UAV Flight Plan Segmentation for Spatiotemporal Conflict Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flight planning systems for unmanned vehicles often result in conflicts where multiple UAVs are scheduled to occupy the same space and time, especially as the number of flights increases and operational deadlines become tighter, necessitating more efficient collision avoidance mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
Discretize flight paths into segments that account for the size and positioning accuracy of the UAV, comparing these segments with previously generated paths to identify and resolve conflicts, and modify flight plans as necessary to ensure no overlap, using a processor-readable medium to execute these instructions autonomously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of UAV flights is increased to meet operational deadlines, then productivity is improved, but the risk of flight path conflicts and collisions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments continuous flight paths into discrete flight path segments at predetermined intervals. Each segment is represented as a discrete spatiotemporal volume with associated time ranges. This segmentation enables systematic comparison and conflict detection between multiple UAV flight paths by checking for overlaps in both space and time dimensions, thereby maintaining collision avoidance even as the number of flights increases.
2Device complexity
If flight paths are planned without detailed conflict analysis, then device complexity is reduced, but flight safety deteriorates due to potential collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary conflict analysis by comparing discrete flight path segments against previously approved flight plans before finalizing new flight paths. The system proactively identifies potential conflicts by checking for spatiotemporal overlaps and modifies flight paths in advance to eliminate conflicts, ensuring flight safety is maintained while managing complexity through automated preliminary validation.
3Measurement precision
If discrete flight path segments with uncertainty volumes are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to more detailed path analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates positioning accuracy parameters and uncertainty volumes into the discrete flight path segment representations. Each segment includes expanded spatial boundaries that account for positioning errors and uncertainties. This parameter enhancement improves measurement precision by explicitly modeling uncertainty, while the automated comparison algorithm manages the increased complexity through systematic spatiotemporal overlap detection.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a compute device of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is included within a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) associated with a site, a representation of a flight plan (1) between a start location at a start time and an end location at an end time, and (2) for the UAV. The method further includes causing the UAV to autonomously fly based on the flight plan for the UAV in response to the UAV receiving the signal with the representation of the flight plan for the UAV.