The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 06, 2016
Filed:
Aug. 13, 2015
Trace Live Network Inc., Calgary, CA;
Craig McDermott, Cedar Rapids, IA (US);
Bruce McDonald, Iowa City, IA (US);
Trace Live Network Inc., Calgary, CA;
Abstract
A system and method for power management aboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to follow a subject based on images captured by an onboard camera includes a power monitor that determines if available power from the UAV's onboard batteries has dropped below predetermined thresholds. If a low power level is detected, the power management system may divert power from non-essential systems to the attitude control system to keeping the UAV aloft. If a critical power level is detected, the power management system may shut down other UAV subsystems so that the attitude control system can safely land the UAV. The power management system may send an alert to a smartphone or other device carried by the subject. Position sensors of the subject's device may be used to interpolate the position of the UAV based on the subject's own position for recovery of the UAV.