Site local servers for vehicle management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11531335-B2
Application number	US-202017001377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

An electronic vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) multicopter which includes a communications interface configured to establish a communication channel between a site local server and the eVTOL multicopter and send a vehicle identifier and vehicle state information from the eVTOL multicopter to the site local server. The eVTOL multicopter also includes a processor configured to perform a management operation received from the site local server, wherein the site local server is configured to determine the management operation based at least in part on the vehicle identifier and the vehicle state information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a communications interface configured to:
establish a communication channel with an electronic vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) multicopter over a hidden wireless network including by authenticating the eVTOL multicopter using a network credential received from the eVTOL multicopter, wherein the eVTOL multicopter is preconfigured with a network name for the hidden wireless network; and
receive a network credential including a vehicle identifier and a vehicle software version from the eVTOL multicopter;

a memory coupled to the communications interface and configured to store associations between vehicle identifiers and vehicle software versions; and
a processor coupled to the communications interface and configured to:
determine a management operation associated with the eVTOL multicopter based at least in part on the received vehicle identifier and the received vehicle software version; and
send the management operation to the eVTOL multicopter.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communications interface is further configured to establish a communication channel between the system and a remote central server.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the system is configured to send the management operation to the eVTOL multicopter in response to a determination that a communication channel between the eVTOL multicopter and the remote central server is unavailable.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the system is configured to send log data associated with the eVTOL multicopter to the remote central server over the established communication channel.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the associations between vehicle identifiers and vehicle software versions stored in the memory includes a table that associates the eVTOL multicopter, identified by a first vehicle identifier, with a less restrictive version of the software and associates a second eVTOL multicopter, identified by a second vehicle identifier, with a more restrictive version of the software.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the communications interface is further configured to:
establish a second communication channel with a second eVTOL multicopter; and
receive a vehicle identifier and a vehicle software version from the second eVTOL multicopter; and

the processor is further configured to:
determine a second management operation associated with the second eVTOL multicopter based at least in part on the vehicle identifier and the vehicle software version to received from the second eVTOL multicopter; and
send the second management operation to the eVTOL multicopter.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the eVTOL multicopter sends the vehicle identifier while airborne;
the processor sends the management operation while the eVTOL multicopter is airborne; and
the eVTOL multicopter performs an operation associated with the management operation after landing.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the management operation includes a permission configuration preventing an associated operation from being performed by the eVTOL multicopter prior to landing.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to send the management operation to the eVTOL multicopter at a predefined point in a flight path.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to send the management operation to the eVTOL multicopter based at least in part on conditions associated with a flight path of the eVTOL multicopter.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the eVTOL multicopter and the system exchange information over the communication channel in fragments.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fragments are ordered by importance and group identifiers.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fragments include at least a portion of a binary split into chunks with a corresponding sequence number.

14. A method, comprising:
establishing, by a site local server, a communication channel with an electronic vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) multicopter over a hidden wireless network including by authenticating the eVTOL multicopter using a network credential received from the eVTOL multicopter, wherein the eVTOL multicopter is preconfigured with a network name for the hidden wireless network;
receiving a network credential including a vehicle identifier and a vehicle software to version from the eVTOL multicopter, wherein a memory associated with the site local server is configured to store associations between vehicle identifiers and vehicle software versions;
determining a management operation associated with the eVTOL multicopter based at least in part on the received vehicle identifier and the received vehicle software version; and
sending the management operation to the eVTOL multicopter.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the network credential is received from the eVTOL multicopter while the eVTOL multicopter airborne; and
the management operation is sent while the eVTOL multicopter is airborne.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the eVTOL multicopter and the system exchange information over the communication channel in fragments.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the fragments are ordered by importance and group identifiers.

18. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:
establishing, by a site local server, a communication channel with an electronic vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) multicopter over a hidden wireless network including by authenticating the eVTOL multicopter using a network credential received from the eVTOL multicopter, wherein the eVTOL multicopter is preconfigured with a network name for the hidden wireless network;
receiving a network credential including a vehicle identifier and a vehicle software version from the eVTOL multicopter, wherein a memory associated with the site local server is configured to store associations between vehicle identifiers and vehicle software versions;
determining a management operation associated with the eVTOL multicopter based at least in part on the received vehicle identifier and the received vehicle software version; and
sending the management operation to the eVTOL multicopter.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein:
the network credential is received from the eVTOL multicopter while the eVTOL multicopter airborne; and
the management operation is sent while the eVTOL multicopter is airborne.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the eVTOL multicopter and the system exchange information over the communication channel in fragments.

Assignees

• Kitty Hawk Corp

Inventors

• Menon Kizhedath Rohith
• Hata Kosuke
• Kawamoto Kentaro

Classifications

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G06F8/656

  while running · CPC title

• G06F8/71

  Version control (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57); Configuration management · CPC title

• B64F5/60

  Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems · CPC title