Multiple mesh drone communication

• US 10,470,241 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson, Dowlatkhah, Sangar, Cui, Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shivers, Ashley
• Application Number:
  US15/352,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Communication between drones of multiple drone meshes is disclosed. Attributes of drones can be cataloged by a network device. A portion of the drone attribute catalog can be received by a drone belonging to a drone mesh. The drone can determine, based on the portion of the drone attribute catalog, an adaptation to the drone mesh in response to a change in a status of a drone of the drone mesh. The adaptation of the drone mesh can comprise adding a drone to the drone mesh, removing drone from the drone mesh, merging the drone mesh with another drone mesh, splitting the drone mesh into a plurality of drone meshes, forming a submesh of the drone mesh, etc. Receiving the portion of the drone attribute catalog can facilitate self-organization and/or self-optimization of a drone mesh by drones comprising the drone mesh. A drone can concurrently be a member of one or more drone meshes as a result of the adaptation of the drone mesh.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor, wherein the processor is comprised in a device other than a drone; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining that a first group of drone devices comprises a first drone device comprising a first functionality, wherein the first group of drone devices is deployed on a first mission;

in response to determining that the first drone device has transitioned from a first status to a second status, determining a second drone device that comprises a second functionality that is a same functionality as the first functionality, wherein the second drone is a member of a second group of drone devices, and wherein the second group of drone devices is deployed on a second mission; and

initiating adapting the first group of drone devices, wherein the initiating the adapting comprises initiating adding the second drone device to the first group of drone devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the initiating the adapting further comprises initiating removing the first drone device from the first group of drone devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mission of the second group of drone devices is a different mission than the first mission of the first group of drone devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the initiating the adding the second drone device to the first group of drone devices results in the second drone device being a member of the first group of drone devices and the second group of drone devices concurrently.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the initiating the adding the second drone device to the first group of drone devices corresponds to initiating removing the second drone device from the second group of drone devices, resulting in the second drone device being a member of the first group of drone devices and not concurrently being a member of the second group of drone devices.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the initiating the adding the second drone device to the first group of drone devices further comprises initiating merging the first group of drone devices and the second group of drone devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein, in response to the first drone device being determined to have returned to the first availability status, initiating removing the second drone device from the first group of drone devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first group of drone devices comprises the first drone device comprising the first functionality is based on a catalog of drone functionalities for drone devices comprising the first drone device and the second drone device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the catalog of drone functionalities is accessible by drone devices comprising the first group of drone devices via an over the air interface.

10. A method, comprising:

determining, by a network device communicatively coupled to a first drone mesh comprising a first drone device, that a second drone device of the first drone mesh comprises a first attribute, wherein the second drone device of the first drone mesh is active on a first mission;

in response to determining a change in a status of the second drone device, determining, by the network device, a third drone device that comprises a second attribute that is equivalent to the first attribute, wherein the third drone device of a second drone mesh is active on a second mission; and

facilitating, by the network device, adaptation of the first drone mesh, wherein the adaptation comprises adding the third drone device to the first drone mesh to facilitate the first mission.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the adaptation further comprises removing the second drone device from the first drone mesh.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first drone mesh is a partially connected mesh of drone devices comprising the first drone device, the second drone device, and the third drone device, resulting in the third drone device being shared between the first drone mesh and the second drone mesh.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first drone mesh is a fully connected mesh of drone devices comprising the first drone device, the second drone device, and the third drone device, resulting from the third drone device being moved from the second drone mesh to the first drone mesh.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second mission is a different mission than the first mission.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adding the third drone device to the first drone mesh results in the third drone device being a concurrent member of the first drone mesh and the second drone mesh.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the adding the third drone device to the first drone mesh corresponds to removing the third drone device from the second drone mesh.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the adding the third drone device to the first drone mesh causes the third drone device to be available for use in the first drone mesh when the third drone device is not reserved from use in the second drone mesh.

18. A network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, by the network device, an indication of a first functionality of a first drone device, wherein the first drone device is a member of a first group of drone devices deployed on a first mission;

receiving, by the network device, an indication of a second functionality of a second drone device, wherein the second drone device is a member of a second group of drone devices deployed on a second mission;

populating a catalog of drone device attributes based on the first functionality of the first drone device and the second functionality of the second drone device; and

enabling access to a portion of the catalog to facilitate determining an modification to the first group of drone devices in response to a determined change in a status of the first drone device, wherein the determining the modification comprises determining that the first functionality is the same as the second functionality, and wherein the determining the modification comprises removing the first drone device from the first group of drone devices and adding the second drone device to the first group of drone devices.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the network device is comprised in a network gateway device.

20. The network device of claim 18, wherein the network device is comprised in a radio access network device.