Unmanned aerial vehicle flight path determination, optimization, and management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9334052-B2
Application number	US-201414282163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A device receives a request for a flight path from a first location to a second location in a region. The request includes component information associated with components of UAVs in a group. The device calculates a most efficient flight path from the first location to the second location based weather information, air traffic information, obstacle information, or regulatory information associated with the region, and determines capability information for the UAVs in the group based on the component information. The device selects, from the UAVs in the group, a particular UAV that is capable of traversing the most efficient flight path based on the capability information, and generates flight path instructions for the most efficient flight path. The device provides the flight path instructions to the particular UAV to permit the particular UAV to travel from the first location to the second location via the most efficient flight path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, a request for a flight path from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in a region,
the request including credentials associated with unmanned aerial vehicles in a group of unmanned aerial vehicles and component information associated with components of the unmanned aerial vehicles in the group;

determining, by the device and based on the credentials associated with the unmanned aerial vehicles in the group, whether one or more of the unmanned aerial vehicles in the group are authenticated for utilizing the device and a network associated with the device;
selecting, by the device and when one or more of the unmanned aerial vehicles in the group are authenticated for utilizing the device and the network, a flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location, and from a plurality of possible flight paths, based on one or more of weather information, air traffic information, obstacle information, or regulatory information associated with the region, travel time for the flight path, travel distance for the flight path, or power required for the flight path;
determining, by the device and based on the component information, capability information for the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles determined to be authenticated for utilizing the device and the network;
selecting, by the device and from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles determined to be authenticated for utilizing the device and the network, a particular unmanned aerial vehicle that is capable of traversing the flight path based on the capability information,
selecting the particular unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
assigning weights to the capability information for the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles determined to be authenticated for utilizing the device and the network,
calculating a score, for each of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles determined to be authenticated for utilizing the device and the network, based on the assigned weights, and
selecting the particular unmanned aerial vehicle, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles determined to be authenticated for utilizing the device and the network, based on the calculated scores;

generating, by the device, flight path instructions for the flight path; and
providing, by the device, the flight path instructions to the particular unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the particular unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location via the flight path.

2. The method of claim 1 , where selecting the flight path comprises:
assigning weights to one or more of the weather information, the air traffic information, the obstacle information, or the regulatory information associated with the region, the travel time for the flight path, the travel distance for the flight path, or the power required for the flight path;
determining the plurality of possible flight paths from the first geographical location to the second geographical location;
calculating scores for the plurality of possible flights based on the assigned weights; and
selecting the flight path, from plurality of possible flight paths, based on the calculated scores for the plurality of possible flight paths.

3. The method of claim 2 , where calculating the flight path comprises:
ranking the plurality of possible flight paths based on the calculated scores for the plurality of possible flight paths; and
selecting the flight path, from the plurality of possible flight paths, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible flight paths.

4. The method of claim 2 , where different weights are assigned to one or more of the weather information, the air traffic information, the obstacle information, or the regulatory information associated with the region, the travel time for the flight path, the travel distance for the flight path, or the power required for the flight path.

5. The method of claim 1 , where selecting the particular unmanned aerial vehicle comprises:
ranking the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles based on the calculated scores; and
selecting the particular unmanned aerial vehicle, from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles determined to be authenticated for utilizing the device and the network, based on the ranking of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1 , where different weights are assigned to different types of the capability information.

7. A system, comprising:
a storage device to store one or more of:
weather information associated with a region,
air traffic information associated with the region,
obstacle information associated with the region, or
regulatory information associated with the region; and

one or more devices to:
receive a request for a flight path from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in a region,
the request including component information associated with components of unmanned aerial vehicles in a group of unmanned aerial vehicles;

select a flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location, and from a plurality of possible flight paths, based on one or more of the weather information, the air traffic information, the obstacle information, or the regulatory information associated with the region, travel time for the flight path, travel distance for the flight path, or power required for the flight path,
where, when selecting the flight path, the one or more devices are to:
assign weights to one or more of the weather information, the air traffic information, the obstacle information, or the regulatory information associated with the region, the travel time for the flight path, the travel distance for the flight path, or the power required for the flight path,
determine the plurality of possible flight paths from the first geographical location to the second geographical location,
calculate scores for the plurality of possible flights based on the assigned weights, and
select the flight path, from the plurality of possible flight paths, based on the calculated scores;

determine, based on the component information, capability information for the unmanned aerial vehicles in the group;
identify a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, in the group of unmanned aerial vehicle, that are capable of traversing the flight path, based on the capability information;
select, from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, a particular unmanned aerial vehicle based on the capability information;
generate flight path instructions for the flight path; and
provide the flight path instructions to the particular unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the particular unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location via the flight path.

8. The system of claim 7 , where, when selecting the flight path, the one or more devices are to:
rank the plurality of possible flight paths based on the calculated scores; and
select the flight path, from the plurality of possible flight paths, based on the ranking of the plurality of possible flight paths.

9. The system of claim 7 , where different weights are assigned to one or more of the weather information, the air traffic information, the obstacle information, or the regulatory information associated with the region, the travel time for the flight path, the travel distance for the flight path, or the power required for the flight path.

10. The system of claim 7 , where, when selecting the particular unmanned aerial vehicle, the one or more devices are to:
assign weights to the capability

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Pasko Douglas M
• Srivastava Ashok N
• Batla Hani
• Kantor Igor
• Ubhi Gurpreet

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• G05D1/0011

  associated with a remote control arrangement · CPC title

• B64C2201/128

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C2201/146

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G05D1/00

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title