Method and system for implementing self organizing mobile network (SOMNET) of drones and platforms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10405198-B2
Application number	US-201715840265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2017
Priority date	Jul 18, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing self-organizing mobile networks (“SOMNETs”) of drones and platforms. In various embodiments, a computing system might receive first data from each of a plurality of vehicles; might receive second data from each of a plurality of platforms; might analyze the first data to determine a status of each vehicle; and might analyze the second data to determine a status of each platform. Based at least in part on the analyzed first and second data, the computing system might generate at least one of first control instructions to at least one first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles or second control instructions to at least one first platform of the plurality of platforms that respectively cause the at least one first vehicle to perform one or more first actions or cause the at least one first platform to perform one or more second actions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, with a computing system, at least one first data from each of a plurality of vehicles of a self-organizing mobile network (“SOMNET”) of vehicles, the at least one first data comprising status data regarding each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;
receiving, with the computing system, at least one second data from each of a plurality of platforms, the at least one second data comprising status data regarding each platform of the plurality of platforms;
analyzing, with the computing system, the at least one first data to determine a status of each of the plurality of vehicles;
analyzing, with the computing system, the at least one second data to determine a status of each of the plurality of platforms;
based at least in part on the analyzed at least one first data and the analyzed at least one second data, generating, with the computing system, at least one of one or more first control instructions to at least one first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles or one or more second control instructions to at least one first platform of the plurality of platforms, the one or more first control instructions causing each of the at least one first vehicle to perform one or more first actions, and the one or more second control instructions causing each of the at least one first platform to perform one or more second actions;
determining, with the computing system, whether a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles is unauthorized to dock with at least one first platform of the plurality of platforms; and
based on a determination that the second vehicle is unauthorized to dock with the at least one first platform, preventing, with the computing system, docking by the unauthorized second vehicle, by performing one of rerouting the second vehicle away from the at least one first platform, tilting one or more docking portions of the at least one first platform to avoid docking by the second vehicle, or raising one or more blocking spikes or deploying one or more barriers to prevent docking by the second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing system comprises at least one of one or more vehicle processors disposed in one of the plurality of vehicles, one or more processors disposed in a user device associated with an operator of a service provider, a self-organizing network (“SON”) server, a service provider server, a gateway device, a computing node, a server computer, a distributed computing system, a distributed computing system that integrates computing resources from two or more vehicles, or a cloud computing system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of vehicles comprises one of a manned vehicle or an unmanned vehicle, wherein each manned vehicle comprises one of a car, a motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle, a truck, a van, a semi-trailer truck, an aircraft, a subterranean vehicle, an amphibious vehicle, or a water craft, wherein each unmanned vehicle comprises one of an aerial drone, a land-based drone, a water-based drone, a subterranean drone, an amphibious drone, a robot, or an autonomous vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of platforms comprises one of a stationary platform or a mobile platform, wherein each stationary platform comprises one of a telephone pole-based platform, a utility pole-based platform, a street-light based platform, a tower-based platform, a buoy-based platform, a hangar-based platform, a building-based platform, a roof-top-based platform, or a pedestal-based platform, wherein each mobile platform comprises one of a cargo-trailer-based platform, a cargo-container-based platform, a van-based platform, a truck-based platform, an aircraft-based platform, a train-based platform, or a boat-based platform.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one vehicle of the plurality of vehicles comprises an inductive charging system that charges via inductive power transfer from one or more charging pads in a corresponding charging platform with which the at least one vehicle docks.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined status of the at least one first vehicle comprises one of current battery charge level, remaining battery charge level, current geographic location, one or more currently plotted destinations, one or more currently plotted courses, proximity to one or more charging platforms, proximity to one or more communications platforms, proximity to one or more nearby vehicles, communications status with one or more nearby vehicles, new device status within the SOMNET, registration status within the SOMNET, availability to perform at least one of the one or more tasks, status of current task, status of one or more onboard tools, device failure status, disabled device status, or out-of-range device status.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one third vehicle of the plurality of vehicles each receives beacon data from at least one fourth vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, wherein the data regarding the at least one fourth vehicle comprises the beacon data from each of the at least one fourth vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the beacon data from each of the at least one fourth vehicle comprises at least one of a unique identifier assigned to a particular one of the at least one fourth vehicle, signal strength of the beacon data, current battery level of the at least one fourth vehicle, remaining battery level of the at least one fourth vehicle, geographic location information of the particular one of the at least one fourth vehicle, relative location information of the particular one of the at least one fourth vehicle with respect to other vehicles, communication transmit power level, or configuration parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first actions comprise at least one of establishing wireless network communications between a built-in mobile wireless base station and at least one wireless network node of a telecommunications network to augment wireless network functionality, establishing wireless network communications between a built-in mobile wireless base station and at least one wireless network node of a telecommunications network to extend wireless network functionality, monitoring for vehicular accidents, monitoring for criminal activities, monitoring for man-made disasters, monitoring for natural disasters, tracking real-time traffic patterns, tracking one or more weather conditions, recovering one or more lost vehicles, recovering one or more damaged vehicles, delivering one or more packages, tracking one or more packages being delivered, or repairing one or more telecommunications equipment.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second actions comprise at least one of controlling one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles to travel within a geographic area, controlling a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to dock with one or more of the plurality of platforms, rerouting one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles along one or more alternative paths, rerouting one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles to avoid no-fly-zones, recharging a vehicle docked with one of the plurality of platforms, replacing at least one battery of a vehicle docked with one of the plurality of platforms with at least one replacement battery, installing at least one tool on a vehicle docked with one of the plurality of platforms, replacing at least one tool of a vehicle docked with one of the plurality of platforms with at least one replacement tool, repairing one of the plurality of vehicles docked with one of the plurality of platforms, preventing docking by unauthorized vehicles, remotely disabling one or more

Assignees

• Centurylink Ip Llc

Inventors

• Carpenter Phil
• Casey Steven M
• Cook Charles I

Classifications

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• B60L2240/70

  Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres · CPC title

• H04W16/26 Primary

  Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow · CPC title

• H04W24/10

  Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title