Identifying unmanned aerial vehicles for mission performance

• US 9,811,084 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• 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:
  US15/441,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20170160740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• 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, capability information for one or more unmanned aerial vehicles;

assigning, by the device, one or more weights to the capability information;

identifying, by the device, the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on the one or more weights;

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

receiving, by the device and from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, mission information,

the mission information indicating that a sensor of a first unmanned aerial vehicle, of the one or more 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 one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to perform an operation of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining required capabilities for a mission based on at least one of;

the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

component requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

physical requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

or

aviation information associated with the first geographical location and the second geographical location; and

where identifying the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles comprises;

identifying the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on determining the required capabilities for the mission.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a score, for each of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, based on assigning the one or more weights; and

where identifying the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles comprises;

identifying particular unmanned aerial vehicles, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the calculated score and based on required capabilities for a mission.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the flight path instructions for the flight path and the mission instructions for the one or more mission operations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one prior flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location; and

selecting one of the at least one prior flight path as the flight path.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive capability information for one or more unmanned aerial vehicles;

assign one or more weights to the capability information;

identify the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on the one or more weights;

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

receive, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, mission information,

the mission information indicating that a sensor of a first unmanned aerial vehicle, of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, being unable to perform a function;

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 one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to perform a mission operation of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

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

determine required capabilities for a mission based on at least one of;

the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

component requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

physical requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

or

aviation information associated with the first geographical location and the second geographical location; and

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

identify the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on determining the required capabilities for the mission.

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

calculate a score, for each of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, based on assigning the one or more weights; and

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

identify particular unmanned aerial vehicles, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the calculated score and based on required capabilities for a 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 the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, a notification indicating that a mission is complete when the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles complete the one or more mission operations.

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

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

calculating the flight path based on at least one or more of;

weather information,

air traffic information,

regulatory information,

obstacle information, or

historical information.

15. A non-transitory 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 capability information for one or more unmanned aerial vehicles;

assign one or more weights to the capability information;

identify the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on the one or more weights;

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

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

receive, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, mission information,

the mission information indicating that a sensor of a first unmanned aerial vehicle, of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, being unable to perform a function;

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 one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, to perform a mission operation of the first unmanned aerial vehicle.

16. The non-transitory 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 required capabilities for a mission based on at least one of;

the first geographical location and the second geographical location;

component requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

physical requirements associated with the flight path and the one or more mission operations;

or

aviation information associated with the first geographical location and the second geographical location; and

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

identify the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on determining the required capabilities for the mission.

17. The non-transitory 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;

calculate a score, for each of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, based on assigning the one or more weights; and

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

identify particular unmanned aerial vehicles, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the calculated score and based on required capabilities for a mission.

18. The non-transitory 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;

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

19. The non-transitory 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;

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

20. The non-transitory 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 that the flight path includes a path over a restricted area; and

modify the flight path to avoid the restricted area based on determining that the flight path includes the path over the restricted area.