Patent ID: 12242288

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this specification, reference is made in detail to specific embodiments of the invention. Some of the embodiments or their aspects are illustrated in the drawings.

For clarity in explanation, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, however it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the invention covers alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within its scope as defined by any patent claims. The following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations on, the claimed invention. In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In addition, well known features may not have been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

In addition, it should be understood that steps of the exemplary methods set forth in this exemplary patent can be performed in different orders than the order presented in this specification. Furthermore, some steps of the exemplary methods may be performed in parallel rather than being performed sequentially. Also, the steps of the exemplary methods may be performed in a network environment in which some steps are performed by different computers in the networked environment.

Some embodiments are implemented by a computer system. A computer system may include a processor, a memory, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory and non-transitory medium may store instructions for performing methods and steps described herein.

The following generally relates to a system, platform and methods for deploying a wireless mesh sensor array network. In some embodiments, the system may be utilized in dangerous situations such as fires, active shooter scenarios, urban warfare or hostage situations.

FIG.1is a diagram illustrating an exemplary autonomous drone mesh sensor deployment system100in which some embodiments may operate. The autonomous drone mesh sensor deployment system100may comprise one or more ground control stations (GCS)105, one or more drones110, one or more drop pods112, one or more servers115, one or more datastores120and one or more networks130.

The one or more GCSs105may be connected to the one or more drones110and one or more drop pods112over one or more mesh networks. The GCSs may further be connected to the one or more server115and datastore120over network130.

The one or more drones110may be configured to carry one or more drop pods112in a drop pod bay and deposit the one or more drop pods112during execution of a predetermined mission, autonomous navigation, under control of a user at the GCS105or combination thereof. The drones110may be configured to communicate, over a mesh network, with GCSs105and drop pods112. The drones110may be configured to operate as nodes in the mesh network and relay data from one node to another node. The one or more drones110may further comprise one or sensor arrays.

The one or more drop pods112may comprise one or more sensor arrays. Data collected by the sensor array may then be transmitted from the drop pods112to the one or more drones110and/or one or more GCSs105.

Server115may be one or more physical or virtual machines configured to communicate with the one or more GCSs105and the one or more datastores120. The one or more servers115may be configured as a distributed computing infrastructure and processing of applications and other software may be carried out on the cloud.

Datastores120may communicate with one another over network130. Datastores120may be any storage device capable of storing data for processing or as a result of processing information at the GCSs105, drones110, drop pods112and/or servers115. The datastores120may be a separate device or the same device as server115. The datastores120may be located in the same location as that of server115, or at separate locations.

Network130may be an intranet, internet, mesh, LTE, GSM, peer-to-peer or other communication network that allows the one or more servers115to communicate with the one or more GCSs105and datastores115.

FIG.2Ais a diagram illustrating an exemplary ground control station (GCS)105in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. GCS105may comprise network module201, datastore module202, a mesh radio module203, a GCS control module204, a UI module205and one or more display modules206.

Network module201may transmit and receive data from other computing systems via a network such as network130as described above with regard toFIG.1. In some embodiments, the network module201may enable transmitting and receiving data from the Internet. Data received by the network module201may be used by the other modules. The modules may transmit data through the network module201.

The datastore module202may be configured to store information generated by the one or more modules operating at the GCS105. The one or more modules operating at the GCS105may also retrieve information from the datastore module202. Datastore module202may also be configured to receive and store information received over network module201or through mesh radio module203.

Mesh radio module203may be configured to send and receive data over one or more wireless communications protocols. In some embodiments, the mesh radio module203may communicate over sub 1 ghz bands, such as LORAWAN or ZIGBEE. In some embodiments, the mesh radio module203may communicate over LPWAN, Bluetooth, BLE, WIFI (802.11/802.15/802.16), GSM, LTE, or other cellular protocols. The mesh radio module203may further be any wireless communication technology capable of communication between nodes. In some embodiments, the mesh radio module203may further comprise one or more radio antennas. The radio antennas may be directional or omnidirectional.

GCS control module204may be configured to generate mission plans for one or more aircraft. The mission plans may comprise one or more mission objectives and one or more flight paths. The flight paths may comprise one or more waypoints. In some embodiments the GCS control module204may collect data from the one or more aircrafts. The GCS control module204may be configured to command the one or more aircraft to deploy one or more drop pods carried by the aircraft. The GCS module may further be configured to collect and analyze data received, through mesh radio module203, from the one or more aircraft and the one or more drop pods.

UI module205may be configured to generate one or more graphical user interfaces based on the generated mission plans, the received data from the one or more aircraft and one or more drop pods, the analysis performed by the GCS control module204and the state/status of the aircrafts and drop pods. The UI module205may also be configured to receive commands from one or more users, wherein the one or more received commands are associated with one or more of the aircraft and/or the one or more drop pods. Received commands may be processed by the GCS control module204and relayed to the one or more aircraft and/or one or more drop pods. The received commands may be used to generate one or more modifications to the mission plan.

Display modules206may be configured to display information related to the state/status of the one or more aircraft and one or more drop pods. Information collected from the one or more aircraft and one or more drop pods may also be displayed.

FIG.2Bis a diagram illustrating an exemplary drone110in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Drone110may comprise network module211, datastore module212, mesh radio module213, flight control module214, sensor array module215, computer vision module225, drop pod bay module226and power module227.

Network module211and datastore module212may be the same or similar to that of network module201and datastore module202as described above with regard toFIG.2A.

Mesh radio module213may be the same or similar to that of mesh radio module203as described above with regard toFIG.2A.

Flight control module214may be configured to control flight parameters of the aircraft. Flight control module214may be configured to generate control signals for one or more motors, actuators, sensors or other modules of the aircraft based at least in part on a mission plan received over the mesh radio module213.

Sensor array module215may comprise one or more RGB camera modules216, thermal camera modules217, microphone modules218, CO sensor modules219, O2 sensor modules220, PM2.5 sensor modules221, temperature sensor modules222, motion sensor modules223, and/or ultrasound transducer modules224. The sensors of the sensor array module215may be configured to collect, filter and/or process sensor data from the environment around the aircraft. The sensor data may be transmitted to the GCS over mesh radio module213. Sensor data may also be analyzed by the flight control module214.

Computer vision module225may be configured to analyze images collected by one or more of the sensors of the sensor array module215. The computer vision module may use one or more trained machine learning models to perform the analysis.

Drop pod bay module226may be configured to securely hold and transport one or more drop pods during mission operation. The drop pod bay module226may further comprise one or more mechanisms configured to selectively secure and/or release the one or more drop pods. In some embodiments, one or more magnetic grasping units may be used to hold the one or more drop pods in place and/or retrieve previously deployed drop pods. The magnetic grasping units may be electromagnetic devices. Deployment of drop pods may be facilitated by disabling the electromagnetics. Conversely, retrieval and carrying of the drop pods may be facilitated by energizing the electromagnetic devices.

In some embodiments, the drip pod bay module226may employ latch mechanisms and articulated grasping units to retrieve, secure and release the drop pods.

Power module227may comprise one or more electrical power storage units and/or one or more electrical power sources, such as battery modules, solar energy/photovoltaic modules, inductive electricity receivers, electric generators or combination thereof.

FIG.2Cis a diagram illustrating an exemplary drop pod112in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Drop pod112may comprise network module231, datastore module232, mesh radio module233, drop pod control module234, sensor array module235, computer vision module245, bay attachment module246and power module247.

Network module231and datastore module232may be the same or similar to that of network module201and datastore module202as described above with regard toFIG.2A.

Mesh radio module233may be the same or similar to that of mesh radio module203as described above with regard toFIG.2Aand mesh radio module213as described above with regard toFIG.2B.

Drop pod control module234may be configured to analyze sensor data from the sensor array module235and perform operations associated with the mission plan or commands received over the mesh network.

Sensor array module235may comprise one or more RGB camera modules236, thermal camera modules237, microphone modules238, CO sensor modules239, O2 sensor modules240, PM2.5 sensor modules241, temperature sensor modules242, motion sensor modules243, and/or ultrasound transducer modules244. Sensor array module235may be the same or similar to that of sensor array module215as described above with regard toFIG.2B.

Computer vision module245and power module247may be the same or similar to that of computer vision module225and power module227215as described above with regard toFIG.2B.

Bay attachment module246may be configured to interface with drop pod bay module226of the aircraft, facilitating the retrieval, carrying and deployment of the drop pod. The bay attachment module246may be electromagnets, permanent magnets, latches or other retaining devices.

FIG.2Dis a diagram illustrating an exemplary server115in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Server115may comprise network module251, datastore module252, mission coordination module253and machine learning module255.

Network module251, may be the same or similar to that of network module201inFIG.2Aand will not be described for the sake of brevity.

Datastore module252may be the same or similar to that of datastore module202inFIG.2Aand will not be described for the sake of brevity.

Mission coordination module253may be configured to coordinate communication and command control of aircraft and drop pods between a plurality of GCSs.

Machine learning module255may be configured to train and generate one or more machine learning models used by the computer vision modules225and245. In some embodiments, the machine learning module may further generate models corresponding to path planning and POI determination.

FIG.3is a diagram illustrating an exemplary sensor deployment system300in accordance with some embodiments. The sensor deployment system300may comprise one or more GCSs, one or more aircrafts310and one or more drop pods320.

Each of the one or more GCSs305may comprise one or more GCS computers306, mesh radios (slave)307, command UIs308and GCS displays309.

The GCS computers306may be configured to receive, over the mesh radios (slave)307, and analyze data received from the one or more aircraft and one or more drop pods. The data received may correspond to status/state data of the aircraft and drop pods and/or collected sensor data from the aircraft and drop pods. The GCS computers may also generate mission plans and control commands for the aircraft and drop pods and transmit said mission plans and control commands over the mesh radios (slave)307.

The command UIs308may be configured to generate one or more graphical user interfaces and one or more command interfaces corresponding to the aircrafts and drop pods.

The GCS displays309may be configured to display the one or more graphical user interfaces generated by the command UIs308.

The one or more aircrafts310may comprise one or more flight computers311, aircraft mesh radios (master)312, drop pod bays313and aircraft batteries314. The structure and operation of aircraft310are described above with regard toFIG.2B.

The one or more drop pods320may comprise one or more drop pod control units321, sensor array units322, pod mesh radios (mesh)323and drop pod batteries324. The structure and operation of drop pods320are described above with regard toFIG.2C.

FIG.4Ais a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process flow400that may be performed in accordance with some embodiments.

At step401, an aircraft or drop pod of the system may be configured to publish one or more MAV Cam frames. The MAV Cam frames may be published directly to a GCS, a server, through a cloud service or combination thereof. The publishing may be performed over the mesh radio network and/or other wireless network.

At step402, the system may be configured to check the frame for points of interest (POIs). If one or more POIs are identified, the system may then proceed to step403.

At step403, the system may be configured to check the pod type. If the pod type is “Gas” the system proceeds through step404to step405. If the pod type is “Cam” the system proceeds through step409to step410.

At step405, the system may be configured to determine an altitude of the aircraft and the attached pod. If the altitude is above 2 meters, the system proceeds to step406.

At step406, the system may be configured to check a signal strength of the mesh network. If the RSSI of the network is greater than or equal to −90, the system proceeds to step407.

At step407, the system may be configured to set the aircraft state to “POI”.

At step408, the system may be configured to set an on screen display (OSD) status to “Recommendation: Drop Drop Pod (Gas)”. The OSD status may then be displayed as a prompt or notification to a user/controller through an OSD at a GCS.

At step410, when the type has been determined to be “Cam,” the system may be configured to keep track of a POI count. The system may also be configured to identify doors within the environment. In some embodiments, the system may be configured to increment the POI count upon the aircraft passing through a door and/or identifying a door.

At step411, the system may further be configured to identify stairways within the environment. The system may increment the POI count upon taking a stairway and/or identifying a stairway.

At step412, the system may be configured to determine if the POI count has reached or exceeded a predetermined threshold value. For example, the POI count may be set to a value such as “3” as is the case inFIG.4A. If the POI count is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold, the system proceeds to step413.

At413, the system may be configured to set the aircraft state to “POI” and proceed to step414.

At step414, the system may be configured to set the OSD status to “Recommendation: Drop Drop Pod (Cam)”. The OSD status may then be displayed as a prompt or notification to a user/controller through an OSD at a GCS.

FIG.4Bis a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process flow400that may be performed in accordance with some embodiments.

At step415, an aircraft or drop pod of the system may be configured to publish MAV Link RSSI data. The MAV Link RSSI data may be published directly to a GCS, a server, through a cloud service or combination thereof. The publishing may be performed over the mesh radio network and/or other wireless network.

At step416, if the published RSSI is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, such as −90 db as shown inFIG.4B, the system returns to step415. If the RSSI value is less than the predetermined threshold value the system may proceed through step417to step418.

At step418, the system may be configured to set the aircraft state to “Low RSSI” and proceed to step419.

At step419, the system may be configured to set the OSD status to “Recommendation: Drop Drop Pod (Mesh)”. The OSD status may then be displayed as a prompt or notification to a user/controller through an OSD at a GCS.

FIG.5is a diagram illustrating an exemplary mission500that may be performed in accordance with some embodiments. An aircraft, in accordance with some embodiments, is shown performing a mission within a building. The process flows fromFIGS.4A and4Bmay be used in the exemplary mission to identify POIs and determine locations to drop one or more drop pods. The aircraft starts at waypoint501and proceeds to enter the building/building unit through a doorway at waypoint502. In this example, upon reaching waypoint502, the aircraft and/or GCS may determine that the mesh radio strength is below a predetermined threshold value. The aircraft may then be instructed to drop a mesh radio drop pod to increase communication coverage within the building. The aircraft may then continue to explore the building/building unit by following a flight path to additional waypoints. The flight path may be generated by a user/controller before the beginning of the mission or in real time during operation of the mission. In some embodiments, a pregenerated flight path may be modified or changed during operation of the mission. The modification/changes to the mission may be initiated by the user/controller based on data received (video frames, sensor readings, signals strength) from the aircraft. In some embodiments, modification/changes to the mission may be initiated by the aircraft itself in an autonomous manner. In some embodiments, the aircraft itself or a GCS system may be configured to generate the flight path of the aircraft in an autonomous manner and in real-time. In some embodiments, computer vision may be used to identify POIs, obstacles, people, animals, furniture and other objects within proximity to the aircraft.

After dropping the mesh radio drop pod at waypoint502, the aircraft may be instructed/decide to proceed along a flight path. As shown in the example ofFIG.5, the aircraft proceeds to waypoint503,504,505and to506. At waypoint506the aircraft may identify a POI based on one or more sensor readings or identified objects in the room. In the example, at waypoint506the aircraft may identify a POI corresponding to the placement of a camera drop pod. The determination may be based on the identification of doors encountered along the flight path. The aircraft may further identify one or more locations at which to place the camera drop pod. For example, the aircraft may identify a table or flat surface upon which to place the camera drop pod and determine a direction in which to orient the camera drop pod. In some embodiments, a field of view (FOV) of interest may be determined, and the placement/orientation of the camera drop pod may be determined based on the FOV of interest. As shown inFIG.5, at waypoint506, a FOV of interest506A is determined and a drop location506B is identified for the camera drop pod. The aircraft may then be instructed to place the camera drop pod at drop location306B in an orientation corresponding to the FOV of interest506A. The aircraft may then proceed along the flight path to waypoint507. Similarly, at waypoint507, a FOV of interest507A may be identified and a drop pod may be placed at drop location507B. The determination of the FOV of interest507A, drop location507B and orientation of the drop pod may be similar to or the same as that described above with regard to waypoint506. In some embodiments, the drop pod deployed at waypoint506and/or507may be a gas drop pod configured to analyze the air within the room. In some embodiments, the drop pod may be a multisensory drop pod, comprising a plurality of sensors. For example, the drop pods dropped at waypoints506and507may include one or more cameras, microphones, gas sensors, ultrasonic transducers and/or mesh radio transceivers.

In the exemplary mission, the aircraft may then continue on the flight path to waypoint508. As shown in the example ofFIG.5, the mesh radio strength at waypoint508may be determined to be below the predetermined threshold value. The aircraft may then be instructed to drop a mesh radio drop pod in a similar manner to that performed at waypoint502.

FIGS.6A-6Dare diagrams illustrating the functioning of an exemplary autonomous drone drop pod system600in accordance with some embodiments. The autonomous drone drop pod system600may comprise a main aircraft601, one or more pod attachment mechanisms602, one or more aircraft sensors603and one or more drop pods610.FIG.6Ashows the main aircraft601with an attached drop pod610. In some embodiments, there may be more than one drop pod attached to the main aircraft601.FIG.6Bshows the main aircraft601after deployment of the drop pod610ofFIG.6A. As shown inFIG.6B, the main aircraft601may include an electromagnet as the pod attachment mechanism602. In some embodiments, the pod attachment mechanism may be a mechanical and/or magnetic mechanism configured to hold the one or more drop pods610securely in place. The main aircraft601, as shown inFIG.6Balso includes an infrared sensitive camera sensor603. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors603may include sensors for analyzing the environment of the aircraft and/or locating the one or more drop pods610. For example, the aircraft may have a plurality of sensors including video cameras, infrared cameras, thermal cameras, ultrasonic transducers, microphones and/or inductive proximity sensors.

With regard toFIG.6C, the drop pod601is shown comprising an outer casing611, mounting magnets612, an IR LED light613and two IR sensitive cameras614. In some embodiments, the mounting magnets612may be mounting hardware for the one or more pod attachment mechanisms602of the aircraft. In some embodiments, the IR sensitive cameras614may be cameras capable of capturing a wide spectrum of light. The type of camera and spectrum of capture of the drop pod cameras614may be determined based on the mission and environment in which the drop pod is to be placed. In some embodiments, a single camera may be used. In some embodiments, a plurality of cameras may be used by the drop pod, and the position and orientation of the plurality of cameras may be environment and mission specific.

FIG.6Dis a diagram illustrating the internal components of the drop pod610. The drop pod610may further comprise one or more camera interface boards615, one or more microcontrollers616, one or more mesh modems617, one or more radio antennas618and one or more batteries619. In some embodiments, the one or more microcontrollers may correspond to the drop pod control module234as described with regard toFIG.2C.

FIG.7is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method700that may be performed in accordance with some embodiments.

At step701, the system is configured to receive, by an aircraft over a master mesh radio module, a mission plan from a ground control station.

At step702, the system is configured to control, by a flight control module, the aircraft based on one or more commands of the mission plan.

At step703, the system is configured to collect, by one or more sensors of a pod sensor array module, environment data.

At step704, the system is configured to identify, based on the environment data and a pod type of one or more drop pods carried by the aircraft, one or more points of interest (POI), wherein the identifying further comprises determining a POI type for each of the POIs.

At step705, the system is configured to select, for each POI, a POI drop pod from the one or more drop pods, wherein the selecting is based on the pod type and the POI.

At step706, the system is configured to select a drop location and drop orientation based on the POI type.

At step707, the system is configured to release the selected POI drop pod at the selected drop location and in the selected drop orientation.

FIG.8illustrates an example machine of a computer system within which a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed. In alternative implementations, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, an ad-hoc network, a mesh network, and/or the Internet. The machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in client-server network environment, as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment, or as a server or a client machine in a cloud computing infrastructure or environment.

The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a server, a network router, a switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system800includes a processing device802, a main memory804(e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory806(e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storage device818, which communicate with each other via a bus860.

Processing device802represents one or more general-purpose processing devices such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit, or the like. More particularly, the processing device may be complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or processor implementing other instruction sets, or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. Processing device802may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor, or the like. The processing device802is configured to execute instructions826for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.

The computer system800may further include a network interface device508to communicate over the network820. The computer system800may also include a mesh radio module810, sensor array module830, GCS control module840, flight control module841, drop pod control module842, computer vision module843, bay attachment module844, drop pod bay module845and power module846. The sensor array module may further comprise one or more RGB camera modules831, thermal camera modules832, microphone modules833, CO sensor modules834, O2 sensor modules835, PM2.5 sensor modules836, temperature sensor modules837, motion sensor modules838, and/or ultrasound transducer modules839.

Mesh radio module810, sensor array module830, RGB camera modules831, thermal camera modules832, microphone modules833, CO sensor modules834, O2 sensor modules835, PM2.5 sensor modules836, temperature sensor modules837, motion sensor modules838, ultrasound transducer modules839, flight control module841, computer vision module843, drop pod bay module845and power module846may be the same or similar to mesh radio module213, sensor array module215, RGB camera modules216, thermal camera modules217, microphone modules218, CO sensor modules219, O2 sensor modules220, PM2.5 sensor modules221, temperature sensor modules222, motion sensor modules223, ultrasound transducer modules224, flight control module214, computer vision module225, drop pod bay module226and power module as disclosed inFIG.2B.

GCS control module840may be the same or similar to GCS control module204as disclosed inFIG.2A.

Drop pod control module842and bay attachment module844may be the same or similar to drop pod control module234and bay attachment module246as disclosed inFIG.2C.

The data storage device818may include a machine-readable storage medium824(also known as a computer-readable medium) on which is stored one or more sets of instructions or software826embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions826may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory804and/or within the processing device802during execution thereof by the computer system800, the main memory804and the processing device802also constituting machine-readable storage media. Information, including data used in the processes and methods of the system and the one or more sets of instructions or software, may also be stored in blockchain, as NFTs or other decentralized technologies.

In one implementation, the instructions826include instructions to implement functionality corresponding to the components of a device to perform the disclosure herein. While the machine-readable storage medium824is shown in an example implementation to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readable storage medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present disclosure. The term “machine-readable storage medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media and magnetic media.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure may include any one and up to all of the following examples.Example 1. A mesh sensor deployment system, the mesh sensor deployment system comprising: a mesh network comprising a ground control station (GCS), an aircraft and one or more drop pods, and wherein the GCS comprises: GCS control module; a slave mesh radio module; a command UI module; and one or more display units; the drop pods comprise: a drop pod control module; a pod mesh radio module; and a pod sensor array module, wherein the pod sensor array module comprises one or more sensor types and wherein a pod type of the drop pod corresponds to the sensor types; and the aircraft comprises: flight control module; a master mesh radio module; an aircraft sensor array module; and a drop pod bay unit, wherein the one or more drop pods are attached to the aircraft through the drop pod bay unit; and wherein the aircraft is configured to: receive, by the master mesh radio module over the mesh network, mission plan from the GCS, wherein the mission plan comprises one or more commands; control, by the flight control module, the aircraft based on the one or more commands; collect, by the aircraft sensor array module, environment data; identify, based on the environment data and the pod type of the one or more drop pods, one or more points of interest (POI), wherein the identifying further comprises determining a POI type for each of the POIs; select, for each POI, a POI drop pod from the one or more drop pods, wherein the selecting is based on the pod type and the POI; deploy, by the drop pod bay unit, each of the selected POI drop pods, wherein the deploying comprises: selecting a drop location and drop orientation based on the POI type; and releasing the selected POI drop pod at the selected drop location. The system of claim1, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a gas type POI, and the identification is based in part on an altitude of the aircraft and a mesh network signal strength.Example 2. The system of Example 1, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a gas type POI, and the identification is based in part on an altitude of the aircraft and a mesh network signal strength.Example 3. The system of any one of Examples 1-2, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a camera type POI, and the identification is based in part on a count corresponding to a number of doors and stairways encountered by the aircraft.Example 4. The system of any one of Examples 1-3, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a mesh node type POI, and the identification is based in part on a mesh network signal strength being below a predetermined threshold value.Example 5. The system of any one of Examples 1-4, wherein the pod sensor array module comprises: one or more RGB camera modules; one or more thermal camera modules; one or more microphone modules; one or more CO sensor modules; one or more O2 sensor modules; one or more PM2.5 sensor modules; one or more temperature sensor modules; one or more motion sensor modules; or one or more ultrasound transducer modules; and wherein the aircraft sensor array module comprises: one or more RGB camera modules; one or more thermal camera modules; one or more microphone modules; one or more CO sensor modules; one or more O2 sensor modules; one or more PM2.5 sensor modules; one or more temperature sensor modules; one or more motion sensor modules; or one or more ultrasound transducer modules.Example 6. The system of any one of Examples 1-5, wherein the GCS is configured to: generate, by the GCS control module, a mission plan, wherein the mission plan comprises one or more flight paths and one or more mission objectives, and wherein the one or more flight paths comprise a plurality of waypoints; transmit, over the slave mesh radio module, the mission plan to the aircraft; receive, over the slave mesh radio module, aircraft status from the aircraft and pod status from each of the deployed POI drop pods; generate, by the command UI module, a graphical user interface based on the received aircraft status and the received pod status of each of the deployed POI drop pods, wherein the received aircraft status and the received pod status of each of the deployed POI drop pods comprise one or more sensor readings; and display, by the one or more display units, the graphical user interface.Example 7. The system of any one of Examples 1-6, wherein the GCS is further configured to: receive, by the command UI module, control input from a user, wherein the control input corresponds to modification to the mission plan; generate, by the GCS control module, a modified mission plan based on the received control input; and transmit, by the slave mesh radio module, the modified mission plan to the aircraft.Example 8. The system of any one of Examples 1-7, wherein the aircraft further comprises a computer vision module and wherein the aircraft is further configured to: capture, by the aircraft sensor array module, image data of the environment; analyze, by the computer vision module, the captured image data, wherein the computer vision module comprises one or more trained machine learning models; autonomously modify the flight plan based on the analysis of the computer vision module, wherein the modification of the flight plan comprises: adding or removing waypoints to the flight path; and adding or removing mission objectives; and wherein identifying the one or more POIs is further based at least in part on the analysis of the computer vision module and the modification of the flight plan.Example 9. A mesh sensor deployment method, the mesh sensor deployment method comprising: generating a mesh network comprising a ground control station (GCS), an aircraft and one or more drop pods, wherein the GCS comprises; a GCS control module; a slave mesh radio module; a command UI module; and one or more display units; wherein the drop pods comprise: a drop pod control module; a pod mesh radio module; and a pod sensor array module, wherein the pod sensor array module comprises one or more sensor types and wherein a pod type of the drop pod corresponds to the sensor types; and wherein the aircraft comprises: a flight control module; a master mesh radio module; an aircraft sensor array module; and a drop pod bay unit, wherein the one or more drop pods are attached to the aircraft through the drop pod bay unit; and wherein the aircraft is configured to: receive, by the master mesh radio module over the mesh network, mission plan from the GCS, wherein the mission plan comprises one or more commands; control, by the flight control module, the aircraft based on the one or more commands; collect, by the aircraft sensor array module, environment data; identify, based on the environment data and the pod type of the one or more drop pods, one or more points of interest (POI), wherein the identifying further comprises determining a POI type for each of the POIs; select, for each POI, a POI drop pod from the one or more drop pods, wherein the selecting is based on the pod type and the POI; deploy, by the drop pod bay unit, each of the selected POI drop pods, wherein the deploying comprises: selecting a drop location and drop orientation based on the POI type; and releasing the selected POI drop pod at the selected drop location.Example 10. The method of Example 9, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a gas type POI, and the identification is based in part on an altitude of the aircraft and a mesh network signal strength.Example 11. The method of any one of Examples 9-10, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a camera type POI, and the identification is based in part on a count corresponding to a number of doors and stairways encountered by the aircraft.Example 12. The method of any one of Examples 9-11, wherein one or more of the one or more POIs is a mesh node type POI, and the identification is based in part on a mesh network signal strength being below a predetermined threshold value.Example 13. The method of any one of Examples 9-12, wherein the pod sensor array module comprises: one or more RGB camera modules; one or more thermal camera modules; one or more microphone modules; one or more CO sensor modules; one or more O2 sensor modules; one or more PM2.5 sensor modules; one or more temperature sensor modules; one or more motion sensor modules; or one or more ultrasound transducer modules; and wherein the aircraft sensor array module comprises: one or more RGB camera modules; one or more thermal camera modules; one or more microphone modules; one or more CO sensor modules; one or more O2 sensor modules; one or more PM2.5 sensor modules; one or more temperature sensor modules; one or more motion sensor modules; or one or more ultrasound transducer modules.Example 14. The method of any one of Examples 9-13, wherein the GCS is configured to: generate, by the GCS control module, a mission plan, wherein the mission plan comprises one or more flight paths and one or more mission objectives, and wherein the one or more flight paths comprise a plurality of waypoints; transmit, over the slave mesh radio module, the mission plan to the aircraft; receive, over the slave mesh radio module, aircraft status from the aircraft and pod status from each of the deployed POI drop pods; generate, by the command UI module, a graphical user interface based on the received aircraft status and the received pod status of each of the deployed POI drop pods, wherein the received aircraft status and the received pod status of each of the deployed POI drop pods comprise one or more sensor readings; and display, by the one or more display units, the graphical user interface.Example 15. The method of any one of Examples 9-14, wherein the GCS is further configured to: receive, by the command UI module, control input from a user, wherein the control input corresponds to modification to the mission plan; generate, by the GCS control module, a modified mission plan based on the received control input; and transmit, by the slave mesh radio module, the modified mission plan to the aircraft.Example 16. The method of any one of Examples 9-15, wherein the aircraft further comprises a computer vision module and wherein the aircraft is further configured to: capture, by the aircraft sensor array module, image data of the environment; analyze, by the computer vision module, the captured image data, wherein the computer vision module comprises one or more trained machine learning models; autonomously modify the flight plan based on the analysis of the computer vision module, wherein the modification of the flight plan comprises: adding or removing waypoints to the flight path; and adding or removing mission objectives; and wherein identifying the one or more POIs is further based at least in part on the analysis of the computer vision module and the modification of the flight plan.

Some portions of the preceding detailed descriptions have been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the ways used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “identifying” or “determining” or “executing” or “performing” or “collecting” or “creating” or “sending” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage devices.

The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the intended purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, each coupled to a computer system bus.

Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the method. The structure for a variety of these systems will appear as set forth in the description above. In addition, the present disclosure is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure as described herein.

The present disclosure may be provided as a computer program product, or software, that may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to the present disclosure. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium includes a machine (e.g., a computer) readable storage medium such as a read only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, etc.

In the foregoing disclosure, implementations of the disclosure have been described with reference to specific example implementations thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of implementations of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims. The disclosure and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.