Alternate means of controlling large numbers of commercial drones over airports and populated areas

• US 9,754,497 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Charles R., Neal, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US15/418,419
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• 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 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• 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 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

A method for providing air traffic controlled flight of a large number of commercial drones each carrying one or more packages in to and out of an air traffic controlled space around an airport. The method includes providing an outbound corridor from a carrier facility through and out of the air traffic controlled space, where the outbound corridor does not allow any other air traffic to fly therein, and allowing the drones to fly through the outbound corridor to leave the air traffic controlled space without requiring air traffic control. The method also includes providing an inbound corridor through the air traffic controlled space to the carrier facility that does not allow any other air traffic to fly therein, and allowing drones to return to the carrier facility through the air traffic controlled space by flying through the inbound corridor without requiring air traffic control.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the ingress and egress of drones into and out of an air traffic controlled space around an airport, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of drones each including a controller configured to receive and follow flight instructions;

defining an outbound corridor that is a controlled section of the air traffic controlled space where only outgoing drone traffic can fly and no other air traffic can fly, where the outbound corridor begins at a drone takeoff location and ends outside of the air traffic controlled space;

providing instructions to the controller causing individual drones from the plurality of drones to leave the drone takeoff location and fly through the outbound corridor under a blanket preauthorization from air traffic control and without requiring air traffic control of each of the individual drones;

defining an inbound corridor that is a controlled section of the air traffic controlled space where only incoming drone traffic can fly and no other air traffic can fly, where the inbound corridor begins outside of the air traffic controlled space and ends at a drone landing location; and

providing instructions to the controller causing individual drones from the plurality of drones to return to the drone landing location through the inbound corridor under a blanket preauthorization from air traffic control and without requiring air traffic control of each of the individual drones.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising using a vision sensor for providing images of an area around which the drone is flying, where the images are provided to the controller in the drone and used for navigation and collision avoidance.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the drones that are flying through the outbound corridor are in communication with each other and the drones that are flying through the inbound corridor are in communication with each other.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the drone takeoff location and the drone landing location are located proximate a carrier facility that receives packages to be sorted and attached to the drones for delivery.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising providing the packages from a cargo plane that has landed at the airport to the carrier facility.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver a package to a home.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver a package using GPS control.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver a package using GPS-denied control.

9. A method for controlling the ingress and egress of drones into and out of an air traffic controlled space around an airport, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of drones each including a controller configured to receive and follow flight instructions;

providing packages that arrive at the airport on a cargo plane to a carrier facility at the airport that receives the packages to be sorted and attached to the drones for delivery;

selectively attaching a package to each of the drones at the carrier facility, wherein each of the drones includes a vision sensor for providing images of an area around which the drone is flying, where the images are provided to the controller in the drone and used for navigation and collision avoidance;

defining an outbound corridor that is a controlled section of the air traffic controlled space where only outgoing drone traffic can fly and no other air traffic can fly, where the outbound corridor begins at a drone takeoff location and ends outside of the air traffic controlled space;

providing instructions to the controller causing individual drones from the plurality of drones to leave the drone takeoff location and fly through the outbound corridor under a blanket preauthorization from air traffic control and without requiring air traffic control of each of the individual drones;

defining an inbound corridor that is a controlled section of the air traffic controlled space where only incoming drone traffic can fly and no other air traffic can fly, where the inbound corridor begins outside of the air traffic controlled space and ends at a drone landing location; and

providing instructions to the controller causing individual drones from the plurality of drones to return to the drone landing location through the inbound corridor under a blanket preauthorization from air traffic control and without requiring air traffic control of each of the individual drones, wherein the drone takeoff location and the drone landing location are located proximate the carrier facility.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the drones that are flying through the outbound corridor are in communication with each other and the drones that are flying through the inbound corridor are in communication with each other.

11. The method according to claim 9 further comprising causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver their package to a home.

12. The method according to claim 9 further comprising causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver their package using GPS control.

13. The method according to claim 9 further comprising causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver their package using GPS-denied control.

14. A system for controlling the ingress and egress of drones into and out of an air traffic controlled space around an airport, said system comprising:

a plurality of drones each including a controller configured to receive and follow flight instructions;

means for defining an outbound corridor that is a controlled section of the air traffic controlled space where only outgoing drone traffic can fly and no other air traffic can fly, where the outbound corridor begins at a drone takeoff location and ends outside of the air traffic controlled space;

means for causing individual drones from the plurality of drones to leave the drone takeoff location and fly through the outbound corridor under a blanket preauthorization from air traffic control and without requiring air traffic control of each of the individual drones;

means for defining an inbound corridor that is a controlled section of the air traffic controlled space where only incoming drone traffic can fly and no other air traffic can fly, where the inbound corridor begins outside of the air traffic controlled space and ends at a drone landing location; and

means for causing individual drones from the plurality of drones to return to the drone landing location through the inbound corridor under a blanket preauthorization from air traffic control and without requiring air traffic control of each of the individual drones.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein each drone includes a vision sensor for providing images of an area around which the drone is flying, where the images are provided to the controller in the drone and used for navigation and collision avoidance.

16. The system according to claim 14 wherein the drones that are flying through the outbound corridor are in communication with each other and the drones that are flying through the inbound corridor are in communication with each other.

17. The system according to claim 14 wherein the drone takeoff location and the drone landing location are located proximate a carrier facility that receives packages to be sorted and attached to the drones for delivery.

18. The system according to claim 17 further comprising means for providing the packages from a cargo plane that has landed at the airport to the carrier facility.

19. The system according to claim 14 further comprising means for causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver a package to a home.

20. The system according to claim 14 further comprising means for causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver a package using GPS control.

21. The system according to claim 14 further comprising means for causing the drones leaving the outbound corridor to deliver a package using GPS-denied control.