Adaptive mobile distribution of data among a fleet of uncrewed vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12425097-B2
Application number	US-202217982783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2022
Priority date	Nov 8, 2022
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

An example method carried out by an uncrewed vehicle (UV) is disclosed. The method may involve establishing a wireless cellular connection with a wireless cellular network via a wireless cellular communications interface of the UV. The wireless cellular network may be communicatively connected with one or more data servers via a data backhaul network. The example method may further involve exchanging operational data between the one or more data servers and a data storage device of the UV via the wireless cellular connection with the wireless cellular network, establishing a wireless local area network (WLAN) network connection with one or more uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) via a WLAN communications interface of the UV, and exchanging the operational data between the data storage device and at least one of the one or more UAVs over the WLAN network connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An uncrewed vehicle (UV), comprising:
a wireless local area network (WLAN) communications interface;
a wireless cellular communications interface;
a data storage device; and
a control system configured to:
establish a WLAN network connection with a second UV via the WLAN communications interface;
exchange operational data between the data storage device and the second UV over the WLAN network connection, wherein the operational data comprise operations reporting data of the second UV, and wherein exchanging the operational data between the data storage device and the second UV comprises: (i) receiving the operations reporting data from the second UV via the WLAN network connection and (ii) storing the operations reporting data in the data storage device;
establish a wireless cellular connection with a wireless cellular network via the wireless cellular communications interface, wherein the wireless cellular network is communicatively connected with a data server via a data backhaul network; and
exchange the operational data between the data server and the data storage device via the wireless cellular connection, wherein exchanging the operational data between the data server and the data storage device comprises uploading the operations reporting data from the data storage device to the data server.

2. The UV of claim 1 , wherein the UV is one of an uncrewed aerial vehicle or a land-based uncrewed vehicle.

3. The UV of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN is a WIFI network, and wherein the control system is further configured to:
prior to establishing the WLAN network connection with the second UV, cause the WLAN communications interface to operate as a WIFI access point.

4. The UV of claim 1 , wherein access to the WLAN is restricted to authorized devices, and wherein the second UV is an authorized device.

5. The UV of claim 1 , wherein the UV and the second UV are each in a non-flying stationary state at a cluster of UV charging stations at a cluster location while the operational data are exchanged between the data storage device and the second UV, and wherein the control system is further configured to:
prior to establishing the WLAN network connection with the second UV via the WLAN communications interface, cause the UV to travel to the cluster location in response to one or more of: a predetermined schedule, an instruction from a server connected to the data backhaul network, or a navigation itinerary.

6. The UV of claim 1 , wherein the operational data comprise operations configuration data for the second UV, and wherein exchanging the operational data between the data storage device and the second UV comprises transmitting the operations configuration data from the data storage device to the second UV.

7. The UV of claim 6 , wherein the operations configuration data comprise a first version of UV operations configuration data, and wherein the control system is further configured to:
through communicating with the second UV over the WLAN network connection, determine that the first version satisfies criteria for replacing a second version of the UV operations configuration data currently being used by the second UV, wherein transmitting the operations configuration data from the data storage device to the second UV comprises:
transmitting the first version of the UV operations configuration data from the data storage device to the second UV based on determining that the first version satisfies the criteria for replacing the second version of the UV operations configuration data.

8. The UV of claim 6 , wherein the control system is further configured to:
through communicating with the second UV over the WLAN network connection, determine that the second UV is currently using a first version of UV operations configuration data that satisfies criteria for replacing a second version of the UV operations configuration data currently being used by the UV; and
based on determining that the second UV is currently using the first version of the UV operations configuration data that satisfies the criteria for replacing the second version of the UV operations configuration data, receive the first version from the second UV over the WLAN network connection and replace the second version with the first version.

9. The UV of claim 6 , wherein the operations configuration data comprise at least one of: a software update, a machine learning model, a navigational data update, or a mission specification.

10. The UV of claim 1 , wherein;
among the UV and the second UV, at least the UV is a candidate for selection to carry out data transport operations including:
establishing the wireless cellular connection with the wireless cellular network via the wireless cellular communications interface, exchanging the operational data between the data server and the data storage device, establishing the WLAN network connection with the second UV, and exchanging the operational data between the data storage device and the second UV over the WLAN network connection,

selection of a candidate is based on at least one of: an instruction from a server connected to the data backhaul network, selection criteria, or an election process among the UV and the second UV, and
the control system is further configured to determine that the UV has been selected to carry out the data transport operations.

11. An uncrewed vehicle (UV), comprising:
a wireless local area network (WLAN) communications interface; and
a control system configured to:
establish a WLAN network connection with one or more other UVs via the WLAN communications interface;
exchange UV operations configuration data with a second UV one or more other UVs over the WLAN network connection;
through communicating with the second UV over the WLAN network connection, determine that the UV is currently using a first version of the UV operations configuration data that satisfies criteria for replacing a second version of the UV operations configuration data currently being used by the second UV; and
based on determining that the UV is currently using the first version of the UV operations configuration data that satisfies the criteria for replacing the second version of the UV operations configuration data, transmit, over the WLAN network connection, the first version of the UV operations configuration data to the second UV for replacing the second version with the first version.

12. The UV of claim 11 , wherein the one or more other UVs comprise a plurality of other UVs, and wherein the control system is further configured to:
through communicating with a third UV of the plurality of other UVs over the WLAN network connection, determine that the third UV is currently using a third version of the UV operations configuration data that satisfies criteria for replacing the first version of the UV operations configuration data currently being used by the UV; and
based on determining that the third UV is currently using the third version of the UV operations configuration data that satisfies the criteria for replacing the first version of the UV operations configuration data, receiving, over the WLAN network connection, the third version of the UV operations configuration data from the third UV and replacing the first version with the third version.

13. The UV of claim 12 , wherein the control system is further configured to:
establish a WLAN network connection with a fourth UV of the plurality of other UVs via the WLAN communications interface;
through communicating with the fourth UV over the WLAN network connection, determine that the third version of the UV operations configuration data sa

Assignees

• Wing Aviation Llc

Inventors

• Handley Alex
• Peirano Daniel
• Lesser Jonathan
• Prager André

Classifications

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04B7/18504 Primary

  Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform · CPC title