Systems and methods for creating wireless aerial traffic corridors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050481-B2
Application number	US-201916696036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2019
Priority date	Nov 26, 2019
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A device may receive information indicating one or more parameters associated with one or more antenna arrays in a radio access network. The device may receive a flight request that indicates one or more conditions for a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) seeking network access to the radio access network. The device may determine waypoints for the flight path based on analyzing the one or more parameters associated with the one or more antenna arrays and the one or more conditions for the flight path of the UAV. The device may transmit information identifying the waypoints for the flight path. The device may send control information to cause the one or more antenna arrays to form a corresponding one or more beams along the flight path to enable the UAV to traverse the flight path with the network access to the radio access network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, information indicating one or more parameters associated with one or more antenna arrays in a radio access network;
receiving, by the device, a flight request that indicates one or more conditions for a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) seeking network access to the radio access network;
determining, by the device, waypoints for the flight path based on analyzing the one or more parameters associated with the one or more antenna arrays in the radio access network and the one or more conditions for the flight path of the UAV;
transmitting, by the device, information identifying the waypoints for the flight path; and
sending, by the device, control information to cause the one or more antenna arrays to form a corresponding one or more beams along the flight path to enable the UAV to traverse the flight path with the network access to the radio access network,
wherein the UAV is to traverse the flight path by traveling within a corridor created by the one or more beams.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the information identifying the waypoints for the flight path includes transmitting instructions to cause the UAV to traverse the flight path via the waypoints for the flight path.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters associated with the one or more antenna arrays comprise one or more of:
information indicating a geographic location of an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays,
information indicating a possible orientation of an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays,
information indicating an availability of an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays,
information indicating a power of a signal capable of being output by an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays,
information indicating an altitude of an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays,
information indicating a size of an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays, or
information indicating a beam capability of an antenna array of the one or more antenna arrays.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more conditions for the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle comprise one or more of:
a minimum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio for the network access to the radio access network,
a minimum desired throughput for the network access to the radio access network,
a description of a service associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle,
information identifying a start location for the flight path,
information identifying an end location for the flight path,
a maximum altitude associated with the flight path,
a minimum altitude associated with the flight path,
a maximum route distance that the UAV is capable of travelling, or
an energy expenditure preference of the UAV.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information comprises one or more instructions to:
vary a height of a beam of the one or more beams,
vary a sweep of a beam of the one or more beams,
vary an angle of a beam of the one or more beams,
vary a width for a beam of the one or more beams, or
vary a duration that a beam, of the one or more beams, is active.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the flight request that indicates one or more conditions for the flight path of the UAV path comprises using machine learning to determine additional conditions for the flight path.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the waypoints for the flight path comprises determining the waypoints for the flight path such that the one or more conditions are satisfied.

8. A device, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:
receive information indicating one or more parameters associated with one or more antenna arrays in a radio access network;
receive a flight request that indicates one or more conditions for a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) seeking network access to the radio access network;
determine waypoints for the flight path based on analyzing the one or more parameters associated with the one or more antenna arrays in the radio access network and the one or more conditions for the flight path of the UAV; and
transmit information identifying the waypoints for the flight path to permit the UAV to traverse the flight path via the waypoints,
wherein information identifying the waypoints enables the UAV to traverse the flight path by traveling within a corridor created by one or more beams formed by the one or more antenna arrays.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when receiving the information indicating the one or more parameters, are to:
receive the information indicating the one or more parameters based on receiving the flight request.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the flight request further includes information indicating that a condition, of the one or more conditions, is one of:
an optional condition,
a preferred condition, or
a necessary condition.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when determining the waypoints for the flight path, are to:
determine one or more parts of the flight path where the network access in the radio access network is unnecessary.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when transmitting the information identifying the waypoints for the flight path, are to:
transmit a notification that a condition, of the one or more conditions, was not satisfied,
transmit a request to accept or reject a set of waypoints for the flight path without all of the one or more conditions being satisfied, and
perform one or more actions based on a response to the request to accept or reject the set of waypoints for the flight path without all of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when determining the waypoints for the flight path, are to:
obtain a machine learning model that was trained to determine a plurality of waypoints based on historical information regarding a plurality of flight paths, the one or more antenna arrays, and a plurality of flight paths, and
use the machine learning model to determine the waypoints based on the one or more parameters associated with the one or more antenna arrays and the one or more conditions for the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, when determining the waypoints for the flight path, are to:
determine the waypoints for the flight path such that if all of the one or more conditions cannot be satisfied, using machine learning to determine which conditions, of the one or more conditions, should be satisfied.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive information indicating one or more parameters associated with one or more antenna arrays in a radio access network;
receive a flight request that indicates one or more conditions for a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) seeking network access to the radio access network;
determine waypoints for the flight path based on analyzing the one or more parameters associated with the one or more antenna arrays in the radio access network and the one or more conditions for the flight path of the UAV; and
send control information to cause the o

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Crans Joshua J
• Weisbrod Fred
• Polehn Donna L
• Christopherson Corey J

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/34

  for flight plan modification · CPC title

• G08G5/32

  for flight plan preparation · CPC title