UAM management device and its operating method

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 on December 16, 2022, and all contents disclosed in said Korean patent application are incorporated herein as part of the present specification. The embodiments disclosed in the present specification relate to a UAM management apparatus and an operation method thereof. [[Background Art]]

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

[0003] In recent years, as technologies such as materials, batteries, control, and navigation for personal air vehicles (PAV), which have previously remained at the concept planning and testing levels, have developed, the feasibility of UAM has been increasing. [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] The embodiments disclosed in the present specification provide a UAM management apparatus and an operation method thereof, which are capable of diagnosing whether an operation-ready UAM airframe is available for operation based on operation data acquired from an in-operation UAM airframe.

[0005] The embodiments disclosed in the present specification provide a UAM management apparatus and an operation method thereof, which are capable of determining an airframe optimized for operation based on operation data acquired from an in-operation UAM airframe and battery data acquired from a plurality of operation-ready UAM airframes.

[0006] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned above 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 herein 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 diagnostic unit configured to diagnose whether a second UAM aircraft on standby is operational based on the operational data.

[0008] In a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the flight data may include meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft.

[0009] In a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the acquisition unit is configured to acquire battery data of a plurality of batteries contained in a plurality of UAM aircraft that are on standby for operation, and may further include a determination unit configured to determine the second UAM aircraft from the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the battery data.

[0010] In a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the operational data includes output data relating to at least one of the output voltage or output current of a battery contained in the first UAM aircraft, and the determination unit can determine the second UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the output data.

[0011] In a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the battery data may include data relating to at least one of the following: temperature, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries.

[0012] An operating method for a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include: an operation to acquire operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) in operation from the first UAM aircraft; and an operation to diagnose whether a second UAM aircraft, which is on standby, is operational based on the operational data.

[0013] In a method of operating a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the flight data may include meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft.

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

[0015] In a method of operating a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the operational data includes output data relating to at least one of the output voltage or output current of a battery contained in the first UAM aircraft, and the operation to determine the second UAM aircraft may include an operation to determine the second UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft, based on the output data.

[0016] In a method of operating a UAM management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein, the battery data may include data relating to at least one of the following: temperature, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The UAM management devices and their operating methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein can prevent sudden weather-related situations by diagnosing the operational feasibility of UAM aircraft on standby based on operational data acquired from UAM aircraft in operation.

[0018] The UAM management device and its operating method according to various embodiments disclosed herein can determine the aircraft optimized for operation based on battery output data acquired from an operational UAM aircraft and battery data acquired from multiple UAM aircraft in standby mode.

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

[0020] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an operation flowchart of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an operation flowchart of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing the operation method of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] The various embodiments described in the present specification and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in the present specification to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that they include various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference signs may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0023] In the present specification, each of phrases 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 of the items listed in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", "1st", "2nd", "A", "B", "(a)", or "(b)" may be merely used to distinguish the relevant component from other such components, and do not limit the relevant component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order) unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0024] In the present specification, when a certain (e.g., first) component is referred to as being "linked", "coupled", or "connected", with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively", to another (e.g., second) component, or is referred to as "coupled" or "connected", this means that the certain component may be directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or via a third component linked to the other component.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the methods according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online (e.g., download or upload) 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 device-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., a module or a program) may include one or more individuals, and some of the individuals may be separated and arranged 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., a module or a program) 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 components of the multiple components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

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

[0028] According to one embodiment, the connection (101) (or connection (102)) between the UAM management device 110 and the first UAM unit 120 (or multiple UAM units 130) may be a communication connection via a wired and / or wireless network. According to one embodiment, the wired network may be based on LAN (local area network) communication or power line communication. According to 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 (cellular network, 4G network, 5G network).

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

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

[0031] According to one embodiment, the acquisition unit 111 can 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 flight data may include meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft 120. According to one embodiment, the flight data may include output data relating to at least one of output voltage or output current of a battery included in the first UAM aircraft 120.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the acquisition unit 111 can acquire battery data from multiple UAM units 130. According to one embodiment, the battery data may include data relating to at least one of the following: temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), output voltage, or output current of multiple batteries contained in the multiple UAM units 130.

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

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

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

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

[0038] Figure 2 is an operation flowchart of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. Figure 2 will be explained using the configuration of Figure 1. The embodiment shown in Figure 2 is only one embodiment, and the order of steps in various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in Figure 2. Some of the steps shown in Figure 2 may be omitted, the order of the steps may be changed, or the steps may be combined.

[0039] Referring to Figure 2, in operation 205, the UAM management device 110 can acquire operational data from the first UAM aircraft 120. Here, the operational data may be data collected by the first UAM aircraft 120 while it is in operation.

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

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

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

[0043] Figure 3 is an operation flowchart of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. Figure 3 will be explained using the configuration shown in Figure 1. The embodiment shown in Figure 3 is only one embodiment, and the order of steps in various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in Figure 3. Some of the steps shown in Figure 3 may be omitted, the order of the steps may be changed, or the steps may be combined.

[0044] Referring to Figure 3, in operation 305, the UAM management device 110 can acquire operational data from the first UAM aircraft 120. Here, the operational data may be data collected by the first UAM aircraft 120 while it is in operation.

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

[0046] In operation 310, the UAM management device 110 can acquire battery data from multiple UAM units 130. According to one embodiment, the battery data may include data relating to at least one of the following: temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), output voltage, or output current of multiple batteries contained in the multiple UAM units 130.

[0047] In operation 315, the UAM management device 110 can determine the second UAM aircraft 131 from among the multiple UAM aircraft 130. Here, the second UAM aircraft 131 may be the optimal UAM aircraft from among the multiple UAM aircraft 130 that are on standby for operation.

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

[0049] According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can determine a second UAM aircraft 131 from among a plurality of UAM aircraft 130 based on output data included in the flight data. For example, the UAM management device 110 can determine a second UAM aircraft 131 that includes 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 operational. According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 is operational based on the flight data acquired in operation 305. According to one embodiment, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft 131 is operational based on the weather conditions along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft 120. For example, based on the weather data included in the flight data, the UAM management device 110 can diagnose that the second UAM aircraft 131 is not operational if the weather conditions along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft 120 are unsuitable for operation.

[0051] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing the operation method of a UAM management device according to one embodiment. Figure 4 will be explained using the configuration of Figure 1.

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

[0053] The MCU1010 may include a central processing unit, application processor, graphics processing unit, NPU (neural processing unit), image signal processor, sensor hub processor, or communication processor.

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

[0055] Memory 1020 can store various types of data, such as operational data for the first UAM aircraft 120 and battery data for multiple UAM aircraft 130. Memory 1020 can also store various programs, such as the acquisition unit 111, the determination unit 112, and the diagnostic unit 113.

[0056] Multiple such memory 1020s may be provided as needed. Memory 1020 may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory. For volatile memory 1020, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc., can be used. For non-volatile memory 1020, ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc., can be used. The examples of memory 1020 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limiting.

[0057] The input / output interface 1030 can provide an interface that connects input devices (not shown), such as keyboards, mice, and touch panels, with output devices (not shown), such as displays, and the MCU 1010, enabling data transmission and reception.

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

[0059] Thus, a computer program according to one embodiment disclosed herein can be recorded in memory 1020 and processed by MCU 1010.

[0060] The terms “contains,” “constitutes,” or “possesses,” as used herein, mean, unless otherwise stated, that the component may be inherent in that component, and not exclude other components, but rather may further contain other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as that generally 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 those defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted in accordance with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and not in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

Claims

1. An acquisition unit configured to acquire operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) aircraft in operation from the first UAM aircraft, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to acquire battery data from a plurality of batteries contained in a plurality of UAM aircraft that are on standby for operation, and the operational data includes output data relating to at least one of the output voltage or output current of the batteries contained in the first UAM aircraft, A determination unit configured to determine a second UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the battery data, wherein the determination unit further determines the second UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the output data, A diagnostic unit configured to diagnose whether the second UAM aircraft, which is on standby, is operational based on the aforementioned flight data, UAM management device, including

2. The UAM management device according to claim 1, wherein the flight data includes meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft.

3. The UAM management device according to claim 1, wherein the battery data includes data relating to at least one of the temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries.

4. An operation to acquire operational data collected by a first UAM (urban air mobility) aircraft in operation from the said first UAM aircraft, wherein the operational data includes output data relating to at least one of the output voltage or output current of a battery contained in the first UAM aircraft, and The operation of acquiring battery data from multiple batteries contained in multiple UAM aircraft that are on standby for operation, An operation to determine a second UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the battery data, wherein the operation to determine the second UAM aircraft includes an operation to determine the second UAM aircraft from among the plurality of UAM aircraft based on the output data, Based on the aforementioned flight data, the operation involves diagnosing whether the second UAM aircraft, which is on standby, is operational. A method for operating a UAM management device, including the operation of the UAM management device.

5. The method for operating a UAM management device according to claim 4, wherein the flight data includes meteorological data relating to at least one of temperature, wind speed, or wind direction along the flight path of the first UAM aircraft.

6. The method of operating a UAM management device according to claim 4, wherein the battery data includes data relating to at least one of the temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), output voltage, or output current of the plurality of batteries.

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