Dynamic management system, method, and recording medium for cognitive drone-swarms

• US 9,651,945 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Feris, Rogerio Schmidt, Pickover, Clifford A., Erickson, Thomas David
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US14/930,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 701 3, 701 4, 701 14, 701 15, 701116, 244190
• 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: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification 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

Abstract

A method, system, and recording medium including a mission receiving device configured to receive a mission for the drone-swarm based on a user input, a drone and pattern recruiting device configured to recruit a plurality of drones based on the mission, and a flocking goal device configured to arrange the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm in a pattern to satisfy the mission.

Claims

1. A dynamic management system for a drone-swarm, comprising:

a mission receiving device configured to receive a mission for the drone-swarm based on a user input;

a drone and pattern recruiting device configured to recruit a plurality of drones based on the mission;

a flocking goal device configured to arrange the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm in a pattern to satisfy the mission; and

a drone swapping device configured to swap a first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with a second drone that is not in the drone-swarm.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the drone and pattern recruiting device recruits the plurality of drones from a hive, and

wherein the drone swapping device is further configured to swap the first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with a third drone from the hive.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the drone swapping device includes a drone condition monitoring device configured to monitor a drone condition of each drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm, and

wherein the drone swapping device swaps the first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with the second drone that is not in the drone-swarm based on a drone condition of the first drone.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a contextual resolution-assessing device configured to monitor the drone-swarm and assess a needed resolution of the pattern to sustain a goal with a predetermined risk level.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the drone and pattern recruiting device recruits the plurality of drones from a plurality of hives.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a changing device configured to adaptively change the pattern of the drone-swarm based on a condition.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the drone and pattern recruiting device recruits the plurality of drones which comprise composite drones.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the drone and pattern recruiting device recruits the plurality of drones which comprise different physical characteristics based on the mission.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the drone swapping device includes a drone condition monitoring device configured to monitor a drone condition of each drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm, and

wherein the drone swapping device swaps the first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with the second drone that is not in the drone-swarm based on a drone condition of the first drone.

10. A dynamic management method for a drone-swarm, comprising:

receiving a mission for the drone-swarm based on a user input;

recruiting a plurality of drones based on the mission;

arranging the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm in a pattern to satisfy the mission; and

swapping a first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with a second drone that is not in the drone-swarm.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the swapping includes monitoring a drone condition of each drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm, and

wherein the swapping swaps the first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with the second drone that is not in the drone-swarm based on the drone condition of the first drone.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring the drone-swarm and assessing a needed resolution of the pattern to sustain a goal with a predetermined risk level.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising adaptively changing the pattern of the drone-swarm based on a condition.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording a dynamic management program for a drone-swarm, the program causing a computer to perform:

receiving a mission for the drone-swarm based on a user input;

recruiting a plurality of drones based on the mission;

arranging the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm in a pattern to satisfy the mission; and

swapping a first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with a second drone that is not in the drone-swarm.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the swapping includes monitoring a drone condition of each drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm, and

wherein the swapping swaps the first drone of the plurality of drones in the drone-swarm with the second drone that is not in the drone-swarm based on the drone condition of the first drone.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 14, further comprising monitoring the drone-swarm and assessing a needed resolution of the pattern to sustain a goal with a predetermined risk level.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 14, further comprising adaptively changing the pattern of the drone-swarm based on a condition.