Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE
FLIGHT HIGHWAY
Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of methods and systems for
unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) flight highways and the management thereof, and more
particularly to a
UAV multi-lane and multi-level flight highway and management thereof.
Background of the Invention
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly flown in the skies around the
world,
both in rural and urban areas. The flight of UAVs, and in particular when an
UAV is
flown beyond the visual line of sight of its controller, can create risks for
other flight
vehicles, including other UAVs, airplanes, gliders, helicopters, etc. Such
risks can
include risks of collisions, risks of flight path deviation to avoid
collisions, and risks to
property, whether being damage to other flight vehicles, or to buildings or
property at a
.. height from, or at, ground level. Various prior art approaches have been
developed to
address risks posed by the flight of UAVs and UAV traffic management.
An example of such a prior art approach is U.S. Patent No. 8082102, issued to
The
Boeing Co. on December 20, 2011, that discloses methods, tool, and techniques
for
computing flight plans for UAVs. The invention requires input of a destination
for said
UAVs, and data representing obstacles in the form of a map. The invention
processes this
information to output a form of trajectories and dimensions utilized by a UAV
to travel
from one destination to another. In particular, the invention computes flight
plans to
incorporate such trajectories and thereby sets limits on where a UAV can and
cannot fly.
The method of the invention also determines if there is any intersection
between a flight
path and obstacles, for the purpose of determining whether any rerouting of
UAVs is
required. The invention can further take into account temporary flight
restrictions to
adjust trajectory calculations. This invention does not operate to create
flight paths for
multiple UAVs to fly simultaneously. It further does not incorporate a
communication
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method between any device and the UAV, or any means of executing the actual
flight,
such as any command and control mechanism.
Another example of a prior art approach is U.S. Patent Application Publication
No.
2016/0328979 filed by Richard Postrel on July 15, 2015 and published on
November 10,
.. 2016 that discloses a UAV traffic management system incorporating a
computer operable
for storing origin coordinates of a UAV, destination coordinates and traffic
management
factors that exist between an origin location and a destination location. The
computer is
further operable to process UAV flight control. The system calculates a flight
path and
executes the flight of the UAV along the flight path from the set origin
location
autonomously by sending the flight path to the UAV, receiving telemetry data
as the
UAV executes a flight mission. The system takes into account traffic, the
UAV's current
location along the flight path and is operable to recalculate the flight path
and transmit
such recalculated flight path to the UAV. This invention does not operate to
create flight
paths for multiple UAVs to fly simultaneously. It further does not require
longitudinal
and latitudinal pinpoint accurate datapoints to be identified for the flight
path.
Another example of a prior art approach is U.S. Patent Application Publication
No.
20160275801 assigned to USA as Represented by the Administrator of the
National
Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) on December 19, 2014, and published
on
September 22, 2016, that discloses a traffic management system for managing
unmanned
.. aerial systems (UASs) operating at low-altitude. The invention is operable
to perform
surveillance for locating and tracking UASs in uncontrolled airspace, for
example, in
airspace below 10,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL). The invention further
is
operable to recognize flight rules for safe operation of UASs in uncontrolled
airspace.
The invention also incorporates computers operable to process said
surveillance and
apply the flight rules to UASs. This invention does not disclose command and
control
over UAV motors to enforce geofencing and pathways, and is not directed to
route
optimization (instead it is directed to traffic management to prevent flights
over an area
(e.g., a military location). It further is limited in application to airspace
below 10,000 feet
above MSL.
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,
Another example of a prior art approach is U.S. Patent No. 9489852 assigned to
Zipline
International Inc., issued on November 8, 2016, that discloses a UAS
configured to
receive a request from a user and to fulfill such request using an UAV. The
UAS is
operable to select a distribution center that is within range of the user, and
to deploy a
suitable UAV to fulfill the request from such distribution center. The UAS is
configured
to provide real-time information about the flight route to the UAV during its
flight, and
the UAV is configured to dynamically update its flight mission based on
information
received from the UAS. This invention does not disclose a UAV traffic
management
system, but rather is directed to a UAV delivery logistics system for
transporting goods.
Another example of a prior art approach is U.S. Patent No. 9256225, assigned
to
Unmanned Innovation, Inc., issued on February 9, 2016, that discloses a system
for UAV
authorization and geofence envelope determination. One of the methods includes
determining, by an electronic system in an UAV, an estimate of the fuel
remaining in the
UAV, and estimating the fuel consumption of the UAV. These estimations are
processed
with the wind speed (as measured by sensors incorporated in the UAV) to
estimate a
flight time remaining for a current flight plan, and one or more alternative
flight plans to
accommodate the estimated remaining fuel. An alternative flight plan is
selected if the
UAV will not complete its current flight plan based upon the estimated fuel
remaining.
This invention does not disclose a UAV traffic management system.
Another example of a prior art approach is U.S. Patent No. 8600602, assigned
to
Honeywell International Inc., issued on December 3, 2013, that discloses two
architectures for UAVs and a method for executing a flight mission plan. One
architecture for a UAV includes a flight command and mission execution (FCME)
component operable to make strategic decisions, a flight technical control
manager
(FTCM) operable to make tactical decisions, and a vehicle management system
(VMS)
operable to provide navigational support, wherein the FCME and the FTCM
execute on
one processor and the VMS executes on a separate processor. The second
architecture for
a UAV incorporates redundant processors for executing the FCME and FTCM as
well as
redundant processors for executing the VMS. The UAV executes a flight mission
plan
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and may control various optical sensors, training sensors and lights. This
invention relies
upon a specific software architecture that is not reflected by the present
invention.
Another example of a prior art approach is U.S. Patent No. 9087451, issued to
John A.
Jarrell on July 21, 2015, that discloses a method of communicating with a UAV
by
transmitting messages bilaterally via a communications transmitter of a
lighting
assembly. A first message transmitted to the UAV from the lighting assembly
includes an
identifier associated with the lighting assembly, and the lighting assembly
being located
within proximity of a roadway. The UAV sends a second message to the lighting
assembly that includes an identifier associated with the UAV. A third message
is sent
from the lighting assembly to the UAV that indicates an altitude at which the
UAV
should fly. This invention does not disclose a UAV traffic management system,
whereby
a UAV can fly in a flight path unrelated to any lighting assembly.
Another example of a prior art approach is PCT Application Publication No.
WO/2016/125161, filed by Moshe Zach on March 2, 2016, and published on
November
8, 2016, that discloses a flight management system for UAVs, operable to equip
a UAV
for cellular fourth generation (4G) flight control. The UAV carries on-board a
4G
modem, an antenna connected to the modem for providing for downlink wireless
RF, and
a computer is connected to the modem. The invention incorporates a 4G
infrastructure to
support the function of sending via uplink and receiving via downlink from and
to the
UAV. The infrastructure further includes 4G base stations capable of
communicating
with the UAV along its flight path. An antenna in the base station is capable
of
supporting a downlink to the UAV. A control centre accepts navigation related
data from
the uplink. In addition, the control centre includes a connection to the 4G
infrastructure
for obtaining downlinked data. A computer calculates the location of the UAV
using
navigation data from the downlink. This invention does not disclose a UAV
traffic
management system that identifies UAV traffic lanes.
What is needed is a UAV flight traffic management system operable to control
flights of
one or more UAVs occurring simultaneously or overlapping in time, along set
identified
flight lanes that comprise a UAV flight highway within a geographic area, that
may be
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multi-lane and/or multi-layer, allowing for control of the flight path of a
UAV along such
flight highway, and the rate of speed of the UAVs along each such flight lane
within the
flight highway.
Summary of the Invention
In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for a UAV flight
highway and
management thereof, comprising: a ground control station operable to transmit
data to
and from one or more UAVs; a server operable to identify the UAV flight
highway, and
to transmit data to and from the ground control station; a geographic locator
communication device operable to transmit data to and from the one or more
UAVs; a
communication transmitter operable to transmit data to and from the ground
control
station and to and from the one or more UAVs; and wherein the one or more UAVs
are
guided along the UAV flight highway through communication with the ground
control
station.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
UAV flight
.. highway system is generate to define one or more flight highway lanes that
are positioned
in one or more layers of flight highway lanes, each of the flight highway
lanes in one of
the one or more layers being equidistant from the ground.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
one or more
flight highway lanes are defined as a series of datapoints.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
series of
datapoints defining the one or more flight highway lanes are spaced in
proximity to each
other, whereby datapoints are in closer proximity in non-straight sections of
said flight
highway lanes, and in farther proximity in straight sections of the flight
highway lanes.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
proximity of
the series of datapoints from each other controls the speed of each of the one
or more
UAVs along each of the flight highway lanes.
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In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
ground control
station controls the flight of each of the one or more UAVs along the flight
highway.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
ground control
station is operable to generate a flight path for each of the one or more UAVs
in
.. accordance with one of the following options: from the location where said
UAV starts
its flight to the flight highway, along the flight highway, and from the
flight highway to a
final destination of said UAV; whereby one of the one or more UAVs starts
joins the
flight highway in-flight and controls the flight of said UAV along the flight
highway until
said UAV exits the flight highway; whereby one of the one or more UAVs starts
joins the
.. flight highway in-flight and controls the flight of said UAV along the
flight highway and
from the flight highway to a final destination; or from the location where
said UAV starts
its flight to the flight highway, along the flight highway, until said UAV
exits the flight
highway.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
ground control
station may generate an altered flight path for any of the one or more UAVs in
accordance with information received by the ground control station for said
UAV.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
ground control
station may generate a rerouted flight highway to avoid risk to one or more of
the one or
more UAVs.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, further
comprising one or
more landing zones where one or more of the one or more UAVs may be directed
to land
by the ground control station.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
ground control
station receives and monitors information relating to the battery level of the
one or more
UAVs.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
ground control
station displays a dashboard to an administrator use showing real-time
information
relating to each of the one or more UAVs.
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In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
dashboard
provides control functions to the administrator user, including: pause control
whereby the
flight or one or more of the one or more UAVs is paused; play control whereby
the flight
of any paused UAV is resumed; return to home control whereby the flight path
of any
UAV is altered to route said UAV to its home location.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
one or UAVs
can move between lanes, and move between layers of the flight highway.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein: one
or more lanes
of the flight highway are reserved for specific types of UAVs; or one or more
layers of
the flight highway are reserved for specific types of UAVs.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein one
or more
intersections are incorporated in the flight highway, and the ground control
station
controls the travel of the one or more UAVs across all intersections in
accordance with
rules and information received from each of the UAVs.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein all
of the one or
more UAVs that fly along the flight highway must be registered with the ground
control
station.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, wherein the
server stores
datapoints that are longitudinal and latitudinal pinpoint references and the
flight highway
is defined by a series of such datapoints.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to the system, further
comprising a third
party system integrated with the server, whereby information is transferred to
and from
the server and the third party system, and such information is utilized by the
ground
control station.
In yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for a UAV
flight highway
and management thereof, comprising the steps of: one or more UAVs being
registered on
a flight highway system that comprises: a ground control station operable to
transmit data
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to and from one or more UAVs; a server operable to identify the UAV flight
highway,
and to transmit data to and from the ground control station; a geographic
locator
communication device operable to transmit data to and from the one or more
UAVs; and
a communication transmitter operable to transmit data to and from the ground
control
.. station and to and from the one or more UAVs; a request for each of the
UAVs being to
access the flight highway being received by the flight highway system and
being
approved, and a flight plan being generated for said UAV, prior to a UAV
flying along
the flight highway; the flight highway system monitoring information from each
UAV
flying along the flight highway system, and environmental information relating
to the
geographic region of the flight highway system, and generating either, altered
flight
plans, or an altered flight highway, in accordance with such information; and
the flight
highway system flying multiple UAVs along the flight highway simultaneously.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in
detail, it is
to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the
details of
construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the
following
description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other
embodiments
and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be
understood that
the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of
description and
should not be regarded as limiting.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will be better understood and objects of the invention will
become
apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description
thereof. Such
description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a systems diagram of the system of a UAV flight highway system of an
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a systems diagram of the software architecture of a UAV flight
highway system
of an embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a flight highway of an embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 4A is a view of a screen displayed to administrative user of the system
of the present
invention as incorporated in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4B is a view of a screen displayed to non-administrative user of the
system of the
present invention as incorporated in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of landing zones available for use of UAVs
utilizing the
system of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5B is a perspective view of an emergency landing zone available for use
of UAVs
utilizing the system of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5C is a perspective view of a landing zone available for use of UAVs
utilizing the
system of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a multiple layer flight highway system of an
embodiment
of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a single layer flight highway system of an
embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a two layer flight highway system of an
embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a three layer flight highway system of an
embodiment of
.. the present invention.
In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
example. It is to
be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the
purpose of
illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as a
definition of the
limits of the invention.
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Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
The present invention is a system and method for a UAV flight highway and
management
thereof, comprising: a ground control station, a server (for example a cloud
server), a
geographic locator communication device, a communication transmitter, and one
or more
UAVs. The present invention is operable to identify ground level topography
and air
space objects (e.g., buildings) within a region, as well as other restrictions
to UAV flights
(e.g., restricted flight zones), and generates within such region a UAV flight
highway,
that may be multi-lane and multi-layer, based upon specific latitudinal and
longitudinal
points. The present invention is operable to control the flight of one or more
UAVs along
such flight highway, along multiple-lanes thereof, wherein the UAVs may travel
at
different speeds in different lanes and different layers along the UAV flight
highway.
The term "UAV" as used herein means drones of any nature that are used for a
variety of
purposes (e.g., delivery drones, emergency drones, personal drones, etc.), air
taxis,
vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, electronic vertical take-off
and landing
aircraft, vehicles operable in a remote traffic management (RTM) system, fixed
wing
vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The terms "UAV flight highway" or "flight highway" as used herein, mean a
defined
route within a geographic location (e.g. a city, a municipality, etc.) along
which UAVs
are permitted to fly that may be multi-lane and multi-layer. Such highway
being designed
by the present invention, and may be altered by the present invention, to
ensure that the
highway is efficient and effective for UAV travel, and to avoid buildings, no-
fly zones,
and other limitations to UAV flight within such geographic location, as may
change from
time-to-time.
A reference to a "lane" of the flight highway is to a single lane wherein UAVs
travel in
one direction, and a reference to a "route" of the flight highway is to the
whole of the
flight highway, including all of its lanes and any shoulder area (as described
herein).
Each lane is uni-directional. Each lane is defined by a series of datapoints,
as is any other
portion of a flight path generated by the present invention leading to or from
the flight
highway.
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The term "controller" references an individual or computer system that
controls the flight
of a UAV. For example, an individual may control the flight of a UAV, or the
flight
highway control system of the present invention may control the flight of a
UAV. If a
flight highway control system controls a flight it can control a flight along
a flight path, it
can reroute a flight or alter the flight path, but it cannot provide a new
flight path without
the UAV being operational in one of the flight highway lanes. All UAVs on the
flight
highway are controlled by the flight highway control system. A registered UAV
can link
with the flight highway control system mid-way through a flight, and be
controlled by the
flight highway control system for at least part of the flight. All UAVs on the
flight
highway must be registered by the flight highway control system. A registered
UAV can
leave a flight highway lane and leave the flight highway. Prior to and after
leaving the
flight highway, the flight higway control system may continue to control the
flight of the
UAV, or the flight can be controlled by another controller in the line of
sight of the UAV.
The system of the present invention may be operable to detect one or more UAVs
flying
near one or more flight lanes of the flight highway. Such detection may be
facilitated by
radar sensors, wavelength sensors, or other sensor technologies. The detection
may
involve the sensor collecting information from or relating to the UAV that is
flying close
to the flight highway, and such information may be utilized by the system of
the present
invention to determine if such UAV is registered with the flight control
system of the
present invention, or not. If any non-registered UAV gets too near to the
flight highway,
the flight highway control system may alter the route of at least one lane of
the flight
highway system. The alteration would re-route at least a portion of the flight
highway.
The purpose of such rerouting may be to avoid a collision between the
unregistered UAV
and any UAVs on the flight highway. The flight highway may further utilize
information
collected from the non-registered UAV by the sensor, to identify the sensor
and report the
non-registered UAV flying near to the flight highway to local authorities, in
some
instances.
A UAV may be guided from a starting location (whether at ground level or above-
ground, such as from a roof of a building or other above-ground location) to
the flight
highway, along the flight highway, and from the flight highway to a location
where the
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flight will terminate. Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present
invention, a
controller of a UAV can fly the UAV to the flight highway, and the UAV will
only be
controlled by the system of the present invention while it is travelling along
the flight
highway, and the controller will control the UAV when it exits the flight
highway, either
to land or to conduct an in-flight activity off the flight highway, such as
inspecting the
exterior of a building or some other in-flight activity that is to occur off
the flight
highway.
The lanes of the flight highway may be located parallel to each other either
vertically or
horizontally, or the lanes may be non-parallel on a vertical and/or horizontal
plane. Each
lane may further have a set flight speed that the UAVs upon such lane will
travel at, and
such speeds may differ between lanes. Flight highway lanes may further be
designated
for the travel of particular types of UAVs, for example, such as a lane
designated to
UAVs conducting emergency travel (e.g., UAVs delivering medical supplies, UAVs
delivering human organs, UAVs responding to a fire, UAVs sent to support
paramedics
by carrying supplies, or UAVs carrying other emergency items or providing
other types
of emergency monitoring or assistance), a lane designated for UAVs
transporting
commercial packages (e.g., online shopping purchases, commercial documents, or
other
commercial packages), and other lanes may be designated for other types of UAV
travel,
or mixed purpose UAV travel. In some embodiments of the present invention,
lanes may
be created so as to be visible to humans, such as when viewed through a
particular screen,
glasses or goggles. This could aid humans flying aerial vehicles (e.g.,
helicopters and
other manned aerial vehicles) to also flight along flight highway lanes.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the visualization for flight
highway lanes
may incorporate augmented reality elements.
The flight highway may incorporate multiple flight highway lanes at one or
more layers.
Each layer on the flight highway incorporates one or more lanes positioned at
a specific
distance from the ground level. One or more layers may be designated for
travel of a
particular type of UAV.
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The flight highway functions in a manner similar to a road highway for
automobiles, or
railway tracks for trains. It is a designated route (formed of one lane or
multiple lanes)
along which UAV vehicles will fly within a particular geographic location
(e.g., a city, a
municipality, a rural area, or some other geographic location). Rules may be
applied to
travel by UAVs along the flight highway, such as speeds of travel, times of
travel, the
type of UAVs that can travel along particular lanes, etc. Specific rules may
be applied to
individual lanes and/or layers of the flight highway. The route of the flight
highway may
further be altered in accordance with either permanent areas (e.g., new
buildings, etc.) or
temporary areas (e.g., a space where an airshow will be held during a
particular period of
time) that present limits for travel along a portion of the flight highway
route. Either
detours may be created (e.g., for temporary limitations), or the flight
highway may be re-
configured (e.g., for permanent limitations). A key difference between trains
travelling
along railway tracks and automobiles travelling along road highways, and UAVs
flying
along the UAV flight highway of the present invention, is that when travelling
upon a
UAV flight highway, the flight highway system of the present invention will
control the
travel of the UAV (e.g., its speed, its direction, etc.).
The route of the flight highway may be altered in accordance with information
that is
collected by the flight highway system. For example, the flight highway system
may
gather information regarding the use of the flight highway at particular times
of day, and
the congestion thereupon of UAVs, or lack thereof. The UAVs may be moved
between
lanes and/or layers by the flight highway controller during a flight for
various reasons,
such as to improve efficient travel of the UAVs along the flight highway. The
information collected by the flight highway controller may be processed to
determine that
moving a UAV between lanes and/or layers will increase efficiency of travel.
Alternatively, the owner of a UAV may request that a UAV be allowed to travel
at a
faster speed, such as if an emergency occurs or some other reason occurs mid-
flight, and
this may require the UAV to be moved to a lane and/or layer that moves at a
faster speed.
Alternatively, the information gathered by the flight highway system may
indicate that a
UAV is experiencing flight problems, and the UAV may be required to be moved
to a
lane and/or layer that allows for travel at a lower speed to compensate for
the flight
problems or to be rerouted to a landing zone.
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The information gathered by the flight highway system may further indicate
that the route
of the flight highway must be altered, such as for example to avoid air level
construction,
smoke rising from a ground level fire, or a weather system, etc. The flight
highway
controller will be provided with the information for the altered route, and
will transmit
instructions to the UAVs to control the flight of the UAVs to travel along the
altered
flight highway route.
As the present invention applies longitudinal and latitudinal location markers
to
establishing and defining the UAV flight highway, the exact route of the
highway can be
determined to centimeter precision. In some embodiments of the present
invention, the
precision of the flight highway route identification is localized to a
millimeter level to
precise maps and to autonomous features with centimeter level precision. This
allows for
exactitude in the identification of the UAV flight highway location. In
particular, this
allows for the height of the highway from the ground to remain constant,
despite
topographical fluctuations at ground level (e.g., hills, gullies, valleys,
etc.). The surety of
the exact location and height of the flight highway, and the one or more lanes
that form
the flight highway, facilitates safe travel of the UAVs along the flight
highway, even
when significant density of travel of UAVs occurs along the flight highway
simultaneously. The UAVs will be kept at a safe distance from each other by
the control
of speed and the exactitude of the height of the highway from the ground, and
a
consistent distance being maintained between the layers in the highway. This
avoids
damage to the UAVs, to buildings near to the flight highway, as well as damage
to the
ground, as can occur due to a collision of a UAV with: another UAV; or a
building.
As described herein, the route of the flight highway lanes is defined by
datapoints that
represent specific pinpoint latitude and longitude points spaced in proximity
to each
other. In some embodiments of the present invention all datapoints on a layer
are
equidistant from the ground, and in other embodiments of the present invention
the
datapoints on a layer may not be equidistant from the ground.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the method of data collection to
identify the
route of the flight highway to millimeter level precision may be to utilize a
global
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navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver to collect the datapoints. A
device is utilized
to collect distance-based data within the specific geolocation wherein the
flight highway
route is to be positioned. For example, datapoints can be collected by such
device at
specific intervals, for example, such as 4-30 meters. The collected datapoints
may be
farther in proximity to each other for linear or straight portions of the
flight highway
lanes, and closer in proximity to each other in portions of the flight highway
lanes near to
intersections or that are non-linear or non-straight portions of the flight
highway lanes.
The spacing of the datapoints assists the flight highway controller with
controlling the
speed of the UAVs on the flight highway lanes. For example, datapoints that
are closer
together (e.g. fewer meters apart) may cause a UAV flying in such a section of
a flight
highway lane to fly at a slower speed than when the UAV flies in section of a
flight
highway lane along which the datapoints are farther apart. In this manner the
spacing of
the datapoints can assist with ensuring accuracy of the flight path of the UAV
along the
flight highway lane, and controls the speed of a UAV flying along the flight
highway
lanes.
Each datapoint that is collected includes the accurate latitude/longitude
information
corresponding to such datapoint. In this manner, each datapoint represents a
pinpoint
location reference. The datapoints are then processed by the flight highway
system to
produce a result that is a matrix of datapoints in two dimensions (2D) shown
in a grid
format. This grid can be overlaid with routing algorithms to generate a UAV
flight
highway. The one or more UAVs travelling along the flight highway will
communicate
with a single server and this facilitates three dimensional (3D) route
optimization for the
flight highway.
When a UAV flies along the flight highway lanes it will follow the datapoints,
such that
the center of the UAV will be aligned with each datapoint. When flying between
datapoints, the UAV will attempt to remain in a position that allows it to be
aligned with
the next datapoint. The UAV is aligned with the datapoints by one or more
sensors of the
UAV that recognize the pinpoint location of each datapoint and are operable to
ensure
that the UAV travels so as to be aligned with each datapoint. Thus, such
sensors will
check the datapoint alignment more frequently when the datapoints have a
closer
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
proximity, than when the datapoints are father in proximity to each other. The
increased
checking caused by datapoints in close proximity, can have the effect of
causing the
UAV to travel at a slower speed than the UAV will travel when the datapoints
are father
in proximity from each other.
The UAV flight highway of embodiments of the present invention, is a three-
dimensional
(3D) route optimization layer that is operable to command and control multiple
UAVs in
rural or urban areas. The UAV flight highway is a predefined route in the sky
made up of
one or more lanes and one or more layers, however, it is subject to alteration
as required,
as described herein. Elements of the flight highway include that: it is
developed such that
the route is defined by accurate datapoints that are collected within the
region through a
process that defines the route in accordance with specific longitudinal and
latitudinal
points; 3D route optimization is applied such that the flight highway is
optimized for
travel by one or more UAVs simultaneously; the flight highway system is
operable to
command and control multiple UAVs along the flight highway simultaneously; and
travel
of one or more UAVs may be paused by the flight highway system, as required to
permit
travel of emergency services along the flight highway as required to respond
to
emergencies, control travel of UAVs through intersections, and as otherwise
required to
create efficient and safe travel of UAVs.
The flight highway is configured by segmenting mapped airspace into meter
sized blocks
where a UAV could possibly operate. Such segments are combined and layered on
pathways based on air variables, such as traffic flow, real time construction
and weather.
The output of the combination is then integrated with applicable safety and
governance
features. The flight highway therefore provides a platform that leverages UAV
traffic
management and autopilot software so that UAVs can access autonomous flight
corridors
in the skies.
The flight highway system is operable to achieve communication with UAVs, and
also to
create UAV-to-UAV communication. The flight highway system further
incorporates
safety features, for example, such as UAV parachute deployment and failsafe
redundancy
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measures that the flight highway controller can achieve. This reduces the risk
of damage
to property located near or beneath the flight highway.
The present invention further incorporates a method for collecting data
relating to the use
of the flight highway by UAVs. This data can be utilized to further optimize
the route of
the flight highway and to alter such route as required to increase efficiency
and safety of
the highway of UAVs. Information regarding the function of particular UAVs can
further
be gathered and analyzed by the present invention to determine the efficiency
of
particular UAVs (e.g., battery life efficiency, fuel efficiency, ability to
function in
particular types of weather (e.g., strong winds, heavy rains), etc.). This
information can
.. be utilized for the development and improvement of UAV technology.
When UAVs are in-flight along the flight highway, owners of the UAVs, as well
as
officials of the geographic location (e.g., city employees, municipal workers,
etc.) within
which the flight highway is defined (e.g., a city or municipality, etc.) may
view
information relating to the flight of one or more UAVs along the flight
highway.
An owner of a UAV may view, a real-time map showing the position of the UAV
upon
the flight highway (depicted as a location within the map). The route that the
UAV is to
travel may be shown (depicted as a route upon the map). Telemetry information
may be
displayed, for example, such as the UAV identification, the altitude of the
UAV, the
speed at which the UAV is travelling, and the fuel level or battery charge of
the UAV.
The starting location, where the UAV initiated its flight, may be shown
(depicted as a
location within the map), as may be the destination location where the UAV is
intended
to fly to (depicted as a location within the map). The type of flight that is
to occur (e.g.,
the mission type) may also be indicated (e.g., mission types may include:
emergency
services, transport of a commercial package, filming expedition, etc.). If the
owner owns
.. several UAVs the information for each of the owner's UAVs may be shown to
the owner
upon a single map and screen, in some embodiments of the present invention.
An official of the geographic location may view the same information as is
shown to an
owner of a UAV. The official may further view information for all of the UAVs
flying
within the geographic location owned by multiple owners. Filters may also be
applied to
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the information displayed to an administrator or owner user, such as to filter
the types of
UAVs that are shown to the official in some embodiments of the present
invention (e.g.,
filters to show only emergency services UAVs, or to show one particular UAV
having a
specific identification, or to show all of the UAVs of a particular owner
(e.g., all the
UAVs of a particular company), or other filters). The official may further
have access to
command and control options (C2), whereby traffic upon the flight highway can
be
affected, such as a pause, play or return to home options that control the
flight of one,
multiple or all UAVs in the flight highway.
In some embodiments of the present invention, these controls may be human
controlled
(whereby a human controller implements the controls, and can control the
flight of one or
more UAVs in accordance with such controls). Alternatively, in some
embodiments of
the present invention, these controls may be human in the loop controls,
whereby a
human provides some basic command input, such as indicating the starting and
ending
point of a flight, and the flight highway control system determines the flight
path, re-
routing of the flight path, and implementation of any C2 controls, during the
flight. The
C2 controls may be presented to a controller as one or more buttons that a
controller can
select.
The pause option when selected will pause all or some of the traffic upon the
flight
highway (e.g., the flight of one UAV, traffic upon certain lanes of the flight
highway to
allow for faster travel of emergency services UAVs, the flight of all UAVs of
an owner,
etc.). For example, UAVs caused to pause along the flight highway may hover
about the
position where the UAV was located when said UAV was paused. The pause option
may
not apply to UAVs that are not operable to hover (e.g., VTOL aircraft). A UAV
that is
not operable to hover may be controlled by the flight highway controller to
change lanes
to another flight highway lane where the UAV will not be paused. The lane to
which such
UAV is moved may be on the same flight highway level as the UAV was previously
flying upon, or the UAV may be moved to fly upon a lane that is in a different
flight
highway layer (either above or below the flight highway level where the UAV
was flying
prior to the pause command being initiated). The pause command may pause a
single
UAV or multiple UAVs simultaneously. When the pause command in initiated
sensors in
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the UAV will provide information to the flight highway controller as to the
battery level
of the UAV. If the UAV does not have a sufficient battery level to be paused,
the flight
highway controller may re-route the flight path of the UAV to another flight
lane, or to
cause the UAV to leave the flight highway and fly to the nearest safety
landing zone,
where the UAV will land.
In some embodiments of the present invention it may be possible for a
controller to pause
all UAV traffic on the flight highway, all UAV traffic upon a flight highway
lane, or all
UAV traffic upon one or more flight highway levels.
The play option when selected will cause a single UAV, or multiple UAVs, that
were
previously paused by operation of the pause option, to resume flying, such
that each
UAV continues flying along its flight path.
The return to home option when selected will cause one or more UAVs to return
to their
home locations, or the UAVs may request to be rerouted by the flight highway
controller.
Each UAV will have a home location identified for such UAV when the UAV is
.. registered with the flight highway controller. If no such home is
identified for a UAV the
system may deem another location, such as the location from where a UAV
started its
flight, to be the home location of the UAV for a particular flight.
If a UAV requests to be rerouted, the flight highway controller will prepare a
new flight
path for the UAV, or alternatively control of the UAV will be transferred to
another
controller.
Use of any C2 option by an official will cause the flight highway control
system to
generate instructions that will be transmitted to the applicable one or more
UAVs to
cause the UAVs to function in accordance with the C2 command chosen by said
official.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the flight highway may be
configured to
include a "side of the highway shoulder" area, being an area to the side of a
flight
highway lane, whereby a UAV that needs to leave the flight highway for any
reason (e.g.,
a malfunction, or any other reason) may be moved from a flight highway lane to
the
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shoulder. A UAV may be rerouted from the shoulder to a landing zone, or may
leave the
shoulder and exit the highway to be controller by a controller user in sight
line of the
UAV. Alternatively, a UAV may return to the flight highway land from the
shoulder. The
UAV will continue to be controlled by the flight highway control system while
it is upon
the shoulder of the flight highway lane.
Testing
Embodiments of the present invention incorporate a hardware agnostic, secure,
and
autonomous control system for unmanned traffic management for UAVs. To design
the
flight highway control system for such an embodiment, the following tests were
performed.
An aerial map system was developed for a UAV, as was a generic platform
operable to
control the UAVs through the aerial flight highway. Thus, the first objective
of the
project to develop the present invention was to design the means to accurately
measure
and create a highly precise millimeter-order three-dimensional aerial map
system that can
be processed by machine learning models. The second objective was to design
the means
to simultaneously connect multiple UAVs through a generic platform operable to
control
the UAVs through the aerial flight highways. The flight highway control system
was to
be operable to facilitate seamless and simultaneous communication between the
flight
highway control system and multiple UAVs.
At the onset of the project several technological limitations were faced in
collecting
spatial datapoints with high accuracy (sub-millimeter level) for designing the
flight
highway control system and flight highway lanes for navigation of the UAVs.
Datapoint
accuracy is of critical importance for the present invention, to ensure that
the location of
all UAVs on flight paths and flight lanes are known at all times, to ensure
the flight
highway and flight paths are not generated so as to cause UAVs to collide with
each other
or any in-air obstacle, or to fly over any no-fly zone or other area that
could create danger
for a UAV, etc.
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
Another significant technological limitation faced was in developing
operability to
synchronize multiple UAVs with the flight highway control platform of the
flight
highway control system, and communicate with all of the UAVs simultaneously or
concurrently. Simultaneous control of multiple UAVs from a single platform is
of critical
importance for the present invention, to ensure that UAVs can be controlled
constantly
while flying along flight paths and lanes. This avoids collisions with of UAVs
or with
any in-air obstacle, and flying over no-fly zones or other areas that could
create danger
for a UAV, etc.
To develop an aerial map system datapoints were required to be collected in a
geographic
area that can be used to generate the flight highway lanes. The collection of
datapoints
was initially hypothesized to be achievable through the application of
processes similar to
traditional surveying methodologies such as LIDAR (Light Detection and Radar).
However, upon an analysis of the collected data, it was recognized that
traditional
methods of collecting datapoints created certain inefficiencies, such as: the
amount of
data recorded was substantially large, making both efficient processing, and
communication with the UAVs in a manner to support high-performance of such
UAVs,
difficult; the datapoints did not necessarily reflect a consistent distance of
such datapoints
from the ground surface for all datapoints in flight highway lanes or each
layer of the
flight highway; and obstacles between the ground and the sky could distort the
accuracy
of datapoint collection. The limitations that were faced led to further study,
whereby
methods were developed to collect the datapoints, at the distances required,
in an efficient
manner, and one whereby the collected datapoints could be utilized to generate
a
functioning and efficient flight highway system, as required for the present
invention.
The system developed by the inventors through this study facilitated the
collection of
datapoints as is necessary for the creation and function of the flight highway
system
disclosed herein.
While developing the flight highway control platform for the flight highway
control
system, another technological limitation faced was to find a way to connect
multiple
UAVs simultaneously or concurrently to the platform and then communicate with
all of
them simultaneously or concurrently. For example, UAV platforms known prior to
the
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development of the present invention, do not allow multiple UAVs to be
connected and
controlled (be given commands) simultaneously. Thus, the proprietary solution
of the
present invention was required to be developed by the inventors to support
multi-UAV
functionality.
The initiative to develop a solution to connect multiple UAVs to the platform
faced
additional challenges, including relating to the determination as to the user
datagram
protocol (UDP) ports that could be used for establishing communication between
the
UAVs and the flight highway control system platform. The developer API (e.g.,
Dronecode SDKTM or MAVSDKTM, which provides programmatic access to the PX4
flight stack via MAVLinkTM) connects to all the simulation instances through
default port
14540, but simulations always ran on port number 14560. As there was no
available
existing documentation that provided details of the UDP ports, a process of
experimentation was undertaken to build prototypes to determine the
appropriate UDP
ports to be used to communicate back with the UAVs.
After determining the correct port numbers, the next challenge faced was in
scaling this
to multiple UAVs simulations. Available off-the-shelf software options all
required
hardcoding the number of ports needed to run the simulations and then
registering each
port individually. However, this solution was not efficient and scalable as
the code was
required to be changed and rebuilt every time additional ports were needed. To
address
this limitation, an approach was designed that recursively loops through the
required
ports and registers them automatically. This enabled automation of the process
of
registering multiple UDP ports for simulating and communicating with multiple
drones.
Available off-the-shelf software further required that to execute the flight
paths for each
individual UAV, the executable file had to be run on different terminals and
each port
number had to be specified. This approach was not scalable and efficient as a
different
terminal had to be opened each time an UAV was to be controlled through the
backend
element of the flight highway control system. To address this limitation the
inventors
designed processes to enable the software to run in parallel on multiple
threads. The
existing software processes were split such that they could be efficiently run
on multiple
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threads in the same server instance, thus enabling effective control of all
UAVs through a
single terminal.
The testing achieved the present invention that facilitates the creation of a
flight highway
and the simultaneous operation of multiple autonomous UAVs in high-density
urban
areas, and rural areas along such flight highway. The system of the present
invention is
operable for use by government institutions as well as private companies and
individuals
to manage the flights of their UAV fleet, or single UAVs, safely and
efficiently.
Benefits
The present invention offers many benefits over existing prior art methods and
systems.
These benefits address gaps that prior art innovations in this area of art
have been unable
to fill.
As an example of a benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
currently, in
accordance with prior art innovations, there is no accuracy of position when
it comes to
controlling multiple UAVs in urban areas. Prior art can only achieve a level
of flight
position accuracy for a single UAV and requires very expensive hardware to
achieve
such accurate positioning. The present invention is operable to achieve flight
position
accuracy from a single server for multiple UAVs flying in shared airspace. The
present
invention further is operable to achieve 3D route optimization for UAV flight
traffic (of
one or more UAVs) which increases the efficiency and safety of such flights.
Prior art
systems cannot achieve the functions of the present invention to control
multiple UAVs
in flights along accurate flight positions that form a UAV flight highway.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
prior art
UAV systems require UAVs to rely upon static location indicators (that are not
configured to reflect a specific latitude/longitude pinpoint location) and the
sensors of the
UAV are tied to such datapoints, whereby the UAV can fly in accordance with
the sensor
data (e.g., vision sensors to identify obstacles to a flight path, etc.). The
present invention
permits the UAVs to function as autonomous vehicles. The UAVs of the present
invention fly in accordance with a flight path/plan that is generated in
accordance with
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identified datapoints within a geographic area. Thus, low visibility, snow
covering
obstacles, and other such events that affect the function of sensors and
create risk for a
prior art UAV flight, do not affect UAV flights of the present invention.
Moreover, the
lanes of the flight highway of the present invention are identified as a
series of datapoints,
and the lanes are not static, but can be rerouted as required, as described
herein. The prior
art does not disclose these aspects of the present invention.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
UAV flight
paths and identification of a flight location of a UAV are generally
identified in
accordance with map datapoints by prior art systems, not in accordance with
datapoints
that are generated in relation to distance from the surface of the Earth, and
latitudinal and
longitudinal datapoints collected to have millimeter and centimeter accuracy.
The
datapoints of the present invention that are collected to determine the UAV
flight
highway decrease the risk of collisions of UAVs in-flight, including the
collision of
multiple UAVs, as well as property damage, to buildings, and at ground level,
particularly in high-level density UAV flight areas. This is of particular
import in certain
cities that have topographies that create issues for the angles of flight
highway lanes (e.g.,
areas with many steep hills, etc.). The present invention can process the
datapoints to
create a flight highway that avoids sharply angled lanes being created.
Moreover, the use
of datapoints allows for variations of datapoint references in lanes within
the flight
highway. For example, spacing of datapoints can vary between lanes, such that
lanes that
have lower UAV speeds may be defined by datapoints that are closer together
than the
datapoints used to define lanes for higher UAV speeds.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
prior art
systems fail to utilize cloud computing features and machine learning
algorithms.
Embodiments of the present invention incorporate cloud computing features,
that affect
the speed of the transmission of information between the UAVs and the system
of the
present invention. The transmission of such information via cloud computing
features
causes the information to transfer more quickly and frequently between each
UAV and
the system of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention
further
incorporate machine learning algorithms that allow the system of the present
invention to
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become fully automated overtime, whereby, human interaction with, input to, or
control
of, the system becomes increasingly less required. Prior art systems do not
apply the
cloud computing features or machine learning of the present invention, and
therefore
prior art systems cannot achieve the benefits that cloud computing features
and machine
.. learning facilitate for the present invention.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
prior art
systems directed to multiple UAVs are directed to use by a single
organization. The
present invention is operable to manage flight traffic of multiple UAVs owned
by a
variety of organizations and/or individuals. Therefore, the present invention
can be
utilized to manage UAV flight traffic within a city or other area where
multiple
individuals and/or organizations fly UAVs.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
prior art
systems cannot easily adapt UAV flight routes to adjust in-flight for changes
that affect a
flight route (e.g., birds, no-fly zones, other obstacles, weather, etc.).
Prior art systems
must be aware of such obstacles prior to planning the flight path. The present
invention is
operable to alter the flight highway to avoid obstacles and other risks, while
UAVs are in-
flight. This feature of the present invention further increases the efficiency
and safety of
the system, by avoiding collisions with such obstacles or other UAVs, and
avoid areas
that pose risks to a UAV, the system can avert damages or risks to
infrastructure,
airplanes, etc.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
prior art
systems do not generally incorporate functions to achieve route optimization,
they are
directed to surveillance and traffic management, to prevent flights over
particular areas
(e.g., no-fly zones near airports or military sites, etc.). The present
invention is able to
optimize the route of the flight highway as described herein. This has many
benefits for
the efficiency and safety of the UAV flights, and surrounding buildings and
areas, as
described herein.
As an example of another benefit of the present invention over the prior art,
prior art
systems that create any type of constant flight path for UAV flights generally
do so at a
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
low altitude. The present invention is operable to create lanes of the flight
highway at
varying altitudes and is not constricted to functioning at low altitudes. This
has the
advantage of allowing the present invention to function at altitudes that are
above
buildings and other in-air obstacles. It also allows for greater flexibility
to incorporate
additional lanes positioned vertically above existing lanes, as there is no
limit to the
height at which such new lanes can be added.
All of the foregoing are examples of some of the benefits that the present
invention offers
over the prior art. A skilled reader will recognize that other benefits are
also provided by
the present invention and embodiments thereof over the prior art.
System
The drawings provided herewith offer examples of some embodiments of the
present
invention, and other embodiments of the present invention are also possible.
The present invention is operable to facilitate a UAV flight highway. The
route of the
flight highway is identified in accordance with specific datapoints. The
datapoints are
collected within a specific geographic area (e.g., a city, municipality, or
other area). Each
datapoint represents a latitudinal and longitudinal reference point, that is a
x,y point in the
actual world. A device, that may be a sensor, is utilized to collect the
datapoints and set
the boundaries of the geographic area wherein the route of the flight highway
will be
identified.
The datapoints are collected at regular intervals by a device that may be a
receiver, and
the distance between datapoints may alter depending on the contour of the
flight highway
lanes. For example, datapoints may be spaced at intervals that are closer
together along
non-linear or non-straight portions of the flight highway lanes, and at
intervals that are
farther apart along linear or straight portions of the flight highway. In some
portions of
the flight highway lanes, the spacing of the datapoints may be at regular
intervals. For
example, a portion of the flight highway lane that is straight may incorporate
datapoints
that are regularly spaced, and then as the flight highway lane starts to
transition to be less
straight, the distance between the datapoints may be altered to no longer be
at the same
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regular distance, however, through the non-straight section of the flight
highway lane the
datapoints may be a regular spacing from each other that is a spacing of
closer proximity
than the regular spacing at the straight portion of the flight highway lane.
Thus, the
datapoints may be at different regular spacing in straight and non-straight
sections of a
flight highway lane, and not be spaced at regular intervals in between
straight and non-
straight portions of the flight highway (instead being spaced so as to
gradually change
from the spacing of datapoints along different types of sections of the flight
highway
lanes, such as linear types, non-linear types, straight types and non-straight
types of
sections). For example in embodiments of the present invention datapoints may
be
collected at intervals of 4-30 meters and the intervals between datapoints may
vary along
straight or linear sections of the flight highway lanes, and along non-linear
or non-straight
sections of the flight highway lanes, or at portions of the flight highway
lanes near
intersections.
The datapoints are stored in a local SD card of the receiver or other device
utilized to
collect or generate said datapoints, or are stored other storage means and are
downloaded
to the flight highway control system. The datapoints are converted either
prior to
download or subsequent to download, through the processing by a computer
processor
that is either incorporated in the receiver or other device utilized to
collect or generate
said datapoints, or the computer processor incorporated in the flight highway
control
system, to decimal degrees. In decimal degrees the datapoints are identified
as latitudinal
and longitudinal points that can be interpreted by latitudinal and
longitudinal protocols.
The datapoints can be displayed to a user by the flight highway control
system, via a
screen or other display device, to show the datapoints overlaid upon a map.
The flight
highway control system permits a user to choose to remove some datapoints, and
further
allows a user to align datapoints. Generally, the system of the present
invention will
collect more datapoints than a necessary to generate flight highway lanes. As
discussed
herein, the characteristics of sections of the lanes may require datapoints to
be more
closely or more distantly spaced along portions of the lanes. Moreover, the
proximity of
datapoints from each other may increase of decrease the speed that a UAV can
fly along a
portion of a flight highway lane.
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The flight highway control system may utilize software commands to process the
datapoints and map, to generate an output that shows elements within the
geographic area
that are relevant to the flight highway (e.g., buildings within the flight
are, no-fly zones,
areas to be avoided (e.g., fire zones, etc.), and other elements relevant to
the flight
highway). For example, elements such as ground level roads appearing on the
original
map with which the datapoints were overlaid may be removed. Software such as
Java
Open Street Map Editor (JOSM) software, proprietary software, Exce1TM MACROS
scripts, and/or other software may be utilized to process the datapoints and
map, to
produce the output generated by the present invention.
The map/datapoints results may further be tagged to identify datapoints for
flight
highway lane routes. The tagging may be conducted utilizing JOSM proprietary
software
and/or other software, as well as map function software elements that provide
additional
function, for example, such as WAYSTM tools, or other map function tools. The
tagged
datapoints can be sorted and elements of the datapoints can be named to
identify aspects
of the flight highway, such as a routes, lanes, stop signs, etc. For example,
a stop sign
may function to cause a UAV to stop forward movement and hover in a static or
nearly
static position, u-turn, or move in a vertical (up and down) direction for a
period of time.
Once tagging is completed a .pbf file or other type of map file is generated
by the flight
highway control system, and such file is utilized by the system to create
flight path routes
for UAV flights, as well as lanes along routes for the flight highway.
As shown in FIG. 3, the datapoints may be viewed as a overlaid format 80
showing one
or more grids 82a, 82b corresponding to the datapoints overlaid with a map of
a city that
indicates 3D obstacles within a flight area, such as buildings 84a, 84b, 3D
objects below
a flight area (e.g., buildings, etc.) 86, and ground level sites (e.g., flight
initiation points)
88. This view may show two or more grids at different altitudes above ground
level. The
grids may indicate the upper and lower levels wherein lanes may be generated
for one or
more layers of the flight highway. This view can be utilized to generate the
flight
highway 92 and the lanes therein. This view can also be utilized to generate
an initial
flight path 90 being the flight path from a flight starting point 88 to the
flight highway 92.
The initial flight path is generated if the flight highway control system will
control the
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=
UAV 20 from the starting point to the UAV flight highway, along the UAV flight
highway, and from the UAV flight highway to a destination point. As described
herein,
the flight highway control system may be utilized to control a UAV during the
whole of
its flight or a portion of the flight, but shall always control the UAV flight
while it is
flying along the flight highway.
As shown in FIG. 4, the flight highway may have multiple lanes and the lanes
on each
layer will be spaced a constant vertical distance from the ground. Thus, each
layer of the
flight highway is positioned so that the lanes therein are equidistant from
the ground as
well as from any other layer or layers that are above or below aid layer of
the flight
highway.
As an example, as shown in FIG. 6, a flight highway may incorporate multiple
layers
122a, 122b, 122c. Each layer may incorporate one or more flight highway lanes
92a, 92b,
92c. In some embodiments of the present invention, the flight highway lanes at
each layer
may be parallel to and consistent with the flight highway lanes of at least
one other layer
of the flight highway. As shown in FIG. 9, in other embodiments of the present
invention,
the flight highway lanes at one or more layers may not be parallel to or
consistent with
the flight highway lanes of any one or more layers of the flight highway.
The flight highway lanes may incorporate one or more intersections 124, where
at least
two flight highway lanes intersect. As shown in detail in FIG. 6, one or more
UAVs
flying along flight highway lanes may come into proximity of each other at an
intersection 124. The flight highway controller may apply flight rules to such
UAVs 20a,
20b, 20c, 20d. Examples of such rules are identified in accordance with arrows
126a,
126b. For example, a UAV may continue to move along the same flight highway
lane
and pass through an intersection, as indicated by arrow 126a. A UAV may also
turn along
a horizontal plane at an intersection as shown by arrow 126b, so as to leave
one flight
highway lane and to enter another flight highway lane. A UAV may further move
along a
vertical plane to leave one flight highway lane of a flight highway layer and
enter another
flight highway lane of another flight highway layer. A UAV 20b may be paused
in flight
at an intersection to allow another UAV 20c to move through the intersection.
A UAV
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20a may be paused at an intersection if another UAV 20d is turning onto a
flight highway
lane in front of such UAV. The flight of any paused UAV may resume when the
flight
highway controller deems it safe for a UAV to pass through an intersection
(e.g., no
collision with another UAV will occur).
As shown in FIGS 7-9, embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one
or
more layers. The base layer 122a, positioned closest to the ground, as shown
in FIG. 7,
incorporates one or more flight highway lanes 92a positioned equidistant from
the
ground, along which one or more UAVs 20a can be in-flight at a point in time.
As shown in FIG. 8, at least one additional layer 122b can incorporate one or
more flight
highway lanes 92b positioned equidistant from the ground, and from the one or
more
layers in the flight highway. One or more UAVs 20b can be in-flight at a point
in time
along the additional layer, and at least one or more UAV 20a can be in-flight
at the same
point in time along at least one of the flight highway lanes of the base
layer.
As shown in FIG. 9, another layer 122c can incorporate one or more flight
highway lanes
92c positioned equidistant from the ground, and from the one or more layers in
the flight
highway. One or more UAVs 20c can be in-flight at a point in time along the
another
layer. Furthermore, at least one UAV 20a can be in-flight at the same point in
time along
at least one of the flight highway lanes of the base layer, and at least one
UAV 20b can be
in-flight at the same point in time along at least one of the flight highway
lanes of the one
or more additional layers.
There is no set or maximum number of layers to be incorporated in a flight
highway. The
number of layers in a flight highway can be modified to be increased or
decreased at
points in time. The flight highway lanes of a layer of the flight highway can
be rerouted
independently of other layers, or all layers can be rerouted, depending upon
the reason for
such rerouting. For example, if the cause for the rerouting only affects one
layer (e.g., an
unregistered UAV being located close to a flight highway lane of one layer,
etc.), the
flight highway lanes of only the layer that is affected may be rerouted.
Whereas if the
cause for the rerouting affects more than one layer (e.g., smoke within part
of the flight
highway, high winds affecting part of the flight highway, construction
occurring in one
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
area of the flight highway, a temporary obstacle, such as a ferris wheel being
erected in
one area of the flight highway, etc.), the flight highway lanes of the one or
more layers
that are affected may be rerouted.
Vertical lanes, each positioned in a different layer, will each be at a
specific vertical
distance from the surface of the Earth below. For example a lane at a first
layer could be
100 meters from the Earth surface, another lane in another layer could be
parallel to the
first lane but positioned 110 meters from the Earth surface, etc. Specific
lanes in the
flight highway, at a single layer or multiple layers, or lanes or portions of
lanes, of the
flight highway, may be for particular types of travel of UAVs, such as travel
in a
particular direction, travel at a particular speed, etc. The lanes, in one or
various layers,
could therefore also be used for different types of UAVs, such as UAV
emergency
service travel, commercial transport, or human transportation aerial vehicles,
etc.. A
skilled reader will recognize that the types of lanes in a flight highway, and
the rules
applicable to each type of lane will vary in accordance with the UAV traffic
that is to
travel along such lane, the UAV technology available, and other factors. UAVs
may
move along a lane, controlled by the flight highway control system, and may
further be
moved between lanes in layers by the flight highway control system while in-
flight.
Safety emergency landing zones may be positioned upon buildings along the
flight
highway route, upon other structures along the flight highway route, or in
locations along
the flight highway route (e.g., open fields and other locations where it would
be safe to
land a UAV). For example, a safety emergency landing zone could be located
upon
building 84a as shown in FIG. 3. Other types of landing zones may also be
located in
proximity to the flight highway for use by UAVs.
Landing zones of any type may be located upon an immovable objection (such as
building, parking lot, etc.), or a moveable object (such as, upon a vehicle or
a moveable
structure). The use of moveable landing zones allows for the location of
landing zones to
be variable. Moveable landing zones further allow of a collection of multiple
landing
zones to be positioned within proximity to each other if multiple UAVs are
needing to
land in landing zones, at any point time, or in regions that are shown over
time to be
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regions where multiple landing zones are required. Moreover, in a crisis
situation, a
moveable landing zone can allow for a landing zone to be moved so it is
positioned close
to a UAV that is need of landing upon a landing zone to facilitate such
landing in a timely
manner and avert risks.
A UAV owner or controller may choose a landing zone for a UAV. Landing zones
may
be public ¨ whereby all UAVs can utilize the landing zone, or landing zones
may be
private ¨ whereby only UAVs that have permission to do so can utilize a
private landing
zone. For example, a company may set-up one or more private landing zones
where
UAVs owned by the company are permitted to land. All landing zones may be
identified
.. to the present invention, but the present invention may only display the
landing zones at
which a UAV is permitted to land, to a particular UAV controller, user or
owner.
As shown in FIG. 5A, landing zones of any type may be positioned with a
geographic
region. Landing zones may be positioned upon buildings, 84c, 84d, upon the
ground, or
upon structures that are either moveable or stationary. Landing zones may
include
emergency landing zones 110, and non-emergency landing zones 116. FIG. 5A
shows the
position of two landing zones within a group of buildings, and a close-up of
the position
of the landing zones upon such buildings.
FIG. 5B shows an emergency landing zone 110 positioned upon the top of a
building
84d. The emergency landing zone may incorporate an emergency design 112 or
other
element that identifies (whether visually or otherwise) the landing zone as an
emergency
landing zone. FIG. 5C shows a non-emergency landing zone 114 positioned upon
the top
of a building 84c. The non-emergency landing zone may incorporate a non-
emergency
design 116 or other element that identifies (whether visually or otherwise)
the landing
zone as a non-emergency landing zone.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a guiding tool may integrated
with any
type of landing zone, whereby one or more sensors attached to a UAV can sense
the
landing zone, and the sensors can be utilized to generate an guiding zone 118,
whereby
the UAV is aligned with the landing zone and guided towards the landing zone
(as shown
by arrow 12). Through the function of the guiding tool, the UAV can land
directly upon
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the landing zone. In embodiments of the present invention, the sensors may
incorporate
any of the following types of sensors, one or more light detection and ranging
(LIDAR)
sensors, one or more infrared sensors, or other types of sensors that achieve
the function
disclosed herein.
As one example, landing zones may incorporate computer vision whereby the
landing
zone is marked. The UAVs may utilize camera vision to land upon such marking.
To
reach a landing zone, a UAV may be guided by the flight highway control system
off the
flight highway and along a flight path formed of datapoints, to a point near
to the landing
zone, and from that point the UAV will transfer control to the computer vision
system to
complete the landing of the UAV upon the marked location of the landing zone.
Other
configurations for landing zones and the one or more sensors incorporated in a
UAV are
also possible.
As well as emergency landing zones and safety emergency landing zones, other
types of
landing zones may be created in the present invention, including non-emergency
landing
zones that are mid-flight path landing zones positioned upon buildings along
the flight
highway route, or upon other structures along the flight highway route, or in
locations
along the flight highway route (e.g., open fields and other locations where it
would be
safe to land a UAV). For example, a mid-flight path landing zone could be
located upon
building 86 as shown in FIG. 3. Such mid-flight path landing zones may
incorporate
computer vision whereby the landing zone is marked. The UAVs may utilize
camera
vision to land upon such marking. To reach a mid-flight path landing zone, a
UAV may
be guided by the flight highway control system off the flight highway and
along a flight
path formed for datapoints, to a point near to the mid-flight path landing
zone, and from
that point the UAV will transfer control to the computer vision system to
complete the
landing of the UAV upon the marked location of the mid-flight path landing
zone. Mid-
flight path landing zones may be public or may be specific to an organization.
An embodiment of the present invention may incorporate a flight highway
control
system, such as that shown in FIG. 1. Such a system comprises a ground control
station
22, a server 14 accessible via the internet 16 (being a cloud server), a cell
tower 24, a
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continuously operating reference station (CORS) 18, one or more satellites
12a, 12b, and
one or more UAVs 20. The ground control station may be a laptop, tablet, or
other
computing device. The ground control station determines the flight path of the
UAV
based upon information provided to it relating to the UAV as well as the
intended starting
location and destination location of the UAV for a particular flight (e.g.,
its mission).
Generally UAVs are flown in accordance with radio telemetry, but this can only
be
utilized while a UAV is within the line of sight of the controller. The
present invention
incorporates LTE (e.g., 4G or 5G) functionality for data transmission between
the ground
control station 22 and the UAV 20. The system is operable to support several
bilateral
data transmissions, including the following:
= between the ground control station and a cell tower 40 (LTE);
= between the cell tower and the UAV 36 (LTE);
= between the ground control station and the UAV 38, as occurs specifically
for
UAVs on flight paths that are not beyond the visual line of sight of the
controller;
= between the cell tower and the server 46 (MAVlinkTm over TCP/IP, Dynamic
Rerouting + Telemetry);
= between the ground control station and the server via the Internet 42
(Route +
Telemetry, Route Request);
= between the UAV and one or more satellites 28, 32, as facilitates
improved
accuracy of UAVs to follow and fly along the flight highway lanes as such
lanes
are positioned and defined in accordance with the datapoints;
= between the one or more satellites and the CORS station 30, 26, as
facilitates
improved accuracy of UAVs to follow and fly along the flight highway lanes as
such lanes are positioned and defined in accordance with the datapoints; and
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CA 3059698 2019-10-23
=
= between the UAV and the CORS station 19, as facilitates improved accuracy
of
UAVs to follow and fly along the flight highway lanes as such lanes are
positioned and defined in accordance with the datapoints.
Transmissions between each UAV and the one or more satellites and one or more
satellites and the CORS station will help identify the exact location of a UAV
in-flight.
The CORS station transmits such location data to the UAV that relays the
location
information to the ground control station (whether directly, or via the LTE
transmissions
via the cell tower). In this manner the ground control station has real-time
or virtually
real-time data regarding the location of the UAV in-flight. The transmission
connection
between the ground control station and the server, permits storing and
extraction of data
that can be utilized to control the route of the flight highway (e.g., permits
in-flight
alterations if the flight highway is required to be altered due to any in-air
or ground
obstacle to the flight highway route ¨ e.g., buildings, weather, fires, no-fly
zones, birds,
etc.).
The ground control station may be controlled by the owner or user of the UAV.
The
ground control station may be utilized by the owner or user of the UAV to fly
the UAV to
the flight highway. Once a UAV reaches the flight highway control of the
flight of the
UAV will be controlled by the flight highway control platform stored and
functioning in
the server. A owner/user of a UAV may cause the UAV to leave the flight
highway, for
example, such as if the mission of the UAV is to inspect the exterior surface
of multiple
buildings within a city, the UAV may leave the flight highway when it is close
to each
building it is to inspect. The owner/user may control the UAV during the
inspection, and
then fly the UAV back to the flight highway. The flight highway control system
is further
operable to control a UAV from its flight starting location through to its
destination, such
flight path route including flying upon a portion of the flight highway.
Platform
A user who owns a single UAV, or a user who is an owner of multiple UAVS, may
view
one or more screens that provide information relating to the flight of its one
or more
UAVs, in the form of a user dashboard. The user dashboard may display
information
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
relating to the position of the UAV, the battery life of the UAV, the time
remaining in the
flight along the flight path, the height (altitude) of the UAV, the speed the
UAV is
travelling at, and the map location of the UAV, etc..
As shown in FIG. 4B, a user dashboard or screen may be displayed to an owner
of one or
more UAVs, or to a controller of one or more UAVs. The dashboard or screen may
display a map 104b showing the flight path 101 and present location of at
least one UAV
103, flying within the location shown on the map. UAV information 109 may be
displayed relating to one or more UAVs on the map. Such information may
incorporate
other features, such as a Start Mission button. Buttons or certain information
may be
selected by a user to cause a particular outcome, such as a Start Mission
button that when
selected will cause the flight of one or more UAVs to be initiated along a
flight path.
An official of a geographic area wherein a flight highway is located may view
one or
more screens that provide information relating to the flight of one or more of
the UAVs
that are flying upon the flight highway, or that are in-flight and are moving
to fly upon
the flight highway, or were flying upon the flight highway and have flown away
from the
flight highway, in the form of an administrator dashboard.
The administrator dashboard provides a real-time or virtually real-time view
of the UAVs
flying within the geographic area. As discussed herein, filters may be applied
to this view
to view only a single UAV or to view subsets of UAVs. Alert information
relating to any
of the UAV flights can be displayed. The administrator (officer) can obtain
information
relating to individual UAVs or subsets of UAVs, and their missions, while
viewing all
UAVs in-flight. The administrator screens further permit the administrator
(official) to
pause traffic on the flight highway and apply other C2 commands. The
administrator
screens could further permit the view of one or more layers and/or lanes of
the flight
highway at a time, to thereby identify traffic issues within a lane.
As shown in FIG. 4A, an administrator dashboard or screen may display a map
104a
showing the location of one or more UAVs 103a, 103b, 103c, 103d, 103e, 103f
and 103g,
flying within the location shown on the map in real-time or virtually real-
time. Filter
information options 105, whereby the information shown about one or more UAVs
on the
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map may be controlled, may be provided on the dashboard. For example, one or
more
types of UAVs may be displayed (e.g., emergency, commercial, passenger, etc.)
upon the
map at one time. Filters may further be set in accordance with analytic
information
pertaining to one or more UAVs (e.g., low battery life, payloads over a
certain weight,
etc.). A panel 106, incorporating information pertaining to one or more UAVs
shown on
the map, and other features, such as Play, Pause and Re-route buttons, may be
displayed
to an administrative user.
Buttons or certain information may be selected by an administartor user to
cause a
particular outcome, such as a Pause button that when selected will cause one
or more
.. UAVs to be paused in their flight along a flight path. A user may further
select one or
more UAVs and a selection indicator 107 will display to highlight the one or
more UAVs
that have been so selected. Information in the dashboard may be filtered to
only relate to
such selected one or more UAVs, and functions such as play, pause and re-route
may be
applied only to the selected UAV in some embodiments of the present invention.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the administrator dashboard
screens
permit the administrator to approve a UAV prior to engaging in any flight
using the
present invention. In this manner, UAV users/owners are be required to
register their
UAVs before they would be permitted to fly within a geographic area. Moreover,
UAV
flights may be required to fly along the flight highway within the geographic
area, or if
.. flying off the flight highway they must be flying in accordance with a
flight path/plan
generated by the present invention. The administrator may further have the
option to set
the speed limits for one or more lanes of the flight highway, or to set other
parameters
relating to the permitted flight of UAVs. In this manner, the present
invention can be
utilized to impose regulations and rules upon UAVs in-flight within a
geographic area.
.. An example of an embodiment of the flight highway control platform 50 of
the present
invention, is shown in FIG. 2. The platform incorporates a user input module
66 whereby
a user can provide information relating to the flight of a UAV and its
mission. Such
information can include any of the following: the starting location of the UAV
flight
provided as the take-off coordinates (e.g., a named location such as a
building or city site,
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CA 3059698 2019-10-23
=
an address, a longitudinal/latitudinal point, etc.); the destination location
of the UAV
flight provided as the landing coordinates (e.g., a named location such as a
building or
city site, an address, a longitudinal/latitudinal point, etc.); the flight
ceiling limits (being
the highest altitude that the UAV can fly at for the mission) that will not
necessarily be
defined by any mapped coordinates; the urgency of the flight (e.g., an
indication that a
flight is for emergency services, etc.); the type of mission that the flight
is for or other
type of flight information; and the payload that the UAV will transport (if
any). This data
is transmitted from the ground control station to the flight highway control
platform on
the server.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the information collected by the
user
input module may be obtained from a third party system that is incorporated
with the
present invention. For example, a government system that registers and
regulates UAVs
in a region may obtain such information and transfer this information to the
present
invention.
The data transmitted to the user input module is then transferred to the
platform backend
60. The platform backend incorporates several modules operable to process data
relating
to the UAV flight and the control of UAVs simultaneously (whether there be one
UAV or
multiple UAVs in flight).
The data static module 52 stores the datapoints collected for the geographic
area, the
datapoints overlaid upon a map of the geographic area and the results of
processing such
datapoints and map, as described herein. The data static module is operable to
store such
information and to transmit such information to the route optimization (real-
time) module
54.
The route optimization (real-time) module 54 receives information from the
data static
module, from the user input module, and from the route deconflicting aspect of
mission
audit. The server of the present invention receives information relating to
multiple
variables. Using this information, the system can recognize where multiple
UAVs are
located in the flight highway lanes, along flight paths, and near the flight
highway. The
present invention can utilize such information further to reroute flight paths
of one or
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CA 3059698 2019-10-23
more UAVs, or reroute flight highway lanes, to prevent one or more UAVs from
flying to
locations that are identified by the flight highway controller to be locations
where one or
more UAVs should not fly. For example, the flight highway controller may alter
the
flight path of a UAV to avoid an UAV colliding with another UAV. The flight
highway
controller may further reroute a flight highway lane to avoid any UAVs along a
lane from
flying into a location wherein there is significant airborne debris (e.g.,
smoke particles or
other debris) that could damage a UAV or adversely affect its function. The
flight
highway controller may further reroute a single UAV, multiple UAVs or a flight
highway
lane for other purposes, as described herein, to produce an efficient flow of
UAV traffic
within the flight highway.
This module utilizes such information and data to optimize the route of the
flight
highway, as well as the flight path of each UAV. The route optimization (real-
time)
module may receive information from third party sources, including weather
information,
construction information, special even information (e.g., carnivals, air
shows, etc.), and
other information that will affect travel of UAVs on the flight highway, as
well as travel
of a specific UAV along its flight path. Notably, the flight highway control
platform will
include in the flight path a route to reach the flight highway, a route along
the flight
highway, and a route from exiting the flight highway to a destination point.
The flight
path will include an optimized route to cause the UAV to reach the flight
highway
altitude and route as efficiently and safely as possible, and to exit the
flight highway for
any reason, including to reach a destination location or to reach a landing
zone before
completing an original flight path, in a manner that is efficient and safe.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a UAV may be utilized to carry
and
deliver a secure package. For example, a UAV may be utilized to carry and
deliver
prescription drugs from a pharmacy to a patient, legal documents between
parties in a
transaction, or other secure packages. The present invention may incorporate a
sensor or
other tool operable to confirm receipt of such secure package by the intended
party, for
example, such as by the UAV scanning a quick response (QR) code, scanning or
receiving the recipient's signature, scanning or receiving the recipient's
biometric data
(e.g., an eye scan or fingerprint), or another tool whereby the identify of
the recipient
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CA 3059698 2019-10-23
may be verified by information collected by the UAV and transferred to the
system of the
present invention for processing and verification.
This module may further receive information relating to travel along the
flight highway,
including information relating to traffic, lanes (layers) upon the flight
highway, and other
flight highway information. Such information may be generated by the flight
highway
control system and transmitted to the route optimization (real-time) module
via the
transmissions permitted therein. This module may receive information from
third party
sources, as well as information relating to the flight highway in real-time,
or virtually real
time.
The route optimization (real-time) module will utilize the information it
receives to
optimize the flight path for each UAV. For example, if the weather information
indicates
a storm is approaching, the flight path, and flight highway, may be altered to
avoid storm
cells. As another example, the payload of a UAV may indicate that the UAV
cannot be
flown above a particular altitude, and the flight path will be generated to
accommodate
such a limitation. The flight plan will further be generated that entails the
expected
altitude, speed, and other functions of the UAV along the flight path. For
example, a
UAV flying at a higher speed may have a shorter battery life than a UAV flying
at a
lower speed, and therefore the flight plan will ensure that the function of
the UAV along
a flight path is sustainable. These and other criteria are utilized for
determining an
optimized flight path for each UAV. As another example, the flight mission may
indicate
that a UAV is conducting an emergency services flight, and the flight plan may
cause the
UAV to fly along the lane reserved for emergency services UAVs on the flight
highway.
The route optimization (real-time) module will consider all of the information
that it
receives and produce a flight plan for each UAV, and routes for the flight
highway. Such
flight plans and routes for the flight highway will optimize the efficiency
and safety of
the flight for each UAV. The route optimization (real-time) module can
transfer
information to the miss-audit/edit module, or the mission creation module 56.
The mission creation module 56 is operable to process the information it
receives from
the route optimization (real-time) module to generate a flight plan for a UAV,
a portion
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
of such flight plan being along the flight highway. The flight plan may
further be
generated to be in a file format that a UAV can understand (e.g. MAVlinkTM or
another
format that a UAV can understand). The flight plan in such file format is
transferred by
the mission creation module to the API exit point module 58.
.. The API exit point module 58 is operable to transfer the flight plan file
to the UAV, and
to transfer traffic management information to the UAV in-flight, such as
rerouted flight
planes, flight paths to landing zones, and flight highway route alterations,
sent to the
UAVs flying upon the flight highway in the form of an altered flight plan. The
flight
plane consists of a series of datapoints the UAV is to fly to, as described
herein. A flight
path is generated for each UAV individually and each UAV is monitored by the
system
in-flight by the system of the present invention, through the transmission of
data from the
UAV to the system. The information will be provided to the UAV(s) via LTE
transmission other types of transmissions, in accordance with the flight
highway control
system.
.. The API exit point module may further receive information from the UAV(s)
in-flight on
flight paths generated by the flight highway control platform. Such
information may be
collected by a UAV via one or more sensors incorporated in or attached to a
UAV (e.g.,
obstacle sensors, battery life sensors, etc.), one or more cameras
incorporated in or
attached to a UAV, or via telemetry. Such information may include the position
of the
.. UAV, the battery life of the UAV, the time remaining on flight in
accordance with the
flight plan, the altitude of the UAV, the flight speed of the UAV, the map
location of the
UAV, and other information relating to the flight and the function of the UAV.
This
information may be transmitted from this module to other modules in the
backend to
assist in particular with flight highway route optimization to be generated
for UAVs in-
.. flight along the flight highway and transmitted to such UAVs, or altered
flight plans as
requested. The API exit point module further transmits information to the
mission
audit/edit module 62.
The mission audit/edit module 62 receives the information transmitted from the
backend
system and the API exit point module in particular. This module processes this
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information and generates a specific operations risk assessment (SORA)
relating to the
UAV flight and obstacles to the flight path/plan. This module may further
determine the
battery life of the battery of each UAV, and whether each UAV has sufficient
battery life
to complete its flight path. This module may determine that the flight path
route of a
UAV, or a flight highway lane, needs to be rerouted for a UAV to avoid
conflict with
other UAVs, or for other reasons. This module may further determine if any
authorization
of Aircraft Network Security Program (ANSP) is required and whether such
required
authorization has been obtained for each UAV. Information generated by this
module
may be transmitted to the route optimization (real-time) module 54 and
processed
thereby, as described herein.
Information generated by this module may also be transmitted to a UAV. For
example, if
a UAV is determined to lack battery life to complete a flight path, an altered
flight path
may be generated for such UAV and transferred to the UAV by the system such
that the
UAV is directed to a landing zone. As another example, if the flight path for
a UAV is
rerouted, or a flight highway lane is rerouted, details of the rerouted flight
path or flight
highway lane will be transmitted to the UAV.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the mission audit/edit module
may
transmit information to an airmap/airmarket/unifly module 70. The
airmap/airmarket/unifly module may process the information for SORA
implementation,
to produce air risk modelling. The airmap/airmarket/unifly module may further
generate a
low altitude authorization notification capability (LAANC) assessment to
determine if the
flight path/plan or the actual flight of the UAV meets LAANC authorization
requirements, or may perform other regulatory assessments. The
airmap/airmarket/unifly
module may further undertake assessments in light of manned traffic
integration in the
geographic area. The results of the processing of the airmap/airmarket/unifly
module may
be transmitted to the mission audit/edit module.
The mission audit/edit module may alter the flight path of a UAV, or cause the
UAV to
be directed to a safety emergency landing zone if the UAV is experiencing
difficulties
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=
with its flight. The altered flight path may be transmitted to the affected
UAV(s) via the
flight highway control system of the present invention.
The flight highway control platform further incorporates a static/dynamic
mission module
68, operable to transmit and receive information from the backend 60. The
static/dynamic
mission module stores the information relating to the static aspects of the
UAV flight
path, namely the mission planning information collected prior to the UAV being
in-flight
on the flight path/plan. The static information can be retrieved and
transmitted to the
backend. The static/dynamic mission module further stores dynamic information,
being
real-time information gathered while a UAV is in-flight. This information is
utilized to
track obstacles to a flight path/plan and the flight highway. The static
information can be
retrieved and transmitted to the backend. UAV flight log information may
further be
transmitted to this module after each UAV flight concludes, and be stored as
dynamic
information.
The static and dynamic information can be processed by the static/dynamic
mission
module and utilized for machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
development
purposes for the present invention. For example, the occurrence of flight
obstacles may
be predicted in the future based upon such machine learning and/or AI.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the system of the present
invention may
incorporate one or more third party systems (such as third party traffic
management and
monitoring systems). Such third party systems may be operable to monitor and
enforce
airspace permissions in a particular jurisdiction, or may have other functions
or features.
In such embodiments, the system of the present invention would control UAV
flights and
may utilize information or functions of the third party system in relation
thereto (i.e.,
airspace permission from third party system, etc.).
When integrated with a third party local system, the third party system could
function as
a front end module for the system of the present invention. For example, the
third party
may undertake the registration of UAVs and other functions to cause UAVs of
which it is
made aware to comply with local jurisdictional requirements imposed upon UAVs
in
such location. The third party system may transfer information relating to
registered
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UAVs to the present invention, whereby such UAVs are recognized as registered
for the
purposes of the present invention. The present invention could then create
flight paths for
such UAVs when each such UAV is to embark on a mission, or could allow a UAV
to
join the flight highway mid-flight.
As another example, the present invention may integrate with a third party
system,
whereby the present invention is the system initially utilized by the owner of
a UAV, to
register the UAV, create flight paths, and control flights of the UAV, as
described herein.
The present invention may provide information about each such UAV to the third
party
system, and such third party system may provide services to the UAV owner in
accordance with the function of such third party system. A variety of types of
third party
systems may therefore be incorporated to function with the present invention
for a variety
of purposes.
Multiple UAVs
Although the description of the flight highway control platform is described
above in
reference to a single UAV, the platform is operable to generate flight
plans/paths and
control the flights of multiple UAVs simultaneously. Moreover, such UAVs may
belong
to multiple individuals and organizations that provide information to the
flight highway
control platform, and can connect their UAVs so as to be in transmission
communication
with the flight highway control system, as described herein. Thus, flight
paths/plans
generated for UAVs in accordance with the present invention will be created to
avoid
collisions between multiple UAVs flying on, to, and from, the flight highway.
Additionally, although a single ground control station and UAV are shown in
FIG. 1, the
present invention facilitates multiple ground control stations. Each ground
control station
is operable to control the flight of one or more UAVs. The multiple ground
control
stations may each be connected to transmit and receive information from the
flight
highway control platform, in accordance with the flight highway control
system, as
described herein.
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It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other variations of
the embodiments
described herein may also be practiced without departing from the scope of the
invention.
Other modifications are therefore possible. For example, the present invention
could be
utilized by semi-manned aerial vehicles, being aerial vehicles that can be
flown by a user
(whether the user is within the vehicle or located externally from the
vehicle) but can also
be controlled by the flight highway control system of the present invention.
The present
invention may further be applied to cross border UAV travel, whereby
geographic areas
that include two or more countries could coordinate their regulations for UAV
travel, to
increase the efficiency and safety of such cross-border UAV travel.
CA 3059698 2019-10-23
