Intelligent drone traffic management via radio access network

• US 9,940,842 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson, Cui, Zhi, Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gordon, Mathew Franklin
• Application Number:
  US14/929,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/14 ducted or shrouded
• 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 5/0043 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: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16

Abstract

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to intelligent drone traffic management via a radio access network (“RAN”). As disclosed herein, a RAN node, such as an eNodeB, can receive, from a drone, a flight configuration. The flight configuration can include a drone ID and a drone route. The RAN node can determine whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the RAN node. In response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the RAN node, the RAN node can add the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the RAN node. When the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the RAN node, the RAN node can instruct the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

Claims

1. A radio access network node comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

providing network connectivity to a drone,

receiving, from the drone, a flight configuration for the drone, wherein the flight configuration comprises a drone ID and a drone route,

determining whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the radio access network node based at least on a number of drones operating in the airspace, and

in response to determining that capacity is not available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node;

instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to proceed to a different radio access network node, and

performing, by the radio access network node, a handover of communications with the drone to the different radio access network node.

2. The radio access network node of claim 1, wherein the flight configuration is received from the drone when the drone has arrived in the airspace associated with the radio access network node.

3. The radio access network node of claim 1, wherein the drone route comprises information indicative of a drone origin for providing the flight configuration to the drone, a drone destination for receiving a flight summary associated with the drone route from the drone, and one or more locations en route from the drone origin to the drone destination.

4. The radio access network node of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adding the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node when capacity is determined to be available.

5. The radio access network node of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise, when the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, instructing the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

6. The radio access network node of claim 5, wherein the flight configuration further comprises a priority flag indicating whether the drone is to be given priority in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, and wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

determining whether the drone is priority eligible based upon the priority flag; and

in response to determining that the drone is priority eligible, prioritizing the drone ID in the queue.

7. The radio access network node of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise in response to determining the drone ID is not next in the queue, instructing the drone to enter a holding pattern in a designated portion of the airspace associated with the radio access network node.

8. The radio access network node of claim 1, wherein the radio access network node comprises an eNodeB.

9. A method comprising:

providing, by a radio access network node, connectivity to a drone;

receiving, by the radio access network node from the drone, a flight configuration for the drone, wherein the flight configuration comprises a drone ID and a drone route;

determining, by the radio access network node, whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the radio access network node based at least on a number of drones operating in the airspace; and

in response to determining that capacity is not available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node;

instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to proceed to a different radio access network node; and

performing, by the radio access network node, a handover of communications with the drone to the different radio access network node.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising adding the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node when capacity is determined to be available.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, when the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the flight configuration further comprises a priority flag indicating whether the drone is to be given priority in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node;

and further comprising, in response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node;

determining, by the radio access network node, whether the drone is priority eligible based upon the priority flag; and

in response to determining that the drone is priority eligible, prioritizing, by the radio access network node, the drone ID in the queue.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising, in response to determining the drone ID is not next in the queue, instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to enter a holding pattern in a designated portion of the airspace associated with the radio access network node.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the radio access network node comprises an eNodeB.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a radio access network node, causes the radio access network node to perform operations comprising:

providing network connectivity to a drone;

receiving, from the drone, a flight configuration for the drone, wherein the flight configuration comprises a drone ID and a drone route;

determining whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the radio access network node based at least on a number of drones operating in the airspace; and

in response to determining that capacity is not available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node;

instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to proceed to a different radio access network node; and

performing, by the radio access network node, a handover of communications with the drone to the different radio access network node.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise adding the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node when capacity is determined to be available.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise, when the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, instructing the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the flight configuration further comprises a priority flag indicating whether the drone is to be given priority in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, and wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

determining whether the drone is priority eligible based upon the priority flag; and

in response to determining that the drone is priority eligible, prioritizing the drone ID in the queue.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise in response to determining the drone ID is not next in the queue, instructing the drone to enter a holding pattern in a designated portion of the airspace associated with the radio access network node.