Unmanned aerial vehicle search and rescue system

[0001] Unmanned aerial vehicles (hereinafter “UAVs” or “drones”) are becoming ubiquitous, and are increasingly being deployed for many different uses and tasks. Recently, UAVs have been used by lifeguards at beaches to monitor swimmers, and in one case, a UAV was equipped with a mechanism for dropping a life preserver to save a swimmer in distress. Along those lines, UAVs may be particularly helpful in man-overboard situations, along with other swimmer-in-distress events. There are many reported cases of people disappearing from cruise ships, and in such an event, a UAV is highly useful for conducting search and rescue operations because it can be quickly and easily deployed directly from the ship, provides a bird's eye view over a large area, and can quickly cover large distances in a short period of time. A search and rescue drone could be used on commercial fishing vessels and other types of boats and ships, particularly including those that routinely operate in bad weather conditions. In a man overboard situation, time is critical, especially in colder waters, where life expectancy may be around 15 minutes before hypothermia and even death occurs. Thus, the ability to deploy a search and rescue drone to quickly locate and provide assistance to a swimmer in distress could mean the difference between life and death.

[0002] Efforts are underway to develop UAVs specifically for search and rescue operations, particularly involving water rescue operations. The following references show several examples of such development efforts for UAVs, and these references are incorporated herein by reference, in their entireties:

US Application Publication No. US20150066248—Unmanned Vehicle Searches

[0003] A method of planning a flight path for a search can include receiving, by a control system, an indication of a search area boundary; receiving, by the control system, an indication of a selected search pattern; determining, by the control system, a flight path based on the search area boundary and the selected search pattern; and transmitting one or more indications of the flight path to an unmanned aerial vehicle.

US Application Publication No. US20160340006—Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System and Methods for Use

[0004] A drone equipped with a camera, a wireless communication module, an acoustic sensor, a GPS receiver, software and collapsible floatation device patrols above swimmers. The camera and acoustic sensor capture the video and audio of the swimmers. The information is either streamed to a command center or processed by the onboard software. With audio and video analysis capabilities, software is used to detect a swimmer in distress (SID). Alternatively the information is streamed to lifeguard or volunteers all over the world to spot SID.

[0005] Another detection method is to let a swimmer wear a wearable emergency notification device, which sends wireless signals comprising GPS location data. A SID presses a button to indicate rescue request and the drones fly over by GPS signal guidance. Solar power is used as the optional power source of the drones, which would allow the to sustain operation for a prolonged period of time. Once a SID is identified, the drone or drones fly over the SID and drops the collapsible floatation device.

US Application Publication No. US20170088261—Search and Rescue UAV System and Method

[0006] An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having at least one sensor for detecting the presence of a survivor in a search and rescue area. The at least one sensor is preferably an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiver sensor. The UAV includes a UAV data link transceiver for wirelessly communicating information concerning the survivor to a command center.

US Application Publication No. US20170210451—Drone-Type Lifesaving Equipment Dropping Device

[0007] A drone-type lifesaving equipment dropping device including: an unmanned aerial vehicle (2) having a propeller (4) and a rotor (3) configured to rotate the propeller; a holding member (10) which is installed to the unmanned aerial vehicle (2) and configured to be operated by wireless control; and a lifesaving equipment which is detachably engaged to the holding member (10) and is dropped from the holding member (10) after the lifesaving equipment is disengaged from the holding member.

[0008] Although each of the above-referenced systems is useful for search and rescue operations, and several of these systems may be used to deliver a flotation device or life preserver, none of the prior references discloses a UAV that is buoyant so that the UAV is, itself, a flotation device to assist a swimmer in distress (SID). Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a UAV that serves as a mobile life preserver, which is capable of landing on water and taking off from water, and which includes electronics for determining its position and transmitting an SOS signal, similarly to an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). Further, it would be advantageous, in man overboard types of situations, to provide the search and rescue drone with flashing lights, a spotlight, a camera and other sensors for locating a swimmer in distress, along with the capability for the UAV to autonomously fly along the same path (in reverse) that the boat was traveling when the man overboard situation occurred. Additionally, it would be advantageous to provide an electronic wearable device having the capability to communicate with the search and rescue drone, so that the drone may autonomously track the wearable device and fly to its location in an emergency situation.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, one embodiment of a search and rescue drone includes a buoyant body member, a frame attached to the buoyant body member for carrying a motor and propeller, and an electronic array including a camera, GPS, an EPIRB, and a transmitter/receiver for manually flying the drone and communicating with an operator.

[0010] The search and rescue drone may be flown manually, or may have some autonomous flight and locator capabilities. For example, in one embodiment, the search and rescue drone may be programmed to simply fly to the location of an electronic wearable device, like a bracelet, that is worn by a person on a boat. The wearable device may be automatically activated upon immersion in water, or may be manually activated (by pressing a button on the device, or by giving voice commands, for instance), but in either circumstance, the activation of the wearable device triggers the search and rescue drone to automatically fly to the location of the wearable device and land nearby, so that the SID may hold onto it for purposes of flotation. Preferably, the search and rescue drone is equipped with flashing strobe lights or other emergency lights that are used as a visual signal for help to get the attention of a search and rescue party. Also, the EPIRB on board transmits a distress signal, along with GPS coordinates of its present location, when the search and rescue drone lands in the water.

[0011] In another embodiment, the search and rescue drone includes a basket, harness, or other means for actually recovering a swimmer in distress, and flying that person back to a ship or to shore. In this embodiment, the drone may either land in the water so that a swimmer in distress may climb aboard, or the drone may lower a basket or harness down to the swimmer while the drone hovers overhead. In either embodiment, the drone may be equipped with a button or other means for indicating that the swimmer is safely aboard the basket or is engaged within the harness, which then triggers the drone to fly the swimmer back to safety.

[0012] When used on board a boat or ship, the search and rescue drone may be programmed to execute a specific search pattern, which may include flying to a designated altitude and following the same path, in reverse, that the boat was traveling when the man-overboard event occurred. The onboard GPS unit may either do its own tracking while the boat is underway, so that it is always tracking its own position and has that information available when deployed in an emergency, or the system may include a communications link with the GPS system on board the ship so that the search and rescue drone may query the shipboard GPS to obtain that information.

[0013] In another embodiment, the search and rescue drone may include two main parts: the flying portion and the floating portion. The flying portion preferably includes a frame, the motor and propeller, camera(s), flashing lights, a spotlight (optionally) and a transmitter/receiver for sending and receiving communications. The floating portion is used as a life preserver, and preferably includes an EPIRB to transmit an SOS message, along with GPS coordinates. In this embodiment, the drone may land on the water as a single unit, and then separate so that the flying portion can hover overhead while displaying the flashing lights, spotlight (if necessary), and acting as a communications booster by relaying and broadcasting the EPIRB signal to potential rescuers.

[0014] Alternatively, after locating the swimmer in distress, the drone may separate in the air by disconnecting itself from the floating portion, so that the floating portion drops to the water near the swimmer. It is preferred that the EPIRB remain with the floating portion (and the swimmer) rather than the flying portion, because if the flying portion then crashes, runs out of fuel or electricity, or otherwise becomes separated from the swimmer, the EPIRB continues to broadcast the SOS signal from the swimmer's location.

[0015] Other embodiments include simpler versions, where the rescue drone is simply a flying life preserver, wherein the main body member is buoyant, and motors and propellers are positioned within holes defined by the main body member. These types of rescue drones are typically used by beach lifeguards, and the like, and operate via remote control. If a lifeguard sees a swimmer in distress, then he or she can simply launch the flying life preserver and land it adjacent the swimmer in distress for flotation until help arrives.

[0024] Overview

[0025] The present invention, in a first embodiment, includes a lifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle 10 comprising a main body member 12 that is buoyant, and defines a series of vertically oriented holes 14 therein, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Motors 16 and propellers 18 are disposed within the holes 14 of the main body member 12, which allows the main body member 12 to fly. These embodiments may simply be flown to the location of a swimmer in distress (SID), and may land on the water to serve as a life preserver until the SID can be rescued by a boat, helicopter, or by other means of rescue. Handles 20 may be disposed about the rescue drone 10, as shown in FIG. 1, for purposes of holding onto the drone 10 in the water, and for carrying the drone 10 by hand.

[0026] Another embodiment of the present invention is a rescue drone 10 that preferably includes a floating portion 12 (or “main body member”), a frame 42 connected to the floating portion 12, wherein the frame 42 includes outwardly extending arms, each carrying a motor 16 and propeller 18, and further including a camera 22, a transmitter/receiver for receiving flight instructions and transmitting information back to an operator, lights 24 for assistance with rescue operations, and an EPIRB radio beacon 26 for transmitting an SOS call for help along with location coordinates, as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 5 and 6. Additionally, the rescue drone 10 may further include an onboard computing device for controlling the above-referenced components, either via remote control 60 or autonomously based on installed programming. In this embodiment, the floating portion 12 is preferably positioned on a bottom portion of the drone 10, and may serve as a flotation device for a swimmer in distress (SID). The lights 24 may include flashing strobe lights of different colors, for attracting the attention of rescuers who are searching for the SID and the drone itself. Additionally, the drone may be equipped with spotlights 24 used during search and rescue operations to illuminate the area that is being searched, or which may be used to illuminate the SID for various purposes.

[0027] In use, the rescue drone 10 is launched when it has been determined that there is a SID in the area, and the drone 10 may be operated manually by an operator using a remote control device 60 to fly and navigate, or the rescue drone 10 may be used in autonomous mode, so that it is capable of flying itself in a specific search pattern. For manual flight, the rescue drone 10 operates like currently available drones, which may be flown by simple visual operation (watching the drone itself directly), or by viewing the feed from the camera 22 positioned on the drone (as if the drone operator were in a virtual ‘cockpit’ of an aircraft). In the latter case, the operator may use a video screen, goggles, or any other suitable video screen type of component.

[0028] For autonomous flight, the rescue drone 10 may be programmed to fly and navigate in many different ways. First, the drone 10 may simply be programmed to execute a standard search pattern. Alternatively, if used on a boat or ship, the rescue drone may follow the GPS “breadcrumb trail,” which is essentially the path that the boat or ship has taken up to that point in time, but in the reverse direction, which is particularly useful in man-overboard situations. In this way, the drone itself may be programmed to track the movement of the ship in order to establish the breadcrumb trail, or that information may be transmitted from another GPS device onboard the boat or otherwise. Another option, if multiple drones 10 are used, is to program them to work in concert with one another, so that each drone is programmed to cover a particular area or direction, and so that the drones 10 are not searching the same area as another drone 10, in order to optimize the amount of area covered as quickly as possible during a search and rescue operation.

[0029] It is also contemplated that the rescue drone 10 may include infra-red or thermal sensors (which may be part of the camera 22, or may be separate from the camera 22), in order to identify people in the water through their heat signatures. Obviously, a live person in the water will have a higher temperature than the surrounding water, so infra-red or thermal sensors or cameras may be used to help identify SIDs. Another option is to provide the rescue drone 10 with software that recognizes patterns, and also recognizes disruptions in patterns, such the patterns of waves in the water, which are disrupted by a SID. Any of these methods may be used to autonomously identify a SID, which may generate an alert to a human operator, who may then either confirm that the rescue drone 10 has found the SID, or may confirm that the object identified is not a SID, or may take over control of the drone 10 in order to investigate further. Alternatively, the drone 10 may simply be programmed to land near the SID without human intervention, if necessary.

[0030] It is also contemplated that the rescue drone 10 may receive a signal, including location information, from a device worn or carried by a person. Such a device could take many forms, including a cell phone, a smart watch (Apple Watch, for instance), a bracelet or necklace, or any other device that includes either an RFID chip or necessary electronics and transmitter for sending a signal to the rescue drone 10. For these purposes, the transmitter device will be referred to as a transmitter bracelet 50, as shown in FIG. 6, and it should be understood that a transmitter bracelet, for these purposes, encompasses any wearable device that transmits a signal or communicates in any way with the rescue drone to provide a rescue location or coordinates. The transmitter bracelet 50 may be worn by deckhands on a fishing boat, crew and/or passengers on a cruise ship, or others onboard a boat, and may be activated either automatically in a man-overboard situation, or may be activated manually. Activation of the transmitter bracelet 50 preferably alerts the boat captain and crew of the man-overboard situation, and causes the rescue drone 10 to automatically deploy and follow the transmitter bracelet 50 signal to the location of the SID. Alternatively, the rescue drone 10 may be launched manually in such a situation.

[0031] In one embodiment, the rescue drone 10 mates with a docking base charging station 28 when not in use, or when in ‘standby mode,’ as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The charging station 28 is preferably connected to a power source, and serves as a charger for the rescue drone 10, so that the rescue drone 10 stays charged and ready to be deployed at all times. In one embodiment, the charging station 28 may be in the shape of a cone (as shown), so that the rescue drone 10 may automatically fly back and land on the charging station 28 without human intervention, although other shapes may be used. The cone shape allows the rescue drone 10 to descend down on top of the charging station 28 so that the round floating portion 12 may be guided by the shape of the cone until the charging surfaces 30 are connected between the drone 10 and the charging station 28. This arrangement also allows the drone 10 to be deployed directly from the charging station 28 in an emergency, so that the drone 10 simply launches upwardly until it clears the top of the charging station 28 and then begins its search or navigation mission.

[0032] In use, the rescue drone 10 either searches for a SID, or flies directly to the location of the transmitter bracelet 50. Upon arrival at the location of the SID, the rescue drone 10 may land close to the SID, so that the SID may use the rescue drone 10 as a flotation device. Additionally, the rescue drone 10 may activate its lights 24 in order to assist rescuers in finding the SID, and may further activate the EPIRB 26, which sends a distress signal out on an emergency frequency, along with location information. These actions may be automated, or may be taken manually by a human operator.

[0033] In another embodiment, the rescue drone 10 includes a basket 32, harness, or other means for actually recovering a swimmer in distress, and flying that person back to a ship or to shore, as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the drone 10 may either land in the water so that a swimmer in distress may climb aboard, or the drone 10 may lower a basket 32 or harness down to the swimmer while the drone 10 hovers overhead. In either embodiment, the drone 10 may be equipped with a button 36 or other means for indicating that the swimmer is safely aboard the basket 32 or is engaged within the harness, which then triggers the drone 10 to fly the swimmer back to safety. Alternatively, this operation may be carried out manually by a human operator using a remote control device 60, which may be a dedicated device, a smart phone, a computer, a tablet, or any other suitable remote control device 60. In this embodiment, the basket 32 or harness may be attached to a cable 38 and winch 40 system, similarly to those deployed on rescue helicopters used by the Coast Guard and the military.

[0034] For autonomous operation of any embodiment disclosed herein, the rescue drone 10 may include an on-board computing device to execute programmed operations, including navigation and flight, identification of objects in the water, sending and receiving information, landing, activating lights 24 and the EPIRB 26, and returning to the boat, charging station 28, or other place of origin. The rescue drone 10 may also record camera footage and/or sensor readings from a full mission, and may transmit that data in real time, or may simply record it for access and download later. In one embodiment, the rescue drone 10 may also carry a remote control (tablet style computing device), or an array including a microphone, speaker, and/or video screen for audio and/or video communications between a human operator (rescuer) and the SID. For instance, the rescue drone 10 may employ a small screen, similar to the screen of a smart phone, allowing a SID to communicate with the drone operator or rescuer (similarly to Apple's popular FaceTime application), which is useful for allowing the rescuer to ascertain the medical condition of the SID. This arrangement allows the rescuer to be prepared with appropriate medical supplies to deal with the specific issues and ailments that the SID is suffering from. Additionally, in the case of a boat accident or other incident where there may be wreckage, fire, oil floating in the water, or other dangers, the SID can communicate that information through the audio/video transmission components on the rescue drone.

[0035] Additionally, it is contemplated that the onboard computing device 70, which may be roughly the size and shape of a smart phone or tablet, may serve as a remote control and be detachable from the drone, so that a SID may use the onboard computing device 70 to operate the rescue drone in the case of a prolonged rescue situation, as shown in FIG. 5. For example, if the SID is out of communication range with rescuers for any reason, he or she may detach the onboard computer 70 to launch the drone 10 from the water. The rescue drone 10 may possibly increase its transmission range by ascending to a higher altitude. Additionally, the SID may also be able to view the camera feed from the drone 10 via the onboard computing device/remote control, and if he sees a watercraft in the distance, may send the drone 10 in that direction to establish communication and request assistance. Or, if the SID is in the water at night, he may wish to simply launch the rescue drone 10 and activate the lights 24 while maintaining physical contact with the floating portion 12, allowing the drone 10 to hover overhead, in order to direct the rescuers to his position in darkness, similarly to launching a flare. In a preferred embodiment, the onboard computer/remote control 70 fits into a cradle that is positioned on the rescue drone, and the cradle is operationally connected to an onboard battery. In this way, the onboard computer 70 may recharge itself when it is positioned within the cradle.

[0036] The rescue drone 10 may also include solar panels positioned on an upper side thereof, which may be used to charge or recharge the rescue drone battery or batteries. It should be understood that, although different embodiments have been described herein, any of the components and features described in a particular embodiment may be used on or in connection with any other embodiment described herein.

[0037] In yet another embodiment of the rescue drone 10, the floating portion 12 (which is used as a flotation device for a SID) may be detachable (either remotely, or manually) from the frame 42 of the rescue drone 10, so that the rescue drone 10 may either land on water and subsequently separate, if necessary, or so that the floating portion 12 may be detached during flight and dropped to a SID. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, it is contemplated that the EPIRB 26 is attached to the floating portion 12, in order to direct rescuers to the SID in a scenario where the rescue drone 10 becomes separated from the floating portion 12 and the SID. Further, in this embodiment, the onboard computer/remote control 70 may also be attached to the floating portion 12, so that the SID is able to operate the rescue drone 10 from the water, if necessary. One advantage to this arrangement is that the SID has a flotation device while the drone 10 is at a higher altitude and serving as a communications relay between rescuers and the SID. In some situations, the SID may be in the water with the floating portion 12, and the drone 10 may be hovering overhead with lights 24 flashing, transmitting an emergency distress signal, and shining a spotlight 24 down on the SID.

[0038] Yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, wherein the floating portion 12 includes a net 80 or other support surface for supporting and carrying a rescued swimmer in distress. In this embodiment, the swimmer in distress simply climbs aboard the rescue drone and sits on the net 80, and the rescue drone may fly the rescued swimmer to the boat, to shore, or to some other designated safety area.

[0039] Any of the above-referenced embodiments may include other features, as well, including a waterproof or water-resistant hatch 44 on the floating portion that opens to reveal a storage compartment 46 that may be used to store rescue supplies, such as water, food, reflective gear, flashlights, an inflatable raft, a survival suit, or any other supplies that may be helpful to a swimmer in distress. Additionally, it should be understood that the motors described herein may be powered by electricity, gasoline, diesel, hydrogen, natural gas, propane, or any other suitable method.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.