Depicting the flight of a formation of UAVs
First Claim
1. A method for depicting the flight of a formation of a plurality of UAVs, the method comprising:
- piloting a plurality of UAVs, each UAV being piloted under the control of a navigation computer in accordance with a navigation algorithm and a flight formation algorithm; and
while piloting each UAV;
reading from a GPS receiver on each UAV a sequence of GPS data representing a flight path of the UAV;
depicting the flight of each UAV with 3D computer graphics to create a plurality of UAV flight depictions, including a computer graphic display of a satellite image of the Earth, in dependence upon the GPS data; and
coalescing the plurality of UAV flight depictions.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for depicting the flight of a formation of a plurality of UAVs. Embodiments include piloting a plurality of UAVs, each UAV being piloted under the control of a navigation computer in accordance with a navigation algorithm and a flight formation algorithm. While piloting each UAV, embodiments typically include reading from a GPS receiver on each UAV a sequence of GPS data representing a flight path of the UAV; depicting the flight of each UAV with 3D computer graphics to create a plurality of UAV flight depictions, including a computer graphic display of a satellite image of the Earth, in dependence upon the GPS data; and coalescing the plurality of UAV flight depictions. Embodiments may also include identifying a deviation of a UAV from its intended position in the formation in dependence upon the coalesced depiction.
75 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for depicting the flight of a formation of a plurality of UAVs, the method comprising:
-
piloting a plurality of UAVs, each UAV being piloted under the control of a navigation computer in accordance with a navigation algorithm and a flight formation algorithm; and
while piloting each UAV;
reading from a GPS receiver on each UAV a sequence of GPS data representing a flight path of the UAV;
depicting the flight of each UAV with 3D computer graphics to create a plurality of UAV flight depictions, including a computer graphic display of a satellite image of the Earth, in dependence upon the GPS data; and
coalescing the plurality of UAV flight depictions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A system for depicting the flight of a formation of a plurality of UAVs, the system comprising:
-
means for piloting a plurality of UAVs, each UAV being piloted under the control of a navigation computer in accordance with a navigation algorithm and a flight formation algorithm; and
while piloting each UAV;
means for reading from a GPS receiver on each UAV a sequence of GPS data representing a flight path of the UAV;
means for depicting the flight of each UAV with 3D computer graphics to create a plurality of UAV flight depictions, including a computer graphic display of a satellite image of the Earth, in dependence upon the GPS data; and
means for coalescing the plurality of UAV flight depictions. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A computer program product for depicting the flight of a formation of a plurality of UAVs, the computer program product comprising:
-
a recording medium;
means, recorded on the recording medium, for piloting a plurality of UAVs, each UAV being piloted under the control of a navigation computer in accordance with a navigation algorithm and a flight formation algorithm; and
while piloting each UAV;
means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading from a GPS receiver on each UAV a sequence of GPS data representing a flight path of the UAV;
means, recorded on the recording medium, for depicting the flight of each UAV with 3D computer graphics to create a plurality of UAV flight depictions, including a computer graphic display of a satellite image of the Earth, in dependence upon the GPS data; and
means, recorded on the recording medium, for coalescing the plurality of UAV flight depictions. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification