SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COLLABORATIVELY CONTROLLING AT LEAST ONE AIRCRAFT

• US 20140156109A1
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Estkowski, Regina I.
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle management system includes an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) control station controlling one or more unmanned vehicles (UV), a collaborative routing system, and a communication network connecting the UAS and the collaborative routing system. The collaborative routing system being configured to receive flight parameters from an operator of the UAS control station and, based on the received flight parameters, automatically present the UAS control station with flight plan options to enable the operator to operate the UV in a defined airspace.

Claims

1. An unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system configured to receive flight parameters and, based on the received flight parameters, automatically present flight plan options to operate an unmanned vehicle (UV) in a defined airspace.

2. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 1 further configured to:

determine a feasibility of the received flight parameters; and

if the flight parameters are feasible, generate and transmit one or more flight plans, the flight plans including metrics that indicate a percentage of the flight parameters achieved by each flight plan option.

3. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 1, further configured to:

determine a feasibility of the received flight parameters; and

if the flight parameters are not feasible, generate and transmit one or more suggested flight plan parameter modifications.

4. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 1, further configured to:

receive an input ranking the flight plan parameter modifications; and

automatically present at least one revised flight plan option based on the received input.

5. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 1, further configured to:

receive an input designating at least one of the flight plan options as a selected flight plan;

automatically monitor the defined air space around the UV to identify factors that may prohibit the ability of the UV to continue along the selected flight plan; and

automatically generate and transmit one or more suggested flight plan modifications based on the automatically identified factors.

6. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 5, further configured to:

receive an input accepting or rejecting the suggested flight plan modifications; and

if the suggested flight plan modifications are accepted, generate and transmit a revised flight plan.

7. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 1, further configured to:

automatically present at least two fat path options based on the received flight parameters;

receive an input selecting one of the fat path options; and

automatically generate and transmit the flight plans options based on the received input.

8. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 1, further configured to:

receive a first set of flight parameters for controlling an operation of a first UV;

receive a second set of flight parameters for controlling an operation of a second UV; and

generate a mutually feasible set of flight plan options for the first UV and the second UV'"'"'s.

9. The unmanned vehicle collaborative routing system of claim 8, further configured to:

receive an input ranking the first and second set of mutually feasible flight plan options; and

generate a flight plan for the first and second UV'"'"'s based on the received input.

10. A method for generating a flight plan for one or more aircraft, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of flight parameters;

automatically generating a plurality of flight plan options;

automatically presenting the plurality of flight plan options; and

selecting one of the flight plan options to operate an unmanned vehicle (UV) in a defined airspace.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining a feasibility of the received flight parameters; and

if the flight parameters are feasible, generating and transmitting at least one flight plan, the flight plan including metrics that indicate a percentage of the flight parameters achieved by each flight plan option.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining a feasibility of the received flight parameters; and

if the flight parameters are not feasible, generating and transmitting one or more suggested flight plan parameter modifications.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving an input ranking the flight plan parameter modifications; and

automatically presenting at least one revised flight plan option based on the received input.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving an input designating at least one of the flight plan options as a selected flight plan;

automatically monitoring the defined air space around the aircraft to identify factors that may prohibit the ability of the aircraft to continue along the selected flight plan; and

automatically generating and transmitting one or more suggested flight plan modifications based on the automatically identified factors.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving an input accepting or rejecting the suggested flight plan modifications; and

if the suggested flight plan modifications are accepted, generating and transmitting a revised flight plan.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

automatically presenting at least two fat path options based on the received flight parameters;

receiving an input selecting one of the fat path options; and

automatically generating and transmitting the flight plans options based on the received input.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a first set of flight parameters for controlling an operation of a first aircraft;

receiving a second set of flight parameters for controlling an operation of a second aircraft; and

generating a mutually feasible set of flight plan options for the first and second aircraft.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving an input ranking the first and second sets of mutually feasible flight plan options; and

generating a flight plan for the first and second aircraft based on the received input.

19. A method for generating a plurality of mutually feasible flight plans for a plurality of aircraft, said method comprising:

receiving a first set of flight parameters for controlling an operation of a first aircraft;

receiving a second set of flight parameters for controlling an operation of a second aircraft; and

generating a mutually feasible set of flight plan options for the first and second aircraft.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving an input ranking the first and second sets of mutually feasible flight plan options; and

generating a flight plan for the first and second aircraft based on the received input.