INFORMATION COLLECTION AND COMPONENT/SOFTWARE UPGRADES FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

• US 20160217694A1
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Batla, Hani, Srivastava, Ashok N., Pasko, Douglas M., Kantor, Igor, Ubhi, Gurpreet
• Granted Patent: US 10,380,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• 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: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• 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: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A device receives, from a user device, a request for a flight path for a UAV to travel in a geographical region, and determines a suggested component/software for the UAV based on capability information associated with the UAV. The device provides, to the user device, information associated with the suggested component/software, and calculates the flight path based on the capability information and real time information and non-real time information associated with the geographical region. The device generates flight path instructions for the flight path, and provides the flight path instructions to the UAV to permit the UAV to travel from in the geographical region via the flight path.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by the device, real time information associated with aviation in a geographical region and non-real time information associated with aviation in the geographical region;

assigning, by the device, different weights to the real time information and the non-real time information to create weighted information;

receiving, by the device and from another device, a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in the geographical region;

determining, by the device, a suggested component or suggested software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on capability information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

providing, by the device and to the other device, information associated with the suggested component or the suggested software for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculating, by the device, the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the weighted information and the capability information;

generating, by the device, flight path instructions for the flight path; and

providing, by the device, the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location via the flight path.

2. The method of claim 1, where calculating the flight path comprises:

determining a plurality of possible flight paths from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the weighted information and the capability information;

calculating scores for the plurality of possible flights based on the weights assigned to the real time information and the non-real time information; and

selecting the flight path, from plurality of possible flight paths, based on the calculated scores.

3. The method of claim 2, where calculating the flight path further comprises:

ranking the plurality of possible flight paths based on the calculated scores; and

selecting the flight path, from the plurality of possible flight paths, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible flight paths.

4. The method of claim 1, where determining the suggested component or the suggested software comprises:

determining a plurality of possible components or software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the capability information;

calculating scores for the plurality of possible components or software based on the weights assigned to the real time information and the non-real time information; and

selecting the suggested component or the suggested software, from plurality of possible components or software, based on the calculated scores.

5. The method of claim 4, where determining the suggested component or the suggested software further comprises:

ranking the plurality of possible components or software based on the calculated scores; and

selecting the suggested component or the suggested software, from the plurality of possible components or software, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible components or software.

6. The method of claim 1, where the information associated with the suggested component or the suggested software includes a user interface from which the suggested component or the suggested component may be selected.

7. The method of claim 1, where the real time information and the non-real time information include one or more of:

weather information associated with the geographical region,

air traffic information associated with the geographical region,

obstacle information associated with the geographical region, or

regulatory information associated with the geographical region.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive, from a user device, a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in a geographical region;

determine a suggested component or suggested software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on capability information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

provide, to the user device, information associated with the suggested component or the suggested software for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the capability information and based on real time or non-real time information associated with aviation in the geographical region;

generate flight path instructions for the flight path; and

provide the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location via the flight path.

9. The system of claim 8, where, when determining the suggested component or the suggested software, the one or more devices are further to:

assign weights to the capability information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determine a plurality of possible components or software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the capability information and based on the real time or non-real time information associated with aviation in the geographical region;

calculate scores for the plurality of possible components or software based on the assigned weights; and

select the suggested component or the suggested software, from plurality of possible components or software, based on the calculated scores.

10. The system of claim 9, where, when determining the suggested component or the suggested software, the one or more devices are further to:

rank the plurality of possible components or software based on the calculated scores; and

select the suggested component or the suggested software, from the plurality of possible components or software, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible components or software.

11. The system of claim 8, where the one or more devices are further to:

determine a plurality of possible components or software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the capability information and based on the real time or non-real time information associated with aviation in the geographical region;

generate a user interface that includes information associated with the plurality of possible components or software; and

present, for display, the user interface to the user device.

12. The system of claim 11, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive, from the user device, a selection of a component or software, from the plurality of possible components or software and via the user interface; and

cause the selected component or software to be provided to the unmanned aerial vehicle or to a user associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle.

13. The system of claim 11, where the information associated with the plurality of possible components or software includes purchase or rental prices associated with the plurality of possible components or software.

14. The system of claim 8, where the one or more devices are further to:

assign weights to the real time or non-real time information associated with aviation in the geographical region;

determine a plurality of possible flight paths from the first geographical location to the second geographical location;

calculate scores for the plurality of possible flights based on the assigned weights; and

select the flight path, from plurality of possible flight paths, based on the calculated scores.

15. A computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive real time information associated with aviation in a geographical region and non-real time information associated with aviation in the geographical region;

assign different weights to the real time information and the non-real time information to create weighted information;

receive, from another device, a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in the geographical region;

determine a suggested component or suggested software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on capability information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

provide, to the other device, information associated with the suggested component or the suggested software for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the weighted information and the capability information;

generate flight path instructions for the flight path; and

provide the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location via the flight path.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions to calculate the flight path further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a plurality of possible flight paths from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the weighted information and the capability information;

calculate scores for the plurality of possible flights based on the weights assigned to the real time information and the non-real time information; and

select the flight path, from plurality of possible flight paths, based on the calculated scores.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the instructions to calculate the flight path further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

rank the plurality of possible flight paths based on the calculated scores; and

select the flight path, from the plurality of possible flight paths, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible flight paths.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions to determine the suggested component or the suggested software further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a plurality of possible components or software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the capability information;

calculate scores for the plurality of possible components or software based on the weights assigned to the real time information and the non-real time information; and

select the suggested component or the suggested software, from plurality of possible components or software, based on the calculated scores.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, where the instructions to determine the suggested component or the suggested software further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

rank the plurality of possible components or software based on the calculated scores; and

select the suggested component or the suggested software, from the plurality of possible components or software, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible components or software.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a plurality of possible components or software for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the capability information;

generate a user interface that includes information associated with the plurality of possible components or software; and

present, for display, the user interface to the other device.