UNOCCUPIED FLYING VEHICLE (UFV) INTER-VEHICLE COMMUNICATION FOR HAZARD HANDLING

• US 20140249692A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Lord, Richard T., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D., Wood, Lowell L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,776,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/30 Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/40 Ornithopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00

Abstract

Disclosed herein are example embodiments for unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV) inter-vehicle communication for hazard handling. For certain example embodiments, at least one machine may: (i) receive one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, with the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV; or (ii) adjust a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on one or more flight attributes received from a remote UFV. However, claimed subject matter is not limited to any particular described embodiments, implementations, examples, or so forth.

Claims

1. A method for hazard handling for an unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV), the method being at least partially implemented by at least one machine, the method comprising:

receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV; and

adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV.

2-25. -25. (canceled)

26. An unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV) for hazard handling, the UFV comprising:

circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV; and

circuitry for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV.

27. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV at the UFV.

28. The UFV of claim 27, wherein the circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV at the UFV comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes at the UFV directly from the remote UFV via at least one wireless signal.

29. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV in response to a previously-transmitted request for at least one flight attribute.

30. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV in accordance with an expected flight attribute announcement procedure.

31. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one acceleration indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

32. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one turning indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

33. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one velocity indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

34. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one hover indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

35. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one maneuverability indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

36. The UFV of claim 35, wherein the circuitry for receiving at least one maneuverability indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one maneuverability class representative of the at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

37. The UFV of claim 35, wherein the circuitry for receiving at least one maneuverability indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one maneuverability rating representative of the at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

38. The UFV of claim 35, wherein the circuitry for receiving at least one maneuverability indicator representative of at least one flight capability of the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for receiving at least one craft maneuverability category representative of the at least one flight capability of the remote UFV.

39. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of at least one remaining available airtime for the remote UFV.

40. The UFV of claim 39, wherein the circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of at least one remaining available airtime for the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving from the remote UFV at least one indication of a remaining available airtime for the remote UFV prior to ceasing flight.

41. The UFV of claim 39, wherein the circuitry for receiving the one or more flight attributes from the remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of at least one remaining available airtime for the remote UFV, comprises:

circuitry for receiving from the remote UFV at least one indication of a remaining available airtime for the remote UFV prior to departing an operational theater.

42. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on a maximum altitude flight capability received from the remote UFV to avoid a collision with the remote UFV.

43. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV by descending to a particular altitude responsive at least partly to a minimum altitude flight capability received from the remote UFV, the particular altitude lower than the minimum altitude flight capability.

44. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV to avoid a flight bubble associated with the remote UFV, at least one indication of the flight bubble received from the remote UFV as at least a portion of the one or more flight attributes.

45. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on at least one comparison that includes at least one flight attribute of the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV.

46. The UFV of claim 45, wherein the circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on at least one comparison that includes at least one flight attribute of the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on at least one comparison that includes at least one flight capability received from the remote UFV and at least one flight capability of the UFV.

47. The UFV of claim 26, wherein the circuitry for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on at least one negotiation that includes at least the UFV and the remote UFV.

48. The UFV of claim 47, wherein the circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on at least one negotiation that includes at least the UFV and the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for transmitting to the remote UFV an offer to make an adjustment to the flight path of the UFV to avoid a potential collision based at least partially on the one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV.

49. The UFV of claim 48, wherein the circuitry for transmitting to the remote UFV an offer to make an adjustment to the flight path of the UFV to avoid a potential collision based at least partially on the one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for formulating the offer to make the adjustment to the flight path of the UFV responsive at least in part to a determination that the remote UFV is less maneuverable than the UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV.

50. The UFV of claim 47, wherein the circuitry for adjusting the flight path of the UFV based at least partially on at least one negotiation that includes at least the UFV and the remote UFV comprises:

circuitry for transmitting to the remote UFV a request to make an adjustment to a flight path of the remote UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes indicative of the one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV and at least one flight attribute of the UFV.

51. A system for hazard handling for an unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV), the system comprising:

means for receiving one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight capabilities of the remote UFV; and

means for adjusting a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on the one or more flight attributes received from the remote UFV.

52-75. -75. (canceled)