Patent ID: 11928973
Assignee: RAKUTEN GROUP, INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 10:
11. A dust condition estimation method performed by a processing system comprising an aerial vehicle that includes a sensor and is capable of flying unmanned, the dust condition estimation method including:
acquiring sensing data obtained by observing, with the sensor, an area of a scheduled destination of the aerial vehicle from a flight position of the aerial vehicle; and
estimating, on the basis of the sensing data, a condition of dust in the area of the scheduled destination, wherein the estimating comprises predicting a future dust condition potentially caused by a propulsive force of the aerial vehicle at a future time of landing at the scheduled destination by: i) obtaining image data of the scheduled destination using a camera, ii) determining a color strength from the image data, and iii) determining a current dust condition from the color strength, and iv) determining a mass of the future dust condition based on the current dust condition;
resetting, in response to the future dust condition, a first flight route to a second flight route, wherein the second flight route is to a second destination different from the scheduled destination, wherein the second destination is determined to not be affected by the future dust condition; and
controlling the aerial vehicle to proceed on the second flight route to the second destination.