Navigation correction for extreme wind

Abstract

Systems, computer readable media, and methods for navigation correction for extreme wind in autonomous drones are disclosed. Extreme wind may be a special problem for small autonomous drones because the safety and retrieval of the autonomous drones are important, and the autonomous drones typically have limited thrust and battery. An autonomous drone that detects and corrects a flight plan when extreme wind is detected is disclosed. The autonomous drone determines whether to return to an origin location, typically a location of a user of the autonomous drone, or to land in place based on the severity of the extreme wind. If the extreme wind fades, the autonomous drone returns to its original flight plan at a point where the autonomous drone is blown away from the course by the extreme wind. The autonomous drone detects extreme wind either directly or inferred by accidental movement of the autonomous drone via sensor data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 730,569, filed on April 27, 2022, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Examples of the present disclosure generally relate to navigation corrections for extreme winds in autonomous drones. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure deals with systems and methods for updating a flight plan in which an autonomous drone determines to return to a home position, land in place, or return to a previous position of the original flight plan based on wind speed to provide a complete video of the intended flight plan. Background Art

[0004] Autonomous drones that provide photography services to users are becoming increasingly popular. But autonomous drone designs are limited by size and power constraints. And users of autonomous drones continue to demand more and more services from autonomous drones. Furthermore, typically, autonomous drones are used in outdoor conditions where gusty winds could overwhelm the autonomous drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, similar reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the highest digit or digits in the reference numeral refer to the figure number in which the element is first introduced. Some non-limiting examples are shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a networked environment in which the present disclosure may be deployed, according to some examples.

[0007] Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a messaging system having both client-side and server-side functionality according to some examples.

[0008] Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of data structures as maintained in a database according to some examples.

[0009] Figure 4 is a graphical representation of messages according to some examples.

[0010] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an access restriction process according to some examples.

[0011] Figure 6 Examples of components for an autonomous drone are shown according to some examples.

[0012] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an autonomous drone system according to some examples.

[0013] Figure 8 An autonomous drone is shown according to some examples.

[0014] Fig. 9 A system for extreme wind detection in an autonomous drone is shown according to some examples.

[0015] Fig.10 A graph with different navigation states based on wind speed is shown according to some examples.

[0016] Fig.11 A state diagram illustrating states of an autonomous drone according to some examples.

[0017] Fig.12 An updated flight plan according to some examples is shown.

[0018] Fig.13 Methods for navigation correction for extreme winds for an autonomous drone are shown according to some examples.

[0019] Fig.14 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of a computer system according to some examples within which a set of instructions may be executed for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

[0020] Fig.15 is a block diagram illustrating a software architecture in which examples may be implemented.

[0021] Fig.16 is a diagrammatic representation of a processing environment according to some examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following description includes the system, method, technology, instruction sequence and computing machine program product of the illustrative example of implementation of the present disclosure. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration, many specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the various examples of the subject matter of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the example of the subject matter of the present invention can be put into practice without these specific details. Usually, known instruction examples, protocols, structures and technologies are not necessarily shown in detail.

[0023] Systems, computer readable media, and methods for navigation correction for extreme winds in an autonomous drone are disclosed. Extreme winds can be a particular problem for small autonomous drones because the safety and retrieval of the autonomous drone are important and autonomous drones typically have limited thrust and batteries. An autonomous drone is disclosed that detects and corrects a flight plan when extreme winds are detected. The autonomous drone determines whether to return to a point of origin, which is typically the location of a user of the autonomous drone, or to land in place based on the severity of the extreme winds. If the extreme winds subside, the autonomous drone returns to its original flight plan at the point where the autonomous drone was blown off course by the extreme winds. The autonomous drone detects extreme winds either directly through sensor data or inferred through unexpected movement of the autonomous drone.

[0024] Examples herein describe systems, methods, and computer-readable media for navigation correction of an autonomous drone in extreme winds. Designing a personal autonomous drone to meet various design specifications and constraints can be challenging. One challenge is the balance between battery life and power usage, which is often further exacerbated by the form factor. Autonomous drones are expected to be lightweight and portable. For example, a user may want to go hiking with an autonomous drone or take the autonomous drone with them to a beach vacation in another country. In some examples, the autonomous drone is about the size of a hand. Autonomous drones typically include a battery for powering themselves and a camera for recording photos and videos.

[0025] In addition, the autonomous drone 710 needs to be safe to use and easy to retrieve. For example, the autonomous drone 710 cannot hit people or objects, and the autonomous drone 710 cannot fly off the edge of a building and land in the street below. The technical problem is how to respond to wind conditions that affect the ability of the autonomous drone 710 to control its flight path. In some examples, the technical problem is solved by aborting the original flight path and entering a return to origin state, in which the autonomous drone 710 returns to the origin position of the user such as the autonomous drone 710 if the wind speed is above or exceeds the nominal wind speed. And if the wind speed is above a critical threshold, the autonomous drone 710 enters a landing in place state in which the autonomous drone 710 lands in place.

[0026] Modifying the flight path to return to the origin position is possible only when the wind does not completely overwhelm the autonomous drone 710 so that the autonomous drone 710 still has some control. For example, the autonomous drone 710 may fly at an angle that does not allow photography of ground objects, and fly at full speed using the motor. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 will shut down other systems such as wireless connections, photography, etc. to increase the power available to the motors of the autonomous drone 710 for both the return to origin state and the landing in place state.

[0027] In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 will ensure safety in both the return to origin state and the land-in-place state. For example, if the wind is too strong in the return to origin state, the autonomous drone 710 will switch to the land-in-place state and set the autonomous drone 710 to descend to the ground. In another example, in the land-in-place state, the autonomous drone 710 will ensure that the autonomous drone 710 does not land on top of a person or in a traffic network.

[0028] Another technical problem is how to capture a series of images along the flight plan for the user when the autonomous drone may be blown off course by the wind many times. In some examples, the technical problem is solved by the autonomous drone 710 drawing an updated flight plan that returns the autonomous drone 710 to the last position with reliable images and then continues the original flight plan. The autonomous drone 710 can update the flight plan many times in gusty weather. In this way, the autonomous drone 710 can ensure that images along the entire original flight plan are captured. The autonomous drone 710 can automatically cut and paste images together so that the user obtains a smooth video along the flight plan, where an example flight plan is a 360-degree selfie flight plan above the user's head. Autonomous drones can be referred to as semi-autonomous drones, drones, personal autonomous drones, or another term.

[0029] Networked computing environment

[0030] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a messaging system 100 for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network. The messaging system 100 includes multiple instances of a client device 102, each instance hosting multiple applications, including a messaging client 104 and other applications 106. Each messaging client 104 is communicatively coupled to other instances of the messaging client 104 (e.g., hosted on respective other client devices 102), a messaging server system 108, and a third-party server 110 via a network 112 (e.g., the Internet). The messaging client 104 may also communicate with the local host application 106 using an application program interface (API).

[0031] The messaging clients 104 are able to communicate and exchange data with other messaging clients 104 and messaging server systems 108 via the network 112. The data exchanged between the messaging clients 104 and between the messaging clients 104 and messaging server systems 108 include functions (e.g., commands for activating functions) and payload data (e.g., text, audio, video, or other multimedia data).

[0032] The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functionality to certain messaging clients 104 via the network 112. Although certain functions of the messaging system 100 are described herein as being performed by the messaging client 104 or by the messaging server system 108, it may be a design choice whether certain functions are located within the messaging client 104 or within the messaging server system 108. For example, it may be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technologies and functions within the messaging server system 108, but later migrate the technologies and functions to the messaging client 104 where the client device 102 has sufficient processing power.

[0033] The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operations provided to the messaging clients 104. Such operations include sending data to the messaging clients 104, receiving data from the messaging clients 104, and processing data generated by the messaging clients 104. As examples, the data may include message content, client device information, geolocation information, media enhancements and overlays, message content persistence conditions, social network information, and live event information. The data exchange within the messaging system 100 is stimulated and controlled by functions available via the user interface (UI) of the messaging client 104.

[0034] Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, an application program interface (API) server 116 is coupled to the application server 114 and provides a programming interface to the application server 114. The application server 114 is communicatively coupled to a database server 120, which facilitates access to a database 126 that stores data associated with messages processed by the application server 114. Similarly, a web server 128 is coupled to the application server 114 and provides a web-based interface to the application server 114. To this end, the web server 128 processes incoming network requests via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and several other related protocols.

[0035] The application program interface (API) server 116 receives and sends message data (e.g., commands and message payloads) between the client device 102 and the application server 114. Specifically, the application program interface (API) server 116 provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that can be called or queried by the messaging client 104 to activate the functions of the application server 114. An application program interface (API) server 116 exposes various functions supported by the application server 114, including: account registration; login functionality; sending messages from a particular messaging client 104 to another messaging client 104 via the application server 114; sending media files (e.g., images or videos) from a messaging client 104 to a messaging server 118 and for possible access by another messaging client 104; setting up of a collection of media data (e.g., a story); retrieving a friend list of a user of a client device 102; retrieving such a collection; retrieving messages and content; adding and removing entities (e.g., friends) from an entity graph (e.g., a social graph); locating friends in a social graph; and opening application events (e.g., related to a messaging client 104).

[0036] The application server 114 hosts multiple server applications and subsystems, including, for example, a messaging server 118, an image processing server 122, and a social network server 124. The messaging server 118 implements multiple message processing technologies and functions, particularly those related to the aggregation and other processing of content (e.g., text and multimedia content) included in messages received from multiple instances of the messaging client 104. As will be described in more detail, text and media content from multiple sources can be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., referred to as stories or galleries). These collections are then made available to the messaging client 104. In view of the hardware requirements for other processor and memory intensive data processing, other processor and memory intensive data processing can also be performed on the server side by the messaging server 118.

[0037] The application server 114 also includes an image processing server 122 that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations, typically with respect to images or videos within the payload of messages sent from the messaging server 114 or received at the messaging server 118 .

[0038] The social network server 124 supports various social networking functions and services and makes them available to the messaging server 118. To this end, the social network server 124 maintains and accesses an entity graph 308 (e.g., Figure 3). Examples of functions and services supported by the social network server 124 include identifying other users in the messaging system 100 that have a relationship with a particular user or that the particular user is "following," and identifying interests and other entities of a particular user.

[0039] Returning to the messaging client 104, the features and functions of the external resource (e.g., application 106 or applet) are available to the user via the interface of the messaging client 104. In this context, "external" refers to the fact that the application 106 or applet is outside the messaging client 104. External resources are usually provided by a third party, but can also be provided by the creator or provider of the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 receives a user selection of an option to launch or access the features of such an external resource. The external resource can be an application 106 (e.g., a "local app") installed on the client device 102, or a small-scale version of the application (e.g., a "applet") hosted on the client device 102 or away from the client device 102 (e.g., on a third-party server 110). The small-scale version of the application includes a subset of the features and functions of the application (e.g., a full-scale, local version of the application) and is implemented using a markup language document. In one example, the small-scale version of the application (e.g., a "applet") is a web-based markup language version of the application and is embedded in the messaging client 104. In addition to using markup language documents (eg, *ml files), applets may include scripting languages ​​(eg, .*js files or .json files) and style sheets (eg, *ss files).

[0040] In response to receiving a user selection of an option to launch or access a feature of an external resource, the messaging client 104 determines whether the selected external resource is a web-based external resource or a locally installed application 106. In some cases, the application 106 locally installed on the client device 102 can be independent of the messaging client 104 and launched separately from the messaging client 104, such as by selecting an icon corresponding to the application 106 on a home screen of the client device 102. A small-scale version of such an application can be launched or accessed via the messaging client 104, and in some examples, none of the portions of the small-scale application can be accessed outside of the messaging client 104 or limited portions of the small-scale application can be accessed outside of the messaging client 104. The small-scale application can be launched by the messaging client 104 receiving, for example, a markup language document associated with the small-scale application from a third-party server 110 and processing such a document.

[0041] In response to determining that the external resource is a locally installed application 106, the messaging client 104 instructs the client device 102 to launch the external resource by executing the locally stored code corresponding to the external resource. In response to determining that the external resource is a web-based resource, the messaging client 104 communicates with the third-party server 110 (for example) to obtain a markup language document corresponding to the selected external resource. The messaging client 104 then processes the obtained markup language document to present the web-based external resource within the user interface of the messaging client 104.

[0042] The messaging client 104 may notify the user of the client device 102 or other users (e.g., "friends") associated with such a user of activities occurring in one or more external resources. For example, the messaging client 104 may provide a notification to a participant in a conversation (e.g., a chat session) in the messaging client 104 about the current or recent use of an external resource by one or more members of a user group. One or more users may be invited to join a valid external resource or to start an external resource that was recently used but is currently inactive (in the friend group). The external resource may provide the participants in the conversation who each use the corresponding messaging client 104 with the ability to share items, conditions, states, or locations in the external resource with one or more members of the user group entering the chat session. The shared item may be an interactive chat card that members of the chat may interact with, for example, to start a corresponding external resource, view specific information within an external resource, or bring members of the chat to a specific location or state within an external resource. Within a given external resource, a response message may be sent to a user on the messaging client 104. The external resource may selectively include different media items in the response based on the current context of the external resource.

[0043] The messaging client 104 may present a list of available external resources (e.g., applications 106 or applets) to the user to launch or access a given external resource. The list may be presented in the form of a context-sensitive menu. For example, icons representing different applications (or applets) of the application 106 (or applets) may vary based on how the user launches the menu (e.g., from a conversational interface or from a non-conversational interface).

[0044] System Architecture

[0045] Figure 21 is a block diagram showing additional details about the messaging system 100 according to some examples. Specifically, the messaging system 100 is shown to include a messaging client 104 and an application server 114. The messaging system 100 includes a plurality of subsystems that are supported on the client side by the messaging client 104 and on the server side by the application server 114. These subsystems include, for example, a transient timer system 202, a collection management system 204, an augmentation system 208, a mapping system 210, a gaming system 212, an external resource system 214, and an autonomous drone management system 216.

[0046] The transient timer system 202 is responsible for implementing temporary or time-limited access to content by the messaging client 104 and the messaging server 118. The transient timer system 202 includes a plurality of timers that selectively enable access (e.g., for presentation and display) of messages and associated content via the messaging client 104 based on duration and display parameters associated with a message or a collection of messages (e.g., a story). Additional details regarding the operation of the transient timer system 202 are provided below.

[0047] The collection management system 204 is responsible for managing collections or collections of media (e.g., collections of text, images, video, and audio data). Collections of content (e.g., messages, including images, videos, text, and audio) may be organized into "event galleries" or "event stories." Such collections may be made available for a specified period of time (e.g., the duration of the event to which the content relates). For example, content related to a concert may be made available as a "story" for the duration of the concert. The collection management system 204 may also be responsible for publishing an icon to the user interface of the messaging client 104 that provides notification of the existence of a particular collection.

[0048] In addition, the collection management system 204 also includes a curation interface 206, which enables collection managers to manage and curate specific content collections. For example, the curation interface 206 enables event organizers to curate collections of content related to specific events (e.g., deleting inappropriate content or redundant messages). In addition, the collection management system 204 uses machine vision (or image recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate content collections. In some examples, compensation can be paid to users for including user-generated content in a collection. In such a case, the collection management system 204 operates to automatically pay such users for using their content.

[0049] The enhancement system 208 provides various functions that enable users to enhance (e.g., annotate or otherwise modify or edit) media content associated with a message. For example, the enhancement system 208 provides functions related to generating and publishing media overlays (media overlays) for messages processed by the messaging system 100. The enhancement system 208 is operable to provide media overlays or enhancements (e.g., image filters) to the messaging client 104 based on the geographic location of the client device 102. In another example, the enhancement system 208 is operable to provide media overlays to the messaging client 104 based on other information such as social network information of the user of the client device 102. Media overlays can include audio and visual content and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, text, logos, animations, and sound effects. Examples of visual effects include color overlays. Audio and visual content or visual effects can be applied to media content items (e.g., photos, digital objects,) at the client device 102. For example, media overlays can include text or images that can be superimposed on the top of photos taken by the client device 102. In another example, the media overlay includes a location identifier (e.g., Venice Beach) overlay, the name of a live event, or a business name (e.g., Beach Cafe) overlay. In another example, the augmentation system 208 uses the geolocation of the client device 102 to identify a media overlay that includes the business name at the geolocation of the client device 102. The media overlay may include other logos associated with the business. The media overlay may be stored in the database 120 and accessed by the database server 120.

[0050] In some examples, the enhancement system 208 provides a user-based publishing platform that enables a user to select a geolocation on a map and upload content associated with the selected geolocation. The user may also specify under what circumstances a particular media overlay should be provided to other users. The enhancement system 208 generates a media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selected geolocation.

[0051] In other examples, the enhancement system 208 provides a merchant-based publishing platform that enables merchants to select specific media overlays associated with a geographic location via a bidding process. For example, the enhancement system 208 associates the highest bidding merchant's media overlay with the corresponding geographic location for a predefined amount of time.

[0052] The mapping system 210 provides various geolocation functions and supports the presentation of map-based media content and messages by the messaging client 104. For example, the mapping system 210 enables the display of a user icon or avatar (e.g., stored in the profile data 316) on a map to indicate the current or past locations of the user's "friends" and media content (e.g., a collection of messages including photos and videos) generated by such friends in the context of the map. For example, on the map interface of the messaging client 104, messages posted by the user to the messaging system 100 from a particular geolocation can be displayed to the "friends" of the particular user within the context of that particular location on the map. The user can also share his or her location and status information with other users of the messaging system 100 (e.g., using an appropriate status avatar) via the messaging client 104, where the location and status information is similarly displayed to selected users within the context of the mapping interface of the messaging client 104.

[0053] The gaming system 212 provides various gaming functions within the context of the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 provides a gaming interface that provides a list of available games that can be launched by a user within the context of the messaging client 104 and played with other users of the messaging system 100. The messaging system 100 also enables a particular user to invite other users to participate in playing a particular game by sending an invitation to such other users from the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 also supports both voice messaging and text messaging within the context of game play (e.g., chatting), provides leaderboards for games, and also supports providing in-game rewards (e.g., game coins and items).

[0054] The external resource system 214 provides an interface for the messaging client 104 to communicate with a remote server (e.g., a third-party server 110) to launch or access external resources (i.e., applications or applets). Each third-party server 110 hosts, for example, an application or a small-scale version of an application based on a markup language (e.g., HTML5) (e.g., a game application, a utility application, a payment application, or a ride-sharing application). The messaging client 104 can launch a web-based resource (e.g., an application) by accessing an HTML5 file from a third-party server 110 associated with a web-based resource. In some examples, the application hosted by the third-party server 110 is programmed in JavaScript using a software development kit (SDK) provided by the messaging server 118. The SDK includes an application programming interface (API) having functions that can be called or activated by a web-based application. In some examples, the messaging server 118 includes a JavaScript library that provides a given external resource access to certain user data of the messaging client 104. HTML5 is used as an example technology for programming games, but applications and resources programmed based on other technologies can be used.

[0055] To integrate the functionality of the SDK into a web-based resource, the SDK is downloaded by the third-party server 110 from the messaging server 118, or received by the third-party server 110 in other ways. Once downloaded or received, the SDK will be included as part of the application code of the web-based external resource. The code of the web-based resource can then call or activate certain functions of the SDK to integrate the features of the messaging client 104 into the web-based resource.

[0056] The SDK stored on the messaging server 118 effectively provides a bridge between external resources (e.g., applications 106 or applet) and the messaging client 104. This provides users with a seamless experience of communicating with other users on the messaging client 104 while also preserving the look and feel of the messaging client 104. In order to bridge the communication between the external resources and the messaging client 104, in some examples, the SDK facilitates communication between the third-party server 110 and the messaging client 104. In some examples, the web view JavaScript bridge running on the client device 102 establishes two one-way communication channels between the external resources and the messaging client 104. Messages are sent asynchronously between the external resources and the messaging client 104 via these communication channels. Each SDK function activation is sent as a message and a callback. Each SDK function is implemented by constructing a unique callback identifier and sending a message with the callback identifier.

[0057] By using the SDK, not all information from the messaging client 104 is shared with the third-party server 110. The SDK limits which information is shared based on the needs of the external resource. In some examples, each third-party server 110 provides an HTML5 file corresponding to a web-based external resource to the messaging server 118. The messaging server 118 can add a visual representation (e.g., box art or other graphics) of the web-based external resource in the messaging client 104. Once the user selects the visual representation or instructs the messaging client 104 to access a feature of a web-based external resource through the GUI of the messaging client 104, the messaging client 104 obtains the HTML5 file and instantiates the resources required to access the features of the web-based external resource.

[0058] The messaging client 104 presents a graphical user interface (e.g., a login page or title screen) for the external resource. During, before, or after presenting the login page or title screen, the messaging client 104 determines whether the launched external resource has been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104. In response to determining that the launched external resource has been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104, the messaging client 104 presents another graphical user interface of the external resource including the functions and features of the external resource. In response to determining that the launched external resource has not been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104, after displaying the login page or title screen of the external resource for a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds), the messaging client 104 slides a menu for authorizing the external resource to access the user data (e.g., animating the menu to emerge from the bottom of the screen to the middle or other portion of the screen). The menu identifies the type of user data that the external resource will be authorized to use. In response to receiving the user selection of the accept option, the messaging client 104 adds the external resource to the list of authorized external resources and enables the external resource to access the user data from the messaging client 104. In some examples, the messaging client 104 authorizes the external resource to access the user data according to the OAuth 2 framework.

[0059] The messaging client 104 controls the type of user data shared with the external resource based on the type of external resource that is authorized. For example, an external resource comprising a full-scale application (e.g., application 106) is provided with access to a first type of user data (e.g., only a two-dimensional avatar of a user with or without different avatar characteristics). As another example, an external resource comprising a small-scale version of an application (e.g., a web-based version of the application) is provided access to a second type of user data (e.g., payment information, a two-dimensional visualization of a user, a three-dimensional visualization of a user, and a visualization with various visualization characteristics). Avatar representation characteristics include different ways to customize the look and feel of an avatar representation (e.g., different poses, facial features, clothing, etc.).

[0060] Autonomous UAV management system 216 provides for managing Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig.12 The autonomous drone management system 216 determines the functions and routines of the autonomous drone 710. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The values ​​of the thresholds of the critical threshold 1012 and the nominal threshold 1014 discussed above are determined, and the values ​​are sent to the autonomous drone for configuring the autonomous drone. The autonomous drone management system 216 can act as a host device for the autonomous drone. In addition, according to some examples, the autonomous drone management system 216 manages the services provided by the client device 102 to the drone. For example, the client device 102, the off-site client device 704, the server 706, the smart phone 708, or another device can act as a host device for the autonomous drone and transmit the service request to the autonomous drone management system 216. In addition, the functions and routines of the autonomous drone management system 216 can be performed in whole or in part by the client device 102, the off-site client device 704, the server 706, the smart phone 708, or another device. In some examples, the control application resides in a host device such as the client device 102, the off-site client device 704, the server 706, the smart phone 708. For example, the control application enables the user to set thresholds and other preferences.

[0061] Data Architecture

[0062] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a data structure 300 that may be stored in a database 126 of a messaging server system 108 according to some examples. Although the contents of the database 126 are illustrated as including several tables, it should be understood that data may be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., object-oriented databases).

[0063] Database 126 includes message data stored in message table 302. For any particular message, the message data includes at least message sender data, message recipient (or receiver) data, and payload. Figure 4 Additional details regarding information that may be included in a message and included in the message data stored in message table 302 are described.

[0064] The entity table 306 stores entity data and is linked (e.g., referenced) to the entity graph 308 and profile data 316. The entities for which records are maintained within the entity table 306 may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events, etc. Regardless of the entity type, any entity about which the messaging server system 108 stores data may be an identified entity. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier as well as an entity type identifier (not shown).

[0065] The entity graph 308 stores information about relationships and associations between entities. By way of example only, such relationships may be social, professional (e.g., working in a common company or organization), interest-based, or activity-based.

[0066] The profile data 316 stores multiple types of profile data about a particular entity. Based on the privacy settings specified by the particular entity, the profile data 316 can be selectively used and presented to other users of the messaging system 100. In the case where the entity is a person, the profile data 316 includes, for example, a user name, a phone number, an address, settings (e.g., notification and privacy settings), and an avatar representation (or a collection of such avatar representations) selected by the user. The particular user can then selectively include one or more of these avatar representations in the content of messages transmitted via the messaging system 100 and in a map interface displayed to other users by the messaging client 104. The collection of avatar representations can include a "status avatar" that presents a graphical representation of a state or activity that a user can select to communicate at a particular time.

[0067] Where the entity is a group, the group's profile data 316 may similarly include one or more visual representations associated with the group, in addition to the group name, members, and various settings related to the group (eg, notifications).

[0068] Database 126 also stores enhancement data, such as overlays or filters, in enhancement table 310. Enhancement data is associated with and applied to videos (whose data is stored in video table 304) and images (whose data is stored in image table 312).

[0069] In one example, a filter is an overlay displayed as an overlay on an image or video during presentation to a recipient user. The filter can be of various types, including filters selected by a user from a set of filters presented to a sending user by the messaging client 104 when the sending user is composing a message. Other types of filters include geolocation filters (also referred to as geofilters), which can be presented to a sending user based on geolocation. For example, a geolocation filter specific to a nearby or special location can be presented by the messaging client 104 within a user interface based on geolocation information determined by a global positioning system (GPS) unit of the client device 102.

[0070] Another type of filter is a data filter, which can be selectively presented to the sending user by the messaging client 104 based on other input or information collected by the client device 102 during the message creation process. Examples of data filters include the current temperature at a particular location, the current speed at which the sending user is traveling, the battery life of the client device 102, or the current time.

[0071] Other augmented data that may be stored in the image table 312 include augmented reality content items (eg, corresponding to application lenses or augmented reality experiences). Augmented reality content items may be real-time special effects and sounds that may be added to an image or video.

[0072] As described above, augmented data includes augmented reality content items, overlays, image transformations, AR images, and similar terms referring to modifications that can be applied to image data (e.g., videos or images). This includes real-time modifications that modify images when they are captured using a device sensor (e.g., one or more cameras) of the client device 102 and then display the modified images on the screen of the client device 102. This also includes modifications to stored content such as video clips that can be modified in a gallery. For example, in a client device 102 that can access multiple augmented reality content items, a user can use a single video clip with multiple augmented reality content items to watch how different augmented reality content items will modify the stored clips. For example, by selecting different augmented reality content items for content, multiple augmented reality content items that apply different pseudo-random movement models can be applied to the same content. Similarly, real-time video capture can be used with the modifications shown to show how the video image currently captured by the sensor of the client device 102 will modify the captured data. Such data may simply be displayed on the screen without being stored in memory, or content captured by the device sensors may be recorded and stored in memory with or without modification (or both). In some systems, a preview function may display different augmented reality content items as they would appear in different windows of a display simultaneously. This may, for example, enable viewing of multiple windows with different pseudo-random animations on a display simultaneously.

[0073] Thus, data and various systems using augmented reality content items or other such transformation systems that modify content using such data may involve detection of objects (e.g., faces, hands, bodies, cats, dogs, surfaces, objects, etc.) in video frames; tracking of such objects as they leave, enter, and move around the field of view; and modification or transformation of such objects as they are tracked. In various examples, different methods for implementing such transformations may be used. Some examples may involve: generating a three-dimensional mesh model of one or more objects; and using transformations of the model and animated textures within a video to implement the transformations. In other examples, tracking of points on an object may be used to place an image or texture (which may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional) at the tracked location. In further examples, neural network analysis of a video frame may be used to place an image, model, or texture in content (e.g., an image or video frame). Thus, augmented reality content items refer both to images, models, and textures used to create transformations in content, and to additional modeling and analysis information required to implement such transformations using object detection, tracking, and placement.

[0074] Real-time video processing can be performed using any kind of video data (e.g., video streams, video files, etc.) stored in the memory of any kind of computerized system. For example, a user can load video files and store them in the memory of the device, or a sensor of the device can be used to generate a video stream. In addition, any object, such as a human face and parts of a human body, an animal, or a non-living thing (e.g., a chair, a car, or other objects) can be processed using computer animation models.

[0075] In some examples, in the case where a specific modification is selected together with the content to be transformed, the element to be transformed is identified by the computing device, and then if the element to be transformed is present in the video frame, the element to be transformed is detected and tracked. The elements of the object are modified according to the request for modification, thereby transforming the frame of the video stream. The transformation of the frame of the video stream can be performed by different methods for different types of transformations. For example, for the transformation of the frame that mainly involves changing the form of the elements of the object, the feature points of each element of the object are calculated (for example, using an active shape model (ASM) or other known methods). Then, for each element of at least one element of the object, a grid based on the feature points is generated. The grid is used for the subsequent stage of tracking the elements of the object in the video stream. During the tracking process, the grid mentioned for each element is aligned with the position of each element. Then, additional points are generated on the grid. A first set of first points is generated for each element based on the request for modification, and a set of second points is generated for each element based on the set of first points and the request for modification. Then, the frame of the video stream can be transformed by modifying the elements of the object based on the set of first points and the set of second points and the grid. In such a method, the background of the modified object may also be changed or deformed by tracking and modifying the background of the modified object.

[0076] In some examples, the transformation of some areas of the object using the elements of the object can be performed by calculating the feature points of each element of the object and generating a grid based on the calculated feature points. Points are generated on the grid, and then various areas are generated based on the points. Then, the elements of the object are tracked by aligning the area of ​​each element with the position of each element in at least one element, and the properties of the area can be modified based on the modification request, thereby transforming the frame of the video stream. Depending on the specific modification request, the properties of the mentioned area can be transformed in different ways. Such modifications may involve: changing the color of the area; removing at least some parts of the area from the frame of the video stream; including one or more new objects in the area based on the modification request; and modifying or distorting the elements of the area or object. In various examples, any combination of such modifications or other similar modifications may be used. For certain models to be animated, some feature points may be selected as control points for determining the entire state space of options for model animation.

[0077] In some examples of computer animation models that use face detection to transform image data, faces are detected on an image using a specific face detection algorithm (e.g., Viola-Jones). An active shape model (ASM) algorithm is then applied to the face region of the image to detect facial feature reference points.

[0078] Other methods and algorithms suitable for face detection can be used. For example, in some examples, landmarks are used to locate features, which represent distinguishable points that exist in most of the images considered. For example, for facial landmarks, the location of the left pupil can be used. If the initial landmarks are not recognizable (for example, if the person wears an eye patch), secondary landmarks can be used. Such landmark identification procedures can be used for any such objects. In some examples, a set of landmarks forms a shape. The coordinates of the points in the shape can be used to represent the shape as a vector. One shape is aligned with another shape using a similarity transformation (allowing translation, scaling, and rotation) that minimizes the average Euclidean distance between the shape points. The mean shape (meanshape) is the average value of the aligned training shapes.

[0079] In some examples, the landmark search begins with a mean shape that is aligned with the position and size of the face determined by a global face detector. Such a search then repeats the steps of proposing tentative shapes by adjusting the positions of shape points by template matching the image texture around each point, and then conforming the tentative shapes to a global shape model until convergence occurs. In some systems, individual template matches are unreliable, and the shape model pools the results of weak template matches to form a stronger overall classifier. The entire search is repeated at each level of the image pyramid from coarse to fine resolution.

[0080] The transformation system can capture an image or video stream on a client device (e.g., client device 102) and perform complex image manipulations locally on the client device 102 while maintaining an appropriate user experience, computational time, and power consumption. Complex image manipulations can include size and shape changes, mood transformations (e.g., changing a face from a frown to a smile), state transformations (e.g., aging a subject, reducing apparent age, changing gender), style transformations, application of graphical elements, and any other suitable image or video manipulations that can be implemented by a convolutional neural network that has been configured to execute efficiently on the client device 102.

[0081] In some examples, a computer animation model for transforming image data can be used by a system in which a user can capture an image or video stream of the user (e.g., a selfie) using a client device 102 having a neural network that operates as part of a messaging client 104 operating on the client device 102. A transformation system operating within the messaging client 104 determines the presence of a face within the image or video stream and provides a modification icon associated with the computer animation model to transform the data image, or the computer animation model can be presented as associated with an interface described herein. The modification icon includes the following changes, which can be the basis for modifying the face of the user within the image or video stream as part of the modification operation. Once the modification icon is selected, the transformation system initiates a process of transforming the image of the user to reflect the selected modification icon (e.g., generating a smiley face on the user). Once the image or video stream is captured and the specified modification is selected, the modified image or video stream can be presented in a graphical user interface displayed on the client device 102. The transformation system can implement a complex convolutional neural network on a portion of the image or video stream to generate and apply the selected modification. That is, a user can capture an image or video stream, and once a modification icon has been selected, the modified result can be presented in real time or near real time. In addition, when the video stream is being captured, the modification can be persistent and the selected modification icon remains toggled. Machine learning neural networks can be used to implement such modifications.

[0082] The graphical user interface presenting the modifications performed by the transformation system can supply additional interactive options for the user. Such options can be based on the interface for initiating content capture and selecting a specific computer animation model (e.g., initiated from a content creator user interface). In various examples, after the modification icon is initially selected, the modification can be persistent. The user can switch to turn the modification on or off by tapping or otherwise selecting the face being modified by the transformation system, and store it for later viewing or browsing other areas of the imaging application. In the case of multiple faces modified by the transformation system, the user can globally turn on or off the modification by tapping or selecting a single face modified and displayed in the graphical user interface. In some examples, each face in a plurality of face groups can be modified individually, or such modifications can be switched individually by tapping or selecting a single face or a series of faces displayed in the graphical user interface.

[0083] The story table 314 stores data about a collection of messages and associated image, video or audio data that are compiled into a collection (e.g., a story or gallery). The creation of a particular collection can be initiated by a particular user (e.g., each user whose record is maintained in the entity table 306). A user can create a "personal story" in the form of a collection of content that has been created and sent / broadcasted by the user. To this end, the user interface of the messaging client 104 may include a user-selectable icon to enable the sending user to add specific content to his or her personal story.

[0084] A collection may also constitute a "live story" that is a collection of content from multiple users, created manually, automatically, or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example, a "live story" may constitute a curated stream of content submitted by users from various locations and events. Users whose client devices have location services enabled and who are at a co-located event at a particular time may be presented with an option, for example, via a user interface of the messaging client 104, to contribute content to a particular live story. Live stories may be identified to a user by the messaging client 104 based on his or her location. The end result is a "live story" told from a community perspective.

[0085] Another type of content collection is called a "location story," which enables users whose client devices 102 are located in a particular geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus) to contribute to a particular collection. In some implementations, contributions to location stories may require secondary authentication to verify that the end user belongs to a particular organization or other entity (e.g., is a student on a university campus).

[0086] As mentioned above, the video table 304 stores video data, which in one example is associated with a message whose record is saved within the message table 302. Similarly, the image table 312 stores image data associated with a message whose message data is stored in the entity table 306. The entity table 306 can associate various enhancements from the enhancement table 310 with the various images and videos stored in the image table 312 and the video table 304.

[0087] Data communication architecture

[0088] Figure 4is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a message 400 generated by a messaging client 104 for transmission to another messaging client 104 or a messaging server 118 according to some examples. The content of a particular message 400 is used to populate a message table 302 stored in a database 126 accessible by a messaging server 118. Similarly, the content of the message 400 is stored in memory as "in-transit" or "in-flight" data of a client device 102 or application server 114. The message 400 is shown as including the following example components:

[0089] Message identifier 402 : a unique identifier that identifies the message 400 .

[0090] Message text payload 404 : Text to be generated by a user via the user interface of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 .

[0091] Message image payload 406 : Image data captured by a camera component of the client device 102 or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 . Image data for a sent or received message 400 may be stored in the image table 312 .

[0092] Message video payload 408 : Video data captured by the camera component or retrieved from the memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 . The video data for a message 400 sent or received may be stored in the video table 304 .

[0093] Message audio payload 410 : audio data captured by a microphone or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 .

[0094] Message enhancement data 412 : Enhancement data (eg, filters, stickers, or other annotations or enhancements) representing enhancements to be applied to the message image payload 406 , message video payload 408 , or message audio payload 410 of the message 400 . The enhancement data for a sent or received message 400 may be stored in the enhancement table 310 .

[0095] Message duration parameter 414: A parameter value indicating the amount of time in seconds that the content of a message (eg, message image payload 406, message video payload 408, message audio payload 410) will be presented to or made accessible to a user via messaging client 104.

[0096] Message geolocation parameters 416: Geolocation data (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates) associated with the content payload of the message. Multiple message geolocation parameter 416 values ​​may be included in the payload, each of which is associated with a content item included in the content (e.g., a specific image within a message image payload 406 or a specific video in a message video payload 408).

[0097] Message story identifier 418: An identifier value that identifies one or more content collections (e.g., a "story" identified in story table 314) associated with a particular content item in message image payload 406 of message 400. For example, multiple images within message image payload 406 may each be associated with multiple content collections using an identifier value.

[0098] Message tags 420: Each message 400 may be tagged with a plurality of tags, each of which indicates the subject of the content included in the message payload. For example, where a particular image included in the message image payload 406 depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value may be included within the message tags 420 indicating the relevant animal. The tag values ​​may be manually generated based on user input, or may be automatically generated using, for example, image recognition.

[0099] • Message sender identifier 422: An identifier (eg, a messaging system identifier, an email address, or a device identifier) ​​that indicates the user of the client device 102 on which the message 400 was generated and from which the message 400 was sent.

[0100] • Message recipient identifier 424: An identifier (eg, a messaging system identifier, an email address, or a device identifier) ​​that indicates the user of the client device 102 to which the message 400 is addressed.

[0101] The content (e.g., value) of the various components of message 400 may be pointers to locations in a table where content data values ​​are stored. For example, the image value in message image payload 406 may be a pointer (or address) to a location within image table 312. Similarly, the value within message video payload 408 may point to data stored within video table 304, the value stored within message enhancement data 412 may point to data stored in enhancement table 310, the value stored within message story identifier 418 may point to data stored in story table 314, and the values ​​stored within message sender identifier 422 and message recipient identifier 424 may point to user records stored within entity table 306.

[0102] Time-based access restriction architecture

[0103] Figure 5is a schematic diagram illustrating an access restriction process 500 according to which access to content (e.g., ephemeral message 502 and associated multimedia data payload) or a collection of content (e.g., ephemeral message group 504) can be time-restricted (e.g., made ephemeral).

[0104] The ephemeral message 502 is shown to be associated with a message duration parameter 506, the value of which determines the amount of time that the messaging client 104 will display the ephemeral message 502 to the receiving user of the ephemeral message 502. In one example, depending on the amount of time specified by the sending user using the message duration parameter 506, the receiving user can view the ephemeral message 502 for up to 10 seconds.

[0105] The message duration parameter 506 and the message recipient identifier 424 are shown as inputs to a message timer 510, which is responsible for determining the amount of time that the transient message 502 is shown to a particular receiving user identified by the message recipient identifier 424. In particular, the transient message 502 is shown to the associated receiving user only for a period of time determined by the value of the message duration parameter 506. The message timer 510 is shown as providing an output to a more generalized transient timer system 202, which is responsible for the overall timing of displaying content (e.g., the transient message 502) to the receiving user.

[0106] Short message 502 Figure 5 504 (e.g., a collection of messages in a personal story or an event story). The ephemeral message group 504 has an associated group duration parameter 508, the value of which determines the duration for which the ephemeral message group 504 is presented and accessible to users of the messaging system 100. For example, the group duration parameter 508 may be the duration of a concert, where the ephemeral message group 504 is a collection of content about the concert. Alternatively, a user (an owning user or a curator user) may specify a value for the group duration parameter 508 when performing setup and creation of the ephemeral message group 504.

[0107] In addition, each ephemeral message 502 within the ephemeral message group 504 has an associated group participation parameter 512, the value of which determines the duration for which the ephemeral message 502 is accessible within the context of the ephemeral message group 504. Thus, a particular ephemeral message group 504 may "expire" and become inaccessible within the context of the ephemeral message group 504 before the ephemeral message group 504 itself expires according to the group duration parameter 508. The group duration parameter 508, the group participation parameter 512, and the message recipient identifier 424 each provide inputs to a group timer 514, which is operable to first determine whether a particular ephemeral message 502 in the ephemeral message group 504 is to be displayed to a particular receiving user, and if so, how long to display it. Note that the identity of the particular receiving user is also known to the ephemeral message group 504 due to the message recipient identifier 424.

[0108] Thus, the group timer 514 is operable to control the total lifespan of the associated ephemeral message group 504 and the individual ephemeral messages 502 included in the ephemeral message group 504. In one example, each ephemeral message 502 within the ephemeral message group 504 remains viewable and accessible for a period of time specified by the group duration parameter 508. In another example, within the context of the ephemeral message group 504, a particular ephemeral message 502 may expire based on the group participation parameter 512. Note that even within the context of the ephemeral message group 504, the message duration parameter 506 may still determine the duration for which a particular ephemeral message 502 is displayed to a receiving user. Thus, the message duration parameter 506 determines the duration for which a particular ephemeral message 502 is displayed to a receiving user, regardless of whether the receiving user is viewing the ephemeral message 502 within or outside the context of the ephemeral message group 504.

[0109] The transient timer system 202 may also be operable to remove a particular transient message 502 from the transient message group 504 based on a determination that an associated group participation parameter 512 has been exceeded. For example, where a sending user has established a group participation parameter 512 of 24 hours from posting, the transient timer system 202 will remove the associated transient message 502 from the transient message group 504 after the designated 24 hours. The transient timer system 202 may also be operable to remove a transient message group 504 when the group participation parameter 512 for each transient message 502 within the transient message group 504 has expired, or when the transient message group 504 itself has expired according to the group duration parameter 508.

[0110] In some use cases, the creator of a particular ephemeral message group 504 may specify an indefinite group duration parameter 508. In this case, the expiration of the group participation parameter 512 for the last remaining ephemeral message 502 within the ephemeral message group 504 will determine when the ephemeral message group 504 itself expires. In this case, a new ephemeral message 502 with a new group participation parameter 512 added to the ephemeral message group 504 effectively extends the life of the ephemeral message group 504 to a value equal to the group participation parameter 512.

[0111] In response to the transient timer system 202 determining that the transient message group 504 has expired (e.g., is no longer accessible), the transient timer system 202 communicates with the messaging system 100 (and, for example, in particular, the messaging client 104) to cause the indicia (e.g., icon) associated with the relevant transient message group 504 to no longer be displayed within the user interface of the messaging client 104. Similarly, when the transient timer system 202 determines that the message duration parameter 506 for a particular transient message 502 has expired, the transient timer system 202 causes the messaging client 104 to no longer display the indicia (e.g., icon or text identification) associated with the transient message 502.

[0112] Navigation correction for autonomous drones in extreme winds

[0113] Figure 6 An example of components 600 for an autonomous drone is shown, according to some examples. Figure 6 The component 600 shown in FIG. 1 is such as Figure 7 and Fig.10 Components 600 are organized into functional groups including input / output devices 602, processor 604, memory 606, battery 608, power chip 610, sensor 648, wireless connection 666, power and communication connection 646, and propulsion system 684. Components 600 are connected via power and communication connection 646.

[0114] According to some examples, power and communication connection 646 includes one or more communication buses, power buses, and / or point-to-point connections. According to some examples, two or more of components 600 are connected via point-to-point connections to provide communication and / or power between two or more components 600. According to some examples, components 600 are organized into functional groups; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that components 600 can be organized differently, or can all be part of an autonomous drone individually. In addition, one or more of components 600 may be optional. And component 600 may include additional components. In addition, the number of components as shown may be different. For example, there may be multiple processors 604. The terms electrical and electronic may be used to refer to electrical components and / or electronic components.

[0115] The propulsion system 684 includes electric motors 686, each of which includes a rotor 688 associated with a propeller 690. According to some examples, the propeller 690 provides aerodynamic lift to the autonomous drone 400, as well as to accelerate and rotate the autonomous drone. Once the electric motor 686 is actuated in response to a signal from, for example, the processor 604, it spins the rotor 688, which spins the propeller 690. The electric motor 686 and the actuator 638 are powered by the battery 608 and / or the power chip 610, and are controlled by a signal from the processor 604. According to some examples, the electric motor 686 is a variable motor.

[0116] Having more than one propeller 690 enables the autonomous drone to continue flying when one or more of the motors 686, rotors 688, or propellers 690 fail. For example, if one of the motors 686 fails, the autonomous drone 400 can still remain aloft with the remaining motors 686 working together to compensate. In some examples, the propulsion system 684 sends a signal to the processor 604 indicating that the motor 686 is not operating properly. In some examples, the motor 686 provides a signal to the processor 604 indicating whether the motor 686 is operating correctly. In addition, the greater the number of motors 686 included in the autonomous drone, the greater the lift that the autonomous drone 400 will generate, thereby enabling the autonomous drone to carry a heavier payload, such as one or more sensors 648.

[0117] In some examples, the propulsion system 684 includes one or more actuators 638 that tilt the motor 686 so that the motor 686 can operate at a certain angle relative to the reference frame of the autonomous drone. For example, each motor 686 is rotationally mounted on the autonomous drone with a single rotation axis, wherein the actuator 638 controls the angle of the motor 686. In some examples, each motor 686 is rotationally mounted with two or more rotation axes controlled by one or more actuators 638. In some examples, one or more actuators 638 control the angle of more than one motor 686.

[0118] The functional group includes a sensor 648 having component 600, and the sensor 648 includes a photographic camera 650, a navigation camera 651, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) A 652, an altimeter 654, a gyroscope 656, an IMU B 658, an accelerometer 665, an altitude detector 660 including a light 662 and a light detector 664, a magnetic sensor 659, a wind speed sensor 661, a clock 663, a motion sensor 667, etc.

[0119] In some examples, sensor 648 generates data that is processed by processor 604 and stored in memory 606 as data, such as stored in memory 1 626 as data 630, or stored in memory N 632 as data 636. For example, altimeter 654 is an instrument used to determine the altitude reached. Thus, when the autonomous drone is set to hover in place, processor 604 uses data from altimeter 654 to determine the altitude and adjust propulsion system 684 to maintain that altitude.

[0120] Alternatively or additionally, the altitude detector 660 is used to generate data that can be used to determine the altitude of the autonomous drone above the ground. For example, the light 662 of the altitude detector 660 is mounted on the bottom of the autonomous drone to shine light downward to the ground, which is reflected and hits the light detector 664. The processor 604 uses the data generated by the light 662 shining the light and receiving the light at the light detector 664 to determine the altitude of the autonomous drone above the ground based on the flight time of the light and the speed of light. The light 662 is a suitable light source that is strong enough to produce a reflection on the ground that is detectable by the light detector 664. In some examples, the light 662 emits electromagnetic radiation at a specific wavelength that the light detector 664 is manufactured to detect. In some examples, the altitude is also determined based on the roll and pitch of the autonomous drone to account for the fact that the light 662 may not be shining light directly downward. In some examples, the altitude detector 660 is based on sonar.

[0121] IMU A 652 and IMU B 658 use a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and optionally magnetometers to output measurements such as specific force, angular velocity, and orientation of autonomous drones. Altimeter 654, gyroscope 656, accelerometer 665, and other sensors 648 can be replaced by IMU A 652 and / or IMU B 658. Various combinations of sensors 648 can be used to generate data required for navigating autonomous drones. In some examples, sensor 648 includes a lidar system, a radar system, a light sensor, or another form of sensor that can be used to assist navigation and / or photography. In some examples, a sensor 648 is included that enables an autonomous drone to determine the pitch, yaw, and roll of an autonomous drone. In some examples, sensor 648 includes a motion sensor 667 that does not require power but generates a signal based on the autonomous drone being moved. Motion sensor 667 can be used to generate an event to which processor 604 responds.

[0122] The camera 650 and other sensors 648 generate data that can be captured for the purpose of displaying or saving the data to a user of the autonomous drone. Fig. 9 , the data generated is associated with the location 952 and time 936 of the autonomous drone 710. In some examples, IMU A 652 is coupled to the photo camera 650, which enables the processor 604 to stabilize the photo camera 650 to improve photography and determine whether the photo is unreliable because the photo camera 650 has not been stabilized. The photo camera 651 can be rotatably mounted on the body of the autonomous drone, coupled to the body via one or more actuators or other mechanisms to control the orientation of the photo camera 650 relative to the body of the autonomous drone. IMU B 658 is attached to the autonomous drone to provide data for navigation. The processor 604 uses the data generated by the IMU for navigation, and in some examples, for stabilizing the photo camera 650. In some examples, there is more than one photo camera 650.

[0123] The navigation camera 651 is mounted on the body of the autonomous drone to provide data to assist in the navigation of the autonomous drone. There may be more than one navigation camera 651. For example, the navigation may be a front camera mounted on the body of the autonomous drone, wherein the navigation camera 651 is positioned to pick up an image of the scene to which the autonomous drone is pointing. Additionally or alternatively, the navigation camera 651 may be mounted vertically on the body of the autonomous drone, wherein the navigation camera 651 is positioned to pick up an image of the terrain being overflowed. One or more navigation cameras 651 may be movably or fixedly mounted on the body of the autonomous drone, coupled to the body via one or more actuators or other mechanisms to control the orientation of one or more navigation cameras 651 relative to the body of the autonomous drone. In some examples, the photographic camera 650 is also used as the navigation camera 651. In some examples, the photographic camera 650 provides a larger pixel resolution than the navigation camera 651 and requires more power to operate.

[0124] Data such as video and digital images captured by the photographic camera 650 and the navigation camera 651 can be stored in the memory 606 as data 630, 636. In addition, the data captured by the photographic camera 650 and / or the navigation camera 651 can be wirelessly streamed to an external device 682 in near real time using a wireless connection. In addition, the autonomous drone can send or receive data including instructions to or from the external device 682.

[0125] Magnetic sensor 659 provides data about the orientation of the autonomous drone within the magnetic field. Wind speed sensor 661 indicates wind speed, which may be an apparent wind speed and / or direction, which processor 604 may use to estimate the true wind speed based on the autonomous drone's flight characteristics and settings such as power to motor 686.

[0126] In some examples, the propulsion system command 914 is used to determine the wind speed 926. For example, the navigation system 916 can send a command to control the propulsion system 684, such as setting the thrust level of the motor 686 or the power level of the motor 686. The navigation system 916 sets the thrust level or power level of the motor 686 so that the autonomous drone 710 responds in a certain way. For example, the autonomous drone 710 moves its feet within two seconds or lifts its feet within two seconds. The navigation system 916 has an expected value for the thrust level or power level for a given performance of the autonomous drone 710. One way to detect extreme wind is that the navigation system 916 determines that the thrust level or power level sent to the motor 686 exceeds a threshold value above the expected value. Therefore, the navigation system 916 detects that the thrust level or power level required to achieve a given performance is higher than it should be, and is above a threshold indicating the presence of extreme wind. In some embodiments, there are nominal and critical thresholds for thrust level and power level, corresponding to nominal threshold 1014 and critical threshold 1012 , respectively, in which case the autonomous drone 710 determines to return to origin 1008 or land in place 1006 .

[0127] In some embodiments, if the thrust level or power level is at a maximum or saturated value for a period of time greater than a threshold, the autonomous drone 710 determines that a critical threshold has been reached 1012. If the thrust level or power level is at this maximum value, it indicates that the navigation system 916 is using the maximum value to try and achieve the performance of the autonomous drone 710, and is unable to control the autonomous drone 710 or achieve acceptable performance. In some examples, if the thrust level or power level is at a maximum value for a first threshold, the navigation system 916 determines to return to origin 1008, and if the thrust level or power level is at the maximum value for a second threshold greater than the first threshold, the navigation system 916 determines to land in place 1006. In some examples, only the second threshold is used. In some examples, if the motor thrust command or output power command exceeds a first threshold value above the expected value, or the motor thrust command or output power command is at a maximum value for a second threshold period of time, the navigation system 916 determines that extreme winds exist, thereby returning to origin 1008 or landing in place 1006.

[0128] The clock 663 generates data indicating time. In some embodiments, the clock 663 indicates Greenwich Mean Time. In some embodiments, the clock 663 generates a time relative to an event such as powering up of an autonomous drone.

[0129] The wireless connection 666 includes one or more wireless protocols that may include radio waves and / or light waves. As shown, the wireless connection 666 includes a GPS chip 668, a low-power wireless chip 670 connected to a transceiver / antenna 672, and a high-power wireless chip 676 connected to a transceiver / antenna 678. The GPS chip 668 is connected to an antenna / transceiver that may be inside or outside the chip. The GPS chip 668 receives communications from satellites and uses information from signals received from multiple satellites to determine the location of the autonomous drone. The GPS chip 668 is a high-power chip 676. In some examples, the processor 604 receives setup data required for the operation of the GPS chip 668 from an external device 682, wherein the setup data may include information about the satellites from which the GPS chip 668 receives signals, wherein the data may include location information about the satellites.

[0130] The low-power wireless chip 670 may include a chip that executes one or more low-power wireless protocols. For example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can be used to communicate with a closer external device 682. The high-power wireless chip 676 includes a chip that executes one or more high-power wireless protocols. For example, 3GPP protocols and IEEE 802.11 protocols.

[0131] The input / output device 602 provides input and output to the autonomous drone that can be used by the user. The indicator light 612 indicates the status of the autonomous drone and is visible to the user of the autonomous drone. For example, the indicator light 612 can indicate on and off, charge level, charging status such as charging or not charging, standby status, whether there are photos or videos in the memory, whether the memory is full, whether the wireless connection 666 is on or off, etc. An electronic display such as an LCD display can be in addition to or instead of the indicator light 612.

[0132] The control knob 614, which may take other forms, is a knob mounted on the exterior of the autonomous drone that provides the user with the ability to control the operation of the autonomous drone. According to some embodiments, the control knob 614 may be referred to as a control user interface device or another similar term. The control knob 614 has multiple positions or states, such as off, on, transmission for transmitting data such as images out of the autonomous drone, various flight paths and behaviors, etc. The state 615 is an internal state that provides information to the processor 604 about the setting of the control knob 614. Other input and output user interface items may be used in addition to or in place of the control knob 614.

[0133] Connector 616 is an external connector that provides a power and / or data connection from an external device 682 to an autonomous drone. For example, there is a power connector 616 for charging an autonomous drone. Power connector 616 or another connector 616 can be used to transmit data to a host device or receive power from another power source. In some examples, connector 616 is a wireless rechargeable connector 616 so that the autonomous drone is placed on or near a charging base. In some examples, there is a connector 616 for a micro secure digital (SD) card or another external storage device.

[0134] In some examples, there is a button 618 for performing one or more functions. For example, when the button 618 is pressed, the autonomous drone is instructed to perform any function indicated by the control knob 614, such as taking off as quickly as possible and taking a portrait photo of the user of the autonomous drone.

[0135] The processor 604 executes instructions 620 to process data 630, 636 and / or control the operation of the autonomous drone. The instructions 620 are machine instructions that specify the operations to be performed by the processor 604 and can be stored in a cache memory that is part of the processor 604 chip. Power section 1 622 to power section N 624 indicate that the processor 604 is divided into different parts so that the power chip 610 can select which parts of the processor 604 to provide power to according to the different power states 641 of the autonomous drone. Throughout the discussion, the processor 604 is described as a participant in determining various functions, but those skilled in the art will recognize that dedicated chips can be included in various components of the autonomous drone to perform specific functions. For example, the altitude detector 660 may include a processing circuit system that determines the height above the ground and outputs data indicating the height above the ground for use by the processor 604.

[0136] The memory 606 includes memory 1 626 to memory N 632. Memory 1 626 and memory N 632 include instructions 628, 634 and data 630, 636, respectively. The processor 604 and one or more other components 600 can access the memory via power and communication connection 646. The memory of memory 1 626 to memory N 632 is a main memory, which is used to store data generated by the sensor 648 and other data for communication such as going to and from the wireless connection 666. According to some examples, the main memory is a dynamic memory such as DRAM or RAM. Another memory of memory 1 626 to memory N 632 is a static memory such as SRAM or ROM that does not require power to maintain a state. In some examples, another memory of memory 1 626 to memory N 632 is a storage unit as a machine-readable medium. For example, the storage unit is a removable micro SD card. The power chip 610 has connections to different memories so that the power chip 610 can provide power to one or more of the memories Memory 1 626 to Memory N 632. The instructions 628, 634 and the data 630, 636 reside completely or partially in the main memory, static memory, storage unit and / or within the processor 604, such as in a cache memory, or any suitable combination thereof. The main memory, static memory, storage unit and memory of the processor 604 are examples of machine-readable media.

[0137] The autonomous drone may have a pre-programmed flight path or operation that controls the flight path and operation of the autonomous drone. The memory 606 stores the pre-programmed flight path or operation. In some examples, the autonomous drone downloads a new pre-programmed flight path or operation from the external device 682.

[0138] Alternatively or additionally, the movement of the autonomous drone can be controlled by a remote control such as external device 682, which is a remote control device that a pilot or user can use to launch, land, take photos or videos, and navigate the autonomous drone if the autonomous drone is not acting as an autonomous drone. The remote control can take a variety of forms, from gamepad-like controllers to smartphones and tablets. Regardless of its design, the remote control needs to communicate with the autonomous drone, and typically uses radio waves to communicate. For example, drones are typically operated by 2.4 gigahertz radio waves. To communicate with autonomous drones, many drone controllers use one of the communication protocols of IEEE 802.11, which may be referred to as Wi-Fi, which can transmit on the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum and is used by smartphones and tablets for communication. In one example, referring to Figure 7 , UAV 710 uses Wi-Fi or Communicates with smartphone 708. External device 682 includes a remote control / host device, such as an off-site client device 704, server 706, smartphone 708, or another device.

[0139] Power is required to power the motor 686 and power other components 600. In some examples, the autonomous drone includes one or more batteries 608 as a power source for components 600 such as the motor 686. According to some examples, the battery 608 is removable. In some examples, the battery 608 is rechargeable, wherein one or more connectors 616 are connected to the battery 608 directly or via electrical or electronic components. In some examples, the power chip 640 manages the battery 608 by performing various functions such as determining the charge of the battery 608, turning on or off recharging, providing capacitors, resistors, and / or inductors for the output of the battery 608, etc. In some examples, the power chip 640 includes a power state 641, which indicates which components 600 of the autonomous drone are currently being powered. The power state 641 includes different power states 641 such as power state 1 642 to power state N 644. Different power states 641 power different subsets of the components 600, and thus consume different amounts of power and provide different levels of functionality for the autonomous drone, as discussed herein. Different power states 641 are achieved by providing power to different sets of power and communication connections 646. In some examples, components 600 are included as part of machine 1400. In some examples, one or more of components 600 is a processor having an operating system such as a processor. The real-time operating system is part of the processor 604 on the motherboard.

[0140] Figure 7 7 is a schematic diagram showing an autonomous drone system 700 according to some examples. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 is an autonomous drone or a semi-autonomous drone. The autonomous drone 710 is configured to operate in a controlled manner by using Figure 6 The wireless connection 666 sends communications 712, 713 to a remote control / host device such as an off-site client device 704, a server 706, a mobile phone or smart phone 708, or another device to communicate. The wireless network 702 is a cellular telephone network, such as an LTE network, an IEEE 802.11 network, In some examples, autonomous drone 710 communicates directly with a remote control / host device via communication 713, where communication 713 is sent using a communication protocol such as the communication protocol discussed for wireless network 702.

[0141] In the example, the autonomous drone 710 sends communications 712, 713 including data and / or commands or requests to another device, such as a smart phone 708. In some cases, communications between a remote control / host device, such as a smart phone 708, and the autonomous drone 710 may be via a wireless network 702. The wireless network 702 may include access to the Internet and / or the autonomous drone 710 may access the Internet via another connected device, such as a smart phone 708.

[0142] In some examples, server 706 provides a social networking service to enable content such as photos, videos, status updates, media content messages, etc. to be transmitted directly from autonomous drones 710 that may be in flight to a user such as a In some examples, the server 706 is a messaging server system 108, and the data captured by the camera 650 of the drone 710 is broadcast or otherwise transmitted to a remote control / host device such as a smart phone 708, the server 706, the client device 704, or another device via the wireless network 702, which may be in near real time. The autonomous drone 710 can communicate directly or via another device with Figure 2 Contact 216 for the drone management system.

[0143] One or more of the remote control / host devices, such as the smart phone 708, can assist in processing data, such as the data 630, by wirelessly receiving the data, processing the data, and then wirelessly sending the information back to the autonomous drone 710. For example, the smart phone 708 can receive an image from the autonomous drone 710 and determine that the image is of a landmark, such as a museum, a restaurant, a park, a national monument, etc. The smart phone 708 can send back information that assists in the flight path associated with the landmark used by the autonomous drone 710. The smart phone 708 can contact the drone management system 216 to perform functions for the autonomous drone 710. The autonomous drone 710 can contact the autonomous drone management system 216 by sending commands to the autonomous drone management system 216, such as storing data for a user, requesting a user or purchaser of the autonomous drone, etc.

[0144] In some examples, a remote control / host device such as a smartphone 708 includes an associated application that can be used by a user or device to control or send instructions to the autonomous drone 710, such as returning to the user, flying a specific setting, moving left, moving right, moving up or down, tilting, taking a set of photos, shutting down, etc. The associated application can provide real-time or near real-time images of the video being captured by the autonomous drone 710. In some examples, the associated application enables the user to control the autonomous drone 710 by setting Figure 8 and Fig. 9The timeouts and conditions discussed above can be used to configure the autonomous drone 710. In addition, the user can select configurations regarding wireless connections 666 to indicate which wireless protocols should be used in which states of the autonomous drone.

[0145] In some examples, the remote control / host device acts as a router or passes messages or packets to other devices directly or indirectly connected to the wireless network 702. For example, the smart phone 708 receives images from the autonomous drone 710 via communication 713. The smart phone 708 takes the image and sends it to the server 706 for posting on the social media site, which can be in near real time. The server 706 can host the autonomous drone management system 216. According to some examples, the remote control / host device such as the smart phone 708 controls the state of the autonomous drone 710 by sending instructions to the autonomous drone 710 via communications 713, 712.

[0146] Figure 8 An autonomous drone 710 is shown according to some examples. The autonomous drone 710 is shown from a bottom view of the autonomous drone 710. Figure 6 and Figure 8 , the autonomous drone 710 includes propellers 690, a control knob 614 that may be on the top, an altitude detector 660, a battery 608, a photography camera 650, an indicator light 612, a connector 616, a central housing 804, and a navigation camera 651. A charging / transmission cable 802 plugs into the connector 616. The central housing 804 includes various components 600 such as a processor 604, a memory 606, a wireless connection 666, etc. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 is plastic and is approximately six inches long and four inches wide. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 is a quadcopter.

[0147] Fig. 9 A system 900 for extreme wind detection in an autonomous drone is shown according to some examples. According to some examples, a navigation system 916 guides an autonomous drone 710 to its destination along a flight plan 910 within a set time with a desired accuracy. The flight plan 910 is a path for the autonomous drone 710 to follow. Some paths include circling a user or object, following a predetermined route around or near a user or object (where the path can be designed to capture video or photos), going to a destination and returning, going to a destination and circling the destination to capture video, etc. The flight plan 910 includes a starting point, a target location, a route, a speed, functions to be performed, such as filming, recording, streaming video in near real time, etc. The route can be pre-programmed and downloaded to the autonomous drone 710 from, for example, an application on a smartphone 708.

[0148] Adjustments to the flight plan 902 include adjusting flight plan 904, landing 906, and returning to user 908. Adjust flight plan 904 instructs navigation system 916 to enter state 948 of adjusting flight plan 910, wherein navigation system 916 generates a modified or adjusted flight plan but attempts to execute original flight plan 910. Landing 906 instructs navigation system 916 to enter a state of landing 906, such as "land in place" 1006. Return to user 908 instructs navigation system 916 to enter a state of returning to user 908, such as "return to origin" 1008. Adjustments to the flight plan 902 indicate the intent of navigation system 916, which results in an updated flight plan.

[0149] Sensor data 912 is data generated by sensors 648 and / or other components 600. Propulsion system commands 914 include determining power to motor 686 and actuator 638 position. Navigation system 916 includes thresholds, such as critical threshold 920 and nominal threshold 938 for wind 918, critical threshold 924 and nominal threshold 940 for flight plan 922, and critical threshold 944, nominal threshold 946 for sensor data 942. Navigation system 916 determines wind speed 926 associated with time 928, autonomous drone speed 934, and deviation from flight plan 930 also associated with time 932. According to some examples, autonomous drone speed 934 is associated with time 936, direction 950, and position 952. The speed of autonomous drone 710 is autonomous drone speed 934 and direction 950. In some examples, the navigation system 916 provides for the autonomous drone 710 to be fully autonomous, wherein the autonomous drone 710 takes off, flies, lands, and optionally captures images or video without additional user input or control.

[0150] In some examples, the wind speed is determined by a wind speed sensor 661. In some examples, the autonomous drone speed 934 or velocity is determined based on images from a navigation camera 651 in a vertical position, and in some examples, also based on an altitude estimate using an altimeter 654 or another sensor 648. In some examples, the autonomous drone speed 934 or velocity is determined using dead reckoning using sensor data 912. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the autonomous drone speed 934 can be determined in other ways using sensor data 912. The wind speed 926 is determined directly by a sensor such as a wind speed sensor 661, or based on a difference in the expected speed of the autonomous drone 710 compared to the actual speed of the autonomous drone 710. In some examples, the speed of the autonomous drone 710 is determined based on a difference in the position of the autonomous drone 710 (which can be based on a GPS position generated by a GPS chip 668). In some examples, the position of the autonomous drone 710 is determined based on a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11, where messages are sent between the autonomous drone 710 and one or more hosts to determine the position of the autonomous drone 710. In some examples, the location of autonomous drone 710 is determined based on the location of a host computer such as smart phone 708 and information about the distance of autonomous drone 710 from smart phone 708, which can be coupled with the height above the ground to determine the coordinates of the location of autonomous drone 710.

[0151] The autonomous drone speed 934 and the wind speed 926 can be determined in different ways. The time 936 associated with the autonomous drone speed 934, the time 928 associated with the wind speed 926, and the time 932 associated with the deviation 930 from the flight plan are generated by the clock 663. The deviation 930 from the flight plan is determined based on the current position and the planned position of the flight plan 910. The sensor data 942 is data associated with the movement of the autonomous drone 710, such as from the gyroscope 656. The navigation system 916 includes a state 948 indicating the goal or purpose of the navigation system 916. For example, the state 948 includes following the flight plan 910 or normal operation, returning to the origin, and landing in place.

[0152] Fig.10 A graph 1000 is shown with different navigation states based on wind speed according to some examples. Wind speed 1002 is along the vertical axis, and time 1004 is along the horizontal axis. The navigation states 948 include "land in place" 1006, "return to origin" 1008, and "normal operation" 1010.

[0153] The navigation system 916 switches between navigation states 948 based on events that affect the ability of the navigation system 916 to control the autonomous drone 710. As shown in the graph 1000, when the wind speed 1002 is between zero 1016 and the nominal threshold 1014, the navigation system 916 maintains normal operation 1010.

[0154] The nominal threshold 1014 and the critical threshold 1012 are thresholds that are set based on the ability of the navigation system 916 to control the autonomous drone 710. For example, if the navigation system 916 can control the motor 686 of the autonomous drone 710 to fly at 10 MPH without having a zero 1016 wind speed 1002, the nominal threshold 1014 is set to 5 MPH and the critical threshold 1012 is set to 8 MPH. In addition, the nominal threshold 1014 and the critical threshold 1012 can be based on the level of the battery 608 and / or the deviation 930 from the flight plan. For example, if the autonomous drone 710 begins the flight plan 910 and initially goes well, but then the wind speed 1002 increases and the autonomous drone 710 must fly against the wind, the level of the battery 608 can be reduced. The navigation system 916 can determine that the autonomous drone 710 is no longer able to complete the flight plan 910 due to the level of the battery 608. In addition, the nominal threshold 1014 and the critical threshold 1012 can be adjusted based on the situation of the autonomous drone 710, where the situation includes whether there are people other than the user of the autonomous drone, whether the autonomous drone is in an external location or an internal location, whether there is a restricted area within a second threshold of the flight plan, whether the autonomous drone is in an urban situation, a suburban situation or a wild situation, whether there is a dangerous area within a third threshold of the flight plan, the safety settings of the autonomous drone, etc.

[0155] The nominal threshold 1014 and the critical threshold 1012 are based on the wind speed 1002, such as Fig.10 As shown; however, the nominal threshold 1014 and the critical threshold 1012 can be based on one or more of the following together with or in combination with: an altitude threshold, a nominal motion threshold, a critical motion threshold, a nominal deviation threshold from the flight plan, a critical deviation threshold from the flight plan, an expected position, and an actual position.

[0156] Combination Fig.10 describe Fig.11 Each of times (T) 0, T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, and T10 represents the wind speed 1002 experienced by the autonomous drone 710 at a certain time during the flight of the autonomous drone 710. Fig.11 State diagram 1100 illustrating states of an autonomous drone according to some examples.

[0157] Reference Fig.10, at T0, the wind speed 1002 is zero, and the autonomous drone 710 has just begun executing its flight plan 910. The state 948 of the navigation system 916 is "normal operation" 1010, which is Fig.10 and is represented as Fig.11 The “Normal Operation” 1010 of the “Normal Operation” 1010 state has a deviation from the flight plan 930 that is currently zero or has no deviation from the flight plan 910 .

[0158] At T1, wind speed 1002 increases, but remains between zero 1016 and nominal threshold 1014. Navigation system 916 remains in state 948 of "normal operation". According to some examples, navigation system 916 adjusts motor 686 to provide more thrust in response to the increase in wind speed 1002, and remains on flight plan 910, which may include time constraints. Due to the increase in wind speed 1002, deviation 930 from the flight plan is non-zero because autonomous drone 710 may have been blown off course a little, and the course may have been recalculated to bring autonomous drone 710 back on flight plan 930.

[0159] At T2, wind speed 1002 has remained constant and is still between zero 1016 and nominal threshold 1014. Navigation system 916 remains in "normal operation" state 948. Navigation system 916 adjusts motor 686 based on flight plan 910 and deviations 930 from the flight plan.

[0160] At T3, wind speed 1002 has crossed or exceeded nominal threshold 1014. State 948 of navigation system 916 transitions 1114 from state 948 of "normal operation" 1010 to state 948 of "return to origin" 1008, which is Fig.10 The right hand side and Fig.11 The navigation system 916 determines a new flight plan 910 for returning to the origin location. The origin location by default is to return to the user of the autonomous drone 710, but in some examples, the origin location is configurable.

[0161] At T4, wind speed 1002 has crossed or exceeded critical threshold 1012. State 948 of navigation system 916 transitions 1132 from state 948 of "return to original position" 1008 to state 948 of "land in place" 1006, which is Fig.10 The right hand side and Fig.11Both are represented. Navigation system 916 determines a new flight plan 910 to land in place. Flight plan 910 can be simple to try to reach the ground and land safely. In some examples, flight plan 910 includes deviating from a straight descent to avoid an object so that autonomous drone 710 does not land on the object. In some examples, flight plan 910 includes deviating from a straight descent to avoid a hole or cavity so that autonomous drone 710 does not land in the cavity. In some examples, autonomous drone 710 may try to avoid landing on water or another medium that will damage autonomous drone 710 or make autonomous drone 710 difficult to recover. For example, autonomous drone 710 maintains the height of autonomous drone 710 above the ground. The height of autonomous drone 710 can change dramatically based on flight plan 910 and terrain. For example, autonomous drone 710 can be launched from a rooftop patio to near the edge of a building. Autonomous drone 710 may be blown off course on the edge of a building, so the height changes dramatically from 10 feet to 100 feet or more feet. The navigation system 916 recognizes that the altitude of the autonomous drone 710 has increased significantly, and determines whether a short horizontal and / or vertical move can reduce the altitude to an altitude closer to the origin location, and adjusts the flight plan 910 accordingly. In some examples, the navigation system 916 adjusts the flight plan based on the situation of the autonomous drone 710. For example, if the navigation system 916 determines that the autonomous drone 710 is above a hazard, the navigation system 916 attempts to navigate to land not above the hazard, such as water, traffic, people, a restricted area such as a police station, or another hazard.

[0162] At T5, wind speed 1002 has dropped or crossed critical threshold 1012 and nominal threshold 1014. State 948 of navigation system 916 transitions 1130 from state 948 of “landing in place” to state 948 of “returning to origin” 1008 because, in some examples, “wind>critical threshold” 1128, and then transitions to state 948 of “normal operation” 1010, which is Fig.10 The right hand side and Fig.11The navigation system 916 determines the flight plan 910 to return the autonomous drone 710 to the original flight plan 910. In some examples, the navigation system 916 determines the flight plan 910 so that the autonomous drone 710 returns to the last position 952 where the autonomous drone 710 is still within the threshold of the original flight plan 910, and then continues to execute the original flight plan 910. For example, if the original flight plan 910 is to fly around the user of the autonomous drone 710, and a strong gust of wind pushes the autonomous drone 710 20 feet away from the person, the autonomous drone 710 will fly back to the position 952 of the original flight plan 910 before the strong gust of wind, and then continue to fly around the user. According to some examples, the navigation system 916 controls the capture of images, videos, or content. In some examples, the navigation system 916 will backtrack a portion of the original flight plan 910 after the gust of wind so that images captured during the original flight plan 910 can be replaced by better quality images. For example, if a gust of wind affected the original flight plan 910, the last few feet of the original flight plan 910 may be backtracked so that images from the new flight plan 910 may be used to replace potentially blurry images from the original flight plan 910. The images may be blurry due to the sudden movement of the autonomous drone 710 due to the gust of wind.

[0163] In some examples, once the wind speed 1002 has exceeded or crossed the “critical threshold” 1012, the navigation system 916 remains in the “land in place” 1006 state 948. In some examples, once the wind speed 1002 has exceeded or crossed the “nominal threshold” 1014, the navigation system 916 remains in the “return to origin” 1008 state 948 and does not transition 1126 back to normal operation 1010. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 maintains a record of transitions back and forth between states 948, as well as a record of wind speed 1002 exceeding / falling below or crossing the critical threshold 1012 and the nominal threshold 1014.

[0164] In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 maintains a flight time that indicates the time since the autonomous drone 710 took off or started the original flight plan 910. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 does not exceed or cross the maximum trip duration. For example, the maximum trip duration that may depend on the original flight plan 910 may be 5 seconds to hover around the user and capture images. Various wind conditions may cause the autonomous drone 710 to be pushed off course, and the navigation system 916 may correct for the autonomous drone 710 deviating from the course. However, the maximum trip duration may be exceeded or crossed, causing the navigation system 916 to determine to enter the state 948 of "return to origin" or the state 948 of "landing in place".

[0165] At T6, wind speed 1002 has again crossed or exceeded nominal threshold 1014. State 948 of navigation system 916 transitions 1114 from state 948 of "normal operation" 1010 to state 948 of "return to origin" 1008, which is Fig.10 The right hand side and Fig.11 The navigation system 916 determines a new flight plan 910 for returning to the origin location. The origin location by default is to return to the user of the autonomous drone 710, but in some examples, the origin location is configurable.

[0166] At T7, the wind speed 1002 remains between the "nominal threshold" 1014 and the "critical threshold" 1012. The state 948 of the navigation system 916 remains in the state 948 of the "return to origin" 1008. The navigation system 916 continues to follow the new flight plan 910 to return to the origin position. The navigation system 916 ensures that the maximum flight duration for returning to the origin position is not exceeded, and that the level of the battery 608 is sufficient to "return to the origin position" 1008. In some examples, if the level of the battery 608 drops below the threshold or crosses the threshold, or if the maximum flight duration is exceeded or crossed, the state 948 of the navigation system 916 transitions 1132 to "land in place". In addition, in some examples, if the level of the battery 608 indicates that the autonomous drone 710 cannot complete the flight plan 910 or the updated flight plan, the state 948 of the navigation system 916 transitions 1132 to "land in place". The autonomous drone 710 can return to the origin position and end its flight.

[0167] In some examples, transitions 1116, 1118, 1130, 1132, 1124, 1126 are based on the inability of the navigation system 916 to track the flight plan 910. For example, the navigation system 916 can transition to the state 948 of "return to origin" 1006 when in the state 948 of "normal operation" 1010 if the deviation 930 from the flight plan exceeds or crosses a threshold. For example, the threshold can be 3 feet to 20 feet. In another example, the navigation system 916 can transition to the state 948 of "land in place" 1006 when in the state 948 of "return to origin" 1008 if the deviation 930 from the flight plan exceeds or crosses a threshold. For example, the threshold can be 4 feet to more than 20 feet.

[0168] At T8, wind speed 1002 has dropped or crossed nominal threshold 1014. State 948 of navigation system 916 transitions 1130 from state 948 of "return to origin" 1008 to state 948 of "normal operation" 1010, which is Fig.10 The right hand side and Fig.11The navigation system 916 determines the flight plan 910 to return the autonomous drone 710 to the original flight plan 910. In some examples, the navigation system 916 determines the flight plan 910 whereby the autonomous drone 710 returns to the last position 952 where the autonomous drone 710 was still within the threshold of the original flight plan 910, and then continues to execute the original flight plan 910.

[0169] In some examples, if the navigation system 916 enters the state 948 of "return to origin" 1008 or the state 948 of "land in place" 1006, the navigation system 916 reduces power to other components 600. For example, the power to the wireless connection 666, sensors 648 not used for navigation such as the camera 650, the input / output device 602, etc. can be turned off. Reducing the power used by other components 600 enables the navigation system 916 to increase power to the motor 686 and / or extend the power of the battery 608 to complete the updated flight plan to complete the "return to origin" 1008 or the "land in place" 1006.

[0170] In some examples, if the navigation system 916 enters state 948 of "return to origin" 1008 or state 948 of "land in place" 1006, the navigation system 916 attempts to stay near the original flight path for one to several seconds to see if the increase in wind speed is temporary before attempting to complete the updated flight plan to "return to origin" 1008 or "land in place" 1006.

[0171] In some examples, the navigation system 916 sets the threshold based on the context in which the autonomous drone 710 is launched. For example, if the autonomous drone 710 is launched indoors or in an enclosed environment, the threshold is narrowed to maintain better control of the autonomous drone 710. Additionally, if there is a risk of striking a person or object based on the wind speed 1002 or the deviation 930 from the flight plan, the navigation system 916 can enter the state 948 "landing in place". In some examples, when the wind speed 1002 decreases, the navigation system 916 does not perform a transition to a different state.

[0172] Fig.12 An updated flight plan according to some examples is shown. Fig.12614. A user 1202 of an autonomous drone 710 is shown in FIG. The user 1202 selects a predetermined flight plan, for example by using a control knob 614, and presses a button 618 to fly the autonomous drone 710. The settings of the autonomous drone 710 indicate that the autonomous drone 710 should fly around the user 1202, taking a 360-degree selfie video of the user 1202. The autonomous drone 710 takes off 1203. The actual flight 1204 indicates the path taken by the autonomous drone 710 on the flight plan 1214. The navigation system 916 controls the navigation of the autonomous drone 710. Arrows indicate the time course of the autonomous drone 710 as it flies. During the flight, the wind speed increases 1207. The navigation system 916 detects the wind speed increase 1207 and attempts to compensate. The autonomous drone 710 may shake and reposition to try to maintain the heading. Shaking or repositioning may interfere with the video capture, causing the video capture to be blurry or the field of view of the camera 650 not to be focused on the user 1202.

[0173] The navigation system 916 determines the last position 1206 of the autonomous drone 710 with reliable imagery. The autonomous drone 710 is completely off course 1210. For example, the wind speed may exceed or cross the nominal threshold 1014, causing the navigation system 916 to enter a state 948 of "return to origin" 1008. In some examples, the wind speed remains below the nominal threshold 1014, but blows the autonomous drone 710 off course 1210. The wind speed is below or crosses the nominal threshold 1014, causing the navigation system 916 to transition 1120 back to "normal operation" 1010. The navigation system 916 determines an updated flight plan 1208. In some examples, the navigation system 916 suspends streaming the captured imagery in near real time until the autonomous drone 710 returns to the last position 1206 with reliable imagery or to an earlier or later position on the flight plan 1214.

[0174] The navigation system 916 navigates the autonomous drone 710 back to the last location where the reliable image 1206 was taken or back to before the last location where the reliable image 1206 was taken. The navigation system 916 can determine the last location 1206 with a reliable image based on the movement of the autonomous drone 710, such as the IMU B 658 attached to the camera 650, and / or the processor 604 can be configured to check the image generated by the camera 650 to determine whether the image is suitable for the 360-degree selfie video flight path. The navigation system 916 restores the original flight plan 1212. The navigation system 916 can determine that a satisfactory 360-degree selfie video has been captured and land 1205. The navigation system 916 can turn on the indicator light 612 or turn the indicator light 612 green to indicate that the 360-degree selfie video has been captured. The processor 604 can cut and paste the video together so that the 360-degree selfie video does not include a portion beyond the last location 1206 with a reliable image. The portion of the video from the last location with reliable imagery 1206 to when the autonomous drone 710 returns to the last location with reliable imagery 1206 may be provided as a separate video.

[0175] Fig.13 A method 1300 for navigation correction for extreme winds for an autonomous drone is shown according to some examples. The method 1300 begins at operation 1302, where a takeoff is performed from an origin location based on a flight plan. For example, Fig.12 The autonomous drone 710 takes off 1203 from the user 1202 .

[0176] The method 1300 continues at operation 1304 where the autonomous drone is navigated according to the flight plan. For example, the navigation system 916 navigates the autonomous drone 710 on the actual flight 1204 according to the flight plan 1214.

[0177] Method 1300 continues at operation 1306 by determining an updated flight plan for returning to the origin location and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan in response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds the nominal threshold. Fig.10 At T3 , after the wind speed exceeds or crosses the nominal threshold 1014 , the navigation system 916 transitions 1116 to the “return to origin” 1008 state 948 .

[0178] Method 1300 continues at operation 1308 by navigating the autonomous drone to land in response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a critical threshold. Fig.10 At T4, the navigation system 916 transitions 1132 to the state 948 of “landing in place” 1006 due to, for example, “wind>critical threshold” 1122, and navigates the autonomous drone 710 to land in place.

[0179] Method 1300 may be performed by one or more devices discussed herein, alone or in combination with one another. For example, autonomous drone 710, messaging system 100, smart phone 708, or another device may perform method 1300, alone or in combination with one another. One or more operations of method 1300 may be optional. Method 1300 may include one or more additional operations. One or more operations of method 1300 may be performed in a different order.

[0180] Machine Architecture

[0181] Fig.14 1400 within which instructions 1410 (e.g., software, programs, applications, applet, app, or other executable code) may be executed for causing the machine 1400 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, the instructions 1410 may cause the machine 1400 to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. The instructions 1410 convert a general purpose, unprogrammed machine 1400 into a specific machine 1400 that is programmed to perform the functions described and illustrated in the manner described. The machine 1400 may operate as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a network deployment, the machine 1400 may operate as a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine 1400 may include, but is not limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of sequentially or otherwise executing instructions 1410 specifying actions to be taken by the machine 1400. In addition, although only a single machine 1400 is shown, the term "machine" should also be taken to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute instructions 1410 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the machine 1400 may include any of the client device 102 or a number of server devices that form part of the messaging server system 108. In some examples, the machine 1400 may also include both a client system and a server system, wherein certain operations of a particular method or algorithm are performed on the server side and certain operations of the particular method or algorithm are performed on the client side.

[0182] The machine 1400 may include a processor 1404, a memory 1406, and an input / output I / O component 1402, which may be configured to communicate with each other via a bus 1440. In an example, the processor 1404 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 1408 that executes instructions 1410 and a processor 1412. The term "processor" is intended to include multi-core processors, which may include two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as "cores") that can execute instructions simultaneously. Although Fig.14 Multiple processors 1404 are shown, but the machine 1400 may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiple cores, or any combination thereof.

[0183] The memory 1406 includes a main memory 1414, a static memory 1416, and a storage unit 1418, which are all accessible by the processor 1404 via a bus 1440. The main memory 1406, the static memory 1416, and the storage unit 1418 store instructions 1410 that implement any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. The instructions 1410 may also reside, completely or partially, within the main memory 1414, within the static memory 1416, within the machine-readable medium 1420 within the storage unit 1418, within at least one of the processors 1404 (e.g., within a cache memory of a processor), or any suitable combination thereof during execution thereof by the machine 1400.

[0184] I / O components 1402 may include various components that receive input, provide output, generate output, send information, exchange information, capture measurements, etc. The specific I / O components 1402 included in a particular machine will depend on the type of machine. For example, a portable machine such as a mobile phone may include a touch input device or other such input mechanism, while a headless server machine will be less likely to include such a touch input device. It should be appreciated that I / O components 1402 may include Fig.141402. In various examples, the I / O components 1402 may include a user output component 1426 and a user input component 1428. The user output component 1426 may include a visual component (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an acoustic component (e.g., a speaker), a tactile component (e.g., a vibration motor, a resistance mechanism), other signal generators, etc. The user input component 1428 may include an alphanumeric input component (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, an optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input component), a point-based input component (e.g., a mouse, a touch pad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), a tactile input component (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen or other tactile input component that provides the location and force of a touch or touch gesture), an audio input component (e.g., a microphone), etc.

[0185] In other examples, the I / O component 1402 may include a biometric component 1430, a motion component 1432, an environmental component 1434, or a position component 1436, as well as a wide range of other components. For example, the biometric component 1430 includes components for detecting expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, voice expressions, body postures, or eye tracking), measuring biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, sweat, or brain waves), identifying people (e.g., voice recognition, retinal recognition, facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, or EEG-based recognition), etc. The motion component 1432 includes an acceleration sensor component (e.g., an accelerometer), a gravity sensor component, and a rotation sensor component (e.g., a gyroscope).

[0186] Environmental components 1434 include, for example, one or more cameras (with still image / photo and video capabilities), lighting sensor components (e.g., photometers), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometers), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors for detecting concentrations of hazardous gases for safety purposes or for measuring pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that can provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to the surrounding physical environment.

[0187] With respect to cameras, client device 102 may have a camera system including, for example, a front-facing camera on a front surface of client device 102 and a rear-facing camera on a rear surface of client device 102. The front-facing camera may, for example, be used to capture still images and videos (e.g., “selfies”) of a user of client device 102, which may then be enhanced with the enhancement data (e.g., filters) described above. The rear-facing camera may, for example, be used to capture still images and videos in a more traditional camera mode, where the images are similarly enhanced using the enhancement data. In addition to the front-facing camera and the rear-facing camera, client device 102 may also include a 360° camera for capturing 360° photos and videos.

[0188] Additionally, the camera system of the client device 102 may include dual rear cameras (e.g., a main camera and a depth sensing camera), or even triple, quad, or quintuple rear camera configurations on the front and back sides of the client device 102. For example, these multi-camera systems may include a wide-angle camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera, a telephoto camera, a macro camera, and a depth sensor.

[0189] The location component 1436 includes a positioning sensor component (e.g., a GPS receiver component), an altitude sensor component (e.g., an altimeter or barometer that detects air pressure, from which the altitude can be obtained), an orientation sensor component (e.g., a magnetometer), etc.

[0190] A variety of technologies may be used to achieve communication. The I / O components 1402 also include a communication component 1438 that is operable to couple the machine 1400 to the network 1422 or device 1424 via a corresponding coupling or connection. For example, the communication component 1438 may include a network interface component or another suitable device that interfaces with the network 1422. In other examples, the communication component 1438 may include a wired communication component, a wireless communication component, a cellular communication component, a near field communication (NFC) component, Components (e.g. Low energy consumption), Components, and other communication components for providing communication via other forms. Device 1424 can be another machine or any peripheral device in a variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via USB).

[0191] In addition, the communication component 1438 can detect the identifier or include components operable to detect the identifier. For example, the communication component 1438 can include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader component, an NFC smart tag detection component, an optical reader component (e.g., an optical sensor for detecting one-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar codes, multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) codes, Aztec codes, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, UltraCode, UCC RSS-2D bar codes, and other optical codes) or an acoustic detection component (e.g., a microphone for identifying an audio signal of a tag). In addition, various information can be derived via the communication component 1438, such as a location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, a location via Internet Protocol (IP), ... The location of signal triangulation, the location of an NFC beacon signal via detection that can indicate a specific location, etc.

[0192] Various memories (e.g., main memory 1414, static memory 1416, and memory of processor 1404) and storage unit 1418 may store one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software) used by or implementing any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. When executed by processor 1404, these instructions (e.g., instructions 1410) cause various operations to implement the disclosed examples.

[0193] The instructions 1410 may be sent or received via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in the communication component 1438) using a transmission medium and using any of several well-known transmission protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)) over the network 1422. Similarly, the instructions 1410 may be sent or received via a coupling (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to the device 1424 using a transmission medium.

[0194] Software Architecture

[0195] Fig.151500 is a block diagram illustrating a software architecture 1504 that may be installed on any one or more of the devices described herein. The software architecture 1504 is supported by hardware such as a machine 1502 including a processor 1520, a memory 1526, and an I / O component 1538. In this example, the software architecture 1504 may be conceptualized as a stack of layers, where each layer provides specific functionality. The software architecture 1504 includes layers such as an operating system 1512, a library 1510, a framework 1508, and an application 1506. In operation, the application 1506 invokes an API call 1550 through the software stack and receives a message 1552 in response to the API call 1550.

[0196] The operating system 1512 manages hardware resources and provides public services. The operating system 1512 includes, for example, a kernel 1514, a service 1516, and a driver 1522. The kernel 1514 serves as an abstraction layer between the hardware and other software layers. For example, the kernel 1514 provides functions such as memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, and security settings. The service 1516 can provide other public services to other software layers. The driver 1522 is responsible for controlling the underlying hardware or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For example, the driver 1522 may include a display driver, a camera driver, or Low-power drivers, Flash drivers, Serial communication drivers (e.g., USB drivers), Drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, etc.

[0197] The libraries 1510 provide a common low-level infrastructure used by the applications 1506. The libraries 1510 may include a system library 1518 (e.g., a C standard library) that provides functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical functions, etc. In addition, the libraries 1510 may include an API library 1524, such as a media library (e.g., a library for supporting the presentation and manipulation of various media formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), Advanced Video Coding (H.264 or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), a graphics library (e.g., an OpenGL framework for presenting in two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D) in graphical content on a display), a database library (e.g., SQLite providing various relational database functions), a web library (e.g., WebKit providing web browsing functions), etc. The library 1510 may also include various other libraries 1528 to provide many other APIs to the application 1506 .

[0198] The framework 1508 provides a common high-level infrastructure used by the applications 1506. For example, the framework 1508 provides various graphical user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, and high-level positioning services. The framework 1508 can provide a wide range of other APIs that can be used by the applications 1506, some of which can be specific to a particular operating system or platform.

[0199] In an example, applications 1506 may include home applications 1536, contact applications 1530, browser applications 1532, book reader applications 1534, positioning applications 1542, media applications 1544, messaging applications 1546, game applications 1548, and a broad category of other applications such as third-party applications 1540. Autonomous drone management 1541 system manages autonomous drones as disclosed in conjunction with autonomous drone management system 216 and herein. Applications 1506 are programs that perform functions defined in the programs. Various programming languages ​​may be used to create one or more of the applications 1506 structured in various ways, such as object-oriented programming languages ​​(e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages ​​(e.g., C or assembly language). In a specific example, third-party applications 1540 (e.g., provided by an entity other than the vendor of a particular platform using ANDROID TM or IOS TM Software Development Kit (SDK) can be used for mobile operating systems, such as IOS TM ANDROID TM , Phone, or other mobile operating system running on the mobile software. In this example, the third-party application 1540 can activate the API call 1550 provided by the operating system 1512 to facilitate the functions described in this article.

[0200] Processing components

[0201] Now go to Fig.16 , which shows a diagrammatic representation of a processing environment 1600 that includes a processor 1602, a processor 1606, and a processor 1608 (eg, a GPU, a CPU, or a combination thereof).

[0202] Processor 1602 is shown coupled to power source 1604 and includes modules (permanently configured or temporarily instantiated), namely navigation component 1610, wireless component 1612, and image capture component 1614. Navigation component 1610 controls the autonomous drone to navigate. For example, according to some examples, navigation component 1610 performs the functions described in conjunction with navigation system 916. Wireless component 1612 manages wireless connection 666. Image capture component 1614 manages images and videos captured by camera 650, such as in conjunction with Figures 6 to 13 According to some examples, processor 1602 is a dedicated processor 1602 specifically designed for autonomous drone 710. In some examples, processor 1602 is part of a motherboard, where processor 1602 runs programs such as According to some examples, processor 1602 communicates with other processing circuitry included in autonomous drone 710, such as low-power wireless chip 670.

[0203] Glossary

[0204] "Carrier signal" refers to any intangible medium that can store, encode or carry instructions for execution by a machine and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media that facilitates communication of such instructions. Instructions may be sent or received over a network using a transmission medium via a network interface device.

[0205] "Client Device" refers to any machine that interfaces with a communications network to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a portable digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a tablet computer, an ultrabook, a netbook, a laptop computer, a multiprocessor system, a microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics product, a game console, a set-top box, or any other communications device that a user may use to access a network.

[0206] "Communications network" means one or more parts of a network, which may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a part of the Internet, a part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, A network, other type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, the network or a portion of the network may include a wireless network or a cellular network, and the coupling may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) connection, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling may implement any of various types of data transmission technologies, such as single carrier radio transmission technology (1xRTT), evolution data optimized (EVDO) technology, general packet radio service (GPRS) technology, enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE) technology, the third generation partnership project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) network, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), high speed packet access (HSPA), world wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), long term evolution (LTE) standards, other data transmission technologies defined by various standard setting organizations, other long distance protocols, or other data transmission technologies.

[0207] "Component" refers to a device, a physical entity, or logic with boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branch points, APIs, or other techniques that provide partitioning or modularization for specific processing or control functions. Components can be combined with other components via their interfaces to perform machine processing. Components can be packaged functional hardware units designed for use with other components and can be part of a program that generally performs specific functions in related functions. Components can constitute software components (e.g., codes implemented on machine-readable media) or hardware components. "Hardware components" are tangible units that can perform certain operations and can be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various examples, one or more computer systems (e.g., independent computer systems, client computer systems, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware components (e.g., processors or processor groups) of a computer system can be configured by software (e.g., applications or application parts) to perform hardware components that operate to perform certain operations described herein. Hardware components can also be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware component may include a dedicated circuit or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. The hardware component may be a dedicated processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The hardware component may also include a programmable logic or circuit system that is temporarily configured to perform certain operations by software. For example, the hardware component may include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, the hardware component becomes a specific machine (or a specific component of a machine) that is uniquely customized to perform the configured function, and is no longer a general-purpose processor. It should be understood that it can be decided whether to mechanically implement the hardware component in a dedicated and permanently configured circuit or in a circuit temporarily configured (for example, configured by software) for cost and time considerations. Therefore, the phrase "hardware component" (or "hardware-implemented component") should be understood to include a tangible entity, that is, an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (for example, hardwired) or temporarily configured (for example, programmed) to operate in some way or perform certain operations described herein. Considering an example in which a hardware component is temporarily configured (for example, programmed), it is not necessary to configure or instantiate each of the hardware components at any time. For example, in the case where a hardware component includes a general-purpose processor that is configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor can be respectively configured as different special-purpose processors (e.g., including different hardware components) at different times. Software accordingly configures one or more specific processors to, for example, constitute a specific hardware component at one time, and to constitute different hardware components at different times. Hardware components can provide information to other hardware components and receive information from other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardware components can be considered to be coupled in communication.In the case of multiple hardware components being present at the same time, communication can be achieved by signal transmission (e.g., by appropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more hardware components. In examples where multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, communication between such hardware components can be achieved, for example, by storing information in a memory structure accessible to multiple hardware components and retrieving information in the memory structure. For example, a hardware component can perform an operation, and the output of the operation is stored in a memory device coupled to it in communication. Then, another hardware component can access the memory device at a subsequent time to retrieve the stored output and process it. The hardware component can also initiate communication with an input device or an output device, and can operate on resources (e.g., a collection of information). The various operations of the example methods described herein can be performed at least in part by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform related operations. Whether it is temporarily configured or permanently configured, such a processor can constitute a processor-implemented component that operates to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, "processor-implemented components" refer to hardware components implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the method described in this article can be implemented at least in part by a processor, wherein one or more specific processors are examples of hardware. For example, at least some operations of the method can be performed by one or more processors or components implemented by the processor. In addition, one or more processors can also operate to support the execution of related operations in a "cloud computing" environment or as a "software as a service" (SaaS) operation. For example, at least some operations in the operation can be performed by a group of computers (as an example of a machine including a processor), wherein these operations can be accessed via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., API). The execution of some operations in the operation can be distributed between processors, not only can reside in a single machine, but also can be deployed across several machines. In some examples, a processor or a component implemented by a processor can be located in a single geographic location (e.g., in a home environment, an office environment, or a server cluster). In other examples, a processor or a component implemented by a processor can be distributed across several geographic locations.

[0208] "Computer-readable storage media" refers to both machine storage media and transmission media. Therefore, these terms include storage devices / media and carrier / modulated data signals. The terms "machine-readable medium", "computer-readable medium" and "device-readable medium" mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0209] "Transient messages" are messages that are accessible for a limited duration. Transient messages can be text, images, videos, etc. The access time for transient messages can be set by the sender of the message. Alternatively, the access time can be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient. Regardless of the setting technique, the message is transient.

[0210] "Machine storage media" refers to a single or multiple storage devices and media (e.g., centralized or distributed databases, and associated caches and servers) that store executable instructions, routines, and data. Thus, the term should be considered to include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media, including memory internal or external to the processor. Specific examples of machine storage media, computer storage media, and device storage media include: non-volatile memory, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FPGA, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The terms "machine storage media", "device storage media", and "computer storage media" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms "machine storage media", "computer storage media", and "device storage media" expressly exclude carrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media (at least some of which are encompassed by the term "signal media").

[0211] “Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” refers to tangible media capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions to be executed by a machine.

[0212] "Signal medium" refers to any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions executed by a machine and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media that facilitate the communication of software or data. The term "signal medium" should be deemed to include any form of modulated data signals, carrier waves, etc. The term "modulated data signal" refers to a signal that has one or more of its various characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. The terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A navigation system for an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: processor; as well as a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the system to perform operations comprising: Make the autonomous drone take off from the origin position based on the flight plan; navigating the autonomous drone according to the flight plan; In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a nominal threshold, determining an updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan; and In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a critical threshold, navigating the autonomous drone to land on the spot.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein: The operations also include: In response to detecting that the wind speed drops below the critical threshold, determining a second updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the second updated flight plan.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein: The operations also include: In response to detecting that the wind speed drops below the nominal threshold, determining a second updated flight plan for resuming the flight plan, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the second updated flight plan.

4. The navigation system according to claim 3, wherein: The second updated flight plan includes returning to a position of the flight plan before the wind speed exceeded the nominal threshold.

5. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein: The operations also include: capturing images while navigating the autonomous drone according to the flight plan; and Images are captured while navigating the autonomous drone according to the second updated flight plan.

6. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: determining a first altitude of the autonomous drone during navigation of the autonomous drone according to the flight plan, and wherein navigating the autonomous drone to land in situ further comprises: Determining a second altitude of the autonomous drone during navigating the autonomous drone to land in situ; and In response to the second altitude exceeding an altitude threshold, an updated flight plan is determined to a location that does not exceed the altitude threshold.

7. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The nominal threshold and the critical threshold are adjusted based on the situation of the autonomous drone.

8. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein: The situation includes one or more of the following: whether there are people other than the user of the autonomous drone, whether the autonomous drone is in an external location or an internal location, whether there is a restricted area within a second threshold of the flight plan, whether the autonomous drone is in an urban situation, a suburban situation or a wild situation, whether there is a dangerous area within a third threshold of the flight plan or there are safety settings for the autonomous drone.

9. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: In response to determining that the level of the battery indicates that the autonomous drone cannot complete the flight plan, determining the updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan.

10. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: In response to the sensor data indicating motion exceeding a nominal motion threshold, determining the updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan; and In response to the sensor data indicating motion exceeding a critical motion threshold, navigating the autonomous drone to land on the spot.

11. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds the nominal threshold, the method further comprises: Power to one or more components of the autonomous drone is reduced, wherein the one or more components include one or more of: a camera, a wireless connection, or an input / output device.

12. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: Determine deviations from stated flight plan; In response to the deviation from the flight plan indicating a deviation exceeding a nominal deviation threshold, determining the updated flight plan for returning to the origin position, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan; and In response to the deviation from the flight plan indicating a deviation exceeding a critical deviation threshold, navigating the autonomous drone to land on the spot.

13. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: accessing a selection of the flight plan based on a position of a controlling user interface device; and The flight plan is determined based on the selection of the flight plan.

14. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: capturing images while navigating the autonomous drone according to the flight plan; and The captured images are streamed to a host device in near real time, and wherein, in response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds the nominal threshold, further comprises: Streaming the captured imagery in near real time is paused until the autonomous drone returns to the location on the flight plan while navigating according to the updated flight plan.

15. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The wind speed is determined based on data from a wind speed sensor, a difference between an expected position and an actual position of the autonomous drone, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a navigation camera, an inertial measurement unit, a magnetic sensor, an altitude detector, by a value of a motor thrust command or an output power command to the motor compared to an expected value for a given performance, by a motor thrust command or an output power command to the motor exceeding a first threshold above the expected value, by a motor thrust command or an output power command to the motor exceeding a second threshold above the expected value, by a motor thrust command or an output power command to the motor being at a maximum value for a third threshold time period, or by a motor thrust command or an output power command to the motor being at the maximum value for a fourth threshold time period.

16. The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The updated flight plan is determined based on whether the autonomous drone is capturing images.

17. A method performed on an autonomous drone, the method comprising: Take off from the origin location based on the flight plan; navigating the autonomous drone according to the flight plan; In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a nominal threshold, determining an updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan; as well as In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a critical threshold, navigating the autonomous drone to land on the spot.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The method further comprises: In response to detecting that the wind speed drops below the critical threshold, determining a second updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the second updated flight plan.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a navigation system of an autonomous drone, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: Take off from the origin location based on the flight plan; navigating the autonomous drone according to the flight plan; In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a nominal threshold, determining an updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the updated flight plan; as well as In response to detecting that the wind speed exceeds a critical threshold, navigating the autonomous drone to land on the spot.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein: The operations also include: In response to detecting that the wind speed drops below the critical threshold, determining a second updated flight plan for returning to the origin location, and navigating the autonomous drone according to the second updated flight plan.

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