IoT Drone Fleet Management for Shared Access and Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for systems and methods that facilitate the provisioning, management, control, and use of drones by users who do not own them, particularly for short-term or limited purposes, and address the idle resource issue of drones not being actively used, while ensuring compliance with regulatory and real-time constraints.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising user, owner, and fleet management elements, utilizing communications networks to manage drone usage, including user and owner applications that facilitate mission planning, drone parameter management, and fleet control, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements through verification and approval processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If drones are purchased for short-term or limited purposes, then the intended user can have access to a drone, but this is not economically justified and increases loss of substance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple drone owners into a shared fleet, combining their resources to create a communal pool of drones that can be accessed by multiple users on demand, eliminating the need for individual ownership
Solution Approach 2:
The shared drone fleet serves multiple functions and multiple users simultaneously, allowing a single drone to be rented to different users for different purposes, maximizing utilization and reducing waste
2Reliability
If drones are owned by individuals, then they can be used when needed, but they remain idle most of the time reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically allocates drones to users based on real-time demand and availability, allowing the fleet composition and assignment to change flexibly rather than being fixed to individual owners
Solution Approach 2:
The shared fleet ensures continuous utilization of drones by immediately reassigning them to new users upon completion of a rental period, eliminating idle time and maintaining constant productive operation
3Productivity
If a sharing system is implemented, then resource utilization is optimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a intermediary rental management system that handles all coordination between owners and users, including matching, scheduling, and transaction management, thereby simplifying the interaction complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automated self-service functionality where users can independently search, select, and rent drones through an automated interface, reducing the need for manual coordination and human intervention
4Ease of operation
If drone sharing is enabled, then access is improved, but ensuring regulatory compliance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of user credentials, drone registrations, and regulatory compliance requirements before allowing rentals, ensuring all necessary checks are completed in advance
Solution Approach 2:
The rental management system continuously monitors and tracks drone usage, user credentials, and regulatory requirements, providing real-time feedback to ensure ongoing compliance and automatically adjusting operations as needed
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus, systems, processes, and computer-readable mediums for facilitating the use of drones are described. For one embodiment, such a system includes a user element having a user application computer program configured to instruct a user interface device to facilitate use of user data and use of mission parameter(s) for a proposed drone mission. An owner element includes an owner application computer program configured to facilitate use of owner data and use of at least one drone parameter. A fleet system element is communicatively coupled to the user element and to the owner element and includes a computer system processor configured to facilitate use of a fleet record and use of at least one fleet parameter.