User interfaces for selecting unmanned aerial vehicles and mission plans for unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9454151-B2
Application number	US-201414282249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A device receives a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path and performance of mission operations, and presents a first user interface that requests mission information. The device receives the mission information, and determines recommended UAVs for the mission based on the mission information. The device presents information associated with the recommended UAVs, and receives a selection of a particular UAV via the first user interface. The device determines recommended mission plans based on the mission information and the particular UAV, and presents the recommended mission plans via a second user interface. The device receives a selection of a particular mission plan via the second user interface, and generates mission plan instructions for the particular mission plan. The device provides the mission plan instructions to the particular UAV to permit the particular UAV to travel the flight path and perform the mission operations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from a first geographical location to a second geographical location and performance of one or more mission operations;
presenting, by the device and for display, a first user interface that requests mission information associated with the mission;
receiving, by the device, the mission information via the first user interface;
determining, by the device, a plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles for the mission based on the mission information;
presenting, by the device and for displaying, information associated with the plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles via the first user interface;
receiving, by the device, a selection of a particular unmanned aerial vehicle, from the information associated with the plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles, via the first user interface;
determining, by the device, a plurality of recommended mission plans based on the mission information and based on the particular unmanned aerial vehicle;
presenting, by the device and for displaying, the plurality of recommended mission plans via a second user interface;
receiving, by the device, a selection of a particular mission plan, from the plurality of recommended mission plans, via the second user interface;
generating, by the device, mission plan instructions for the particular mission plan,
the mission plan instructions including flight path instructions for the flight path and mission instructions for the one or more mission operations; and

providing, by the device, the mission plan 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, and to perform the one or more mission operations.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the first user interface includes one or more of:
information requesting a mission type associated with the mission,
information requesting identification of the first geographical location, or
information requesting identification of the second geographical location.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the plurality of recommended mission plans includes one or more of:
a mission plan that includes a shortest distance between the first geographical location and the second geographical location,
a mission plan that includes a shortest time to travel from the first geographical location to the second geographical location,
a mission plan that obtains a greatest amount of information via the one or more mission operations, or
a least expensive mission plan.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving feedback from the particular unmanned aerial vehicle during traversal of the flight path or performance of the one or more mission operations; and
presenting the feedback, for display, via a third user interface.

5. The method of claim 4 , where the third user interface identifies one or more of:
a map associated with the flight path,
a current location of the particular unmanned aerial vehicle,
a current speed of the particular unmanned aerial vehicle,
a current altitude of the particular unmanned aerial vehicle, or
component information associated with the particular unmanned aerial vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a notification indicating that the mission is complete when the particular unmanned aerial vehicle completes the one or more mission operations; and
presenting the notification, for display, via a fourth user interface.

7. The method of claim 1 , where determining the plurality of recommended mission plans comprises:
determining a plurality of mission plans, for the particular unmanned aerial vehicle, based on the mission information;
assigning weights to the mission information;
calculating scores for the plurality of mission plans based on the assigned weights; and
selecting the plurality of recommended mission plans, from the plurality of mission plans, based on the calculated scores.

8. A system, comprising:
one or more devices to:
receive a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from one or more first geographical locations to a second geographical location and performance of one or more mission operations;
present, for display, a first user interface that requests mission information associated with the mission;
receive the mission information via the first user interface;
determine a plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles for the mission based on the mission information;
present, for display, information associated with the plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles via the first user interface;
receive a selection of one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, from the information associated with the plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles, via the first user interface;
determine a plurality of recommended mission plans based on the mission information and based on the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles;
present, for display, the plurality of recommended mission plans via a second user interface;
receive a selection of a particular mission plan, from the plurality of recommended mission plans, via the second user interface;
generate mission plan instructions for the particular mission plan; and
provide the mission plan instructions to the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to permit the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles to travel from the one or more first geographical locations to the second geographical location, via the flight path, and to perform the one or more mission operations.

9. The system of claim 8 , where, when determining the plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles, the one or more devices are further to:
assign weights to capability information associated with a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles;
calculate scores for the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles based on the assigned weights; and
determine the plurality of recommended unmanned aerial vehicles, from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the calculated scores.

10. The system of claim 8 , where the first user interface includes one or more of:
information requesting a mission type associated with the mission,
information requesting identification of one of the one or more first geographical locations, or
information requesting identification of the second geographical location.

11. The system of claim 8 , where the one or more devices are further to:
receive feedback from the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles during traversal of the flight path or performance of the one or more mission operations; and
present the feedback, for display, via a third user interface.

12. The system of claim 11 , where the third user interface identifies one or more of:
a map associated with the flight path,
current locations of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles,
current speeds of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles,
current altitudes of the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles, or
component information associated with the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles.

13. The system of claim 8 , where the one or more devices are further to:
receive a notification indicating that the mission is complete when the one or more unmanned aerial vehicles complete the one or more mission operations; and
present the notification, for display, via a fourth user interface.

14. The system of claim 8 , where, when determining the plurality of r

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · CPC title

• G05D1/00 Primary

  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

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/22

  located on the ground · CPC title