Aerial Vehicle Airspace Reservation With Dynamic Zone Announcements

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Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) face challenges in defining and maintaining a reserved zone within a space to perform tasks without interfering with other AAVs, people, or machinery, especially in dynamic environments like warehouses, where real-time detection and announcement of airspace usage are crucial for safe operation.

Innovation Solution

An AAV equipped with sensors like LiDAR, cameras, and communication systems can create a 3D map of a facility, detect objects, and define a reserved zone by calculating available airspace, then announce its use through audible and visual means to ensure safe operation and task completion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If an AAV defines a reserved zone to perform tasks autonomously, then task execution efficiency is improved, but the risk of conflict with other AAVs, people, or machinery increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetask execution efficiencyVSAvoidconflict risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The AAV performs preliminary actions by defining and announcing its reserved zone before executing tasks. The system calculates available airspace, defines the reserved zone boundaries, and presents announcements to other entities in the shared space, thereby preventing conflicts before they occur rather than reacting to them during task execution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring the shared space for other AAVs, people, or machinery, and dynamically adjusting the reserved zone or task execution based on detected objects. The announcement system provides feedback to other entities about the reserved zone, enabling them to avoid conflicts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the AAV dynamically adjusts reserved zones based on detected objects, then safety is improved, but computational complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational safetyVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by focusing computational resources on the local area around the AAV rather than processing the entire shared space. The reserved zone is defined as a localized region where the AAV intends to operate, and object detection is concentrated within this zone, reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining safety

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The shared space is segmented into the reserved zone and the remaining space. The system divides computational tasks into segments: defining the reserved zone boundaries, detecting objects within the zone, and managing announcements. This segmentation reduces the complexity of any single processing task

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the AAV announces its reserved zone to other entities, then conflict prevention is improved, but energy consumption and communication overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconflict preventionVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The announcement system operates periodically rather than continuously. The AAV presents announcements of its reserved zone at regular intervals or at key moments such as when entering a new area or when task parameters change, reducing energy consumption compared to continuous broadcasting while still maintaining effective conflict prevention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The AAV presents announcements before actually occupying the reserved zone or before beginning task execution. This preliminary announcement allows other entities to be aware of the intended reserved zone in advance, enabling them to plan their movements accordingly and avoid conflicts without requiring continuous communication

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution enables AAVs to efficiently perform tasks while ensuring safety by dynamically adjusting reserved zones based on detected objects, minimizing conflicts and enhancing operational efficiency within shared spaces.

Implementation Method 1

An AAV equipped with sensors like LiDAR, cameras, and communication systems can create a 3D map of a facility

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLiDAR: LIDAR

Data Source

PatentUS11726475B2Autonomous aerial vehicle airspace claiming and announcing

Publication Date: 2023.08.15 AT&T MOBILITY II LLC

AI summary

A processing system of an autonomous aerial vehicle including at least one processor may obtain mapping data describing at least a portion of a facility, navigate, via the mapping data, to a space within the facility to perform an assigned task, and collect spatial sensor data within the space. The processing system may then detect, from the spatial sensor data, at least one object within the space, define a reserved zone within the space to perform the assigned task, based upon the at least one object that is detected, and present at least one of an audible announcement or a visual announcement of the reserved zone.