Drone Flight Path Suitability Scoring for BVLOS Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing prevalence of drone usage poses challenges in regulating drone operations, particularly when drones operate Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), increasing the risk of collisions with planes or people.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that provide data sets for potential flight paths of drones, including exit and return to Line Of Sight (LOS) geolocation-time data. The system determines out-of-LOS time intervals and additional time intervals when substitute drone observers can observe the drone, generating suitability scores for flight paths based on these intervals and additional factors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If drone operates BVLOS to expand operational range and flexibility, then productivity and adaptability improve, but safety and collision risk worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces substitute drone observers as intermediary entities that can visually observe the drone when the primary operator cannot see it directly. These observers are positioned at locations where they can see the drone and communicate its status back to the operator, effectively mediating the BVLOS operation to maintain safety while enabling operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the drone's location and visual observability, providing real-time feedback about whether the drone is within LOS of the operator or substitute observers. This feedback mechanism enables dynamic adjustment of flight paths and operations to maintain safety while allowing BVLOS operations when appropriate substitute observers are available.
2Area of stationary object
If operator cannot visually observe drone due to obstructions, then operational range expands, but ability to detect and avoid collisions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-operator visual observation model to a multi-dimensional observation network involving multiple substitute observers positioned at different locations and elevations. This dimensional expansion of the observation network enables coverage of areas that would be invisible to a single operator, expanding the observable area while maintaining collision detection capability through distributed observation points.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple substitute observers are deployed to enable BVLOS operations, then operational flexibility improves, but system complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs substitute drone observers that can serve multiple functions: they act as visual observation proxies for the operator, provide collision detection capabilities, and can be dynamically assigned to different locations based on operational needs. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized dedicated systems and simplifies the overall architecture while enabling BVLOS operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method and system for observation management of a drone is disclosed. The computer-implemented method includes generating suitability scores for at least first and second of potential drone flight paths that correspond to first and second out-of-Line Of Sight (LOS) time intervals. The computer-implemented method also includes generating a recommendation message that recommends one of the first and second potential drone flight paths as more suitable than one or more others of a plurality of potential flight paths for the drone.