3D Drone Flight Planning With Real-Time Model Updates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional drone planning systems rely on discrete waypoints and 2D maps, limiting planning freedom and struggling with precision mission planning around 3D structures, especially in GPS-denied environments, requiring larger and more expensive vehicles for navigation.

Innovation Solution

A system that uses a 3D model of a location to plan time-optimal and resource-efficient trajectories for drones, allowing for real-time updates and optimization, incorporating drone cluster SLAM techniques and intelligent planning to navigate complex environments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional drone planning systems use discrete waypoints and 2D maps, then the system is simpler to implement, but planning freedom is limited and precision around 3D structures deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplanning freedomVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from 2D map-based planning to 3D model-based planning, enabling drones to navigate and plan trajectories around three-dimensional structures with precision. This dimensional upgrade allows the system to understand and operate in the full spatial environment, improving planning freedom while maintaining manageable complexity through automated processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If larger and more expensive vehicles are used for navigation in GPS-denied environments, then navigation reliability improves, but cost and device size increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation reliabilityVSAvoiddrone size and cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces GPS-dependent mechanical navigation systems with visual-inertial odometry and 3D model-based navigation. This substitution enables reliable navigation in GPS-denied environments using lightweight sensors (cameras and IMUs) rather than requiring larger, more expensive navigation hardware, maintaining reliability while reducing drone size and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If 3D model-based trajectory optimization is implemented, then flight time and survey quality improve, but computational requirements and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurvey quality and efficiencyVSAvoidcomputational processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary processing by pre-building 3D models of the environment and pre-computing optimal trajectories before drone deployment. This advance preparation reduces real-time computational requirements during flight, allowing the drone to execute pre-optimized paths efficiently while maintaining high survey quality and productivity without excessive processing delays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250299360A1Systems and methods for 3D model based drone flight planning and control

Publication Date: 2025.09.25 NEURAL ENTERPRISES INC

AI summary

A method for controlling a plurality of drones to survey a location, the method comprising, at a computing system: automatically generating preliminary flight plans for a plurality of drones to survey the location based on a 3D model; receiving survey data from the plurality of drones as the plurality of drones are surveying the location based on the preliminary flight plans; updating the 3D model based on the survey data received from the plurality of drones; and automatically updating at least a portion of the flight plans based on the updated 3D model.