UAM management device and operation method thereof

Abstract

A UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this specification may include an acquisition unit that acquires operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) currently in operation from the first UAM aircraft, and a diagnosis unit that diagnoses whether a second UAM aircraft currently on standby for operation can be operated based on the operational data.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0177591, filed December 16, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a UAM management device and a method of operation thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] UAM (urban air mobility) is a next-generation three-dimensional transportation service that utilizes eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicles, which are capable of vertical takeoff and landing within urban areas, to accommodate traffic demand connecting ports within urban areas without congestion.

[0003] In recent years, advances in materials, batteries, control, and navigation technologies for personal air vehicles (PAVs), which previously remained at the conceptual and testing levels, have made UAM increasingly feasible. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The embodiments disclosed in this specification provide a UAM management device and an operating method thereof that can diagnose whether a UAM aircraft in standby for operation is operable based on operational data obtained from a UAM aircraft in operation.

[0005] The embodiments disclosed in this specification provide a UAM management device and an operating method thereof that can determine an aircraft optimized for operation based on operational data obtained from a UAM aircraft in operation and battery data obtained from multiple UAM aircraft in standby for operation.

[0006] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this specification are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed in the present specification may include an acquisition unit configured to acquire operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) in operation from the first UAM aircraft, and a diagnosis unit configured to diagnose whether a second UAM aircraft in standby for operation can be operated based on the operational data.

[0008] In one embodiment of a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the operation data may include meteorological data regarding at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft.

[0009] In one embodiment of a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the acquisition unit is configured to acquire battery data of multiple batteries included in multiple UAM aircraft from the multiple UAM aircraft that are waiting to be operated, and may further include a determination unit configured to determine the second UAM aircraft from the multiple UAM aircraft based on the battery data.

[0010] In one embodiment of a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the operation data includes output data regarding at least one of the output voltage or output current of a battery included in the first UAM aircraft, and the determination unit can determine the second UAM aircraft from among the multiple UAM aircraft based further on the output data.

[0011] In one embodiment of a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the battery data may include data regarding at least one of the temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries.

[0012] An operating method of a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed in the present specification may include an operation of acquiring operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) in operation from the first UAM aircraft, and an operation of diagnosing whether a second UAM aircraft in standby for operation is operable based on the operational data.

[0013] In one embodiment of the operating method of a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the operation data may include meteorological data regarding at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft.

[0014] An operating method of a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this specification may further include an operation of acquiring battery data of a plurality of batteries contained in a plurality of UAM aircraft from the plurality of UAM aircraft that are waiting for operation, and an operation of determining the second UAM aircraft from the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the battery data.

[0015] In one embodiment of the operating method of a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the operation data may include output data regarding at least one of the output voltage or output current of a battery included in the first UAM aircraft, and the operation of determining the second UAM aircraft may include an operation of determining the second UAM aircraft from the plurality of UAM aircraft further based on the output data.

[0016] In one embodiment of the method for operating a UAM management device disclosed in this specification, the battery data may include data regarding at least one of the temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The UAM management device and its operating method according to various embodiments disclosed in this specification can prevent unexpected weather-related situations by diagnosing whether a UAM aircraft in standby mode can operate based on operational data obtained from a UAM aircraft in operation.

[0018] The UAM management device and its operating method according to various embodiments disclosed in this specification can determine an aircraft optimized for operation based on battery output data obtained from a UAM aircraft in operation and battery data obtained from multiple UAM aircraft in standby for operation.

[0019] The effects of the UAM management device and its operating method disclosed in this specification are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of this specification. In addition, various other effects can be obtained directly or indirectly from this specification. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a UAM management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is an operation flowchart of a UAM management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is an operation flowchart of a UAM management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operation method of a UAM management device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, although it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments, but rather to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] The various embodiments and terms used in this specification are not intended to limit the technical features described herein to a specific embodiment, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for like or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the said item unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0023] As used herein, each phrase such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed therewith. Terms such as "first," "second," "first," "second," "A," "B," "(a)," or "(b)" may be used simply to distinguish one element from other elements and do not limit the element in other respects (e.g., importance or order) unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0024] As used herein, when a (e.g., first) component is referred to as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another (e.g., second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," or when a reference is made to "coupled" or "connected," this means that the component may be coupled to the other component directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0025] According to one embodiment, a method according to various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated on a machine-readable storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store server, or an intermediary server.

[0026] According to various embodiments, each of the aforementioned components (e.g., modules or programs) may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be located separately in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the aforementioned components or operations may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the respective components of the multiple components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by modules, programs, or other components may be performed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a UAM management device according to an embodiment. Referring to Figure 1, the UAM management device 110 may be connected by wire and / or wireless to a first UAM aircraft 120 and a plurality of UAM aircraft 130. Here, the first UAM aircraft may be an aircraft in operation, and the plurality of UAM aircraft 130 may be aircraft in standby for operation.

[0028] In one embodiment, the connection 101 (or connection 102) between the UAM manager 110 and the first UAM airframe 120 (or multiple UAM airframes 130) may be a communication connection via a wired and / or wireless network. In one embodiment, the wired network may be based on a local area network (LAN) communication or a power line communication. In one embodiment, the wireless network may be based on a local area network (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity), or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a wide area network (e.g., a cellular network, a 4G network, a 5G network).

[0029] In other embodiments, the connection (101) (or connection (102)) between the UAM management device 110 and the first UAM aircraft 120 (or multiple UAM aircraft 130) may be a connection via a communication method between the devices (e.g., a bus, a GPIO (general purpose input and output), an SPI (serial peripheral interface), or a MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

[0030] According to one embodiment, UAM management device 110 may include an acquisition unit 111, a determination unit 112, and / or a diagnosis unit 113. According to an embodiment, UAM management device 110 shown in FIG. 1 may further include at least one component (e.g., a display, an input device, or an output device) other than the components shown in FIG.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the acquisition unit 111 may acquire operational data from the first UAM aircraft 120. Here, the operational data may be data collected by the first UAM aircraft 120.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the operational data may include meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operational route of the first UAM vehicle 120. According to one embodiment, the operational data may include output data relating to at least one of an output voltage or an output current of a battery included in the first UAM vehicle 120.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the acquisition unit 111 may acquire battery data from a plurality of UAM aircraft 130. According to one embodiment, the battery data may include data regarding at least one of temperature, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), output voltage, or output current of a plurality of batteries included in the plurality of UAM aircraft 130.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the determination unit 112 may determine, based on the battery data, an optimal UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft 130. For example, the determination unit 112 may determine, based on the battery data, the optimal UAM aircraft to be the UAM aircraft 131, 132, or 133 including a battery having a temperature, SOC, and / or SOH optimized for operation.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the determination unit 112 may determine the optimal UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft 130 based on the output data included in the operation data. For example, the determination unit 112 may determine the optimal UAM aircraft to be UAM aircraft 131, 132, or 133 that includes a battery having the same output voltage and / or output current as the first UAM aircraft 120.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 113 can diagnose whether the multiple UAM aircraft 130 are operable based on the operation data. According to one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 113 can diagnose whether the multiple UAM aircraft 130 are operable based on the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120. For example, the diagnosis unit 113 can diagnose that the multiple UAM aircraft 130 are not operable based on the weather data included in the operation data if the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120 are not suitable for operation.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 113 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 is operable based on the operation data. Here, the second UAM aircraft 131 may be a UAM aircraft determined as the optimal UAM aircraft by the determination unit 112. According to one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 113 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 is operable based on weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120. For example, the diagnosis unit 113 can diagnose that the second UAM aircraft 131 is not operable based on weather data included in the operation data if the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120 are not suitable for operation.

[0038] 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the UAM management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be explained using the configuration of FIG. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is just one embodiment, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in FIG. 2, and some steps shown in FIG. 2 may be omitted, the order of steps may be changed, or steps may be combined.

[0039] 2, in operation 205, the UAM management device 110 may acquire operational data from the first UAM vehicle 120. Here, the operational data may be data collected by the first UAM vehicle 120 during operation.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the operational data may include meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operational route of the first UAM vehicle 120. According to one embodiment, the operational data may include output data relating to at least one of an output voltage or an output current of a battery included in the first UAM vehicle 120.

[0041] In operation 210, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM vehicle 131 is operational. Here, the second UAM vehicle 131 may be a UAM vehicle on standby for operation.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 can be operated based on the operation data acquired in operation 205. According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 can be operated based on the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120. For example, based on the weather data included in the operation data, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose that the second UAM aircraft 131 cannot be operated if the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120 are not suitable for operation.

[0043] 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the UAM management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be explained using the configuration of FIG. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is just one embodiment, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in FIG. 3, some steps shown in FIG. 3 may be omitted, the order between steps may be changed, or steps may be combined.

[0044] 3, in operation 305, the UAM management device 110 may acquire operational data from the first UAM vehicle 120. Here, the operational data may be data collected by the first UAM vehicle 120 while in operation.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the operational data may include meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operational route of the first UAM vehicle 120. According to one embodiment, the operational data may include output data relating to at least one of an output voltage or an output current of a battery included in the first UAM vehicle 120.

[0046] At operation 310, the UAM manager 110 may obtain battery data from the plurality of UAM aircraft 130. In one embodiment, the battery data may include data regarding at least one of temperature, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries included in the plurality of UAM aircraft 130.

[0047] In operation 315, the UAM management device 110 may determine a second UAM vehicle 131 from among the plurality of UAM vehicles 130. Here, the second UAM vehicle 131 may be the optimal UAM vehicle from among the plurality of UAM vehicles 130 in standby.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 may determine a second UAM aircraft 131 from among the plurality of UAM aircraft 130 based on the battery data acquired in operation 310. For example, the UAM management device 110 may determine a second UAM aircraft 131 including a battery having a temperature, SOC, and / or SOH optimized for operation based on the battery data.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 may determine a second UAM aircraft 131 from among a plurality of UAM aircraft 130 based on output data included in the operation data. For example, the UAM management device 110 may determine a second UAM aircraft 131 including a battery having the same output voltage and / or output current as the first UAM aircraft 120.

[0050] In operation 320, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 determined in operation 315 is operable. According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 can be operated based on the operation data acquired in operation 305. According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 can be operated based on the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120. For example, based on the weather data included in the operation data, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose that the second UAM aircraft 131 cannot be operated if the weather conditions along the operation route of the first UAM aircraft 120 are not suitable for operation.

[0051] 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operation method of a UAM management device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 will be explained using the configuration of FIG.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 4, a computing system 1000 may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) 1010 , a memory 1020 , an input / output I / F 1030 , and a communication I / F 1040 .

[0053] The MCU 1010 may include a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

[0054] The MCU 1010 may be a processor that executes programs (e.g., an acquisition unit 111, a determination unit 112, and a diagnosis unit 113) stored in the memory 1020 and processes various information including the determination of the second UAM aircraft 131 and / or the diagnosis of whether the second UAM aircraft 131 is operable through such programs.

[0055] The memory 1020 can store various data such as operation data of the first UAM aircraft 120 and battery data of the multiple UAM aircraft 130. The memory 1020 can also store various programs such as an acquisition unit 111, a determination unit 112, and a diagnosis unit 113.

[0056] A plurality of such memories 1020 may be provided as necessary. The memories 1020 may be volatile memories or nonvolatile memories. The volatile memories 1020 may be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. The nonvolatile memories 1020 may be ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. The examples of the memories 1020 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limited to these examples.

[0057] The input / output I / F 1030 can provide an interface that connects input devices (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and output devices such as a display (not shown), to the MCU 1010, enabling data to be sent and received.

[0058] The communication I / F 1040 can establish a wired communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel between the UAM management device 110 and the first UAM aircraft 120 and / or multiple UAM aircraft 130, and transmit and receive data with the first UAM aircraft 120 and / or multiple UAM aircraft 130 via the established communication channel.

[0059] In this manner, a computer program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can be stored in memory 1020 and processed by MCU 1010 .

[0060] As used above, terms such as "comprise," "comprise," or "have" mean that the relevant element can be contained within the term, unless otherwise specified, and should be interpreted as meaning that other elements may be included, rather than excluding other elements. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as dictionary-defined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) during operation from the first UAM aircraft; A diagnosis unit that diagnoses whether the second UAM aircraft on standby for operation is operable based on the operation data; A UAM management device including:

2. The UAM management device of claim 1 , wherein the operation data includes meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operation route of the first UAM vehicle.

3. The acquisition unit is configured to acquire battery data of a plurality of batteries included in a plurality of UAM aircraft from a plurality of UAM aircraft that are on standby for operation; The UAM management device according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit that determines the second UAM device from among the plurality of UAM devices based on the battery data.

4. The operation data includes output data regarding at least one of an output voltage or an output current of a battery included in the first UAM aircraft, The UAM management device according to claim 3 , wherein the determination unit determines the second UAM device from among the plurality of UAM devices further based on the output data.

5. The UAM management device of claim 4 , wherein the status data includes data regarding at least one of a temperature, a state of charge (SOC), a state of health (SOH), an output voltage, or an output current of the plurality of batteries.

6. An operation of acquiring operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) during operation from the first UAM aircraft; An operation of diagnosing whether the second UAM aircraft on standby for operation is operable based on the operation data; A method for operating a UAM management device, comprising:

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the operational data includes meteorological data regarding at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the operational route of the first UAM vehicle.

8. An operation of acquiring battery data of a plurality of batteries included in a plurality of UAM aircraft from the plurality of UAM aircraft that are on standby for operation; The method of claim 6 , further comprising: determining the second UAM device from among the plurality of UAM devices based on the battery data.

9. The operation data includes output data regarding at least one of an output voltage or an output current of a battery included in the first UAM aircraft, The method of claim 8 , wherein the operation of determining the second UAM vehicle includes an operation of determining the second UAM vehicle from among the plurality of UAM vehicles further based on the output data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the status data includes data regarding at least one of a temperature, a state of charge (SOC), a state of health (SOH), an output voltage, or an output current of the plurality of batteries.

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