CN109661694B

CN109661694B - Method and equipment for controlling flight of unmanned aerial vehicle, and method and equipment for generating flight-limiting zone

Info

Publication number: CN109661694B
Application number: CN201780054452.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周鸿柱
Original assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-02-28
Filing date: 2017-02-28
Publication date: 2022-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-28
Also published as: CN109661694A; WO2018157310A1

Abstract

The invention provides a method and a device for controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a flight-limiting zone generation method and a flight-limiting zone generation device. The position of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) may be compared to the position of a flight-restricted area. If desired, the UAV may take flight response measures to prevent the UAV from flying in no-fly zones. Different flight response measures may be taken based on the distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting area and the rules of the jurisdiction within which the UAV falls.

Description

Method and equipment for controlling flight of unmanned aerial vehicle, and method and equipment for generating flight-limiting zone

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle control, in particular to a method and equipment for controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a method and equipment for generating a flight-limiting area.

Background

Aircraft, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), may be used to perform surveillance, reconnaissance, and exploration tasks for military and civilian applications. Such vehicles may carry loads configured to perform specific functions.

Air traffic control in each country (e.g., FAA in the united states) has various regulations for airspace near airports or other areas. For example, within a certain distance of an airport, all UAVs are prohibited from flying, regardless of the UAV altitude or range. That is, it is illegal to fly a UAV within a certain distance of an airport. In fact, this is also extremely dangerous.

Disclosure of Invention

To address the above and other potential problems of the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide a method.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising: acquiring a no-fly area and a height-limiting area, wherein the no-fly area and the height-limiting area prohibit the unmanned aerial vehicle from flying, and acquiring the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and determining flight response measures according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the no-fly zone and the height limiting zone.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured for: acquiring a no-fly zone and a height-limiting zone, wherein the first zone is a zone comprising an airport runway, and the second zone is a zone in the airport except the first zone; determining a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and determining flight response measures according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the no-fly zone and the height limiting zone.

In the method of the first aspect and the apparatus of the second aspect, the no-fly zone comprises an overhead area of a first area, the high-limit zone comprises an overhead area of a second area having a height greater than a height threshold, the first area is an area including an airport runway, and the second area is an area within the airport other than the first area. The shape, size, and position of the first region and the second region, and the positional relationship between the first region and the second region are not limited. For example, the second region surrounds the first region. For another example, the second region surrounds and adjoins the first region. For example, the first area includes an airport runway and an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway. As another example, the first area includes an airport runway and the second area includes an interior horizontal plane that surrounds the airport runway. For another example, the second area includes a tapered surface that encircles the airport runway. For another example, the second area includes at least one of an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface on either side of the airport runway. For another example, the second region includes: a region where a regular area centered on a center of an airport runway does not intersect an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, and a region where the regular area does not intersect a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the tapered surface surrounding the airport runway. Wherein the regular region may be a circular region, an elliptical region, a square region, a rectangular region, or a regular polygonal region.

The height-limited region may include not only the overhead region in which the height of the second region is greater than the height threshold, but also the overhead region in which the height of the third region is greater than the height threshold, where the height threshold of the second region is different from the height threshold of the third region. That is, the height-limiting area may include an overhead area in which the height of each of the at least two areas is greater than the height threshold, where the height thresholds of the areas in the at least two areas may be the same or different. For example, the height-limiting zone comprises at least one of the following upper void regions: the airport runway comprises an overhead area surrounding at least part of the inner horizontal plane of the airport runway, an overhead area surrounding at least part of the conical surface of the airport runway, an overhead area located on at least part of the approach plane of one side of the airport runway, an overhead area located on at least part of the takeoff climb plane of one side of the airport runway, and a non-intersecting area of a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway and the conical surface of the airport runway. The height thresholds of the respective regions may be the same or different. For example, the height thresholds for the regions increase sequentially in the following order: the airport runway comprises at least one part of an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, at least one part of a conical surface surrounding the airport runway, at least one part of an approach surface and at least one part of a takeoff climbing surface which are respectively positioned at two sides of the airport runway, and an area which is not intersected with the conical surface surrounding the airport runway by a rule taking the center of the airport runway as the center. For example, the height threshold of at least part of the conical surface surrounding the airport runway is 30 meters, the height thresholds of at least part of the approach surface and at least part of the takeoff climb surface respectively located on both sides of the airport runway are 60 meters, and the height threshold of the area where the rule centered on the center of the airport runway does not intersect the conical surface surrounding the airport runway is 120 meters.

The no-fly zone and the height-limiting zone are forbidden to enter by the unmanned aerial vehicle, and various methods are available for determining flight response measures according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the no-fly zone and the height-limiting zone. For example, when the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to decelerate and hover within the preset flight distance, or the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone along the path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone. For another example, when the time length that the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height limit zone is determined to reach the preset time length according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to land. For another example, when the time length that the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone reaches the preset time length is determined according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone along the path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a flight limiting zone generating method, including: acquiring the positions of a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is an area comprising an airport runway, and the second area is an area in the airport except the first area; generating a no-fly zone according to the position of the first zone, wherein the no-fly zone comprises an overhead zone of the first zone; and generating a height limiting area according to the position of the second area, wherein the height limiting area comprises an overhead area of which the height of the second area is greater than the height threshold, and the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle is prohibited in the no-flight area and the height limiting area.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for generating a flight restriction zone, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors individually or collectively configured for: acquiring the positions of a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is an area comprising an airport runway, and the second area is an area except the first area in an airport; generating a no-fly zone according to the position of the first zone, wherein the no-fly zone comprises an overhead zone of the first zone; and generating a height limiting area according to the position of the second area, wherein the height limiting area comprises an overhead area of which the height of the second area is greater than a height threshold value.

In the method of the third aspect and the apparatus of the fourth aspect, the shape and size of the first region and the shape, size and position of the second region, and the positional relationship between the first region and the second region are not limited. For example, the second region surrounds the first region. For another example, the second region surrounds and adjoins the first region. For example, the first area includes an airport runway and an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway. As another example, the first area includes an airport runway and the second area includes an interior horizontal plane that surrounds the airport runway. For another example, the second area includes a tapered surface that encircles the airport runway. For another example, the second area includes at least one of an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface on either side of the airport runway. For another example, the second region includes: a region where a regular area centered on a center of an airport runway does not intersect an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, and a region where the regular area does not intersect a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the tapered surface surrounding the airport runway. Wherein the regular region may be a circular region, an elliptical region, a square region, a rectangular region, or a regular polygonal region.

The height-limited region may include not only the overhead region in which the height of the second region is greater than the height threshold, but also the overhead region in which the height of the third region is greater than the height threshold, where the height threshold of the second region is different from the height threshold of the third region. That is, the height-limiting area may include an overhead area in which the height of each of the at least two areas is greater than the height threshold, where the height thresholds of the areas in the at least two areas may be the same or different. Therefore, the method may further include: and acquiring the position of a third area, and generating a height limit area according to the position of the third area, wherein the height threshold of the second area is different from the height threshold of the third area.

For example, the height-limiting zone comprises at least one of the following upper void regions: the airport runway comprises an overhead area surrounding at least part of the inner horizontal plane of the airport runway, an overhead area surrounding at least part of the conical surface of the airport runway, an overhead area located at least part of the approach surface at one side of the airport runway, an overhead area located at least part of the takeoff climb surface at one side of the airport runway, and a non-intersecting area of a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway and the conical surface surrounding the airport runway. The height thresholds of the respective regions may be the same or different. For example, the height thresholds for the regions increase sequentially in the following order: the airport runway comprises at least one part of an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, at least one part of a conical surface surrounding the airport runway, at least one part of an approach surface and at least one part of a takeoff climbing surface which are respectively positioned at two sides of the airport runway, and an area which is not intersected with the conical surface surrounding the airport runway by a rule taking the center of the airport runway as the center. For example, the height threshold of at least part of the conical surface surrounding the airport runway is 30 meters, the height thresholds of at least part of the approach surface and at least part of the takeoff climb surface respectively located on both sides of the airport runway are 60 meters, and the height threshold of the area where the rule centered on the center of the airport runway does not intersect the conical surface surrounding the airport runway is 120 meters.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 provides a schematic illustration of a method for controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 provides a schematic illustration of an airport flight-limiting area of the present invention;

FIG. 3 provides a schematic illustration of another airport flight-limiting area of the present invention;

FIG. 4 provides a schematic illustration of another airport flight-limiting area of the present invention;

fig. 5 provides a schematic diagram of a UAV communicating with an external device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 provides an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle that uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle in communication with a mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle in communication with one or more mobile devices according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 provides an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle having an on-board memory unit in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle associated with multiple flight-limiting zones, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a flight limiting feature according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 illustrates an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 13 illustrates a movable object including a vehicle and a load according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram schematic of a system for controlling a movable object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the specific examples are provided herein only to assist those skilled in the art in better understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should also be understood that, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the sequence numbers of the processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by the functions and the inherent logic of the processes, but should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The apparatus and method of the present invention provide flight control of an aircraft in response to detection of one or more flight-limiting zones. For example, a flight-limiting region as used herein includes two types, the first type is a flight-limiting region corresponding to a no-flight region, which refers to an overhead region of the first type of flight-limiting region, i.e., any region that limits or inhibits horizontal or/and vertical movement of an aircraft in the overhead region of the first type of flight-limiting region; the second type is a flight-limiting area corresponding to the height-limiting area, and the height-limiting area refers to an overhead area with the height of the second type of flight-limiting area greater than the altitude threshold, that is, any area where the aircraft can fly below the set altitude threshold of the second type of flight-limiting area, and the aircraft is restricted or prohibited from moving horizontally or vertically in the overhead area with the height of the second type of flight-limiting area greater than the altitude threshold. In the following, if not otherwise specified, a flight-limiting zone can be referred to as a first flight-limiting zone and/or a second flight-limiting zone as described above.

The aircraft may be an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or any other type of flying apparatus. Some areas have one or more flight-restricted areas that restrict or prohibit UAV flight. For example, in china, UAVs may not fly within certain distances of airports. In addition, the flight of the aircraft in certain areas may be restricted. For example, an aircraft may be restricted from flying in certain large cities, across national borders, near government buildings, and the like. Therefore, it is desirable to provide no-fly functionality for UAVs to prevent them from flying in certain areas.

FIG. 1 illustrates a method for controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle, according to an embodiment.

In step 101, a no-fly zone and a height-limited zone are acquired. Information for one or more no-fly zones and high-limit zones, such as airports, may be stored on the UAV. In some examples, the information of the no-fly zone includes at least one of: information of the location of the flight-limiting region, or one or more flight response actions associated with the flight-limiting region. The information of the height-limited area comprises at least one of the following: information of a location and altitude threshold of the flight-restricted area, or one or more flight response actions associated with the flight-restricted area. For convenience of description, the information of the no-fly zone and the height-limiting zone will be referred to as the information of the flight-limiting zone hereinafter. Alternatively, information for one or more flight-restricted areas may be accessed from a data source other than a UAV. For example, the UAV may obtain information for one or more flight-restricted areas from a control terminal (e.g., a remote control, a smart terminal, etc.). Optionally, the UAV may obtain information for one or more flight-restricted areas online from a server.

In step 102, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle is determined. The position of the UAV may be determined prior to takeoff of the UAV and/or while the UAV is in flight. In some cases, the UAV may have a GPS receiver that may be used to determine the location of the UAV. In other examples, the UAV may communicate with an external device, such as a control terminal, may determine a location of the external device, and use the location of the external device to approximate the location of the UAV. The information of the location of the one or more flight-limited regions accessed from a data source external to the UAV may depend on the location of the UAV or an external device in communication with the UAV. For example, the UAV may access information for flight-limited regions that are around or within 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, or 500 kilometers of the UAV. Information accessed from data sources other than UAVs may be stored on a temporary or permanent database. For example, information accessed from data sources external to the UAV may be added to a progressively expanding library of flight-limiting regions located on the UAV. Alternatively, only flight-restricted regions that are within or around 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, or 500 kilometers of the UAV may be stored on the temporary database, and flight-restricted regions that were previously within the above-described distance range (e.g., within 50 kilometers of the UAV) but are currently outside of the range may be deleted. In some implementations, information about all airports may be stored on the UAV, while information about other flight-restricted areas may be accessed from data sources outside of the UAV (e.g., from an online server).

In step 103, flight response measures are determined according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the no-fly zone and the height-limiting zone. The distance between the UAV and the no-fly zone and the distance between the UAV and the height-limited zone may be calculated. The distance between the UAV and the no-fly zone may be a horizontal distance of a flight-limiting zone corresponding to the no-fly zone, and the distance between the UAV and the height-limiting zone includes a horizontal distance of the flight-limiting zone corresponding to the no-fly zone and a vertical distance of a height threshold corresponding to the no-fly zone and the UAV. Based on the calculated distance, one or more flight response actions may be taken. For example, if the UAV is located within a first radius of the flight-limiting region, the UAV may automatically land. If the UAV is located within a second radius of the flight-restricted area, the UAV may provide an alert to an operator of the UAV regarding the proximity of the flight-restricted area. Wherein the second radius is greater than the first radius. For example, if it is determined that the UAV enters the no-fly zone or the limited-height zone according to the position of the UAV, the UAV is controlled to hover at a decelerated speed within a preset flight distance, or the UAV is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the limited-height zone along a path entering the no-fly zone or the limited-height zone. For another example, when it is determined that the time period for the UAV to enter the no-fly area or the height-limited area reaches the preset time period according to the position of the UAV, the UAV is controlled to land. For another example, when it is determined that the time length for the UAV to enter the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone reaches the preset time length according to the position of the UAV, the UAV is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone along a path for entering the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone. Wherein the preset time duration may be 5s, 10s, 12s, 15s, 18s, 20s, 25s or other time durations. In some examples, the UAV may not be able to take off if the UAV is located within a particular horizontal distance from the flight-limited area.

The apparatus and methods herein may provide an automated response of a UAV to a detected distance to a flight-limiting area. Different actions may be taken based on different detected distances from the flight-limiting area, which may allow the user to take less intervention actions when not too close, and may provide greater intervention to provide automated landing when the UAV is too close, thereby complying with regulations and providing greater safety. The apparatus and methods herein may also use various systems for determining the position of the UAV to better ensure that the UAV will not inadvertently fly into a flight-restricted area.

Airport flight-limiting area

Fig. 2 provides an example of an airport flight limiting area 200 of the present invention.

The flight-limiting region can have any position. In some cases, the flight-restricted area location may be a point, or the center or location of the flight-restricted area may be specified by a point (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates, optionally also including altitude coordinates). For example, the location of the flight restriction area may be a point located at the center of an airport, or a point representing other types of flight restriction areas. In other examples, the flight-limiting zone location may include a region or area. The region or area may have any shape (e.g., a circular shape, a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, a shape corresponding to one or more natural or artificial features at the location, a shape corresponding to one or more partitioning rules, or any other boundary). For example, the flight-limiting region may be a boundary of an airport, a border between countries, other jurisdictional borders, or other types of flight-limiting regions. The flight limiting region can be defined by a straight line or a curved line. In some cases, the flight-limiting region may include space. The space may be a three-dimensional space including latitude, longitude and/or altitude coordinates. The three-dimensional space may include a length, a width, and/or an elevation. The flight-limiting region can include space from the ground up to any height above the ground. This may include a height straight upward from one or more flight-limiting regions on the ground. For example, for some latitudes and longitudes, the flight limit may be applied for all altitudes. In some cases, the restricted flight may be performed for some altitudes of a particular lateral region, while not for others. For example, for some latitudes and longitudes, flight restrictions may be made for some altitudes, and no flight restrictions may be made for other altitudes. Thus, the flight-limiting region may have any number of dimensions and dimensional metrics, and/or may be specified by these dimensional locations, or by spaces, areas, lines, or points representing the region.

The flight-restricted zones may include one or more zones in which an unauthorized aircraft may not be able to fly. This may include an unauthorized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or all UAVs. The flight-restricted region may include a prohibited airspace, which may refer to an area (or volume) of airspace within which the aircraft is not permitted to fly, typically for safety reasons. The prohibited area may comprise an airspace of defined dimensions identified by an area on the surface of the earth within which the aircraft is prohibited from flying. Such regions may be established for security or other reasons associated with national welfare. The flight-restricted zones may include one or more airspaces having special uses (e.g., airspaces where restrictions may be imposed on aircraft not participating in the designated operations), such as restricted airspaces (i.e., all aircraft are generally prohibited from entering), military operations zones, alert zones, warning zones, Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) zones, national security zones, and fire control zones.

Examples of flight-restricted areas may include, but are not limited to, airports, flight corridors, military or other government facilities, locations near sensitive personnel (e.g., when a national chairman or other leader is visiting a location), nuclear facilities, research facilities, private airspace, demilitarized zones, certain jurisdictions (e.g., towns, cities, counties, states/provinces, countries, bodies of water, or other natural landmarks), national borders, or other types of no-fly zones. The flight-restricted area may be a permanent no-fly area or may be a temporary area where flight is prohibited. In some cases, the list of flight-restricted zones may be updated. The flight control zone may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For example, some countries may include schools that are flight-restricted areas, while other countries may not.

In some examples, the flight-restricted area may be determined from a functional area in an airport. For example, airport runways are provided in the flight area of an airport, which are used for the takeoff and landing of airplanes. Figure 2 provides a schematic illustration of a map of airport headroom protection zones in an airport. The airport clearance protection area comprises a plurality of limiting surfaces such as an airport runway, an inner horizontal plane, a conical surface, an approach surface, a takeoff and climbing surface and the like. Of course, the several limiting surfaces are not necessarily exhaustive of the limiting surfaces in the airport clearance protection area. Wherein the inner level refers to a level surrounding the airport runway at a distance (e.g., about 45 meters) above the airport runway. The inner horizontal plane is an arc drawn by taking the midpoints of the entrances at the two ends of the airport runway as the circle center and R as the radius respectively, and then the two arcs are connected by the common tangent line of the two arcs to obtain an approximately elliptical area. The purpose of the inner level is to protect the airspace required for visual hover prior to landing. The conical surface is formed by extending from the periphery of the inner horizontal plane with a certain slope and inclining upwards and outwards. The conical surface is a transition surface which is similar to a cone between the inner horizontal plane and the outer horizontal plane and can be used for visual circling of the airplane. The approach surface is an inclined plane or a combination of inclined planes and planes on the side of the runway threshold. The takeoff climbing surface is an upward trapezoidal or tongue-shaped inclined surface which is positioned at the outer end of a takeoff runway section or a clear runway on the other side of the runway inlet.

In setting the flight restriction area, for example, the flight restriction area may be set according to each restriction surface in the airport clearance protection area. Specifically, the flight-limiting area includes a first area that is an area including an airport runway and a second area that is an area other than the first area within the airport; setting an overhead area of a first area in an airport as a no-fly area; and an overhead area in the airport where the altitude of the second area is greater than the altitude threshold is set as the altitude-limited zone (i.e., the aircraft is only allowed to fly below the altitude threshold).

The shape and size of the first region, the shape and size of the second region, and the positional relationship of the first region and the second region may be various. For example, the first region or the second region may be circular, square, rectangular, regular polygonal, or irregular. For another example, the first region and the second region may have the same shape but have different sizes. For another example, the second region surrounds the first region, and an edge of the second region and an edge of the first region are at least partially connected, or an edge of the second region and an edge of the first region are not connected.

The first area may comprise an airport runway or an area that also comprises at least one other restricted surface in an airport clearance protection zone. For example, the first area may be an area including an airport runway and an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, may be an area including an airport runway, an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, and a tapered surface, may be an area including an airport runway, an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface on both sides of the airport runway, may be an area including an airport runway, an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway, an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface on both sides of the airport runway, may be a regular area including an inner horizontal plane and a tapered surface centered on the center of the airport runway and covering the area surrounding the airport runway, and the regular area may be a circular area, an elliptical area, a square area, a regular polygonal area, or the like.

The second area may be an area containing at least one other bounding surface in the airport headroom protected area than the first area. For example, the second area may include an area surrounding an inner horizontal plane of an airport runway, may include an area surrounding the inner horizontal plane and a tapered surface of the airport runway, may include an area surrounding the inner horizontal plane of the airport runway, an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface respectively located on both sides of the airport runway, may include an area surrounding the inner horizontal plane of the airport runway, a tapered surface, an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface respectively located on both sides of the airport runway, may include a regular area covering the inner horizontal plane and the tapered surface with respect to a center of the airport runway, and may include an area where the regular area centered on the center of the airport runway does not intersect the inner horizontal plane and the tapered surface; the regular area may be a circular area, an elliptical area, a square area, or a regular polygonal area, etc.

The outer boundary of the first area may be the outer boundary of the outermost boundary surface in the airport clearance protection area included in the first area, for example, the first area includes an airport runway and an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, which means that the first area is the area surrounded by the outer boundary of the inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway; alternatively, the outer boundary of the first area surrounds the outer boundary of the limiting surface in the airport clearance protection zone comprised by the first area, e.g. the first area comprises an airport runway and an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, meaning that the outer boundary of the first area is located outside the outer boundary of the inner horizontal plane, i.e. the outer boundary of the first area is located within the conical surface surrounding the airport runway, i.e. the first area also comprises a partial area of the conical surface. The same applies to the outer boundary of the second area, that is, the outer boundary of the second area may be the outer boundary of the limiting surface located at the outermost periphery in the airport clearance protection area included in the second area, or the outer boundary of the second area may surround the outer boundary of the limiting surface in the airport clearance protection area included in the second area.

In some examples, an overhead area in the airport having a height greater than the altitude threshold may also be set as the height-limited area (i.e., the aircraft is only allowed to fly below the altitude threshold), which refers to an area of the airport other than the first area and the second area, and the altitude threshold of the second area is different from the height threshold of the third area. I.e. there are at least two high-limit zones with different height thresholds within the airport.

For example, the second area includes a tapered surface surrounding an airport runway, the third area includes at least one of an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface on each side of the airport runway, and the height threshold of the third area is greater than the height threshold of the second area, e.g., the height threshold of the second area is 30 meters and the height threshold of the third area is 60 meters.

For another example, the second region includes at least one of an approach plane and a takeoff climb plane respectively located on both sides of the airport runway, and the third region includes: the regular area centered on the center of the airport runway is located outside the conical surface, and is a non-intersecting area with the conical surface, that is, an area of the regular area excluding the conical surface and the area surrounded by the conical surface, and the remaining area is non-intersecting with the second area. Wherein the height threshold of the third area is greater than the height threshold of the second area, for example, the height threshold of the second area is 60 meters, and the height threshold of the third area is 120 meters.

For another example, three height-limiting areas with different height thresholds exist in an airport, wherein one height-limiting area comprises an overhead area with the height of a second area (namely a conical surface surrounding an airport runway) larger than the height threshold, one height-limiting area comprises an overhead area with the height of a third area (namely an approach surface and a takeoff climbing surface which are respectively positioned at two sides of the airport runway) larger than the height threshold, and one height-limiting area comprises an overhead area with the height of a fourth area (namely a part of a regular area with the center of the airport runway as the center positioned outside the second area and a part of the airport runway not intersecting with the third area) larger than the height threshold. The height threshold of the fourth area is greater than that of the third area, and the height threshold of the third area is greater than that of the second area; for example, the height threshold for the fourth zone is 120 meters, the height threshold for the third zone is 60 meters, and the height threshold for the second zone is 30 meters.

Fig. 3 provides another airport flight-limiting area 300 example of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, the flight-limiting region includes

regions

310, 320, 330, 340.

The two arcs may be drawn by using the midpoints of the two ends of the airport runway as the center of a circle and using R1 as the radius, and then the common tangent lines of the two arcs (parallel to the centerline of the airport runway) are connected to obtain an approximately elliptical flight-limiting region 210. In some examples, R1 may be 4.5 kilometers. In some cases, the overhead area of the flight-restriction area 210 may be a no-fly area, i.e., the UAV is not permitted to fly within the overhead area of the flight-restriction area 210.

The center points of two ends of the airport runway are taken as the centers of circles, R2 is taken as the radius to draw circular arcs, and then the common tangent lines of the two circular arcs (which are parallel to the centerline of the airport runway) are connected with the two circular arcs to obtain another approximately elliptical flight limiting area. The portion that does not overlap the flight control region 210 is a flight control region 220. In some examples, R2 may be 7 kilometers. In some cases, the flight-limiting region 220 is a height-limiting region, i.e., a region within which the UAV is permitted to fly below an altitude threshold. In some examples, the height threshold may be 30 meters.

As shown in fig. 4, R4 may extend from the middle point of each end of the runway, and the diffusion slope is d in a trapezoidal area. The portion that does not overlap the flight control region 210 and the flight control region 220 is a flight control region 230. In some examples, R4 may be 15km and the diffusion slope α may be 15%. In some cases, the flight-limiting region 230 is a height-limiting region, i.e., a region within which the UAV is permitted to fly below an altitude threshold. In some examples, the height threshold may be 60 meters.

An arc can be drawn by taking the center point of the airport runway as the center of a circle and taking R3 as the radius to obtain a circular flight limiting area. The portions that do not overlap the flight control region 210, the flight control region 220, and the flight control region 230 are flight control regions 240. In some examples, R3 may be 10 kilometers. In some cases, the flight-limiting region 240 is a height-limiting region, i.e., a region within which the UAV is permitted to fly below an altitude threshold. In some examples, the height threshold may be 120 meters.

Determining a location of a UAV

The position of the UAV may be determined as one or more coordinates of the UAV relative to a reference system (e.g., an underlying ground, environment, or geodetic coordinate system). For example, latitude and/or longitude coordinates of the UAV may be determined. Optionally, the height of the UAV may be determined. The position of the UAV may be determined within any accuracy, for example, the position of the UAV may be determined to be within approximately 2000 meters, 1500 meters, 1200 meters, 1000 meters, 750 meters, 500 meters, 300 meters, 100 meters, 75 meters, 50 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters, 7 meters, 5 meters, 3 meters, 2 meters, 1 meter, 0.5 meters, 0.1 meters, 0.05 meters, or 0.01 meters.

The position of the UAV may be determined relative to the position of the no-fly zone and/or the restricted-height zone. For example, coordinates representing the position of the UAV are compared to coordinates representing the position of the flight-limiting region. In some cases, only the distance between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the height-restricted zone may be located and/or calculated. In other examples, other information may be calculated, such as a direction or orientation between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the height-restricted zone. For example, a relative cardinal direction (e.g., north, west, south, east) between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the restricted-height zone, or an angular direction between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the restricted-height zone may be calculated. Relative velocity and/or acceleration and related direction between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the high limit zone may be calculated.

In some implementations, evaluating the relative position between the no-fly zone and the UAV may include calculating a horizontal distance between the UAV and a flight-limiting region corresponding to the no-fly zone. In some approaches, evaluating the relative position between the height-limited zone and the UAV may include calculating a horizontal distance between a flight-limited region corresponding to the height-limited zone and the UAV, and when the UAV lands on the flight-limited region corresponding to the height-limited zone, further including calculating a vertical distance between an altitude threshold of the height-limited zone and an altitude of the UAV.

In some embodiments, the unmanned aerial vehicle may have multiple sensors or types of sensors that may be used to determine the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Alternatively, the unmanned aerial vehicle may have at least one sensor that detects the absolute altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle and at least one sensor that detects the true altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Based on different considerations, a particular sensor may be selected for the determination of the altitude of the UAV. For example, both types of sensors may be operated to collect altitude data, but only data from a selected subset of sensors is considered in determining the altitude of the UAV. Alternatively, a subset of the sensors may be operated for a given scenario. In some embodiments, depending on the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a subset of the sensors may be used to provide data that is considered for determining the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle. In another example, depending on the type of altitude limit for the unmanned aerial vehicle in place, a subset of the sensors may be used to provide data that is considered for determining the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, if the unmanned aerial vehicle is in an area where the altitude limit is based on the real altitude, the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be determined using data from a sensor that detects the real altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle. If the UAV is in an area where the altitude limit is based on absolute altitude, the altitude of the UAV may be determined using data from a sensor that detects the UAV absolute altitude.

In some implementations, data from the sensors can be used to determine the surface elevation relative to the MSL. For example, data from a sensor of the type used to measure absolute altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be compared to data from a sensor of the type used to measure true altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The comparison of the data may be used to calculate an estimated altitude of the ground plane below the UAV. This may be useful in situations where other sources of ground level information (e.g., maps, stored altitude) are not accessible or operable. In one example, a first sensor may measure that the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying 200m above ground level, while a second sensor may measure that the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying 300m above the MSL. Based on the comparison of the data, it can be determined that the local ground plane is about 100 m. The local ground plane may facilitate adjusting the altitude limit or determining a vertical relationship between the unmanned aerial vehicle altitude and the altitude limit.

The distance may be calculated periodically or continuously while the UAV is in flight. The distance may be calculated in response to a detected event (e.g., a GPS signal is received after the GPS signal has not been received for a period of time). The distance to the flight-limited region may also be recalculated when the position of the UAV is updated.

The distance between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the height-limit zone may be used to determine whether and/or what type of flight response action to take. Flight response actions that may be taken by the UAV may include any one or more of the following: immediately enabling the UAV to automatically land; providing an operator of the UAV with a period of time to land the UAV on a surface, after which the UAV will automatically land if the operator has not landed the UAV; providing a warning to an operator of the unmanned aerial vehicle that the unmanned aerial vehicle is near a flight-limiting zone; automatically taking an avoidance action by adjusting a flight path of the UAV; preventing the UAV from entering a flight-restricted area; or any other flight response measure.

Flight response measures may be mandatory for all UAV operators. Optionally, the authorized user of the UAV can override the flight response measure. The authorized user may be authenticated. For example, the authorized user may be authenticated by an external device or server. The external device may be a mobile device, a controller (e.g., a controller of a UAV), and so forth. For example, a user may log into a server and verify their identity. When an operator of the UAV operates the UAV in a flight-restricted area, it may be verified whether the user is authorized to fly the UAV in the flight-restricted area. If the operator is authorized to fly the UAV, the operator may override the imposed flight response measures. For example, an airport crew may be an authorized user of a flight-limiting area at or near an airport.

In one example, it may be determined whether a distance d between the UAV and the no-fly zone and/or the restricted-height zone falls within a distance threshold. The distance threshold may be 0 or greater than 0. If the distance exceeds the distance threshold, flight response measures may not be needed, and the user may be able to operate and control the UAV in a normal manner. If the distance d falls below a distance threshold, flight response action may be taken. Flight response measures may affect the operation of the UAV. Flight response measures may deprive the user of control of the UAV, may provide the user with limited time to take corrective action before depriving the user of control of the UAV, impose altitude restrictions, and/or may provide warnings or information to the UAV.

The distance between the UAV and the coordinates of the flight-limiting region may be calculated. Flight response measures may be taken based on the calculated distance. Flight response measures may be determined by the distance without regard to direction or any other information. Alternatively, other information such as direction may be considered.

In some examples, a single distance threshold may be provided. A distance exceeding a distance threshold may allow for routine operation of the UAV while a distance within the distance threshold may result in flight response measures being taken. In other examples, multiple distance thresholds may be provided. Different flight response measures may be selected based on a distance threshold within which the UAV may fall. Depending on the distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting region, different flight response measures may be taken.

The distance threshold may have any value. For example, the distance threshold may be on the order of meters, tens of meters, hundreds of meters, or thousands of meters. The distance threshold may be about 0.05 km, 0.1 km, 0.25 km, 0.5 km, 0.75 km, 1 km, 1.25 km, 1.5 km, 1.75 km, 2 km, 2.25 km, 2.5 km, 2.75 km, 3 km, 3.25 km, 3.5 km, 3.75 km, 4 km, 4.25 km, 4.5 km, 4.75 km, 5km, 5.25 km, 5.5 km, 5.75 km, 6 km, 6.25 km, 6.5 km, 6.75 km, 7 km, 7.5 km, 8 km, 8.5 km, 9 km, 9.5 km, 10 km, 11 km, 12 km, 13 km, 14 km, 15km, 17 km, 20 km, 25 km, 30 km, 40 km, 50 km, 75 or 100 km. The distance threshold may optionally match the regulations for a flight-restricted area (e.g., the distance threshold may optionally be X kilometers if the civil aviation authority dictates that the UAV is not allowed to fly within X kilometers of the airport), may be greater than the regulations for a flight-restricted area (e.g., the distance threshold may be greater than X kilometers), or may be less than the regulations for a flight-restricted area (e.g., the distance threshold may be less than X kilometers). The distance threshold may be any distance value greater than the specification (e.g., may be X +0.5 kilometer, X +1 kilometer, X +2 kilometer, etc.). In other implementations, the distance threshold may be any distance value less than the specification (e.g., may be X-0.5 kilometers, X-1 kilometer, X-2 kilometers, etc.).

The UAV location may be determined while the UAV is flying. In some cases, the UAV location may be determined when the UAV is not in flight. For example, the UAV position may be determined while the UAV is resting on a surface. UAV location may be assessed at UAV startup and prior to takeoff from a surface. The distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting region may be evaluated while the UAV is on a surface (e.g., before takeoff/after landing). If the distance falls below a distance threshold, the UAV may reject takeoff. Any distance threshold may be used, such as those described elsewhere herein. In some cases, multiple distance thresholds may be provided. Depending on the distance threshold, the UAV may have different take-off measures. For example, if the UAV falls below a first distance threshold, the UAV may not be able to take off. If the UAV falls within the second distance threshold, the UAV may be able to take off, but may have only a very limited flight period. In another example, if the UAV falls within the second distance threshold, the UAV may be able to take off, but may only be able to fly away from the flight-restricted area (e.g., increasing the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted area). In another example, if the UAV falls below the second or third distance thresholds, the UAV may provide an alert to an operator of the UAV that the UAV is near a restricted flight area while allowing the UAV to take off. In another example, if the UAV falls within a distance threshold, it may be provided with a maximum flight height. If the UAV exceeds the maximum flight altitude, the UAV may be automatically brought to a lower altitude, while the user may control other aspects of the UAV flight.

Fig. 5 provides a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle 300 in communication with an external device 310, according to an embodiment of the invention.

UAV300 may include one or more power units that may control the position of the UAV. The power unit may control a position of the UAV (e.g., with respect to up to three directions, such as latitude, longitude, altitude) and/or an orientation of the UAV (e.g., with respect to up to three axes of rotation, such as pitch, yaw, roll axes). The power unit may allow the UAV to maintain or change position. The power unit may include one or more rotor blades that may rotate to generate lift for the UAV. The power unit may be driven by one or more actuators 350, such as one or more motors. In some cases, a single motor may drive a single power unit. In other examples, a single motor may drive multiple power units, or a single power unit may be driven by multiple motors.

The operation of the one or more actuators 350 of the UAV300 may be controlled by the flight controller 320. The flight controller may include one or more processors and/or memory units. The memory unit may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium that may include code, logic, or instructions for performing one or more steps. The processor may be capable of performing one or more of the steps described herein. The processor may provide the steps according to a non-transitory computer readable medium. The processor may perform location-based calculations and/or generate flight commands for the UAV using an algorithm.

Flight controller 320 can receive information from receiver 330 and/or locator 340. The receiver 330 may be in communication with an external device 310. The external device may be a remote terminal. The external device may be a control device that may provide one or more instruction sets for controlling the flight of the UAV. The user may interact with an external device to issue instructions to control the flight of the UAV. The external device may have a user interface that may accept user input that may result in controlling the flight of the UAV. Examples of external devices are described in more detail elsewhere herein.

The external device 310 may communicate with the receiver 330 via a wireless connection. Wireless communication may occur directly between an external device and a receiver and/or may occur through a network or other form of indirect communication. In some implementations, the wireless communication may be a distance-based communication. For example, the external device may be located within a predetermined distance from the UAV in order to control operation of the UAV. Alternatively, the external device need not be located within a predetermined distance of the UAV. The communication may occur directly through a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the internet, a cloud environment, a telecommunications network (e.g., 3G, 4G), WiFi, bluetooth, Radio Frequency (RF), Infrared (IR), or any other communication technology. In an alternative embodiment, the communication between the external device and the receiver may occur via a wired connection.

The communication between the external device and the UAV may be a two-way communication and/or a one-way communication. For example, the external device may provide instructions to the UAV that may control the flight of the UAV. The external device may operate other functions of the UAV, such as one or more settings of the UAV, one or more sensors, operation of one or more loads, operation of a vehicle of the load, or any other operation of the UAV. The UAV may provide data to an external device. The data may include information about the location of the UAV, data sensed by one or more sensors of the UAV, images captured by a load of the UAV, or other data from the UAV. The instructions from the external device and/or the data from the UAV may be transmitted simultaneously or sequentially. They may be communicated over the same communication channel or different communication channels. In some cases, instructions from an external device may be communicated to the flight controller. The flight controller may utilize flight control instructions from the external device in generating command signals to one or more actuators of the UAV.

The UAV may also include a locator 340. The locator may be used to determine the position of the UAV. The location may include the latitude, longitude, and/or altitude of the aircraft. The position of the UAV may be determined relative to a fixed reference frame (e.g., geographic coordinates). The position of the UAV may be determined relative to the flight-limiting region. The position of the flight-limiting region relative to the fixed reference frame may be used to determine the relative position between the UAV and the flight-limiting region. The locator may use any technique known in the art or later developed to determine the position of the UAV. For example, the locator may receive a signal from the external location unit 345. In one example, the locator may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and the external location unit may be a GPS satellite. In another example, the locator may be an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), an ultrasonic sensor, a visual sensor (e.g., a camera), or a communication unit that communicates with an external location unit. The external location unit may include satellites, towers, or other structures that may be capable of providing location information. One or more external location units may utilize one or more triangulation techniques in order to provide the location of the UAV. In some cases, the external location unit may be an external device 310 or other remote control. The location of the external device may be used as the location of the UAV or to determine the location of the UAV. The location of the external device may be determined using a positioning unit within the external device and/or one or more base stations capable of determining the location of the external device. The location unit of the external device may use any of the techniques described herein, including but not limited to GPS, laser, ultrasound, visual, inertial, infrared, or other position sensing techniques. The location of the external device may be determined using any technique such as GPS, laser, ultrasound, vision, inertia, infrared, triangulation, base station, tower, relay station (relay), or any other technique.

In alternative embodiments, determining the position of the UAV may not require an external device or external location unit. For example, the position of the UAV may be determined using the IMU. The IMU may include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, or a suitable combination thereof. For example, the IMU may include up to three orthogonal accelerometers to measure linear acceleration of the movable object along up to three translational axes, and up to three orthogonal gyroscopes to measure angular acceleration about up to three rotational axes. The IMU may be rigidly coupled to the aerial vehicle such that movement of the aerial vehicle corresponds to movement of the IMU. Alternatively, the IMU may be allowed to move relative to the aircraft with up to six degrees of freedom. The IMU may be mounted directly to the aircraft or coupled to a support structure mounted to the aircraft. The IMU may be disposed outside or inside the housing of the movable object. The IMU may be permanently or removably attached to the movable object. In some embodiments, the IMU may be a loaded element of the aircraft. The IMU may provide signals indicative of motion of the aircraft, such as position, orientation, velocity, and/or acceleration of the aircraft (e.g., about one, two, or three translational axes, and/or one, two, or three rotational axes). For example, the IMU may sense a signal indicative of acceleration of the aircraft, and may integrate the signal once to provide velocity information, and may integrate twice to provide position and/or orientation information. The IMU may be capable of determining acceleration, velocity, and/or position/orientation of the aircraft without interacting with any external environmental factors or receiving any signals from outside the aircraft. The IMU may alternatively be used in conjunction with other location determining means, such as a GPS, visual sensor, ultrasonic sensor or communication unit.

The position determined by the positioner 340 may be used by the flight controller 320 to generate one or more command signals to be provided to the actuators. For example, the position of the UAV, which may be determined based on the locator information, may be used to determine flight response actions to be taken by the UAV. The position of the UAV may be used to calculate a distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting area. The flight controller may calculate the distance by means of a processor. The flight controller may determine which flight response action (if any) the UAV takes. The flight controller may determine command signals to the actuators that may control the flight of the UAV.

The flight controller of the UAV may calculate its own current location via a locator (e.g., a GPS receiver) and a distance from a flight-limited area (e.g., a center of an airport location or other coordinates representing an airport location). Any distance calculation known in the art or later developed may be used.

In one embodiment, the distance between two points (i.e., the UAV and the flight-limiting area) may be calculated using the following technique. An earth-centered-earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system may be provided. The ECEF coordinate system may be a cartesian coordinate system. It may represent the position as an X-coordinate, a Y-coordinate, and a Z-coordinate. Local east-north-Earth (ENU) coordinates are formed from a plane tangent to the earth's surface fixed to a particular location, and are therefore sometimes referred to as "local tangent" planes or "local geodetic" planes. The eastern axis is labeled x, the northern axis is labeled y and the upward axis is labeled z.

For navigation calculations, position data (e.g., GPS position data) may be converted into the ENU coordinate system. The conversion may comprise two steps:

1) the data may be converted from a geodetic coordinate system to ECEF.

X＝(N(φ)+h)cosφcosλ

Y＝(N(φ)+h)cosφsinλ

Z＝(N(φ)(1-e²)+h)sinφ

Wherein

a and e are the semi-major axis of the ellipse and the first numerical eccentricity, respectively.

N (Φ) is called the normal vector and is the distance from the surface to the Z-axis along the ellipse normal.

2) The data in the ECEF system may then be converted to the ENU coordinate system.

To transform the data from ECEF to ENU, the local reference frame may be chosen at the location where the UAV just received the mission sent to the UAV.

The calculation may employ the hemiversine formula, which may give the distance between two points a and B on the earth's surface:

wherein

Δφ＝φ_A-φ_B

Δλ＝λ_A-λ_BAnd is and

R_eis the radius of the earth.

If the UAV is continuously calculating the current location and distance to thousands of potential flight-limited areas (such as airports), a significant amount of computing power may be used. This may result in slowing the operation of one or more processors of the UAV. One or more techniques to simplify and/or speed up the computation may be employed.

In one example, the relative position and/or distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting area may be calculated at specified time intervals. For example, the calculation may occur every hour, every half hour, every 15 minutes, every 10 minutes, every 5 minutes, every 3 minutes, every 2 minutes, every minute, every 45 seconds, every 30 seconds, every 15 seconds, every 12 seconds, every 10 seconds, every 7 seconds, every 5 seconds, every 3 seconds, every second, every 0.5 seconds, or every 0.1 seconds. The calculation may be between the UAV and one or more flight-limiting areas.

In another example, each time the location of the aircraft is first obtained (e.g., via a GPS receiver), relatively distant airports may be filtered out. For example, a distant airport need not pose any concern to UAVs. In one example, flight limiting regions that are outside of a distance threshold may be ignored. For example, flight-restricted areas that are outside the flight range of the UAV may be ignored. For example, if the UAV is capable of flying 100 miles in a single flight, a flight-limited area, such as an airport, that is more than 100 miles away at UAV startup may be ignored. In some cases, the distance threshold may be selected based on the type of UAV or the ability of the UAV to fly.

In some examples, the distance threshold may be approximately 1000 miles, 750 miles, 500 miles, 300 miles, 250 miles, 200 miles, 150 miles, 120 miles, 100 miles, 80 miles, 70 miles, 60 miles, 50 miles, 40 miles, 30 miles, 20 miles, or 10 miles. Each time the distance to these points is calculated, removing the far flight-limiting region from consideration may leave only some of the nearby coordinates. For example, there may be only a few airports or other types of flight-limiting areas within a distance threshold from the UAV. For example, when a UAV is first started, only a few airports may fall within the distance of interest from the UAV. The distance of the UAV relative to these airports may be calculated. The distance may be continuously calculated in real time or may be periodically updated at time intervals in response to a detected condition. By reducing the number of flight-limiting regions of interest, less computing power may be employed, and the computation may be faster to perform and free up other operations of the UAV.

FIG. 6 provides an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention. The UAV may have a GPS module. The GPS module may include a GPS receiver 440 and/or a GPS antenna 442. The GPS antenna may pick up one or more signals from GPS satellites or other structures and transmit the captured information to a GPS receiver. The GPS module may also include a microprocessor 425. The microprocessor may receive information from the GPS receiver. The microprocessor may transmit the data from the GPS receiver in raw form or may process or analyze the data. The microprocessor may perform calculations using data of the GPS receiver and/or may provide location information based on the calculations.

The GPS module may be operably connected to the flight controller 420. A flight controller of the UAV may generate command signals to be provided to one or more actuators of the UAV, and thereby control the flight of the UAV. Any connection may be provided between the GPS module and the flight controller. For example, a communication bus, such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, may be used to connect the GPS module and the flight controller. The GPS receiver may receive data via a GPS antenna and may communicate the data to a microprocessor, which may communicate the data to a flight controller via a communication bus.

The UAV may look for GPS signals prior to takeoff. In some cases, once the UAV starts, the UAV may search for GPS signals. If a GPS signal is found, the UAV may be able to determine its position prior to takeoff. If the GPS signal is found before the UAV has taken off, the UAV may determine its distance relative to one or more flight-limited regions. If the distance falls below a distance threshold (e.g., within a predetermined radius of the flight-limiting region), the UAV may reject takeoff. For example, if the UAV is located within a 5 mile range of an airport, the UAV may refuse to take off.

In some embodiments, the UAV may reject takeoff if it is unable to find GPS signals prior to takeoff. Alternatively, the UAV may take off even if it is unable to find the GPS signal prior to taking off. In another example, the UAV may reject takeoff if the flight controller cannot detect the presence of a GPS module (which may include a GPS receiver, GPS antenna, and/or microprocessor). The inability to acquire GPS signals and the inability to detect the presence of a GPS module can be treated as a different situation. For example, if a GPS module is detected, the inability to acquire GPS signals may not prevent the UAV from taking off. This may be because the GPS signals may be received after the UAV has taken off. In some cases, increasing the height of the UAV or having fewer obstacles around the UAV may make it easier to receive GPS signals as long as the module is detected and operational. If the UAV finds GPS signals during flight, it can obtain its location and take emergency action. Accordingly, it may be desirable to allow the UAV to takeoff when a GPS module is detected, regardless of whether a GPS signal is detected prior to takeoff. Alternatively, the UAV may take off when a GPS signal is detected and may not take off when a GPS signal is not detected.

Some embodiments may rely on an aircraft GPS module to determine the position of the UAV. This will affect the performance of the flight if the GPS module takes too long to successfully determine the position. If the GPS module is inoperable or unable to detect GPS signals, the flight functions of the UAV may be limited. For example, if the GPS module is inoperable or fails to detect GPS signals, the maximum altitude of the UAV may be reduced or the flight rise limit may be enforced. In some cases, other systems and methods may be used to determine the position of the UAV. Other positioning techniques may be used in conjunction with or in place of GPS.

FIG. 7 is an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle in communication with a mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention. The UAV may have a GPS module. The GPS module may include a GPS receiver 540 and/or a GPS antenna 542. The GPS antenna may pick up one or more signals from GPS satellites or other structures and transmit the captured information to a GPS receiver. The GPS module may also include a microprocessor 525. The microprocessor may receive information from the GPS receiver. The GPS module may be operably connected to flight controller 520.

In some cases, flight controller 520 may be in communication with a communication module. In one example, the communication module may be a wireless module. The wireless module may be a wireless direct module 560, which may allow direct wireless communication with an external device 570. The external device may optionally be a mobile device, such as a cellular phone, smart phone, watch, tablet computer, remote control, laptop computer, or other apparatus. The external device may be a stationary device, such as a personal computer, a server computer, a base station, a tower, or other structure. The external device may be a wearable apparatus, such as a helmet, hat, glasses, headphones, gloves, pendant, watch, wristband, armband, legband, vest, jacket, shoe, or any other type of wearable apparatus, such as those described elsewhere herein. Any description herein of a mobile device may also encompass or be applicable to a stationary device or any other type of external device, and vice versa. The external device may be another UAV. The external device may or may not have an antenna to facilitate communication. For example, the external device may have components that may facilitate wireless communication. For example, direct wireless communication may include WiFi, radio communication, bluetooth, IR communication, or other types of direct communication.

The communications module may be disposed above the UAV. The communication module may allow one-way or two-way communication with the mobile device. As described elsewhere herein, the mobile device may be a remote control terminal. For example, the mobile device may be a smartphone, which may be used to control the operation of the UAV. The smart phone may receive input from the user that may be used to control the flight of the UAV. In some cases, the mobile device may receive data from the UAV. For example, the mobile device may include a screen that may display images captured by the UAV. The mobile device may have a display that displays images captured by a camera on the UAV in real-time.

For example, one or more mobile devices 570 may connect to the UAV via a wireless connection (e.g., WiFi) to enable real-time reception of data from the UAV. For example, the mobile device may display images from the UAV in real-time. In some cases, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone) may be connected to the UAV and may be in close proximity to the UAV. For example, the mobile device may provide one or more control signals to the UAV. The mobile device may or may not need to be in close proximity to the UAV to transmit the one or more control signals. The control signal may be provided in real time. The user may actively control the flight of the UAV and may provide flight control signals to the UAV. The mobile device may or may not need to be in close proximity to the UAV to receive data from the UAV. The data may be provided in real time. One or more image capture devices or other types of sensors of the UAV may capture data, and the data may be transmitted to the mobile device in real-time. In some cases, the mobile device and the UAV may be in close proximity, such as within about 10 miles, 8 miles, 5 miles, 4 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, 1.5 miles, 1 mile, 0.75 miles, 0.5 miles, 0.3 miles, 0.2 miles, 0.1 miles, 100 yards, 50 yards, 20 yards, or 10 yards.

The location of the mobile device 570 can be determined. The mobile device location results may be transmitted to the UAV because the mobile device will typically not be too far from the UAV during flight. The mobile device location may be used by the UAV as a UAV location. This may be useful when the GPS module is not operational or does not receive GPS signals. The mobile device may be used as a positioning unit. The UAV may perform the evaluation using the mobile device location results. For example, if it is determined that the mobile device is located at a particular set of coordinates or at a distance from the flight-limited region, the flight controller may use the data. The mobile device location may be used as the UAV location, and the UAV flight controller may perform the calculations using the mobile device location as the UAV location. Thus, the calculated distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting area may be the distance between the mobile device and the flight-limiting area. This may be a viable option when the mobile device is typically close to the UAV.

In addition to or instead of using a GPS module, the location of the UAV may be determined using a mobile device. In some cases, the UAV may not have a GPS module and may rely on the mobile device to determine the UAV location. In other cases, the UAV may have a GPS module, but may rely on the mobile device when the GPS module is unable to detect GPS signals. Other position determinations for UAVs may be used in conjunction with or in lieu of the techniques described herein.

FIG. 8 is an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle in communication with one or more mobile devices according to an embodiment of the invention. The UAV may have a GPS module. The GPS module may include a GPS receiver 640 and/or a GPS antenna 642. The GPS antenna may pick up one or more signals from GPS satellites or other structures and transmit the captured information to a GPS receiver. The GPS module may also include a microprocessor 625. The microprocessor may receive information from the GPS receiver. The GPS module may be operably connected to the flight controller 620.

In some cases, flight controller 620 may be in communication with a communication module. In one example, the communication module may be a wireless module. The wireless module may be a wireless direct module 560 that may allow direct wireless communication with an external mobile device 570. For example, direct wireless communication may include WiFi, radio communication, bluetooth, IR communication, or other types of direct communication.

Alternatively, the wireless module may be a wireless indirection module 580 that may allow indirect wireless communication with an external mobile device 590. Indirect wireless communication may occur through a network, such as a telecommunications/mobile network. The network may be of a type that requires the insertion of a SIM card to allow communication. The network may utilize 3G/4G or other similar types of communications. UAVs may use mobile base stations to determine the location of a mobile device. Alternatively, the mobile base station location may be used as the mobile device location and/or the UAV location. For example, the mobile base station may be a mobile telephone tower, or other type of static or mobile structure. While this technique may not be as accurate as GPS, this error may be very small relative to the distance thresholds described (e.g., 4.5 miles, 5 miles, and 5.5 miles). In some implementations, the UAV may use the internet to connect to the user's mobile device to obtain a base station location of the mobile device. The UAV may communicate with a mobile device that may communicate with a base station, or the UAV may communicate directly with a base station.

The UAV may have both wireless direct and wireless indirect modules. Alternatively, the UAV may have only a wireless direct module, or only a wireless indirect module. The UAV may or may not have a GPS module in combination with one or more wireless modules. In some cases, the UAV may have a sequential preference when multiple positioning units are provided. For example, if the UAV has a GPS module and the GPS module is receiving signals, the UAV may preferably use the GPS signals to provide the location of the UAV without using the communications module. If the GPS module does not receive the signal, the UAV may rely on a wireless direct module or a wireless indirect module. The UAV may optionally first attempt a wireless direct module, but may attempt to use a wireless indirect module to obtain a location if it is not available. UAVs may prefer positioning techniques that provide a higher likelihood of a more precise and/or accurate UAV location. Alternatively, other factors may be provided, such as a positioning technique that may be more preferred to use less power or more reliable (less likely to fail). In another example, the UAV may acquire location data from multiple sources and may compare the data. For example, the UAV may use GPS data in conjunction with data from a communication module using the location of the mobile device or base station. The data may or may not be averaged, or other calculations may be performed to determine the position of the UAV. Simultaneous position data acquisition may be performed.

Fig. 9 provides an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle 700 having an on-board memory unit 750 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The UAV may have a flight controller 720, and the flight controller 720 may generate one or more command signals to enable flight of the UAV. A positioning unit 740 may be provided. The positioning unit may provide data indicating the position of the UAV. The positioning unit may be a GPS receiver, a communication module that receives location data from an external device, an ultrasonic sensor, a visual sensor, an IR sensor, an inertial sensor, or any other type of device that may facilitate determining the position of the UAV. The flight controller may generate flight command signals using the position of the UAV.

Memory unit 750 may include data regarding the location of one or more flight-limiting regions. For example, one or more on-board databases or memories 755A may be provided to store a list of flight-limiting areas and/or their locations. In one example, the coordinates of various flight-limiting regions, such as airports, may be stored in memory onboard the UAV. In one example, the memory storage device may store latitude and longitude coordinates for a number of airports. All airports, continents, countries or regions of the world may be stored in the memory unit. Other types of flight-limiting regions may be stored. The coordinates may include only latitude and longitude coordinates, may also include altitude coordinates, or may include the boundaries of a flight-limiting area. Thus, information about the flight-limiting area (such as location and/or associated rules) can be preprogrammed onto the UAV. In one example, the latitude and longitude coordinates of each airport may be stored as a "double precision" data type, respectively. For example, the location of each airport may take 16 bytes.

The UAV may be able to access onboard memory to determine the location of the flight-restricted area. This may be useful in situations where communications by the UAV may not be operational or may have difficulty accessing external sources. For example, some communication systems may be unreliable. In some cases, access to on-board stored information may be more reliable and/or may require less power consumption. Accessing the on-board stored information may also be faster than downloading the information in real time.

In some cases, other data may be stored on the UAV. For example, a database and/or memory 755B may be provided regarding rules relating to a particular flight-limiting area or different jurisdictions. For example, the memory may have stored thereon information regarding the flight rules of different jurisdictions. For example, country a may not allow UAVs to fly within 5 miles of an airport, while country B may not allow UAVs to fly within 9 miles of an airport. In another example, nation a may not allow UAVs to fly within 3 miles of school during class time, while nation B has no restrictions on the UAVs flying near school. In some cases, the rules may be jurisdiction specific. In some cases, the rules may be specific to a flight-restricted area, regardless of jurisdiction. For example, within a, airport a may not always allow UAVs to fly anywhere within 5 miles of the airport, while airport B may allow UAVs to fly at 1: 00-5: 00A.M are flying near airports. The rules may be stored on the UAV, and may optionally be associated with a relevant jurisdiction and/or flight-limiting area.

The flight controller 720 may access the onboard memory to calculate the distance between the UAV and the flight-restricted area. The flight controller may use information from the positioning unit 740 as the position of the UAV, and may use information from the onboard memory 750 for flight-restricted area location. The calculation of the distance between the UAV and the flight-limiting area may be performed by the flight controller with the aid of a processor.

Flight controller 720 may access the on-board memory to determine flight response actions to take. For example, the UAV may access onboard memory regarding different rules. The position and/or distance of the UAV may be used to determine flight response actions to be taken by the UAV according to relevant rules. For example, if the position of the UAV is determined to be within country a and airport a is nearby, the flight controller may review the rules of country a and airport a in determining the flight response action to take. This may affect the command signals generated and sent to one or more actuators of the UAV.

The onboard memory 750 of the UAV may be updated. For example, the update may be made using a mobile device in communication with the UAV. The onboard memory may be updated when the mobile device and the UAV are connected. The mobile device and UAV may be updated via a wireless connection, such as a direct wireless connection or an indirect wireless connection. In one example, the connection may be provided via WiFi or bluetooth. The mobile device may be used to control the flight of the UAV and/or receive data from the UAV. Information such as the flight limit zone or a location/rule associated with the flight limit zone may be updated. Such updating may occur while the mobile device is interacting with the UAV. Such updating may occur when the mobile device is first connected with the UAV, at periodic intervals, upon detection of an event, or continuously in real-time.

In another example, a wired connection may be provided between the UAV and an external device for providing updates to the onboard memory. For example, a USB port or similar port on the UAV may be used to connect to a Personal Computer (PC) and may be updated using PC software. In another example, the external device may be a mobile device or other type of external device. The updating may occur when the UAV is first connected to the external device, at periodic intervals when holding a wired connection, when an event is detected, or continuously in real time when holding a wired connection.

Additional examples may allow UAVs to have a communication means for accessing the internet or other network. Each time the UAV is started, it can automatically check if the onboard memory needs to be updated. For example, each time the UAV starts, it may automatically check whether the information about the restricted flight zone needs to be updated. In some embodiments, the UAV only checks if an update is to be made at startup. In other embodiments, the UAV may check periodically, upon detection of an event or command, or continuously.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle 810 associated with a plurality of flight-limiting

regions

310, 320, 330, 340, according to an embodiment of the invention. For example, a UAV may be flying near several airports or other types of flight-restricted areas. The locations of the no-fly zone and the height-limited zone may be stored on the UAV. Alternatively or additionally, the UAV may download or access the locations of the no-fly zone and the restricted-height zone from outside the UAV.

The no-fly zone comprises an overhead zone of a first zone, the height-limiting zone comprises an overhead zone of a second zone, the height of the second zone is larger than a height threshold value, the first zone is a zone comprising an airport runway, and the second zone is a zone in the airport except the first zone. The shape, size, and position of the first region and the second region, and the positional relationship between the first region and the second region are not limited. For example, the second region surrounds the first region. For another example, the second region surrounds and adjoins the first region. For example, the first area includes an airport runway and an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway. As another example, the first area includes an airport runway and the second area includes an interior horizontal plane that surrounds the airport runway. For another example, the second area includes a tapered surface that encircles the airport runway. For another example, the second area includes at least one of an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface on either side of the airport runway. For another example, the second region includes: a region where a regular area centered on a center of an airport runway does not intersect an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, and a region where the regular area does not intersect a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the tapered surface surrounding the airport runway. Wherein the regular region may be a circular region, an elliptical region, a square region, a rectangular region, or a regular polygonal region.

The height-limited region may include not only the overhead region in which the height of the second region is greater than the height threshold, but also the overhead region in which the height of the third region is greater than the height threshold, where the height threshold of the second region is different from the height threshold of the third region. That is, the height-limiting area may include an overhead area in which the height of each of the at least two areas is greater than the height threshold, where the height thresholds of the areas in the at least two areas may be the same or different. For example, the height-limiting zone comprises at least one of the following upper void regions: the airport runway comprises an overhead area surrounding at least part of the inner horizontal plane of the airport runway, an overhead area surrounding at least part of the conical surface of the airport runway, an overhead area located at least part of the approach surface at one side of the airport runway, an overhead area located at least part of the takeoff climb surface at one side of the airport runway, and a non-intersecting area of a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway and the conical surface surrounding the airport runway. The height thresholds of the respective regions may be the same or different. For example, the height thresholds for the regions increase sequentially in the following order: the airport runway comprises at least one part of an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway, at least one part of a conical surface surrounding the airport runway, at least one part of an approach surface and at least one part of a takeoff climbing surface which are respectively positioned at two sides of the airport runway, and an area which is not intersected with the conical surface surrounding the airport runway by a rule taking the center of the airport runway as the center. For example, the height threshold of at least part of the conical surface surrounding the airport runway is 30 meters, the height thresholds of at least part of the approach surface and at least part of the takeoff climb surface respectively located on both sides of the airport runway are 60 meters, and the height threshold of the area where the rule centered on the center of the airport runway does not intersect the conical surface surrounding the airport runway is 120 meters.

The position of the UAV may be compared to the positions of the no-fly zone and the restricted-height zone. Flight response measures of the UAV with respect to the flight-restricted area may be determined based on the comparison. For example, when the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to decelerate and hover within the preset flight distance, or the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone along the path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limited zone. For another example, when the time length that the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height limit zone is determined to reach the preset time length according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to land. For another example, when the time length that the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone reaches the preset time length is determined according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone along the path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone.

In some cases, the UAV may be located within a certain distance from two or more flight-limiting regions such that it may receive instructions to perform two or more flight response actions. When two or more flight response measures are determined for the UAV, responses to the respective flight-restricted areas may be performed simultaneously.

In some cases, the flight response measure may have an execution level, and a subset of the flight response measure may be executed. For example, the most stringent flight response measures may be implemented.

In some cases, the UAV may be located within a distance from two or more flight-limiting regions that elicit the same flight response measures. The UAV may comply if the UAV may comply with all flight response measures. If the UAV is unable to comply with all flight response actions, the UAV determines individual flight response actions to be followed. For example, the separate flight response measure may be to automatically lower the UAV, or to operate the UAV for a predetermined period of time before automatically lowering the UAV. Alternatively, the second flight response measure may be to give the user a predetermined period of time to fly the UAV away from the flight-restricted area. The flight action may cause the UAV to automatically land if the UAV remains in the same area after being operated by the user.

In some cases, different jurisdictions may have different UAV no-fly regulations. For example, different countries may have different rules and/or some rules may be more complex depending on the jurisdiction and may need to be done step by step. Examples of a jurisdiction may include, but are not limited to, a continent, a federation, a country, a state/province, a county, a city, a town, a private property, or land, or other type of jurisdiction.

The location of the UAV may be used to determine the jurisdiction in which the UAV is currently located and which rules may apply. For example, GPS coordinates may be used to determine the country in which the UAV is located and which laws apply. For example, nation a may prohibit UAVs from flying within 5 miles of an airport, while nation B may prohibit flying within 6 miles of an airport. Then after the aircraft obtains the GPS coordinates, it can determine whether it is currently located within a or B. Based on this determination, it may assess whether the flight limit is functioning within 5 miles or 6 miles, and may take flight response measures accordingly.

For example, boundaries between jurisdictions may be provided. It may be determined that the UAV falls within a country to the right of the boundary based on the UAV location. Country B may be to the left of the boundary and may have different rules than country a. In one example, the position of the UAV may be determined using any of the positioning techniques described elsewhere herein. Coordinates of the UAV may be calculated. In some cases, the onboard memory of the UAV may include boundaries of different jurisdictions. For example, the UAV may be able to access onboard memory to determine which jurisdiction the UAV falls within based on its location. In other examples, information about different jurisdictions may be stored off-board. For example, the UAV may communicate with the outside to determine which jurisdiction the UAV falls into.

Rules associated with various jurisdictions may be accessed from onboard memory of the UAV. Alternatively, the rules may be downloaded or accessed from a device or network external to the UAV. In one example, nation a and B may have different rules. For example, country a, in which UAV 810 is located, may not allow the UAV to fly within 10 miles of the airport. Country B may not allow UAVs to fly within 5 miles of an airport. In one example, the UAV may currently be a distance d 29 miles from the B airport 820B. The UAV may be a distance d 37 miles from the C airport 820C. Since the UAV is located within a, the UAV may need to take action in response to its distance of 9 miles from B airport (which falls within a 10 mile threshold). However, if the UAV is located in country B, then no flight response measures may be required. Since B airport is located within B country, UAV may not need any flight response measures because it exceeds the 5 mile threshold applicable in B country.

Thus, the UAV may be able to access information about the jurisdiction in which the UAV falls and/or flight rules applicable to the UAV. Applicable no-fly rules may be used in conjunction with the distance/location information to determine whether flight response action is required and/or which flight response action should be taken.

Optional flight limiting features for the UAV may be provided. The flight limiting feature may allow the UAV to fly only within a predetermined area. The predetermined area may include a height limit. The predetermined area may include a lateral (e.g., latitude and/or longitude) limit. The predetermined area may be located within a defined three-dimensional space. Alternatively, the predetermined area may be located within a defined two-dimensional space without limitation in a third dimension (e.g., located within an area without height limitation).

The predetermined area may be defined relative to a reference point. For example, the UAV may only fly within a certain distance of the reference point. In some cases, the reference point may be a homing point of the UAV. The homing point may be a starting point of the UAV during flight. For example, when the UAV takes off, it may automatically designate its homing point as the take-off position. The homing point may be a point entered or preprogrammed into the UAV. For example, a user may define a particular location as a waypoint.

The predetermined area may have any shape or size. For example, the predetermined region may have a hemispherical shape. For example, any area that falls within a predetermined distance threshold from a reference point may be determined to be within a predetermined area. The radius of the hemisphere may be a predetermined distance threshold. In another example, the predetermined region may have a cylindrical shape. For example, any region that falls within a predetermined threshold laterally from the reference point may be determined to be within the predetermined region. A height limit may be provided as the top of the cylindrical predetermined area. A tapered shape may be provided for the predetermined area. As the UAV moves laterally away from a reference point, the UAV may be allowed to fly higher and higher (rise limit), or may have higher and higher minimum elevation requirements (lower limit). In another example, the predetermined region may have a prism shape. For example, any area that falls within an altitude range, a longitude range, and a latitude range may be determined to be within the predetermined area. Any other shape of predetermined area may be provided in which the UAV may fly.

In one example, one or more boundaries of the predetermined area may be defined by a geofence. The geofence may be a virtual perimeter of a real-world geographic region. The geofences may be pre-programmed or pre-defined. The geofence can have any shape. The geofence may include a neighborhood or follow any boundary. Data regarding the geofence and/or any other predetermined area may be stored locally to the UAV. Alternatively, the data may be stored off-board and accessible by the UAV.

The systems, devices, and methods described herein may be applicable to a variety of movable objects. As previously mentioned, any description herein of a UAV is applicable to and can be used with any movable object. Any description herein of a UAV may be applicable to any aircraft. The movable object of the present invention may be configured for movement in any suitable environment, such as in the air (e.g., a fixed wing aircraft, a rotorcraft, or an aircraft having neither fixed wings nor rotors), in water (e.g., a ship or submarine), on the ground (e.g., an automobile such as a car, truck, bus, van, motorcycle, bicycle; movable structure or frame such as a pole, fishing rod; or train), underground (e.g., a subway), in space (e.g., a space shuttle, satellite, or probe), or any combination of these environments. The movable object may be a vehicle, such as the vehicle described elsewhere herein. In some embodiments, the movable object may be carried by a living body, or take off from a living body such as a human or animal. Suitable animals may include avians, canines, felines, equines, bovines, ovines, porcines, dolphins, rodents, or insects.

The movable object may be able to move freely within the environment with respect to six degrees of freedom (e.g., three translational degrees of freedom and three rotational degrees of freedom). Alternatively, the movement of the movable object may be constrained with respect to one or more degrees of freedom, such as by a predetermined path, trajectory, or orientation. The movement may be actuated by any suitable actuation mechanism, such as an engine or motor. The actuating mechanism of the movable object may be powered by any suitable energy source, such as electrical energy, magnetic energy, solar energy, wind energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, or any suitable combination thereof. The movable object may be self-propelled via a power system, as described elsewhere herein. The power system may optionally be operated on an energy source, such as electrical energy, magnetic energy, solar energy, wind energy, gravitational energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, or any suitable combination thereof. Alternatively, the movable object may be carried by a living being.

In some cases, the movable object may be a vehicle. Suitable vehicles may include water vehicles, aircraft, space vehicles, or ground vehicles. For example, the aircraft may be a fixed wing aircraft (e.g., airplane, glider), a rotorcraft (e.g., helicopter, rotorcraft), an aircraft having both fixed wings and rotors, or an aircraft having neither fixed wings nor rotors (e.g., airship, hot air balloon). The vehicle may be self-propelled, such as self-propelled in the air, on or in water, in space, or on or under the ground. The self-propelled vehicle may utilize a power system, such as a power system including one or more engines, motors, wheels, axles, magnets, rotors, propellers, blades, nozzles, or any suitable combination thereof. In some cases, the power system may be used to enable the movable object to take off from, land on, maintain its current position and/or orientation (e.g., hover), change orientation, and/or change position.

The movable object may be remotely controlled by a user or locally controlled by an occupant in or on the movable object. In some embodiments, the movable object is an unmanned movable object, such as a UAV. An unmanned movable object, such as a UAV, may not have an occupant riding on the movable object. The movable object may be controlled by a human or an autonomous control system (e.g., a computer control system), or any suitable combination thereof. The movable object may be an autonomous or semi-autonomous robot, such as a robot configured with artificial intelligence.

The movable object may have any suitable size and/or dimensions. In some embodiments, the movable object may have a size and/or dimensions that allow a human occupant to be within or on the vehicle. Alternatively, the movable object may have a size and/or dimensions that are smaller than the size and/or dimensions that would allow a human occupant to be within or on the vehicle. The movable object may have a size and/or dimensions suitable for being carried or carried by a human. Alternatively, the movable object may be larger than a size and/or dimension suitable for handling or carrying by a human. In some cases, the movable object can have a maximum dimension (e.g., length, width, elevation, diameter, diagonal) that is less than or equal to about: 2cm, 5cm, 10cm, 50cm, 1m, 2m, 5m or 10 m. The maximum dimension may be greater than or equal to about: 2cm, 5cm, 10cm, 50cm, 1m, 2m, 5m or 10 m. For example, the distance between the axes of the opposing rotors of the movable object may be less than or equal to about: 2cm, 5cm, 10cm, 50cm, 1m, 2m, 5m or 10 m. Alternatively, the distance between the shafts of the opposing rotors may be greater than or equal to about: 2cm, 5cm, 10cm, 50cm, 1m, 2m, 5m or 10 m.

In some embodiments, the movable object may have a volume of less than 100cm x 100cm x 100cm, less than 50cm x 50cm x 30cm, or less than 5cm x 5cm x 3 cm. The total volume of the movable object may be less than or equal to about: 1cm³、2cm³、5cm³、10cm³、20cm³、30cm³、40cm³、50cm³、60cm³、70cm³、80cm³、90cm³、100cm³、150cm³、200cm³、300cm³、500cm³、750cm³、1000cm³、5000cm³、10,000cm³、100,000cm³、1m³Or 10m³. Conversely, the total volume of the movable object may be greater than or equal to about: 1cm³、2cm³、5cm³、10cm³、20cm³、30cm³、40cm³、50cm³、60cm³、70cm³、80cm³、90cm³、100cm³、150cm³、200cm³、300cm³、500cm³、750cm³、1000cm³、5000cm³、10,000cm³、100,000cm³、1m³Or 10m³。

In some embodiments, the movable object may have a footprint (which may refer to the cross-sectional area enclosed by the movable object) of less than or equal to about: 32,000cm²、20,000cm²、10,000cm²、1,000em²、500em²、100cm²、50em²、10em²Or 5em². Conversely, the footprint may be greater than or equal to about: 32,000cm²、20,000em²、10,000cm²、1,000cm²、500cm²、100cm²、50cm²、10em²Or 5cm²。

In some cases, the movable object may weigh no more than 1000 kg. The weight of the movable object may be less than or equal to about: 1000kg, 750kg, 500kg, 200kg, 150kg, 100kg, 80kg, 70kg, 60kg, 50kg, 45kg, 40kg, 35kg, 30kg, 25kg, 20kg, 15kg, 12kg, 10kg, 9kg, 8kg, 7kg, 6kg, 5kg, 4kg, 3kg, 2kg, 1kg, 0.5kg, 0.1kg, 0.05kg or 0.01 kg. Conversely, the weight may be greater than or equal to about: 1000kg, 750kg, 500kg, 200kg, 150kg, 100kg, 80kg, 70kg, 60kg, 50kg, 45kg, 40kg, 35kg, 30kg, 25kg, 20kg, 15kg, 12kg, 10kg, 9kg, 8kg, 7kg, 6kg, 5kg, 4kg, 3kg, 2kg, 1kg, 0.5kg, 0.1kg, 0.05kg or 0.01 kg.

In some embodiments, the load carried by the movable object relative to the movable object may be small. As further detailed elsewhere herein, the load may include a load and/or a vehicle. In some examples, the ratio of the movable object weight to the load weight may be greater than, less than, or equal to about 1: 1. In some cases, the ratio of the weight of the movable object to the weight of the load may be greater than, less than, or equal to about 1: 1. Optionally, the ratio of the vehicle weight to the load weight may be greater than, less than, or equal to about 1: 1. When desired, the ratio of the weight of the movable object to the weight of the load may be less than or equal to: 1: 2, 1: 3, 1: 4, 1: 5, 1: 10, or even less. Conversely, the ratio of the weight of the movable object to the weight of the load may also be greater than or equal to: 2: 1, 3: 1, 4: 1, 5: 1, 10: 1, or even greater.

In some embodiments, the movable object may have low energy consumption. For example, the movable object may use less than about: 5W/h, 4W/h, 3W/h, 2W/h, 1W/h or less. In some cases, the vehicle of the movable object may have low energy consumption. For example, the carrier may use less than about: 5W/h, 4W/h, 3W/h, 2W/h, 1W/h or less. Optionally, the load of the movable object may have a low energy consumption, such as less than about: 5W/h, 4W/h, 3W/h, 2W/h, 1W/h or less.

Fig. 12 illustrates an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)900 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The UAV may be an example of a movable object as described herein. UAV 900 may include a powered system having four

rotors

902, 904, 906, and 908. Any number of rotors (e.g., one, two, three, four, five, six, or more) may be provided. The rotors, rotor assemblies, or other power systems of the unmanned aerial vehicle may enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover over/maintain a position, change orientation, and/or change position. The distance between the axes of the opposing rotors may be any suitable length 910. For example, the length 910 may be less than or equal to 1m, or less than or equal to 5 m. In some embodiments, the length 910 may be in a range from 1cm to 7m, from 70cm to 2m, or from 5cm to 5 m. Any description herein of a UAV may apply to movable objects, such as different types of movable objects, and vice versa. The UAV may use a takeoff assist system or method as described herein.

In some embodiments, the movable object may be configured to carry a load. The load may include one or more of passengers, goods, equipment, instruments, and the like. The load may be disposed within the housing. The housing may be separate from the housing of the movable object or be part of the housing for the movable object. Alternatively, the load may be provided with a housing, while the movable object does not have a housing. Alternatively, some portions of the load or the entire load may not have an outer shell. The load may be rigidly fixed relative to the movable object. Optionally, the load may be movable relative to the movable object (e.g., may translate or rotate relative to the movable object). The load may include a load and/or a vehicle, as described elsewhere herein.

In some embodiments, movement of the movable object, vehicle, and load relative to a fixed reference frame (e.g., the surrounding environment) and/or relative to each other may be controlled by the terminal. The terminal may be a remote control device at a location remote from the movable object, vehicle, and/or load. The terminal may be mounted on or secured to the support platform. Alternatively, the terminal may be a handheld or wearable device. For example, the terminal may include a smartphone, tablet, laptop, computer, glasses, gloves, helmet, microphone, or a suitable combination thereof. The terminal may comprise a user interface such as a keyboard, mouse, joystick, touch screen or display. Any suitable user input may be used to interact with the terminal, such as manual input commands, voice control, gesture control, or position control (e.g., via movement, positioning, or tilting of the terminal).

The terminal may be used to control any suitable state of the movable object, vehicle and/or load. For example, the terminals may be used to control the position and/or orientation of movable objects, vehicles, and/or loads relative to one another and/or relative to one another with respect to a fixed reference. In some embodiments, the terminal may be used to control individual elements of the movable object, the vehicle, and/or the load, such as an actuation assembly of the vehicle, a sensor of the load, or an emitter of the load. The terminal may include a wireless communication device adapted to communicate with one or more of the movable object, vehicle, or load.

The terminal may comprise a suitable display unit for viewing information of the movable object, the vehicle and/or the load. For example, the terminal may be configured to display information about the position, translational velocity, translational acceleration, orientation, angular velocity, angular acceleration, or any suitable combination thereof, of the movable object, vehicle, and/or load. In some implementations, the terminal can display information provided by the load, such as data provided by the functional load (e.g., images recorded by a camera or other image capture device).

Optionally, the same terminal may both control the movable object, vehicle, and/or load or the state of the movable object, vehicle, and/or load, and may receive and/or display information from the movable object, vehicle, and/or load. For example, the terminal may control the positioning of the load relative to the environment while displaying image data captured by the load or information about the position of the load. Alternatively, different terminals may be used for different functions. For example, a first terminal may control movement or state of a movable object, vehicle, and/or load, while a second terminal may receive and/or display information from the movable object, vehicle, and/or load. For example, a first terminal may be used to control the positioning of the load relative to the environment, while a second terminal displays image data captured by the load. Various modes of communication may be utilized between the movable object and an integrated terminal that both controls the movable object and receives data, or between the movable object and multiple terminals that both control the movable object and receive data. For example, at least two different communication modes may be formed between the movable object and a terminal that both controls and receives data from the movable object.

Fig. 13 illustrates a movable object 1000 including a vehicle 1002 and a load 1004, in accordance with an embodiment. Although movable object 1000 is depicted as an aircraft, such depiction is not intended to be limiting, and any suitable type of movable object may be used, as previously described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the embodiments described herein in the context of an aircraft system may be applicable to any suitable movable object (e.g., a UAV). In some cases, load 1004 may be disposed on movable object 1000 without carrier 1002. Movable object 1000 may include a power mechanism 1006, a sensing system 1008, and a communication system 1010.

As previously described, the power mechanism 1006 may include one or more of a rotor, propeller, blade, engine, motor, wheel, axle, magnet, or nozzle. The movable object may have one or more, two or more, three or more, or four or more power mechanisms. The power mechanisms may all be of the same type. Alternatively, one or more of the powered mechanisms may be a different type of powered mechanism. The power mechanism 1006 may be mounted on the movable object 1000 using any suitable means, such as a support element (e.g., a drive shaft) as described elsewhere herein. The power mechanism 1006 may be mounted on any suitable portion of the movable object 1000, such as the top, bottom, front, back, sides, or a suitable combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the power mechanism 1006 may enable the movable object 1000 to take off vertically from a surface or land vertically on a surface without requiring any horizontal movement of the movable object 1000 (e.g., without traveling along a runway). Optionally, the power mechanism 1006 may be operable to allow the movable object 1000 to hover in the air at a specified location and/or orientation. One or more of the power mechanisms 1000 may be controlled independently of the other power mechanisms. Alternatively, the power mechanism 1000 may be configured to be controlled simultaneously. For example, the movable object 1000 may have multiple horizontally oriented rotors that may provide lift and/or thrust to the movable object. Multiple horizontally oriented rotors can be actuated to provide vertical takeoff, vertical landing, and hovering capabilities to the movable object 1000. In some embodiments, one or more of the horizontally oriented rotors may rotate in a clockwise direction and one or more of the horizontal rotors may rotate in a counterclockwise direction. For example, the number of clockwise rotors may be equal to the number of counterclockwise rotors. The rate of rotation of each horizontally oriented rotor can be independently varied to control the lift and/or thrust generated by each rotor and thereby adjust the spatial layout, speed, and/or acceleration (e.g., with respect to up to three degrees of translation and up to three degrees of rotation) of the movable object 1000.

Sensing system 1008 may include one or more sensors that may sense the spatial layout, velocity, and/or acceleration (e.g., with respect to up to three degrees of translation and up to three degrees of rotation) of movable object 1000. The one or more sensors may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, a motion sensor, an inertial sensor, a distance sensor, or an image sensor. The sensed data provided by sensing system 1008 may be used to control the spatial layout, speed, and/or orientation of movable object 1000 (e.g., using a suitable processing unit and/or control module, as described below). Alternatively, the sensing system 1008 may be used to provide data about the environment surrounding the movable object, such as weather conditions, distance from potential obstacles, location of geographical features, location of man-made structures, and the like.

The communication system 1010 supports communication with a terminal 1012 having a communication system 1014 via wireless signals 1016. The

communication systems

1010, 1014 may include any number of transmitters, receivers, and/or transceivers suitable for wireless communication. The communication may be a one-way communication such that data can only be transmitted in one direction. For example, one-way communication may involve only the movable object 1000 transmitting data to the terminal 1012, or vice versa. Data may be transmitted from one or more transmitters of communication system 1010 to one or more receivers of communication system 1012, or vice versa. Alternatively, the communication may be a two-way communication, such that data can be transmitted between movable object 1000 and terminal 1012 in both directions. Bidirectional communication may involve the transmission of data from one or more transmitters of communication system 1010 to one or more receivers of communication system 1014, and vice versa.

In some embodiments, terminal 1012 may provide control data to one or more of movable object 1000, vehicle 1002, and load 1004 and receive information from one or more of movable object 1000, vehicle 1002, and load 1004 (e.g., position and/or motion information for the movable object, vehicle, or load; data sensed by the load, such as image data captured by a load camera). In some cases, the control data from the terminal may include instructions for the relative positioning, movement, actuation, or control of the movable object, vehicle, and/or load. For example, the control data may result in modification of the position and/or orientation of the movable object (e.g., via control of the power mechanism 1006), or movement of the load relative to the movable object (e.g., via control of the vehicle 1002). Control data from the terminal may result in control of a load, such as control of the operation of a camera or other image capture device (e.g., taking a still or moving picture, zooming in or out, turning on or off, switching imaging modes, changing image resolution, changing focus, changing depth of field, changing exposure time, changing viewing angle or field of view). In some cases, the communication from the movable object, vehicle, and/or load may include information from one or more sensors (e.g., sensors of sensing system 1008 or of load 1004). The communication may include sensed information from one or more different types of sensors (e.g., GPS sensors, motion sensors, inertial sensors, distance sensors, or image sensors). Such information may be regarding the orientation (e.g., position, orientation), movement, or acceleration of the movable object, vehicle, and/or load. Such information from the load may include data captured by the load or a sensed condition of the load. The control data provided by terminal 1012 for transmission may be configured to control the state of one or more of movable object 1000, vehicle 1002, or load 1004. Alternatively or in combination, carrier 1002 and load 1004 may also each include a communication module configured to communicate with terminals 1012 so that the terminals may communicate with and control each of movable object 1000, carrier 1002, and load 1004 independently.

In some embodiments, the movable object 1000 can be configured for communication with another remote device in addition to or in lieu of terminal 1012. As with the movable object 1000, the terminal 1012 can also be configured for communication with another remote device. For example, movable object 1000 and/or terminal 1012 may be in communication with another movable object or a vehicle or load of another movable object. The remote device may be a second terminal or other computing device (e.g., a computer, laptop, tablet, smart phone, or other mobile device) when desired. The remote device may be configured to transmit data to movable object 1000, receive data from movable object 1000, transmit data to terminal 1012, and/or receive data from terminal 1012. Optionally, the remote device may be connected to the internet or other telecommunications network so that data received from the movable object 1000 and/or the terminal 1012 can be uploaded to a website or server.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram schematic of a system 1100 for controlling a movable object, according to an embodiment. The system 1100 may be used in conjunction with any suitable implementation of the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein. System 1100 may include a sensing module 1102, a processing unit 1104, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106, a control module 1108, and a communication module 1110.

The sensing module 1102 may utilize different types of sensors that collect information about the movable object in different ways. Different types of sensors may sense different types of signals or signals from different sources. For example, the sensors may include inertial sensors, GPS sensors, distance sensors (e.g., lidar) or vision/image sensors (e.g., cameras). The sensing module 1102 may be operatively coupled to a processing unit 1104 having a plurality of processors. In some embodiments, the sensing module may be operably coupled to a transmission module 1112 (e.g., a Wi-Fi image transmission module), the transmission module 1112 configured to transmit the sensed data directly to a suitable external device or system. For example, the transmission module 1112 may be used to transmit images captured by a camera of the sensing module 1102 to a remote terminal.

The processing unit 1104 may have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU)). The processing unit 1104 may be operatively coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106. Non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106 may store logic, code, and/or program instructions that are executable by processing unit 1104 for performing one or more steps. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include one or more memory units (e.g., a removable medium or an external storage device, such as an SD card or a Random Access Memory (RAM)). In some embodiments, data from sensing module 1102 may be directly transferred to and stored within a memory unit of non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106. The memory unit of the non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106 may store logic, code, and/or program instructions that are executable by the processing unit 1104 for performing any suitable implementation of the methods described herein. For example, processing unit 1104 may be configured to execute instructions that cause one or more processors of processing unit 1104 to analyze sensed data generated by a sensing module. The memory unit may store sensed data from the sensing module to be processed by the processing unit 1104. In some implementations, the memory unit of the non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106 may be used to store processing results generated by the processing unit 1104.

In some embodiments, the processing unit 1104 may be operably coupled to a control module 1108, the control module 1108 configured to control a state of the movable object. For example, control module 1108 may be configured to control a powered mechanism of the movable object to adjust the spatial layout, velocity, and/or acceleration of the movable object with respect to six degrees of freedom. Alternatively or in combination, the control module 1108 may control one or more of the vehicle, load, or status of the sensing module.

The processing unit 1104 may be operatively coupled to a communication module 1110, the communication module 1110 being configured to transmit and/or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a terminal, a display device, or other remote control). Any suitable communication means may be used, such as wired or wireless communication. For example, the communication module 1110 may utilize one or more of a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), infrared, radio, WiFi, peer-to-peer (P2P) network, telecommunications network, cloud communications, and the like. Optionally, a relay station, such as a tower, satellite, or mobile station, may be used. The wireless communication may be distance dependent or independent. In some embodiments, line of sight may or may not be required for communication. The communication module 1110 may transmit and/or receive one or more of sensing data from the sensing module 1102, a processing result generated by the processing unit 1104, predetermined control data, a user command from a terminal or a remote controller, and the like.

The components of system 1100 may be arranged in any suitable configuration. For example, one or more components of system 1100 may be located on a movable object, a vehicle, a load, a terminal, a sensing system, or another external device in communication with one or more of the above. Further, while fig. 14 depicts a single processing unit 1104 and a single non-transitory computer-readable medium 1106, those skilled in the art will appreciate that this is not intended to be limiting and that the system 1100 may include multiple processing units and/or non-transitory computer-readable media. In some implementations, one or more of the plurality of processing units and/or non-transitory computer-readable media may be located at different locations, such as on a movable object, a vehicle, a load, a terminal, a sensing module, another external device in communication with one or more of the above, or a suitable combination thereof, such that any suitable aspect of the processing and/or memory functions performed by system 1100 may occur at one or more of the above locations.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous modifications, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

Claims

1. A method of controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

acquiring a no-fly zone and a height-limiting zone, wherein the no-fly zone comprises an overhead zone of a first zone, and the height-limiting zone comprises an overhead zone of a second zone, the height of which is greater than a height threshold; wherein the first area is an area including an airport runway, and the second area is an area within an airport other than the first area;

determining a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining flight response measures according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the no-fly zone and the height limiting zone;

wherein the first region includes:

respectively drawing circular arcs by taking the midpoints of two ends of the airport runway as the circle centers and taking R1 as the radius, and then connecting the two circular arcs by using a common tangent line of the two circular arcs to obtain an approximately elliptical flight limiting area, wherein the common tangent line is parallel to the central line of the airport runway;

the second area includes at least one of an approach surface and a takeoff climb surface respectively located on both sides of the airport runway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second region surrounds the first region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second region borders the first region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first area further comprises an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway; alternatively, the second area comprises an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second area comprises a conical surface that encircles the airport runway.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second region comprises: a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway is a non-intersecting area with a conical surface that encircles the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the conical surface that encircles the airport runway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the height-limited zone further comprises an overhead zone having a height greater than a height threshold for a third zone, wherein the height threshold for the second zone is different from the height threshold for the third zone, and wherein the third zone is an area of the airport other than the first zone and the second zone.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface that encircles the airport runway, and the third area comprises an approach surface that encircles the airport runway;

the height threshold of the third region is greater than the height threshold of the second region.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second area comprises at least one of an approach plane and a takeoff climb plane on either side of the airport runway, respectively, and the third area comprises: a portion of the regular area centered on the center of the airport runway outside of the conical surface surrounding the airport runway, a region that is non-intersecting with the second area;

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein determining flight response measures according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the no-fly zone and the height-limiting zone comprises:

when the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to decelerate and hover within a preset flight distance, or controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone along a path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein determining flight response measures according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the no-fly zone and the height-limiting zone comprises:

when the time length that the unmanned aerial vehicle enters the no-fly area or the height limiting area reaches the preset time length is determined according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to land;

alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

when the time length of the unmanned aerial vehicle entering the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone is determined to reach the preset time length according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone along the path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

when it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle is currently located in the altitude limiting regions with different altitude threshold values according to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, determining a flight response measure according to the altitude limiting region with the smallest altitude threshold value.

13. A flight-limiting zone generation method, comprising:

acquiring the positions of a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is an area comprising an airport runway, and the second area is an area except the first area in an airport;

generating a no-fly zone according to the position of the first zone, wherein the no-fly zone comprises an overhead zone of the first zone;

generating a height limiting area according to the position of the second area, wherein the height limiting area comprises an overhead area of which the height of the second area is greater than a height threshold value;

wherein the first region includes:

14. The method of claim 13,

the second region surrounds the first region.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second region borders the first region.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first area further comprises an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway; alternatively, the second area comprises an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the second region comprises: a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway is a non-intersecting area with a conical surface that encircles the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the conical surface that encircles the airport runway.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

and acquiring the position of a third area, and generating a height limiting area according to the position of the third area, wherein the height threshold of the second area is different from the height threshold of the third area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface that encircles the airport runway, and the third area comprises an approach surface that encircles the airport runway;

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the second area comprises an approach plane surrounding the airport runway, and the third area comprises: a region where a regular region centered at the center of the airport runway is non-intersecting with the second region, and a region where the regular region is non-intersecting with the third region;

22. The method of any one of claims 13 to 21, further comprising:

and determining flight response measures according to the no-fly zone and/or the height limiting zone.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining flight response measures from the no-fly zone and/or the high-limit zone comprises:

when the unmanned aerial vehicle is detected to enter the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to decelerate and hover within a preset flight distance, or the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone along a path of entering the no-fly zone or the height-limiting zone.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein determining flight response measures from the no-fly zone and/or the high-limit zone comprises:

when the time length of entering the no-fly zone or the height limit zone reaches the preset time length, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to land;

alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

when the fact that the time length of the unmanned aerial vehicle entering the no-fly zone or the height limiting zone reaches the preset time length is detected, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to exit the no-fly zone or the height limiting zone along a path of entering the no-fly zone or the height limiting zone.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the second region and the third region at least partially overlap;

the method further comprises the following steps:

when it is detected that the unmanned aerial vehicle is located in an overlapping area of the second area and the third area,

flight response measures are determined from the altitude-limited zone with the smallest altitude threshold value.

26. An apparatus for controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured for:

determining a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

wherein the first region includes:

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second region surrounds the first region.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second region borders the first region.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first area further comprises an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway; alternatively, the second area comprises an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second region comprises: a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway is a non-intersecting area with a conical surface that encircles the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the conical surface that encircles the airport runway.

32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the height-limited zone further comprises an overhead zone having a height greater than a height threshold for a third zone, wherein the height threshold for the second zone is different from the height threshold for the third zone, and wherein the third zone is an area of the airport other than the first zone and the second zone.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface that encircles the airport runway, and the third area comprises an approach surface that encircles the airport runway;

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the second region comprises at least one of an approach plane and a takeoff climb plane on either side of the airport runway, respectively, and the third region comprises: a portion of the regular area centered on the center of the airport runway outside of the conical surface surrounding the airport runway, a region that is non-intersecting with the second area;

35. The apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 34, wherein said determining flight response measures based on the position of the UAV and the no-fly zone and the altitude-limiting zone comprises:

36. The apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 34, wherein said determining flight response measures based on the position of the UAV and the no-fly zone and the altitude-limiting zone comprises:

alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

37. The device of any one of claims 26 to 34, wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are further configured to:

38. An apparatus for generating a flight-restricted zone, comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured for:

wherein the first region includes:

39. The apparatus of claim 38,

the second region surrounds the first region.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the second region borders the first region.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the first area further comprises an interior horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway; alternatively, the second area comprises an inner horizontal plane surrounding the airport runway.

42. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface surrounding the airport runway.

43. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the second region comprises: a regular area centered on the center of the airport runway is a non-intersecting area with a conical surface that encircles the airport runway, wherein the regular area covers the conical surface that encircles the airport runway.

44. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising:

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the second area comprises a tapered surface encircling the airport runway, and the third area comprises an approach surface encircling the airport runway;

46. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the second area comprises an approach plane surrounding the airport runway, and wherein the third area comprises: a region where a regular region centered at the center of the airport runway is non-intersecting with the second region, and a region where the regular region is non-intersecting with the third region;

47. The device of any one of claims 38 to 46, wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are further configured to:

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the determining flight response measures from the no-fly zone and/or the high-limit zone comprises:

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the determining flight response measures from the no-fly zone and/or the high-limit zone comprises:

alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

50. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the second region and the third region at least partially overlap;

the one or more processors, individually or collectively, configured to further: