Patent ID: 9688403
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: B64C,G05D

Claim:
1. A method for adaptive mission execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising: initiating execution of a pre-mission flight test including: a level flight at a first altitude at full power with determination of a maximum airspeed parameter of the UAV; a near vertical climb from the first altitude with determination of a maximum thrust parameter of the UAV; a stalling configuration from the near vertical climb with determination of a stall speed parameter of the UAV; a cycling ramping of a motor of the UAV from a no-power to a full-power setting with determination of a motor torque curve, a maximum motor torque, a motor efficiency curve, a propeller efficiency, a battery state of charge, and a maximum battery supply current; and a cycling of pitch, yaw, and roll configuration with determination of a fuselage efficiency parameter and a fuselage weight parameter of the UAV; receiving a set of pre-calculated mission parameters, based upon the pre-mission test and corresponding to an initial UAV mission, the pre-calculated mission parameters defining a first area to be imaged by a camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a first imaging resolution and a first set of camera parameters including a shutter setting; initiating execution of the initial UAV mission; collecting UAV operation data during flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the UAV operation data comprising aerial images taken at the first imaging resolution; wherein collecting UAV operation data further comprises performing an analysis of the aerial images; calculating a set of modified mission parameters from the set of pre-calculated mission parameters and the analysis of aerial images, the set of modified mission parameters corresponding to a modified UAV mission; and automatically executing the modified UAV mission on the unmanned aerial vehicle.