US 11,721,224 B2
Drone apparatus and method for deploying drone working zone
Chao-Cheng Lo, Changhua County (TW); and Yi-Lun Wen, Taoyuan County (TW)
Assigned to Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Dec. 15, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/121,761.
Claims priority of application No. 109138934 (TW), filed on Nov. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0148444 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. G08G 5/00 (2006.01); B64U 101/00 (2023.01); H04W 4/80 (2018.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01)
CPC G08G 5/0047 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); G08G 5/003 (2013.01); H04W 4/80 (2018.02); B64U 2101/00 (2023.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A drone apparatus, comprising:
an aircraft body, controlled to fly in a 3D space;
a communication device, receiving a control signal;
a positioning device, positioning a position of the aircraft body in the 3D space; and
a flight controller, coupled to the aircraft body, the communication device and the positioning device, and configured to:
set edge rules of a working zone unit used to construct a working zone for the drone apparatus to work around a bridge, wherein the edge rules comprise a shape of the working zone unit and a plurality of edge extension directions for generating the working zone unit, wherein the shape is a polyhedron with N sides, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 6;
control the aircraft body to fly along a target section selected in the bridge according to the control signal, and calculate positions of a plurality of points of interest (POIs) passed by during the flight using the positioning device;
generate an edge of one corresponding working zone unit with positions of two of the POIs according to the set edge rules of the working zone unit, generate a plurality of other edges of the working zone unit from the edge toward each of the edge extension directions, and combine the generated edge and the other edges to form the working zone unit; and
combine a plurality of working zone units generated by using positions of all the POIs so as to construct and deploy the working zone of the target section.