Managing available energy among multiple drones

• US 10,310,501 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Greenberger, Jeremy A., Hardee, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Luat T
• Application Number:
  US15/433,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20180231971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 701 3
• 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 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• 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: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• 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: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

Management of available energy among multiple drones is provided by identifying tasks to be completed by the multiple drones, and determining energy requirements of one or more drones of the multiple drones to facilitate completing one or more tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones. Further, the approach includes identifying an energy sharing approach for completion of the task(s) by the drone(s) where one or more other drones of the multiple drones transfer energy in operation to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s). In operation, the multiple drones may be detachably coupled, and the approach may include implementing the energy sharing approach by transferring energy from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s), for instance, prior to decoupling of the other drone(s) from the drone(s).

Claims

1. A method of managing available energy among multiple drones, the method comprising:

identifying tasks to be completed by the multiple drones;

determining energy requirements of one or more drones of the multiple drones to facilitate completing one or more tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones;

identifying an energy sharing approach for completion of the task(s) by the drone(s) where one or more other drones of the multiple drones transfer energy in operation to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s); and

wherein the multiple drones are coupled, and the method further comprises implementing the energy sharing approach by transferring energy in operation from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s) prior to decoupling of the other drone(s) from the drone(s).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises determining energy requirements of the other drone(s) of the multiple drones to facilitate completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), and using the energy requirements of the drone(s) and the energy requirements of the other drone(s) in identifying the energy sharing approach, the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes determining a respective route for each drone, each respective route including a route portion where the multiple drones travel as a coupled collective of drones, and the determining comprises determining energy requirements of each drone of the multiple drones for completion of a respective task of the multiple tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining further comprises determining any lifting requirements for each drone of the multiple drones for completion of the respective task and a total distance of each respective route of the multiple drones, and determining an expected amount of energy each drone will require for completion of the drone'"'"'s respective task, and based thereon, identifying the energy sharing approach to facilitate transfer of energy from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) while in operation to facilitate completion of the task(s), while retaining sufficient energy for completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the other drone(s) decouples in operation from the drone(s) to facilitate completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring energy in operation comprises transferring electrical energy in operation to one or more power supplies of the drone(s) from one or more other power supplies of the other drone(s) prior to decoupling of the other drone(s) from the drone(s), and wherein the transferring electrical energy is through one or more coupling mechanisms coupling the drone(s) and the other drone(s) in a coupled collective of the multiple drones.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the drone(s) have different power supply requirements for completion of the task(s) from the other drone(s) for completion of one or more other tasks, the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones, and wherein the drone(s) requires transfer of electrical energy thereto in operation in order to complete the task(s) and return.

8. A system for managing available energy among multiple drones, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the system performs a method comprising;

identifying tasks to be completed by the multiple drones;

determining energy requirements of one or more drones of the multiple drones to facilitate completing one or more tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones;

identifying an energy sharing approach for completion of the task(s) by the drone(s) where one or more other drones of the multiple drones transfer energy in operation to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s); and

wherein the multiple drones are coupled, and the method further comprises implementing the energy sharing approach by transferring energy in operation from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s) prior to decoupling of the other drone(s) from the drone(s).

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises determining energy requirements of the other drone(s) of the multiple drones to facilitate completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), and using the energy requirements of the drone(s) and the energy requirements of the other drone(s) in identifying the energy sharing approach, the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the determining includes determining a respective route for each drone, each respective route including a route portion where the multiple drones travel as a coupled collective of drones, and the determining comprises determining energy requirements of each drone of the multiple drones for completion of a respective task of the multiple tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the determining further comprises determining any lifting requirements for each drone of the multiple drones for completion of the respective task and a total distance of each respective route of the multiple drones, and determining an expected amount of energy each drone will require for completion of the drone'"'"'s respective task, and based thereon, identifying the energy sharing approach to facilitate transfer of energy from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) while in operation to facilitate completion of the task(s), while retaining sufficient energy for completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the other drone(s) decouples in operation from the drone(s) to facilitate completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

13. A computer program product for managing available energy among multiple drones, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therewith, the computer readable code being executable by a processor to perform a method comprising;

identifying tasks to be completed by the multiple drones;

determining energy requirements of one or more drones of the multiple drones to facilitate completing one or more tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones;

identifying an energy sharing approach for completion of the task(s) by the drone(s) where one or more other drones of the multiple drones transfer energy in operation to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s); and

wherein the multiple drones are coupled, and the method further comprises implementing the energy sharing approach by transferring energy in operation from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) to facilitate completion of the task(s) prior to decoupling of the other drone(s) from the drone(s).

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the determining further comprises determining energy requirements of the other drone(s) of the multiple drones to facilitate completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), and using the energy requirements of the drone(s) and the energy requirements of the other drone(s) in identifying the energy sharing approach, the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the determining includes determining a respective route for each drone, each respective route including a route portion where the multiple drones travel as a coupled collective of drones, and the determining comprises determining energy requirements of each drone of the multiple drones for completion of a respective task of the multiple tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the determining further comprises determining any lifting requirements for each drone of the multiple drones for completion of the respective task and a total distance of each respective route of the multiple drones, and determining an expected amount of energy each drone will require for completion of the drone'"'"'s respective task, and based thereon, identifying the energy sharing approach to facilitate transfer of energy from the other drone(s) to the drone(s) while in operation to facilitate completion of the task(s), while retaining sufficient energy for completion of one or more other tasks by the other drone(s), the other task(s) being one or more other tasks of the tasks to be completed by the multiple drones.