Decentralized air traffic management system for unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 9,997,080 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zipline International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zipline International Inc.
• Inventors: Chambers, Andrew, Oksenhorn, Ryan, Schwartz, Jeremy, Wyrobek, Keenan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weeks, Martin A
• Application Number:
  US14/966,265
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• 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 20/80 Arrangement of on-board electronics, e.g. avionics systems or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• 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 5/006 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 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• 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

An unmanned aircraft system includes an aircraft control system that enables the safe operation of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in the same airspace, through the use of a decentralized air traffic management system. The decentralized air traffic management system is robust against loss of communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle and does not require a centralized ground control system to coordinate the vehicles.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a computer memory configured to store a representation of a geographical area; and

an aircraft control system configured to;

transmit an entry-request notification indicating a planned entry of the aerial vehicle into the geographical area;

determine whether a notification is received from a remote unmanned aerial vehicle within a time period after transmitting the entry-request notification;

in accordance with a determination that a notification has not been received within the time period, transmit a zone-entry notification;

cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to enter the controlled zone; and

transmit an in-zone notification.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the time period is determined based on a property of the geographical area.

3. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a computer memory configured to store a representation of a geographic area; and

an aircraft control system configured to;

transmit an entry-request notification indicating a planned entry of the aerial vehicle into the geographical area;

determine whether a notification is received from a remote unmanned aerial vehicle within a time period after transmitting the entry-request notification;

in accordance with a determination that a notification from the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has been received within the time period, determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority to enter the geographical area;

in accordance with a determination that the unmanned aerial vehicle has priority to enter the geographical area, cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to enter the geographical area; and

transmit an in-zone notification.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on payloads of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on a time that the unmanned aerial vehicle has been waiting at the geographical area.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on a serial number of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a serial number of the remote unmanned aerial vehicle.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on a time of transmission of the entry-request notification.

8. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a computer memory storing a representation of a geographical area; and

an aircraft control system configured to;

determine a first estimated time of arrival of the unmanned aerial vehicle to the geographical area;

transmit a first status message comprising the first estimated time of arrival;

receive a second status message from each of a plurality of remote unmanned aerial vehicles, each respective second status message comprising a respective second estimated time of arrival of a respective remote unmanned aerial vehicle to the geographical area;

determine a speed modifier based on a weighting function and the first estimated time of arrival and the second estimated times of arrival; and

modify an airspeed of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the speed modifier.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, wherein determining the speed modifier based on the weighting function comprises calculating a weighted sum of differences between the first estimated time of arrival and each of the second estimated times of arrival.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, wherein determining the first estimated time of arrival comprises determining a distance along a flight corridor between an estimated current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the geographical area.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 10, wherein determining the first estimated time of arrival further comprises determining an estimated travel time based on a current wind speed at a point along a flight corridor and a heading of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. A method of controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

at an unmanned aerial vehicle;

transmitting an entry-request notification indicating a planned entry of the aerial vehicle into a geographical area;

determining whether a notification is received from a remote unmanned aerial vehicle within a time period after transmitting the entry-request notification;

in accordance with a determination that a notification has not been received within the time period, transmitting a zone-entry notification;

causing the unmanned aerial vehicle to enter the controlled zone; and

transmitting an in-zone notification.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the time period is determined based on a property of the geographical area.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in accordance with a determination that a notification from the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has been received within the time period, determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority to enter the geographical area;

in accordance with a determination that the unmanned aerial vehicle has priority to enter the geographical area, causing the unmanned aerial vehicle to enter the geographical area; and

transmit an in-zone notification.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on payloads of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote unmanned aerial vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on a time that the unmanned aerial vehicle has been waiting at the geographical area.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remote unmanned aerial vehicle has priority is based at least partially on a serial number of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a serial number of the remote unmanned aerial vehicle.

18. A method of operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

at an unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining a first estimated time of arrival of the unmanned aerial vehicle to a geographical area;

transmitting a first status message comprising the first estimated time of arrival;

receiving a second status message from each of a plurality of remote unmanned aerial vehicles, each respective second status message comprising a respective second estimated time of arrival of a respective remote unmanned aerial vehicle to the geographical area;

determining a speed modifier based on a weighting function and the first estimated time of arrival and the second estimated times of arrival; and

modifying an airspeed of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the speed modifier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the speed modifier based on the weighting function comprises calculating a weighted sum of differences between the first estimated time of arrival and each of the second estimated times of arrival.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the first estimated time of arrival comprises determining a distance along a flight corridor between an estimated current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the geographical area.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the first estimated time of arrival further comprises determining an estimated travel time based on a current wind speed at a point along a flight corridor and a heading of the unmanned aerial vehicle.