System and method for automated traffic management of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 10,360,803 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Postrel
• Original Assignee: Richard Postrel
• Inventors: Postrel, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US15/709,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20180211548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

A drone traffic management system comprising a computer comprising memory means for storing origin coordinates indicating an origin location of a drone, destination coordinates indicating a destination of the drone, and traffic management factors located between the origin location of the drone and the destination of the drone; and processing means for controlling the flight of a drone. This is accomplished by calculating a flight path for the drone to fly automatically from the origin location to the destination location without manual intervention, sending the flight path to the drone, receiving location data of the drone as it travels from the origin location to the destination, re-calculating the flight path of the drone as a function of the traffic management factors and the location data of the drone, and sending the re-calculated flight path to the drone.

Claims

1. A drone traffic management system comprising a roving sector drone for controlling a flight path of another drone, said roving sector drone comprising an on-board computer comprising:

memory means for storing

origin coordinates indicating an origin location of a drone,

destination coordinates indicating a destination location of the drone, and

traffic management factors located between the origin location of the drone and the destination location of the drone; and

processing means for controlling a flight path of the drone by

calculating an initial flight path for the drone to fly automatically from the origin location to the destination location without manual intervention,

sending the initial flight path to the drone,

continuously revising the flight path of the drone by repeating, until the drone reaches its destination, the steps of;

receiving location data of the drone as it travels from the origin location to the destination,

calculating a revised flight path of the drone as a function of the traffic management factors and the location data of the drone, and

sending the revised flight path to the drone.

2. The drone traffic management system of claim 1 wherein the traffic management factors comprise at least one of weather parameters, natural barrier locations, manmade barrier locations.

3. The drone traffic management system of claim 1 wherein the traffic management factors comprise a flight path of a second drone.

4. The drone traffic management system of claim 3 wherein

the processing means receives location data of the second drone as the second drone travels along its flight path, and

the processing means additionally uses the location data of the second drone to calculate the revised path of the drone.

5. A method of managing drone traffic comprising:

storing in memory of a computer located onboard a roving sector drone that controls a flight path of another drone;

origin coordinates indicating an origin location of a drone,

destination coordinates indicating a destination location of the drone, and

traffic management factors located between the origin location of the drone and the destination location of the drone; and

the computer controlling a flight of the drone by

calculating an initial flight path for the drone to fly automatically from the origin location to the destination location without manual intervention,

sending the initial flight path to the drone,

continuously revising the flight path of the drone by repeating, until the drone reaches its destination, the steps of;

receiving location data of the drone as it travels from the origin location to the destination,

calculating a revised flight path of the drone as a function of the traffic management factors and the location data of the drone, and

sending the revised flight path to the drone.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the traffic management factors comprise at least one of weather parameters, natural barrier locations, manmade barrier locations.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the traffic management factors comprise a flight path of a second drone.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein

the computer receives location data of the second drone as the second drone travels along its flight path, and

the computer additionally uses the location data of the second drone to calculate the revised path of the drone.