Identifying unmanned aerial vehicles for mission performance

• US 9,583,006 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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: Srivastava, Ashok N., Pasko, Douglas M., Batla, Hani, Kantor, Igor, Ubhi, Gurpreet
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORCHINSKY, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US14/282,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20160247404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• 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: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• 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

Abstract

A device receives a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from a first location to a second location and performance of mission operations, and calculates the flight path from the first location to the second location based on the request. The device determines required capabilities for the mission based on the request, and identifies UAVs based on the required capabilities for the mission. The device generates flight path instructions for the flight path and mission instructions for the mission operations, and provides the flight path/mission instructions to the identified UAVs to permit the identified UAVs to travel from the first location to the second location, via the flight path, and to perform the mission operations at the second location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from a first geographical location to a second geographical location and performance of one or more mission operations;

calculating, by the device, the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the request;

determining, by the device, required capabilities for the mission based on the request;

identifying, by the device and from a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, particular unmanned aerial vehicles based on the required capabilities for the mission;

generating, by the device, flight path instructions for the flight path and mission instructions for the one or more mission operations;

providing, by the device, the flight path instructions and the mission instructions to the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to permit the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location, via the flight path, and to perform the one or more mission operations;

receiving, by the device and from the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, mission information,

the mission information indicating that a sensor of a first unmanned aerial vehicle, of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, is unable to perform a measurement;

determining, by the device and based on receiving the mission information, a problem associated with the first unmanned aerial vehicle; and

instructing, by the device and based on determining the problem, a second unmanned aerial vehicle of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to perform an operation of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining the required capabilities for the mission comprises at least one of:

determining the required capabilities for the mission based on the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

determining the required capabilities for the mission based on component requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

determining the required capabilities for the mission based on physical requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

or

determining the required capabilities for the mission based on aviation information associated with the first geographical location and the second geographical location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning weights to capability information associated with the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; and

calculating a score, for each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the assigned weights; and

where identifying the particular unmanned aerial vehicles comprises;

identifying the particular unmanned aerial vehicles based on the calculated scores and based on the required capabilities for the mission.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from at least one of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, a notification indicating that the mission is complete when the particular unmanned aerial vehicles complete the one or more mission operations.

5. The method of claim 1, where the particular unmanned aerial vehicles perform the one or more mission operations while traversing the flight path and at the second geographical location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the first unmanned aerial vehicle to return to the first geographical location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more waypoints along the flight path for recharging or refueling one or more of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from a first geographical location to a second geographical location and performance of one or more mission operations at the second geographical location;

calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the request;

determine required capabilities for the mission based on the request;

identify, from a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, particular unmanned aerial vehicles based on the required capabilities for the mission;

generate flight path instructions for the flight path and mission instructions for the one or more mission operations;

provide the flight path instructions and the mission instructions to the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to permit the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location, via the flight path, and to perform the one or more mission operations at the second geographical location;

receive, from the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, mission information,

the mission information indicating that a sensor of a first unmanned aerial vehicle, of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, being unable to perform a measurement;

determine, based on receiving the mission information, a problem associated with the first unmanned aerial vehicle; and

instruct a second unmanned aerial vehicle of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to perform a mission operation of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, where, when determining the required capabilities for the mission, the one or more devices are further to at least one of:

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on component requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on physical requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

or

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on aviation information associated with the first geographical location and the second geographical location.

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

assign different weights to different capability information associated with the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; and

calculate a score, for each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the assigned weights; and

where, when identifying the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, the one or more devices are to;

identify the particular unmanned aerial vehicles based on the calculated scores and based on the required capabilities for the mission.

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

instruct the first unmanned aerial vehicle to return to the first geographical location.

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

receive, from at least one of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, a notification indicating that the mission is complete when the particular unmanned aerial vehicles complete the one or more mission operations.

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

determine one or more waypoints along the flight path for recharging or refueling one or more of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.

14. The system of claim 8, where the particular unmanned aerial vehicles perform the one or more mission operations while traversing the flight path and at the second geographical location.

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 a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from a first geographical location to a second geographical location and performance of one or more mission operations;

calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the request;

determine required capabilities for the mission based on the request;

identify, from a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, particular unmanned aerial vehicles based on the required capabilities for the mission;

generate flight path instructions for the flight path and mission instructions for the one or more mission operations;

provide the flight path instructions and the mission instructions to the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to permit the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location, via the flight path, and to perform the one or more mission operations at the second geographical location;

receive, from the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, mission information,

the mission information indicating that a sensor of a first unmanned aerial vehicle, of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, being unable to perform a measurement;

determine, based on receiving the mission information, a problem associated with the first unmanned aerial vehicle; and

instruct a second unmanned aerial vehicle of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles to perform a mission operation of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors determine the required capabilities for the mission, cause the one or more processors to at least one of:

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on component requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on physical requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

or

determine the required capabilities for the mission based on aviation information associated with the first geographical location and the second geographical location.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

assign different weights to different capability information associated with the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; and

calculate a score, for each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the assigned weights; and

where the one or more instruction, that cause the one or more processors to identify the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, cause the one or more processors to;

identify the particular unmanned aerial vehicles based on the calculated scores and based on the required capabilities for the mission.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

instruct the first unmanned aerial vehicle to return to the first geographical location.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from at least one of the particular unmanned aerial vehicles, a notification indicating that the mission is complete when the particular unmanned aerial vehicles complete the one or more mission operations.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine one or more waypoints along the flight path for recharging or refueling one or more of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.