Method for allowing missions of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular in non-segregated air spaces

• US 9,613,535 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S.I.Sv.El. Societa' Italiana Per Lo Sviluppo Dell'Elettronica S.P.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Csp-Innovazione Nelle Ict Scarl, Sisvel Technology S.r.l. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Inventors: Borri, Roberto, Ricchiuti, Ferdinando, Scarafia, Simone, Torrero, Livio
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/232,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20140163852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 701120
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• 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 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy

Abstract

A method for allowing missions of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), in particular in non-segregated air space, includes the steps of: prearranging a flight plan by an operator of an unmanned aerial vehicle; verifying, by a management and control body, that the flight plan is compatible with other flight plans of other aerial vehicles, and, if necessary, modifying the flight plan so as to prevent any collisions with the other aerial vehicles, wherein the following steps are carried out: encrypting the flight plan, by the management and control body, with a private key of the management and control body, so as to obtain an encrypted flight plan; encoding the encrypted flight plan with a public key of the unmanned aerial vehicle for which the flight plan is intended, so as to obtain an encrypted and encoded flight plan.

Claims

1. A device adapted to be installed on board an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

an interface adapted to receive a document comprising data of a flight plan encrypted with a first private key associated with an air traffic management and control body and encoded with a second public key associated with the UAV;

a control unit that includes a processor,

wherein said control unit comprises means for authenticating the flight plan by decoding said encoded flight plan by applying a second private key associated with the UAV and then decrypting said encrypted flight plan by applying a first public key associated with said air traffic management and control body, so as to obtain a decrypted flight plan which can be used by said UAV.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said device further comprises a module for detecting UAV position data and a non-volatile memory, and wherein said control unit stores mission data in real time.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said data detection module comprises at least one GNSS module for obtaining the UAV position data through satellite signals.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said data detection module comprises a module of inertial motion sensors which, by co-operating with said GNSS module for obtaining the UAV position data through satellite signals, allows locating with more accuracy a path followed by the UAV during the mission.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in said memory are only accessible to the air traffic management and control body.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said data stored in said memory are accessible for a time period defined by said air traffic management and control body.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the data stored in said memory are only accessible to the air traffic management and control body through a set of access permissions.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit comprises a microprocessor.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data of the flight plan at least partially defines a mission to be undertaken by the UAV, the data of the flight plan comprising:

geographic coordinates of where the UAV will travel during the mission;

times of the mission; and

a vehicle profile of the UAV.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein

said geographic coordinates comprise GPS coordinates;

said times of said mission comprise times of stopping over a point in order to take a photograph or to collect data from a sensor; and

said vehicle profile of the UAV comprise data relating to type, dimensions, weight, cruise speed, maximum turning angle.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the flight plan is encrypted with the private key associated with the air traffic management and control body before being encoded with the public key associated with the vehicle; and

the means for authenticating decodes the flight plan with the private key associated with the vehicle before being decrypted with the public key associated with the air traffic management and control body.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the flight plan is encrypted with the public key associated with the vehicle before being encoded with the private key associated with the air traffic management and control body; and

the means for authenticating decodes the flight plan with the public key associated with the air traffic management and control body before being decrypted with the private key associated with the vehicle.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein encrypting comprises signing or encoding and wherein encoding includes signing or encrypting and wherein decrypting includes decoding or decoding includes decrypting.

14. A device for allowing missions of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the device adapted to be installed at an air traffic management and control body, the device comprising:

a receiver for receiving a flight plan prepared and sent by an operator of an UAV;

an encryptor that includes a processor for encrypting the flight plan of the UAV using a private key of the air traffic management and control body and a public key associated with the UAV so as to obtain an encrypted flight plan; and

a transmitter for sending said encrypted flight plan to the UAV for which said flight plan is intended.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising a verification unit for verifying that the mission carried out by said UAV complies with the flight plan authorized by said air traffic management and control body.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein said verification unit verifies at least:

geographic coordinates of points flown over by the UAV during said mission;

times of said mission; and

a vehicle profile of the UAV.