Systems and methods for simulating wind noise models

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10573196-B2
Application number	US-201715663117-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Jul 28, 2017
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for simulating a flight path of an aerial vehicle. An exemplary method includes receiving a starting point, receiving prevailing wind patterns, generating a smooth model of wind vectors based on the prevailing wind patterns, generating a noise model including one or more submodels simulating regional differences in prevailing wind patterns, determining a wind vector at the starting point, determining a noise value at the starting point, applying the noise value to the wind vector at the starting point to generate a noise added wind vector, determining displacement based on the noise added wind vector over a time step, and determining a waypoint based on the displacement, wherein determining a noise value at the starting point includes determining a portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel, and determining the noise value by calculating a weighted mean of noise values contributed by each submodel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for simulating a flight path of an aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving data regarding a starting point of the flight path;
receiving data regarding prevailing wind patterns;
generating a smooth model of wind vectors based on the data regarding prevailing wind patterns;
generating a noise model, the noise model including one or more submodels simulating regional differences in prevailing wind patterns;
determining a wind vector at the starting point;
determining a noise value at the starting point;
applying the noise value to the wind vector at the starting point to generate a noise added wind vector;
determining displacement based on the noise added wind vector over a predetermined time step;
determining a waypoint based on the displacement; and
displaying the flight path on a map,
wherein determining a noise value at the starting point includes:
determining a portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel by mapping the one or more submodels to an unfolded unit cube to determine each submodel's distance in space and time from the starting point, and
determining the noise value by calculating a weighted mean of the portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the smooth model of wind vectors is generated using quad-linear interpolation.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising receiving data regarding an objective; and determining that the waypoint satisfies the objective.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving data regarding an objective;
determining that the waypoint does not satisfy the objective;
determining a wind vector at the waypoint;
determining a noise value at the waypoint;
applying the noise value at the waypoint to the wind vector at the waypoint to generate a noise added wind vector at the waypoint;
determining displacement based on the noise added wind vector at the waypoint over a predetermined time step; and
determining another waypoint based on the displacement.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
receiving an instruction to change altitude to a new altitude,
wherein determining the wind vector at the waypoint includes determining the wind vector at the waypoint at the new altitude.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the prevailing wind patterns is based on a speed and a direction of winds.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the noise model is a deterministic noise pattern for any point defined in four dimensions.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the four dimensions of the noise model include latitude, longitude, altitude, and time.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the noise value for a particular point defined in four dimensions is correlated to other points within a specified distance from the particular point.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the specified distance includes one or more of a horizontal distance, a vertical distance, and a temporal difference.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the horizontal distance is a zonal and/or meridional distance measured from the particular point.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the vertical distance is measured in an altitudinal distance from the particular point.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the altitudinal distance is measured based on a pressure metric.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the noise model is generated based on a seed value.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the noise model comprises a first noise submodel generated based on a first seed value and a second noise submodel generated based on a second seed value, the first noise submodel and second noise submodel having different noise values at a particular point.

16. A system for simulating a flight path of an aerial vehicle, the system comprising:
an aerial vehicle;
a display; and
a computing device including:
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:
receive data regarding a starting point of the flight path;
receive data regarding prevailing wind patterns;
generate a smooth model of wind vectors based on the data regarding prevailing wind patterns;
generate a noise model, the noise model including one or more submodels simulating regional differences in prevailing wind patterns;
determine a wind vector at the starting point;
determine a noise value at the starting point;
apply the noise value to the wind vector at the starting point to generate a noise added wind vector;
determine displacement based on the noise added wind vector over a predetermined time step;
determine a waypoint based on the displacement; and
display the flight path on a map,
wherein determining a noise value at the starting point includes:
determining a portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel by mapping the one or more submodels to an unfolded unit cube to determine each submodel's distance in space and time from the starting point, and
determining the noise value by calculating a weighted mean of the portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for simulating a flight path of an aerial vehicle, the program including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to:
receive data regarding a starting point of the flight path;
receive data regarding prevailing wind patterns;
generate a smooth model of wind vectors based on the data regarding prevailing wind patterns;
generate a noise model, the noise model including one or more submodels simulating regional differences in prevailing wind patterns;
determine a wind vector at the starting point;
determine a noise value at the starting point;
apply the noise value to the wind vector at the starting point to generate a noise added wind vector;
determine displacement based on the noise added wind vector over a predetermined time step;
determine a waypoint based on the displacement
display the flight path on a map,
wherein determining a noise value at the starting point includes:
determining a portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel by mapping the one or more submodels to an unfolded unit cube to determine each submodel's distance in space and time from the starting point, and
determining the noise value by calculating a weighted mean of the portion of the noise value contributed by each submodel.

Assignees

• Loon Llc

Inventors

• Rhodes Bradley
• Candido Salvatore J

Classifications

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64B1/40

  Balloons (B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10) · CPC title

• G05D1/105 Primary

  specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing (parachutes per se B64D17/00) · CPC title

• G09B9/24 Primary

  including display or recording of simulated flight path · CPC title