Generating dynamic manifest for aircraft operations

Abstract

In some embodiments, a system including a user device and a constraint management system is provided. The constraint management system includes one or more processors and at least one computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium has stored thereon, in response to execution by the one or more processors, logic that causes the constraint management system to perform actions including receiving flight plan information; querying a constraint data store to retrieve an initial set of constraint definitions related to the flight plan information; generating information for presenting a manifest based on a comparison of constraint definitions from the initial set of constraint definitions to a set of manifest items; and sending the information for presenting the set of manifest items to the user device for presentation. In some embodiments, the flight plan information includes a planned flight region and a planned flight time period.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 187613, filed February 26, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to the operation of aircraft, and more specifically, but not exclusively, to the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Background Technology

[0004] The use of aircraft, both for recreational and commercial purposes, is becoming increasingly common. As the cost of operating aircraft continues to decrease and ease of use increases, many new pilots are beginning to take up flight operations. One hurdle for new pilots—and one that even experienced pilots constantly strive to overcome—is the ability to properly ensure that planned flights do not violate any flight constraints. Even when pilots are able to properly review all relevant flight constraints for the planned flight area before a given flight, there is currently no way to keep them informed of changes to relevant flight constraints between planning and takeoff. The increasing use of mobile devices with small, touch-only interfaces only exacerbates these problems.

[0005] The desired system will allow both experienced and novice pilots to easily plan flights to avoid violations of flight constraints, even when using mobile devices with small, touch-only interfaces. The system will also monitor changes to relevant flight constraints and proactively notify the pilot when changes are detected before and / or during flight. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon is provided. This logic, in response to execution by one or more processors of the constraint management system, causes the constraint management system to perform actions for automatically generating notifications of flight constraints. These actions include: receiving flight plan information by the constraint management system, wherein the flight plan information includes a planned flight area and a planned flight time period; querying a constraint data store by the constraint management system to retrieve an initial set of constraint definitions associated with the flight plan information; generating information for presenting a list by the constraint management system based on a comparison of the constraint definitions from the initial set of constraint definitions with a list of items; and sending the information for presenting the list to a user equipment for presentation.

[0007] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon is provided. This logic, in response to execution by one or more processors of a computing device, causes the computing device to perform actions including: receiving input defining at least a portion of flight plan information, wherein the flight plan information includes a planned flight area and a planned flight time period; sending the flight plan information to a constraint management system; receiving information from the constraint management system for presenting a list of flight constraint conditions related to the flight plan information; and presenting the list. The actions also include: in response to receiving a notification from the constraint management system indicating that the flight constraint conditions have changed prior to the planned flight time period, receiving information from the constraint management system for presenting an updated list of flight constraint conditions related to the flight plan information; and presenting the updated list.

[0008] In some embodiments, a system including a user equipment and a constraint management system is provided. The constraint management system includes one or more processors and at least one computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon. The logic, in response to execution by the one or more processors, causes the constraint management system to perform actions including: receiving flight plan information, wherein the flight plan information includes a planned flight area and a planned flight time period; querying a constraint data store to retrieve an initial set of constraint definitions associated with the flight plan information; generating information for presenting a list based on a comparison of the constraint definitions from the initial set of constraint definitions with a list of items; and sending the information for presenting the list to the user equipment for presentation. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following accompanying drawings, in which, unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals refer to the same parts in the various views. Not all instances of elements need to be labeled to avoid confusing the drawings where appropriate. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; rather, the focus is on illustrating the described principles. For ease of identification of any particular element or action discussed, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for managing flight operations based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating aspects of a non-limiting example embodiment of a constraint management system according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0012] Figures 3A-3CThis is a flowchart illustrating a non-limiting example embodiment of a method for providing a dynamic flight inventory according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0013] Figures 4A-4C These are illustrations of non-limiting example embodiments of the presentation of a list of items by a user device according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a non-limiting example embodiment of a procedure for updating constraint definitions of storage according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Non-limiting examples of aircraft according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for managing flight operations according to various aspects of this disclosure. As shown, system 100 includes a pilot 108 who wishes to operate an aircraft 104 within an operating area 102 (shown as a top-down map view). Typically, operating an aircraft within operating area 102 will comply with various regulations issued by local authorities, national authorities, licensing agencies, and other entities. However, these various regulations are often not posted in an easily retrievable format, especially for the pilot 108 who communicates using user equipment 106 such as a smartphone or other mobile device.

[0017] In embodiments of this disclosure, a constraint management system 110 is provided that collects flight constraints related to the pilot 108's use of the aircraft 104 within the operating area 102 and provides information that allows the user device 106 to present constraint information in a format easily consumed on the user device 106. Furthermore, the constraint management system 110 continuously monitors the planned flight constraint information to check for any changes, and if a constraint changes in a meaningful way, sends a notification to the user device 106, thereby allowing the pilot 108 to plan flights well in advance without having to repeatedly review the plan to ensure that the planned flight remains permissible.

[0018] Figure 2This is a block diagram illustrating aspects of a non-limiting example embodiment of a constraint management system according to various aspects of this disclosure. The illustrated constraint management system 110 can be implemented by any computing device or set of computing devices, including but not limited to desktop computing devices, laptop computing devices, mobile computing devices, server computing devices, computing devices of cloud computing systems, and / or combinations thereof. The constraint management system 110 is configured to generate a dynamic inventory by determining constraints related to a planned flight area during a planned flight period and providing information associated with those constraints to a user. In some embodiments, the constraint management system 110 is also configured to monitor changes to the determined constraints before and during the planned flight period and notify the user upon detecting a change.

[0019] As shown in the figure, the constraint management system 110 includes one or more processors 202, one or more communication interfaces 204, constraint data storage 208, user data storage 218, and computer-readable medium 206.

[0020] In some embodiments, processor 202 may include any suitable type of general-purpose computer processor. In some embodiments, processor 202 may include one or more dedicated computer processors or AI accelerators optimized for a specific computing task, including but not limited to graphics processing units (GPUs), vision processing units (VPTs), and tensor processing units (TPUs).

[0021] In some embodiments, the communication interface 204 includes one or more hardware and / or software interfaces adapted to provide a communication link between components. The communication interface 204 may support one or more wired communication technologies (including but not limited to Ethernet, FireWire, and USB), one or more wireless communication technologies (including but not limited to Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and LTE), and / or combinations thereof.

[0022] As shown in the figure, computer-readable medium 206 stores logic thereon that, in response to the execution of one or more processors 202, causes constraint management system 110 to provide user management engine 220, constraint acquisition engine 212, constraint calculation engine 210, constraint analysis engine 214, and environmental information engine 216.

[0023] As used herein, “computer-readable medium” means any removable or non-removable device that implements any technology capable of storing information in a volatile or non-volatile manner for reading by a processor of a computing device, including, but not limited to: hard disk drives; flash memory; solid-state drives; random-access memory (RAM); read-only memory (ROM); CD-ROM, DVD or other disk storage devices; cassette tape; magnetic tape; and disk storage.

[0024] In some embodiments, the user management engine 220 is configured to create and manage user records stored in the user data storage 218. User records may include information such as the driver's attributes, the aircraft attributes of the aircraft operated by the driver, the driver's contact information (including, but not limited to, one or more addresses to which notifications can be sent), and / or other information.

[0025] In some embodiments, the constraint acquisition engine 212 is configured to retrieve information from other sources representing constraint information and store the corresponding constraint definitions in the constraint data storage 208. In some embodiments, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may provide a user interface that allows constraint information to be directly input into the constraint management system 110, and may create and store constraint definitions based on the constraint information input into the user interface.

[0026] In some embodiments, the environmental information engine 216 is configured to retrieve transient environmental information from external sources, including but not limited to weather condition information and / or weather forecast information. In some embodiments, the constraint calculation engine 210 is configured to calculate constraint definitions based on transient information from other sources (such as information collected by the environmental information engine 216) and store the calculated constraint definitions in the constraint data storage 208.

[0027] In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 is configured to generate and transmit information for presenting a list of inventory items. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 is configured to determine which constraint definitions are relevant to a given planned flight area during a planned flight period and to base the information for presenting the list of inventory items on the relevant constraint definitions. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may also be configured to continuously monitor potentially relevant updated constraint definitions before and during the planned flight period, and to send a notification to contact information stored in user records in user data storage 218 when a change is detected.

[0028] The following provides a further description of the configuration for each of these components.

[0029] As used herein, an "engine" refers to logic embodied in hardware or software instructions, which can be written in one or more programming languages, including but not limited to C, C++, C#, COBOL, JAVA™, PHP, Perl, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, VBScript, ASPX, Go, and Python. Engines can be compiled into executable programs or written in interpreted programming languages. Software engines can be invoked from other engines or themselves. Generally, the engine described herein refers to a logical module that can be combined with other engines or can be split into sub-engines. Engines can be implemented by logic stored in any type of computer-readable medium or computer storage device and can be stored and executed by one or more general-purpose computers, thereby creating a dedicated computer configured to provide the engine or its functionality. Engines can be implemented by logic programmed into application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other hardware devices.

[0030] As used herein, “data storage” means any suitable device configured to store data accessible to computing devices. One example of data storage is a highly reliable, high-speed relational database management system (DBMS) that runs on one or more computing devices and is accessible via a high-speed network. Another example of data storage is a key-value store. However, any other suitable storage technology and / or device capable of providing stored data quickly and reliably in response to queries may be used, and the computing device may be locally accessible rather than network-accessible, or may be provided as a cloud-based service. Data storage may also include data stored in an organized manner on computer-readable storage media such as hard disk drives, flash memory, RAM, ROM, or any other type of computer-readable storage media. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, the separate data storages described herein may be combined into a single data storage, and / or the single data storage described herein may be separated into multiple data storages.

[0031] Figures 3A-3CThis is a flowchart illustrating a non-limiting example embodiment of a method for providing a dynamic flight inventory according to various aspects of this disclosure. In method 300, the constraint management system 110 assists in generating a dynamic inventory showing whether a planned flight will comply with various flight constraints in the planned flight area, and continues to monitor flight constraints even if they change before the planned flight period. By doing so, the constraint management system 110 assists the pilot 108 in planning aircraft operations in advance without having to repeatedly manually confirm that the plan is still valid before the planned flight period.

[0032] Method 300 proceeds from the start box to box 302, where driver 108 provides one or more driver attributes to the user management engine 220 of the constraint management system 110. In box 304, the user management engine 220 creates a user profile for driver 108 in the user data storage 218 of the constraint management system 110, and in box 306, the user management engine 220 stores the driver attributes in the user profile.

[0033] Pilot attributes may include characteristics of pilot 108 related to determining whether a given flight constraint will apply to pilot 108. For example, these pilot attributes may include, but are not limited to, the type of license held by pilot 108, the license number of the license held by pilot 108, the number of flight hours held by pilot 108, the time of pilot 108's most recent flight, the number of authorizations previously obtained by pilot 108, pilot 108's current location, pilot 108's age, and pilot 108's local time. Pilot attributes may also include one or more pieces of data more directly related to the operation of the constraint management system 110, including but not limited to the username / password of pilot 108 accessing the constraint management system 110, contact information associated with pilot 108, address information of pilot 108's user device 106, device token for notification services, and pilot 108's communication preferences. By storing pilot 108's contact information and / or address information, the constraint management system 110 will be able to send a notification to pilot 108 when a change in the constraints determined for a planned flight is detected.

[0034] In block 308, pilot 108 provides one or more aircraft attributes to user management engine 220, and in block 310, user management engine 220 stores the aircraft attributes in a user profile. In some embodiments, user management engine 220 may create separate aircraft records in user data storage 218 (or another data storage) and may associate user profiles with aircraft records. Any aircraft attributes related to the operation of constraint management system 110 may be provided by pilot 108, including but not limited to one or more of the following: aircraft model, aircraft type (e.g., fixed-wing, rotorcraft, etc.), aircraft registration number, aircraft weight or mass, aircraft payload capacity, maximum operating speed, minimum operating speed, minimum turning radius, minimum operating altitude, maximum operating altitude, aircraft lighting configuration, aircraft communication capabilities, aircraft communication address, and one or more aircraft autonomy levels.

[0035] In subroutine block 312, the constraint management system 110 updates the constraint definitions stored in the constraint data store 208 of the constraint management system 110. During the initial execution of method 300, the constraint data store 208 may be empty, and the program executed at subroutine block 312 may add an initial set of constraint definitions to the constraint data store 208. If the constraint data store 208 already contains one or more constraint definitions, the program executed at subroutine block 312 may modify or remove existing constraint definitions and add new constraint definitions. In subroutine block 312, any suitable program can be used to update the constraint definitions, including but not limited to… Figure 5 The procedure 500 is shown and described in further detail below.

[0036] In block 314, pilot 108 sends flight plan information from user equipment 106 to constraint management system 110, the flight plan information including the planned flight area and the planned flight time period. In some embodiments, constraint management system 110 stores the flight plan information in association with a user profile, enabling constraint management system 110 to communicate with pilot 108 about the planned flight using contact information in the user profile.

[0037] In some embodiments, user equipment 106 presents a user interface that allows pilot 108 to specify a planned flight area in any suitable two-dimensional or three-dimensional format. In some embodiments, the user interface allows pilot 108 to specify points on a map and the radii surrounding those points to define the planned flight area. In some embodiments, the user interface allows pilot 108 to draw the boundaries of the planned flight area on a map. In some embodiments, the user interface allows pilot 108 to specify a start position, an end position, and an optional set of waypoints between the start and end positions to define a path, and the margins surrounding the defined path are used as the planned flight area. In some embodiments, the user interface allows pilot 108 to specify one or more lower or upper altitude limits for various portions of the planned flight area, such that the planned flight area is a three-dimensional volume. In some embodiments, pilot 108 may not specify any planned altitude information.

[0038] In some embodiments, the planned flight time period may be specified by the planned flight start time and planned flight end time, the planned flight start time and planned flight duration, or in any other suitable manner. In some embodiments, portions of the planned flight area may be associated with a planned flight time period during which the aircraft 104 is expected to be within a portion of the planned flight area, such that the planned flight area can be considered a four-dimensional volume.

[0039] In box 316, constraint analysis engine 214 retrieves an initial set of constraint definitions related to the planned flight area and planned flight time period from constraint data store 208. In some embodiments, constraint data store 208 uses the S2 technique to store constraint definitions to compress the geometry to be searched, and uses the S2 technique to find constraint definitions that affect the regions intersecting with the planned flight area. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may simplify the initial search to generate a smaller dataset for comparison with the exhaustive details of the planned flight area and planned flight time period. For example, constraint analysis engine 214 may search constraint data store 208 based on a two-dimensional projection of the planned flight area to reduce the complexity of the initial query, and then the limited set of results can be compared with a full three-dimensional representation of the planned flight area and / or based on the planned flight time period.

[0040] In some embodiments, the constraint analysis engine 214 can retrieve an initial set of constraint definitions (and the updated set of constraint definitions discussed below) based not only on the planned flight area and planned flight time period, but also on one or more pieces of information (such as pilot attributes or aircraft attributes) stored in the user profile associated with pilot 108. For example, different constraint definitions can be retrieved for a first pilot 108 with a first clearance state than for a second pilot 108 with a different clearance state. As another example, different constraint definitions can be retrieved for a first aircraft 104 with a mass above a given threshold and for a second aircraft 104 with a mass below a given threshold. This will result in different presentations of multiple list item sets for pilots with different pilot attributes and for aircraft with different aircraft attributes, as discussed below.

[0041] In some embodiments, flight planning information may also include other flight-related information, including but not limited to the type of flight to be performed (e.g., recreational flight, commercial unlicensed flight, commercial licensed flight, delivery, or emergency flight). Even for the same aircraft 104 and / or pilot 108, the type of flight to be performed may vary depending on the constraints defined for a given flight or the list of items presented for a given flight. In some embodiments, user equipment 106 may provide user interface elements that allow pilot 108 to specify the flight type.

[0042] In box 318, constraint analysis engine 214 generates information for presenting the inventory item set based on the initial set of constraint definitions. In some embodiments, the inventory item set may indicate the presence or absence of various types of constraints within or a portion of the planned flight area. For example, the inventory item set may include whether the planned flight area includes permanently restricted airspace, fire hazards, controlled airports / approach / departure routes, uncontrolled airports, hazardous areas, marine parks, no-fly zones, heliports, heliports with instrument approach, national parks, or restricted areas.

[0043] If the initial set of constraint definitions includes one or more items of these types, the associated list item can be presented using a color indicating failure (such as red) or an icon indicating failure (such as an X), or a color indicating warning (such as yellow) or an icon indicating warning (such as an exclamation mark) (e.g., if a constraint definition indicating a no-fly zone exists, the "No-Fly Zone" list item can be presented with a red X). For list items that do not have constraint definitions in the initial set of constraint definitions, the associated list item can be presented using a color indicating success (such as green) or an icon indicating success (such as a checkmark) (e.g., if a constraint definition indicating a no-fly zone does not exist, the "No-Fly Zone" list item can be presented with a green checkmark).

[0044] Method 300 then proceeds to the continuing terminal (“Terminal A”).

[0045] Method 300 from terminal A ( Figure 3B Proceeding to box 320, in box 320, constraint analysis engine 214 sends information to user device 106 for presenting the set of list items. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may send the initial set of constraint definitions itself to user device 106, and user device 106 may compare the initial set of constraint definitions with the list items to determine the color / icon associated with each list item in the presentation. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may make comparisons and may send list item status to user device 106 for presentation.

[0046] In box 322, user equipment 106 presents a list of items for the planned flight area. Figures 4A-4C Non-limiting example embodiments of the presentation of a set of inventory items by a user device according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown.

[0047] Figure 4A This illustrates an example where the list item set indicates that no constraint definitions are included in the initial constraint definition set for the list item. Figure 4A In the configuration, user device 106 displays map 402 and list 404. List 404 is associated with a specific location indicated on map 402 by pin 406. Map 402 shows the constraint boundary 408 retrieved by constraint analysis engine 214, but because pin 406 is outside constraint boundary 408, list 404 does not reflect the constraint definition associated with constraint boundary 408. As shown, each list item in list 404 is not associated with the constraint definition of the location indicated by pin 406, therefore each list item in list 404 includes a checkmark to indicate success. List 404 also includes a header indicating that all list items have passed, and pin 406 includes a checkmark to further indicate that all list items have passed. More list items can be accessed and retrieved by clicking the arrow at the bottom of list 404.

[0048] In some embodiments, a specific state of an item in Listing 404 can be changed by moving the position indicated by Pin 406. In some embodiments, Driver 108 can drag Pin 406 to different parts of Map 402 to check constraints at other locations. In some embodiments, Driver 108 can scroll Map 402 under Pin 406 to check constraints at other locations.

[0049] Figure 4B An example is shown where pin 406 has been moved within constraint boundary 408. (Due to...) Figure 4B The purpose is to indicate the restricted airspace that requires approval before operating an aircraft within constraint boundary 408, and to warn pilot 108 of operation within constraint boundary 408. Accordingly, the checkmark within pin 406 when pin 406 is within constraint boundary 408 has been changed to an exclamation mark. Furthermore, the title of list 404 has been changed to "Use with Caution," and the "Restricted Airspace" list item is now associated with an exclamation mark instead of the checkmark in list 404. Additional information related to the constraint has also been added to the "Restricted Airspace" list item. This information can be provided as part of the constraint definition.

[0050] Figure 4C Another example is shown where the pin 406 has been moved within the constraint boundary 408. (For...) Figure 4C The purpose is to define multiple constraints associated with constraint boundary 408: indicating that airspace requires approval. Figure 4B The constraints are defined, as well as another constraint definition that associates the location with a controlled airport. Because aircraft operations are not permitted near controlled airports, Pin 406 now displays an X, and the title of List 404 has been changed to "No Flight". The "Controlled Airspace" list item is now associated with the X in List 404, and the "Restricted Airspace" list item is associated with... Figure 4B The same exclamation mark. One will notice that, due to the higher severity of the “controlled airport” constraint, the “controlled airport” list items have been ranked at the top of list 404, followed by the warning list items, and then the success list items. By providing clear indications of pass / warning / failure status for the list items, by providing overall pass / warning / failure indications on pin 406 and in the header of list 404, and by reordering list 404 to place the most severe issues at the top, the interface presented on user equipment 106 helps overcome the limited display space available on user equipment 106 and the relatively imprecise touch-based input on user equipment 106, thus still providing a highly useful review of flight constraints related to the planned flight area.

[0051] Back Figure 3B In decision box 324, a determination is made regarding whether the planned flight has taken off. In some embodiments, this can be done by the constraint analysis engine 214 comparing the current time with the planned flight time period. In some embodiments, this can be done by the constraint analysis engine 214 receiving telemetry information from the aircraft 104 and determining, based on the telemetry information, that the planned flight has started. In these embodiments, if the planned flight time period has started but the telemetry information does not indicate that the flight has started, the constraint analysis engine 214 can update the planned flight time period based on the current time.

[0052] If the flight has not yet taken off, the result of decision block 324 is negative, and method 300 proceeds to subroutine block 326. In subroutine block 326, constraint management system 110 updates the constraint definitions stored in constraint data store 208. In subroutine block 326, any suitable technique can be used to update the constraint definitions stored in constraint data store 208, including but not limited to… Figure 5 The procedure 500 is shown and will be discussed in further detail below. Typically, the action of subroutine block 326 is similar to... Figure 3A The action of subroutine block 312.

[0053] In box 328, constraint analysis engine 214 waits for a period of time based on the remaining time before the planned flight period, and in box 330, constraint analysis engine 214 retrieves an updated set of constraint definitions related to the planned flight area and planned flight period from constraint data storage 208. The updated set of constraint definitions can be retrieved using a technique similar to that used to retrieve the initial set of constraint definitions at box 316.

[0054] At a higher level, method 300 repeatedly checks the updated constraint definitions related to the planned flight area and planned flight time period at a rate increasing over time. By waiting for a period of time based on the time remaining before the planned flight time period at box 328, method 300 can save computational and communication resources well before the planned flight time period when having the latest information is less important, and can prioritize the accuracy and timeliness of information closer to the planned flight time period when having the latest information is more important.

[0055] For example, in some embodiments, the amount of time the constraint analysis engine 214 waits at block 328 decreases as the current time approaches the start of the planned flight period, causing actions after block 328 to occur more frequently as the current time approaches the start of the planned flight period. In some embodiments, the amount of time the constraint analysis engine 214 waits may decay exponentially before the planned flight period. In some embodiments, the amount of time the constraint analysis engine 214 waits may be reduced based on the amount of time until the planned flight period reaches a minimum threshold time, in which case the amount of time will remain at the minimum threshold time.

[0056] In some embodiments, the benefit of reducing the amount of time the constraint analysis engine 214 waits at block 328 may not be necessary. For example, the amount of time between the current time and the planned flight period may be small enough that the benefit of changing the frequency of checking updated constraint definitions over time may not be apparent. As another example, the number of aircraft 104, pilots 108, or planned flights managed by the constraint management system 110 may be small enough that saving computing power and / or communication bandwidth may be unnecessary. As yet another example, the computing power and / or communication bandwidth available to the constraint management system 110 may be large enough that the benefit gained by reducing the amount of time the constraint analysis engine 214 waits may not significantly improve the performance of the constraint management system 110. In such embodiments, the constraint analysis engine 214 may wait a constant amount of time at block 328 over multiple iterations of method 300.

[0057] In decision box 332, a determination is made regarding whether there are any changes between the initial constraint definition set and the updated constraint definition set. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may store a record of the initial constraint definition set and may compare the updated constraint definition set with the stored initial constraint definition set to determine if there are any changes. In some embodiments, the updated constraint definition set may only include constraint definitions newly stored in constraint data store 208 or updated in constraint data store 208 since the previous query at box 316, so the determination at decision box 332 may be based on whether the updated constraint definition set is empty.

[0058] If there are no changes between the initial and updated constraint definition sets, decision box 332 returns to no, and method 300 returns to decision box 324 to continue monitoring for changes in constraint definitions. Otherwise, if there are changes between the initial and updated constraint definition sets, decision box 332 returns to yes, and method 300 proceeds to box 334.

[0059] In box 334, constraint analysis engine 214 generates information for presenting the updated set of list items based on the updated set of constraint definitions. In some embodiments, the information and its generation may be similar to the generation of information for presenting the set of list items described above in box 318, but using the updated set of constraint definitions (or a combination of the initial set of constraint definitions and the updated set of constraint definitions, where the updated set of constraint definitions includes only the new / updated constraint definitions and not all relevant constraint definitions).

[0060] In box 336, constraint analysis engine 214 sends a notification to user device 106. Constraint analysis engine 214 may use any suitable technology or combination of technologies to send notifications to user device 106, including but not limited to push notifications supported by the operating system of user device 106 (including but not limited to Apple Push Notification Service (APN) notifications or Google Cloud Messaging notifications), application-specific SMS messages, emails, and HTTP push notifications. In some embodiments, addressing information, device tokens, and / or other information used to send notifications to user device 106 are stored in a user profile for use at box 336.

[0061] In box 338, constraint analysis engine 214 sends information to user equipment 106 for presenting an updated set of inventory items. In some embodiments, the information for presenting the updated set of inventory items may be included in a notification sent in box 336. In some embodiments, the notification sent in box 336 may simply indicate the presence of information, and user equipment 106 may retrieve the information for presenting the updated set of inventory items from constraint analysis engine 214 in response to receiving the notification.

[0062] Method 300 then returns to decision box 324 to monitor for further changes to the constraint definitions. In subsequent iterations, the updated set of constraint definitions will also be considered at decision box 332 when it is determined whether there are any changes in the newly updated set of constraint definitions.

[0063] Returning to decision box 324, if it is determined that the flight has taken off, the result of decision box 324 is yes, and method 300 proceeds to the continuation terminal (“Terminal B”). In some embodiments, proceeding to Terminal B may be optional. In such embodiments, method 300 may terminate if the result of decision box 324 is yes, or it may terminate at the start of the planned flight period.

[0064] Method 300 from terminal B ( Figure 3C Proceeding to box 340, in box 340, the aircraft 104 sends telemetry information to the constraint management system 110. In some embodiments, the telemetry information may include information about the state of the aircraft 104, including but not limited to positioning, altitude, attitude, and / or velocity information.

[0065] In decision box 342, a determination is made regarding whether the flight is complete. In some embodiments, the determination at decision box 342 may be based on whether the reported speed, altitude, and position of aircraft 104 indicate that aircraft 104 has landed and / or reached the planned end position of the planned flight area. In some embodiments, the determination at decision box 342 may be based on whether the pilot 108 has indicated to the user interface provided to user equipment 106 that the flight has been completed.

[0066] If it is determined that the flight was not completed, the result of decision box 342 is negative, and method 300 proceeds to box 344. In box 344, constraint analysis engine 214 compares the telemetry information with the flight plan information, and in decision box 346, makes a determination regarding whether the telemetry information matches the flight plan information. In some embodiments, the comparison includes constraint analysis engine 214 comparing the location, altitude, and / or other elements of the telemetry information with the planned flight area and the planned flight time period to determine whether the location, altitude, and / or other elements remained within the planned flight area during the planned flight time period.

[0067] If the telemetry information matches the flight plan information, the result of decision box 346 is yes, and method 300 returns to box 340 to monitor further telemetry information. Otherwise, if the telemetry information does not match the flight plan information, the result of decision box 346 is no, and method 300 proceeds to box 348.

[0068] In box 348, constraint analysis engine 214 updates flight plan information to include telemetry information. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may update the planned flight area to include the position / altitude of aircraft 104 as indicated by the telemetry information. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may update the planned flight area to include that position / altitude plus a predetermined radius or volume around the position / altitude indicated by the telemetry information. In some embodiments, constraint analysis engine 214 may take into account the attitude and velocity of aircraft 104 when determining the area or volume to be added to the planned flight area (e.g., constraint analysis engine 214 may add more area in the direction of flight of aircraft 104 and less area in other directions).

[0069] In some embodiments, the constraint analysis engine 214 may update the planned flight time period to include at least the current time indicated by telemetry information. In some embodiments, the constraint analysis engine 214 may update the planned flight time period to include not only the current time indicated by telemetry information but also a predetermined amount of additional time. In some embodiments, the constraint analysis engine 214 may update the planned flight time period to include the current time indicated by telemetry information and the predicted amount of time remaining in flight. Any suitable technique can be used to determine the predicted amount of time remaining in flight, including but not limited to determining the remaining battery power in the aircraft 104 or determining the amount of time it will take the aircraft 104 to travel from its current location to its flight destination.

[0070] In box 350, constraint analysis engine 214 retrieves a new set of constraint definitions related to the updated flight plan information from constraint data storage 208. In some embodiments, the new set of constraint definitions is retrieved using a technique similar to that used in box 316 to retrieve the initial set of constraint definitions and / or in box 330 to retrieve the updated set of constraint definitions.

[0071] In decision box 352, a determination is made as to whether there are any changes between the new constraint definition set and the initial constraint definition set. Similarly, in some embodiments, a similar technique to that described at decision box 332 is used for the determination, but the new constraint definition set is compared with the initial constraint definition set. In some embodiments, if it is determined at decision box 332 that the updated constraint definition set has changed, the comparison at decision box 352 can be performed between the new constraint definition set and a combination of the initial and updated constraint definition sets.

[0072] If it is determined that there is no change between the new constraint definition set and the initial constraint definition set, the result of decision box 352 is negative, and method 300 returns to box 340 to monitor further telemetry information. Otherwise, if there is a change between the new constraint definition set and the initial constraint definition set, the result of decision box 352 is positive, and method 300 proceeds to box 354.

[0073] In box 354, constraint analysis engine 214 generates information for presenting the new list of items based on the new set of constraint definitions. In box 356, constraint analysis engine 214 sends a notification to user equipment 106, and in box 358, constraint analysis engine 214 sends information for presenting the new list of items to user equipment 106. The actions in boxes 354-358 are similar to those discussed above in boxes 334-338, and therefore will not be discussed in detail here for the sake of brevity. One difference is that, in some embodiments, if any list item in the new list of items is newly indicated as failed, constraint analysis engine 214 may take additional actions, including but not limited to sending a command to aircraft 104 to land immediately or otherwise resolving the failed list item.

[0074] Method 300 then returns to box 340 to monitor further telemetry information.

[0075] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a non-limiting example embodiment of a procedure for updating constraint definitions of storage according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 5 The program 500 shown is a non-limiting example of a program applicable to subroutine blocks 312 and / or 326 of the method 300 described above. In program 500, the constraint management system 110 acquires constraint definitions from various sources and adds / updates constraint definitions stored in the constraint data storage 208 as appropriate.

[0076] Each constraint definition may include various characteristics that define the associated flight constraint. For example, in some embodiments, each constraint definition may define the area or volume covered by the constraint. As another example, in some embodiments, each constraint definition may include the start and end times of the constraint, or a time period of the day during which the constraint is in effect. As yet another example, in some embodiments, each constraint definition may include the type of constraint, wherein the type specifies what condition the constraint definition represents.

[0077] Many different types of constraints can be represented by constraint definitions. As some non-limiting examples, the types of constraints may include temporary or permanent no-fly zones (where no operations are permitted), fire hazards (where operations that pose a fire risk are not permitted), controlled airports / approach / departure routes (where unlicensed operations may be constrained, but permitted and allowed operations may be permitted), uncontrolled airports (where unlicensed operations may be constrained, but permitted operations may be permitted), hazardous areas, marine parks, heliports, heliports with instrument approach facilities, national parks, or any other type of constraint on aircraft operations. In some embodiments, each type of constraint is associated with an item in the above list.

[0078] Program 500 proceeds from the start box to box 502, where the constraint acquisition engine 212 receives a set of manually defined constraints via a user interface. In some embodiments, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may generate a user interface that accepts input from a user to define the manually defined constraints using any suitable technique. As a non-limiting example, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may present a map interface that allows the user to select points and radii, draw contours, or otherwise specify the area of ​​the constraint definition using a map. This interface may also allow the user to specify the upper and / or lower height limits of the constraint definition, the time period during which the constraint definition is effective, and the type of constraint definition.

[0079] In box 504, constraint acquisition engine 212 retrieves a set of external constraint definitions from one or more third-party data sources. In some embodiments, constraint acquisition engine 212 may query one or more third-party data sources (such as government agencies or commercial sources of flight planning information) to obtain external constraint definitions.

[0080] In block 506, environmental information engine 216 collects transient environmental information from one or more data sources, and in block 508, constraint calculation engine 210 determines a set of calculated constraint definitions based on the transient environmental information. In some embodiments, transient environmental information may include past weather conditions, current weather conditions, and / or future weather forecasts, and the set of calculated constraint definitions may include constraint types based on the weather information. As a non-limiting example, environmental information engine 216 may retrieve weather forecasts indicating that a given area is expected to experience strong winds at a given time. Constraint calculation engine 210 may then create a type of constraint definition indicating that operating an aircraft at a certain weight within a given area is dangerous or prohibited.

[0081] In box 510, constraint acquisition engine 212 updates the contents of constraint data storage 208 based on the set of manual constraint definitions, the set of external constraint definitions, and the set of calculated constraint definitions. In some embodiments, constraint acquisition engine 212 may normalize the format of the manual constraint definitions, external constraint definitions, and calculated constraint definitions to a matching format used by constraint data storage 208.

[0082] In some embodiments, before adding a constraint definition to the constraint data store 208, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may check whether the constraint data store 208 already includes the constraint definition. If the constraint data store 208 does not yet include the given constraint definition, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may simply add the given constraint definition to the constraint data store 208. If the constraint data store 208 does include the given constraint definition, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may check to confirm whether there are any differences between the stored version of the constraint definition and the given constraint definition. If there are no differences, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may skip adding the given constraint definition to the constraint data store 208; however, if there are differences, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may either update the stored constraint definition to match the given constraint definition, or it may delete the stored constraint definition and replace it with the given constraint definition. In some embodiments, when adding or updating a constraint definition stored in the constraint data store 208, the constraint acquisition engine 212 may include a timestamp, thereby allowing the constraint analysis engine 214 to retrieve constraint definitions added or updated after a given time.

[0083] Program 500 then proceeds to the end box and returns control to its caller.

[0084] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Non-limiting examples of aircraft according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. The illustrated embodiment of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV 600) is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including separate propulsion units 612 and 608 for providing horizontal and vertical propulsion, respectively. The UAV 600 is a fixed-wing aircraft, as the name suggests, having a wing assembly 624 that can generate lift based on the wing shape and the forward airspeed of the aircraft when horizontally propelled by the propulsion unit 612. Figure 6 This is a perspective top view of the UAV 600, and Figure 7 This is a bottom view of the UAV600.

[0085] The illustrated embodiment of UAV 600 includes a fuselage 620. In one embodiment, the fuselage 620 is modular and includes a battery module, an avionics module, and a mission payload module. These modules are detachable from each other and can be mechanically secured to each other to continuously form at least a portion of the fuselage 620 or the UAV body.

[0086] The battery module includes a cavity for housing one or more batteries that power the UAV 600. The avionics module houses the UAV 600's flight control circuitry and may include a processor and memory, communication electronics and antennas (e.g., cellular transceivers, Wi-Fi transceivers, etc.), and various sensors (e.g., GPS sensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs), magnetic compasses, etc.). The mission payload module houses mission-related equipment for the UAV 600. For example, the mission payload module may include payload actuators for holding and releasing payloads with external connections. In another embodiment, the mission payload module may include a camera / sensor mount for carrying camera / sensor equipment (e.g., cameras, lenses, radar, LiDAR, pollution monitoring sensors, weather monitoring sensors, etc.).

[0087] The illustrated embodiment of UAV 600 also includes horizontal propulsion units 612 located on wing assembly 624. Each horizontal propulsion unit 612 may include a motor, shaft, motor mount, and propeller for propelling UAV 600. The illustrated embodiment of UAV 600 includes two cantilever assemblies 606 fixed to wing assembly 624.

[0088] The illustrated embodiments of the cantilever assembly 606 all include a cantilever housing 618, a vertical propulsion unit 608, a printed circuit board 616, and a stabilizer 602, with the cantilever disposed within the cantilever housing 618. The vertical propulsion unit 608 may include a motor, shaft, motor mount, and propeller for providing vertical propulsion. The vertical propulsion unit 608 can be used during hovering modes of the UAV 600, either descending (e.g., to a delivery location) or ascending (e.g., following a delivery). The UAV 600 may include a stabilizer 602 (or tail fin) to stabilize the UAV's yaw (left or right turn) during flight. In some embodiments, the UAV 600 may be configured to function as a glider. For this purpose, the UAV 600 may shut down its propulsion unit and glide for a period of time.

[0089] During flight, the UAV 600 can control the direction and / or speed of its motion by controlling its pitch, roll, yaw, and / or altitude. For example, the stabilizer 602 may include one or more rudders 604 for controlling the yaw of the UAV, and the wing assembly 624 may include elevators for controlling the pitch of the UAV and / or ailerons 610 for controlling the roll of the UAV. As another example, simultaneously increasing or decreasing the speed of all propellers may cause the UAV 600 to increase or decrease its altitude, respectively. The UAV 600 may also include components for sensing the environment surrounding the UAV 600, including but not limited to audio sensors 622 and 614.

[0090] The fixed-wing aircraft illustrated can have many variations. For example, aircraft with more wings (e.g., an "X-wing" configuration with four wings) are also possible. Although Figure 6 and Figure 7 A wing assembly 624, two cantilever assemblies 606, two horizontal propulsion units 612, and six vertical propulsion units 608 for each cantilever assembly 606 are shown, but it should be understood that other variants of the UAV 600 can be implemented with more or fewer of these components.

[0091] It should be understood that the term "unmanned" aircraft or UAV as used herein can be applied equivalently to autonomous and semi-autonomous aircraft. In a fully autonomous implementation, all functions of the aircraft are automated; for example, pre-programmed or controlled via real-time computer functions in response to inputs and / or predetermined information from various sensors. In a semi-autonomous implementation, some functions of the aircraft may be controlled by a human operator, while others are performed autonomously. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the UAV may be configured to allow a remote operator to take over functions that would otherwise be autonomously controlled by the UAV. Additionally, a given type of function may be remotely controlled at one level of abstraction and autonomously performed at another. For example, a remote operator may control the UAV's high-level navigation decisions, such as specifying that the UAV should travel from one location to another (e.g., from a suburban warehouse to a delivery address in a nearby city), while the UAV's navigation system autonomously controls finer-grained navigation decisions, such as a specific route to take between two locations, specific flight controls for route planning and obstacle avoidance while navigating the route, and so on. In some embodiments, the UAV 600 may be entirely controlled by a remote pilot with little to no autonomy.

[0092] In the foregoing description, numerous specific details have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the techniques described herein can be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations have not been shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring certain aspects.

[0093] Throughout this specification, references to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the appearance of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner.

[0094] The order in which some or all boxes appear in each method flowchart should not be considered limiting. Rather, those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure will understand that actions associated with some boxes can be performed in various orders not shown, or even in parallel.

[0095] The processes explained above are described in relation to computer software and hardware. The described techniques can be embodied in machine-executable instructions on a tangible or non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the described operations. Alternatively, these processes can be embodied in hardware such as application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”) or others.

[0096] The above description of the illustrated embodiments of the present invention, including the content described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples of the invention have been described herein for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

[0097] Based on the above detailed description, these modifications can be made to the present invention. The terminology used in the following claims should not be construed as limiting the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification. Rather, the scope of the invention will be determined entirely by the following claims, which will be interpreted according to the established principles of their interpretation.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon, the logic being responsive to execution by one or more processors of a constraint management system to cause the constraint management system to perform actions for automatically generating notifications of flight constraints, the actions comprising: The constraint management system receives flight plan information, which includes the planned flight area and the planned flight time period. The constraint management system queries the constraint data store to retrieve the initial set of constraint definitions related to flight plan information; The constraint management system generates information for presenting the list based on a comparison between the constraint definitions from the initial set of constraint definitions and the list item set; The constraint management system sends information for presenting the list to the user equipment for display. The constraint management system re-queries the constraint data store to retrieve the updated set of constraint definitions related to the flight plan information; The constraint management system compares the updated set of constraint definitions with the initial set of constraint definitions. The query and comparison actions are repeated periodically at a rate increasing over time until the scheduled flight period; and The constraint management system sends a notification to the user equipment in response to detecting a difference between the updated constraint definition set and the initial constraint definition set.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein, The action also includes: Continue to periodically repeat at least the re-query and comparison actions during the planned flight period.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein, The flight plan information includes the pilot's identification; as well as Specifically, querying the constraint data storage to retrieve the initial set of constraint definitions related to flight plan information includes: querying the constraint data storage to obtain constraint definitions related to one or more driver attributes or one or more aircraft attributes from a user profile associated with the driver.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 3, wherein, The one or more driver attributes include at least one of the following: license status, time of the driver's most recent flight, number of previous licenses granted to the driver, the driver's current location, the driver's age, and the driver's local time.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein, The action also includes: The constraint management system receives constraint definitions from at least one third-party system; and The constraint management system stores the constraint definitions in the constraint data store.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein, The action also includes: The constraint management system receives environmental information from at least one third-party source; The constraint management system generates constraint definitions based on environmental information; and The constraint management system stores the constraint definitions in the constraint data store.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein, The environmental information includes at least one of past weather conditions, current weather conditions, and future weather forecasts.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein, The action also includes: The constraint management system receives telemetry data from the aircraft that is associated with flight plan information; The constraint management system compares telemetry data with flight plan information; and In response to the determination of telemetry data indicating that the aircraft is operating outside the planned flight area: The constraint management system updates flight plan information to cover operations in flight areas including locations indicated by telemetry data; The constraint management system re-queries the constraint data store to retrieve the new set of constraint definitions related to the updated flight plan information; The constraint management system generates information for presenting the new list based on a comparison between constraint definitions from the new constraint definition set and the list item set; and The constraint management system sends information to the user equipment to present the new list.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon, the logic being responsive to execution by one or more processors of a computing device to cause the computing device to perform an action, the action comprising: The computing device receives at least a portion of the input defining flight plan information, wherein the flight plan information includes a planned flight area and a planned flight time period; The computing device sends flight plan information to the constraint management system; The computing device receives information from the constraint management system to present a list of flight constraint conditions related to flight plan information; The list is presented by the computing device; Prior to the planned flight period, the computing device periodically receives notifications from the constraint management system at a rate that increases over time; and In response to receiving a notification from the constraint management system indicating that the flight constraint status has changed before the scheduled flight time period: The computing device receives information from the constraint management system to present an updated list of flight constraint conditions related to flight plan information; and An updated list is presented by a computing device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein, The action also includes: After the planned flight period begins, the computing device receives notification from the constraint management system that the aircraft, associated with the flight plan information, has left the planned flight area; and The computing device receives information from the constraint management system to present a new list of flight constraint conditions related to the updated flight area.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein, The list presented includes: The computing device presents a first list in response to receiving input indicating a first flight type; and The computing device presents a second list in response to receiving input indicating a second flight type.

12. A system for managing flight operations, comprising: User equipment; as well as A constraint management system includes one or more processors and at least one computer-readable medium storing logic thereon, the logic causing the constraint management system to perform actions in response to execution by the one or more processors, the actions including: The constraint management system receives flight plan information, which includes the planned flight area and the planned flight time period. The constraint management system queries the constraint data store to retrieve the initial set of constraint definitions related to flight plan information; The constraint management system generates information for presenting the list based on a comparison between the constraint definitions from the initial set of constraint definitions and the list item set; The constraint management system sends information for presenting the list to the user equipment for display. The constraint management system re-queries the constraint data store to retrieve the updated set of constraint definitions related to the flight plan information; The constraint management system compares the updated set of constraint definitions with the initial set of constraint definitions. The query and comparison actions are repeated periodically at a rate increasing over time until the scheduled flight period; and The constraint management system sends a notification to the user equipment in response to detecting a difference between the updated constraint definition set and the initial constraint definition set.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein, The action also includes: Continue to periodically repeat at least the re-query and comparison actions during the planned flight period.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein, The flight plan information includes the pilot's identification; and Specifically, querying the constraint data store to retrieve the initial set of constraint definitions related to flight plan information includes querying the constraint data store to obtain constraint definitions related to the driver's attributes.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising an aircraft, and wherein, The action also includes: The constraint management system receives telemetry data from the aircraft; The constraint management system compares telemetry data with flight plan information; and In response to the determination of telemetry data indicating that the aircraft is operating outside the planned flight area: The constraint management system updates flight plan information to cover operations in flight areas including locations indicated by telemetry data; The constraint management system re-queries the constraint data store to retrieve the new set of constraint definitions related to the updated flight plan information; The constraint management system generates information for presenting the new list based on a comparison between constraint definitions from the new constraint definition set and the list item set; and The constraint management system sends information to the user equipment to present the new list.

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