# US 2018/0025473 A1 · Unmanned aerial vehicle privacy controls > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025473 A1 - Document ID: US20180025473A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/088,042 - Filed: 2016-03-31 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-08 - Assignees: Unmanned Innovation, Inc. - Applicants: Unmanned Innovation Inc. - Inventors: Dana Livonia Contreras; Lucas Palage Doyle; Justin Eugene Kuehn; Volkan Gurel; Eric David Johnson; Edward Dale Steakley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025473A1 ## CPC - G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft - B64C 39/024: {of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV} - B64D 47/08: Arrangements of cameras - G05D 1/0033: {by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle} - G05D 1/0094: {involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target} - G05D 1/0274: {using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30)} - G05D 1/2235: {involving the operator tracking the vehicle by direct line of sight} - G05D 1/229: Command input data, e.g. waypoints - G05D 1/246: using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM] - G05D 1/80: Arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure (handing over between remote control and on-board control, or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227) - G06T 5/70: Denoising; Smoothing - G06V 20/64: Three-dimensional [3D] objects - G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft - G08G 5/59: in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones - H04B 7/18506: {Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service} - B64U 10/13: Flying platforms - B64U 20/87: Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals - B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography - B64U 2101/32: for cartography or topography - B64U 2201/10: autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] - B64U 2201/20: Remote controls - G01S 19/13: Receivers - G06T 2207/10016: Video; Image sequence - G06T 2207/10032: Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing - G06T 2207/20012: Locally adaptive - G06T 2207/30232: Surveillance - G06T 2207/30244: Camera pose - G06V 2201/10: Recognition assisted with metadata - H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences - 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}) - 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 - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04B: TRANSMISSION - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Disclosed in this specification are methods, systems and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on non-transitory computer storage media for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight operation and privacy controls. Based on geofence types, and UAV distance from a geofence, sensors and other devices connected to a UAV are conditionally operational. Image data collected during a UAV flight may be obfuscated by the UAV while in flight, or via a post-flight process using log data generated by the UAV. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight processing system, comprising: one or more processors operable to: navigate the UAV within a geofence, the geofence being a geospatial boundary in which flight operations of the UAV are performed; obtain a digital image captured with a camera of the UAV during flight operations within the geofence, wherein the digital image is a single image or a frame from a digital video; determine that a portion of the digital image includes at least a portion of an object located outside of the geofence; and obfuscate the portion of the digital image located outside the geofence. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated while the UAV is navigating within the geofence. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by image blurring. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by adjusting one or more camera parameters prior to capturing the digital image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by removing pixels of the portion of the digital image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by adjusting one or more characteristics of pixels of the portion of the digital image. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to: determine a percentage of the digital image that comprises the portion of the digital image; and delete or destroy the entire digital image if the percentage exceeds a threshold value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, where obfuscating the portion of the digital image further comprises: recognizing an object in the portion of the digital image as being private; and obfuscating the object. ### Claim 9 A method comprising: navigating, by one or more processors of a flight processing system, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) within a geofence, the geofence being a geospatial boundary in which flight operations of the UAV are performed; capturing during flight operations within the geofence, by a camera of the UAV, a digital image, wherein the digital image is a single image or a frame from a digital video; determining, by the one or more processors, that a portion of the digital image includes at least a portion of an object located outside the geofence; and obfuscating the portion of the digital image located outside the geofence. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated on the UAV while the UAV is navigating within the geofence. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by image blurring. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by adjusting one or more camera parameters prior to capturing the digital image. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by removing pixels of the digital image. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by adjusting one or more characteristics of pixels in the portion of the digital image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to: determine a percentage of the digital image that comprises the portion of the digital image; and delete or destroy the entire digital image if the percentage exceeds a threshold value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, where obfuscating the portion of the digital image further comprises: recognizing an object in the portion of the digital image as being private; and obfuscating the object. ### Claim 17 A processing system, comprising: receiving, one or more digital images, obtained by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during flight operations of the UAV within a geofence, the geofence being a geospatial boundary in which flight operations of the UAV were performed; receiving UAV flight log data from the UAV comprising geospatial locations of where the one or more images where taken; determining, by the one or more processors, that a portion of a digital image includes at least a portion of an object located outside of a geofence; and obfuscating the portion of the digital image located outside the geofence. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by removing pixels of the digital image. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to: determine a percentage of the digital image that comprises the portion of the digital image; and delete or destroy the entire digital image if the percentage exceeds a threshold value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, where obfuscating the portion of the digital image further comprises: recognizing an object in the portion of the digital image as being private; and obfuscating the object. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by adjusting one or more characteristics of pixels in the portion of the digital image. ### Claim 22 A method implemented by a computer system comprising one or more processors, the method comprising: receiving, one or more digital images, obtained by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during flight operations of the UAV; receiving UAV flight log data obtained from the UAV comprising geospatial locations of where the one or more images where taken; determining, by the one or more processors, that a portion of a digital image includes at least a portion of an object located outside of a geofence, the geofence being a geospatial boundary in which flight operations of the UAV are performed; and obfuscating the portion of the digital image located outside the geofence. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by removing pixels of the digital image. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to: determine a percentage of the digital image that comprises the portion of the digital image; and delete or destroy the entire digital image if the percentage exceeds a threshold value. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, where obfuscating the portion of the digital image further comprises: recognizing an object in the portion of the digital image as being private; and obfuscating the object. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the portion of the digital image is obfuscated by adjusting one or more characteristics of pixels in the portion of the digital image. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The flight processing system of claim 1, wherein determining a portion of the object is located outside of the geofence comprises: projecting the digital image onto a geospatial coordinate system; and determining in reference to the geospatial coordinate system that the portion of the digital image falls outside of the geospatial boundary of the geofence. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The flight processing system of claim 1, wherein determining a portion of the object is located outside of the geofence comprises: displaying in a user interface a representation of the geofence; and determining that the portion includes pixels located outside of the geofence. ### Claim 29 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein determining a portion of the object is located outside of the geofence comprises: projecting the digital image onto a geospatial coordinate system; and determining in reference to the geospatial coordinate system that the portion of the digital image falls outside of the geospatial boundary of the geofence. ### Claim 30 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein determining a portion of the object is located outside of the geofence comprises: displaying in a user interface a representation of the geofence; and determining that the portion includes pixels located outside of the geofence.