Local controller for operational mode transitions of dual-mode vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021389140-A1
Application number	US-202016898164-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 10, 2020
Priority date	Jun 10, 2020
Publication date	Dec 16, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A processing system including at least one processor may obtain a navigational request for a dual-mode vehicle having two modes of operation, where the two modes of operation comprise a surface mode of operation and an aerial mode of operation, where the navigational request includes a requested transition between the two modes of operation, where the requested transition includes a requested location, and where the navigational request includes an intended destination. The processing system may next determine at least one condition of the requested location associated with the requested transition, determine based upon the at least one condition that the requested transition is not permitted at the requested location, and identify an alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted. The processing system may then transmit a response indicating that the requested transition is permitted at the alternate location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
obtaining, by a processing system including at least one processor, a navigational request for a dual-mode vehicle having two modes of operation, wherein the two modes of operation comprise a surface mode of operation and an aerial mode of operation, wherein the navigational request includes a requested transition between the two modes of operation, wherein the requested transition includes a requested location, and wherein the navigational request includes an intended destination; determining, by the processing system, at least one condition of the requested location associated with the requested transition; determining, by the processing system, based upon the at least one condition that the requested transition is not permitted at the requested location; identifying, by the processing system, an alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted; and transmitting, by the processing system, a response indicating that the requested transition is permitted at the alternate location.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted includes identifying a permitted time at which the requested transition is permitted at the alternate location.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the response comprises an offer with an expiration time.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
obtaining a reply to the offer prior to the expiration time.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
transmitting an instruction to at least one traffic signal for surface-based vehicular operation to facilitate the requested transition at the alternate location at the permitted time.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the instruction is to adjust the at least one traffic signal to diminish surface-based vehicular traffic at the alternate location at the permitted time.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing system comprises a controller of a plurality of traffic signals.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the requested transition is:
a transition from the surface mode of operation to the aerial mode of operation; or a transition from the aerial mode of operation to the surface mode of operation.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one condition of the requested location comprises at least one of:
a surface-based vehicular traffic condition; an aerial vehicular traffic condition; a weather condition; a temporal restriction; or a governmental restriction.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one condition is determined from at least one of:
a sensor that is deployed at the requested location; a camera that is deployed at the requested location; a different dual-mode vehicle at the requested location; a surface-based vehicle at the requested location; a radar; or a notification from an authoritative entity.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted includes:
calculating a time to reach the intended destination by the dual-mode vehicle, including a time to complete the requested transition and one of: a time to reach the alternate location via the surface mode of operation, or a time to reach the intended destination from the alternate location via the surface mode of operation.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the alternate location is selected from among a plurality of candidate locations that are different from the requested location, wherein the processing system calculates a shortest time to reach the intended destination including the requested transition at the alternate location as compared to the requested transition being at other locations of the plurality of candidate locations.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the alternate location is selected from among a plurality of candidate locations that are different from the requested location based upon one of: a shortest distance to the intended destination from the alternate location, or a shortest distance from a current location of the dual-mode vehicle to the alternate location.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is assigned to the requested location, wherein one or more additional processing systems are assigned to the plurality of candidate locations for permitting and denying requests for transitions between the two modes of operation for dual-mode vehicles.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the processing system identifies the alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted via at least one communication with at least one of the one or more additional processing systems.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is assigned to the requested location and the alternate location.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining and the transmitting are via a low power wide area cellular link.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the processing system is associated with a cellular base station.

19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system including at least one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining a navigational request for a dual-mode vehicle having two modes of operation, wherein the two modes of operation comprise a surface mode of operation and an aerial mode of operation, wherein the navigational request includes a requested transition between the two modes of operation, wherein the requested transition includes a requested location, and wherein the navigational request includes an intended destination; determining at least one condition of the requested location associated with the requested transition; determining based upon the at least one condition that the requested transition is not permitted at the requested location; identifying an alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted; and transmitting a response indicating that the requested transition is permitted at the alternate location.

20 . A device comprising:
a processing system including at least one processor; and a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining a navigational request for a dual-mode vehicle having two modes of operation, wherein the two modes of operation comprise a surface mode of operation and an aerial mode of operation, wherein the navigational request includes a requested transition between the two modes of operation, wherein the requested transition includes a requested location, and wherein the navigational request includes an intended destination;
determining at least one condition of the requested location associated with the requested transition;
determining based upon the at least one condition that the requested transition is not permitted at the requested location;
identifying an alternate location at which the requested transition is permitted; and
transmitting a response indicating that the requested transition is permitted at the alternate location.

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Soryal Joseph
• Jaoude Naila
• Zellner Samuel N

Classifications

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• G01C21/3423 Primary

  Multimodal routing · CPC title

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G06F9/445

  Program loading or initiating (bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G08G7/00 Primary

  Traffic control systems for simultaneous control of two or more different kinds of craft · CPC title