# US 2025/0095503 A1 · Virtual Wall Mapping For Aerial Vehicle Navigation

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- Number: US 2025/0095503 A1
- Document ID: US20250095503A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/903,410
- Filed: 2024-10-01
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-23
- Assignees: Skydio, Inc.
- Applicants: Skydio, Inc.
- Inventors: Andreas Jäger
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250095503A1

## CPC

- G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft
- G05D 1/0202: {specially adapted to aircraft}
- G05D 1/106: {Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones}
- G05D 1/46: Control of position or course in three dimensions [3D]
- G08G 5/21: located onboard the aircraft
- G08G 5/53: for cruising
- G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft
- G08G 5/59: in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
- 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})
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), the UAV includes an electronic speed controller and a flight controller. The electric speed controller is interfaced with thrust motors of the UAV. The flight controller configured to: determine a geographic location and a velocity of the UAV, the velocity includes a first component and a second component. The flight controller is configured to determine a distance between the geographic location of the UAV and a closest segment of a no-fly zone. The flight controller is configured to determine a zone of deceleration, the zone of deceleration comprising: a distal section and a proximal section. The flight controller in response to the UAV crossing a switch point, located at an intersection of the distal section and the proximal section, changing a deceleration rate of the UAV from a first deceleration rate to a second deceleration rate by adjusting the electric speed controller and the thrust motors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), the UAV comprising:
an electric speed controller interfaced with thrust motors of the UAV; and
a flight controller configured to:
determine a geographic location and a velocity of the UAV, wherein the velocity includes a first component and a second component;
determine a distance between the geographic location of the UAV and a closest segment of a no-fly zone;
determine a zone of deceleration, the zone of deceleration comprising a distal section and a proximal section; and
in response to the UAV crossing a switch point located at an intersection of the distal section and the proximal section, changing a deceleration rate of the UAV from a first deceleration rate to a second deceleration rate by the electric speed controller adjusting the thrust motors.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The UAV of claim 1, wherein the first deceleration rate and the second deceleration rate are determined by a maximum velocity of the UAV being multiplied by a scaling factor that varies depending on a point along the zone of deceleration that the UAV is located.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The UAV of claim 2, wherein the scaling factor linearly decreases from 1 to 0 as the UAV approaches the no-fly zone.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The UAV of claim 3, wherein a trajectory of the UAV is linear as the UAV approaches the switch point so that a magnitude of the velocity of the set point of the UAV decreases while a direction of the UAV remains constant.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The UAV of claim 1, wherein the distal section and the proximal section extend parallel to one another along the no-fly zone.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The UAV of claim 1, further comprising:
a camera; and
a gimbal connecting the camera to the UAV.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The UAV of claim 6, further comprising:
a gimbal interface located between the gimbal and the UAV and directly connected to the UAV.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The UAV of claim 7, wherein the gimbal interface is in communication with the flight controller and the gimbal interface relays data to a gimbal controller that controls the gimbal and the camera.

### Claim 9

A system comprising:
a flight controller comprising:
a virtual wall behavior engine configured to:
determine a no-fly zone; and
determine a zone of deceleration comprising a distal section, a proximal section, and a switch point located at an intersection of the distal section and the proximal section;
a navigation engine configured to:
determine a location and a velocity of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),
wherein the velocity includes a first component and a second component; and
identify a state of the UAV in real time; and
a distance evaluation engine configured to:
determine a distance between the location of the UAV and a closest segment of the no-fly zone; and
change a rate of deceleration from a first deceleration rate to a second deceleration rate as the UAV crosses the switch point based on the location and the velocity.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the proximal section and the distal section extend parallel to one another.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the navigation engine receives instructions from the virtual wall behavior engine and changes a speed, a direction, or a trajectory of the UAV, and
wherein instructions from the virtual wall behavior engine override conflicting commands from a user interface.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, further comprising:
a no-fly zone database that stores information regarding all no-fly zones (NFZs) in a specified geographic area.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the no-fly zone database stores coordinates of the specified geographic area so that the distance evaluation engine and the navigation engine control the UAV within the coordinates.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The UAV of claim 9, wherein the first deceleration rate and the second deceleration rate are determined by a maximum velocity of the UAV being multiplied by a scaling factor that varies depending on a location within the zone of deceleration where the UAV is located.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The UAV of claim 14, wherein the scaling factor linearly decreases from 1 to 0 as the UAV approaches the no-fly zone.

### Claim 16

An electronic control system comprising:
a flight controller in communication with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and that includes instructions regarding a location, a speed, and a trajectory of the UAV;
an electronic speed controller (ESC) in communication with one or more thrust motors of the UAV and configured to control a speed and a thrust of the one or more thrust motors;
a sensor subsystem comprising a navigation engine to determine a location and orientation of the UAV;
a virtual wall behavior engine configured to:
determine a no-fly zone, and
determine a zone of deceleration comprising a distal section, a proximal section, and a switch point located at an intersection of the distal section and the proximal section; and
a power subsystem configured to manage power supplied to the one or more thrust motors so that a rate of deceleration is changed from a first deceleration rate to a second deceleration rate as the UAV crosses the switch point.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The electronic control system of claim 16, wherein the first deceleration rate and the second deceleration rate are determined by a velocity of the UAV being multiplied by a scaling factor, wherein the scaling factor varies depending on the location of the UAV as the UAV moves along the zone of deceleration.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The electronic control system of claim 17, wherein the scaling factor linearly decreases from 1 to 0 as the UAV approaches the no-fly zone, and wherein a trajectory of the UAV is linear as the UAV approaches the switch point so that a magnitude of a velocity of the UAV decreases while a direction of the UAV remains constant.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The electronic control system of claim 16, further comprising:
a no-fly zone database within the flight controller, wherein the no-fly zone database includes geographic coordinates and locations that allows the UAV to avoid specified locations within a geographic area.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The electronic control system of claim 19, wherein the no-fly zone database is in communication with a server so that the no-fly zone is updatable in real time.