spatial coordinate corresponding to the second inspection point, wherein each of the at least one non-collision path does not collide with the nodes of the three-dimensional model; and
selecting a shortest path from the at least one non-collision path as the flight segment corresponding to the first inspection point and the second inspection point.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 9, wherein the step of generating the inspection route corresponding to the target object to be inspected comprises the following steps:
enumerating a plurality of candidate inspection paths, wherein each of the candidate inspection paths passes through all of the inspection points;
calculating a path risk value corresponding to each of the candidate inspection paths based on the risk values corresponding to the flight segments; and
selecting a first candidate inspection path among the candidate inspection paths as the inspection route based on the path risk values.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 11, wherein the first candidate inspection path corresponds to the lowest path risk value.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 11, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method further comprises the following steps:
selecting the first candidate inspection path after deleting the candidate inspection paths corresponding to the path risk value greater than a risk threshold among the candidate inspection paths, wherein the risk threshold is related to a route angle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 11, wherein the inspection route further corresponds to an unmanned aerial vehicle quantity and at least one inspection sub-route corresponding to the unmanned aerial vehicle quantity, and each of the at least one inspection sub-route passes through at least one of the inspection points.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 14, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method further comprises the following steps:
adjusting the unmanned aerial vehicle quantity of the first candidate inspection path based on a flight distance threshold of a single aerial vehicle; and
generating the at least one inspection sub-route based on the unmanned aerial vehicle quantity.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The unmanned aerial vehicle inspection route generating method of claim 15, wherein the flight distance threshold of the single aerial vehicle is calculated based on a flight speed and a maximum flight time of an unmanned aerial vehicle.