Trip Plan Battery Awareness Using Energy Overlays and Safety Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle management techniques for electric aerial vehicles lack effective situational awareness and predictive capabilities, making it difficult for operators to accurately assess and mitigate adverse situations, especially in autonomous flight modes and densely populated urban environments.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that provides enhanced trip plan-based vehicle battery situational awareness by monitoring energy expenditure, predicting energy overlays, and displaying safety boundaries on electronic displays, using a vehicle performance prediction model to correlate trip plans with battery parameters and determine feasibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple sensors and monitors provide raw data to operators, then situational awareness information is available, but operators have limited time and knowledge to evaluate adverse situations and determine appropriate mitigative actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (performance prediction module and trip plan feasibility evaluator) that processes raw sensor data and presents processed information to operators. This intermediary layer translates complex multi-sensor data into actionable insights, reducing the cognitive burden and time required for operators to evaluate adverse situations while maintaining comprehensive situational awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously evaluating trip plan feasibility and predicting vehicle performance before adverse situations fully develop. The performance prediction module proactively identifies potential issues and provides recommended mitigative actions in advance, allowing operators to prepare responses rather than react under time pressure.
2Reliability
If current vehicle management techniques are used, then basic monitoring is available, but predictive capabilities and situational awareness are insufficient for autonomous flight modes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the performance prediction module continuously monitors vehicle performance and compares actual results with predicted values. When deviations are detected, the system provides feedback to operators through the user interface, enabling proactive management of battery health and vehicle performance rather than reactive responses to failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional mechanical monitoring approaches with computational prediction models. The trip plan feasibility evaluator and performance prediction module use algorithms to predict future vehicle states and battery conditions, substituting passive monitoring with active predictive analytics that provide deeper insights into vehicle reliability.
3Measurement precision
If operators must evaluate multiple adverse situations manually, then comprehensive assessment is possible, but accurate determination of mitigative actions is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service by automatically evaluating trip plan feasibility and generating recommended mitigative actions without requiring manual operator analysis. The trip plan feasibility evaluator autonomously processes sensor data, predicts performance outcomes, and presents evaluated options to operators, maintaining assessment accuracy while dramatically reducing decision-making time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified copies or representations of complex adverse situations through the user interface display. Instead of presenting raw multi-sensor data, the system generates visual representations of trip plan feasibility and recommended actions, allowing operators to quickly comprehend situations and make decisions without manual evaluation of multiple data sources.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a vehicle battery situational awareness (VBSA) platform configured to monitor one or more vehicles. An onboard VBSA system associated with a vehicle is communicably coupled to a vehicle operations center associated with the VBSA platform and can monitor a current energy expenditure of the vehicle as the vehicle executes a trip plan. The onboard VBSA system can also determine that the current energy expenditure of the vehicle does not match a predicted energy expenditure. The onboard VBSA system can generate, based on output from a vehicle performance prediction model, a predicted energy overlay representing the predicted energy expenditure. The onboard VBSA system can also determine a safety boundary characterized by a maximum safe travel time. The onboard VBSA system can also cause display of the predicted energy overlay and the safety boundary on one or more computing devices.