UAV Landing Port Assignment Using Reservation-Aware Flight Control

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems do not allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to efficiently use the most suitable take-off and landing facilities based on the reservation status of multiple facilities, leading to suboptimal flight efficiency and facility utilization.

Innovation Solution

A control method that determines a target position, such as the midpoint or gravity center of multiple take-off and landing facilities, and dynamically adjusts the UAV's flight path to use a facility with a higher reservation priority, ensuring efficient flight planning and facility usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a fixed take-off and landing facility is assigned to each UAV, then facility management is simplified, but flight efficiency and facility utilization are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefacility management complexityVSAvoidflight efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic facility assignment where the target position is determined based on real-time reservation statuses of multiple facilities. The system calculates midpoints or gravity centers of available facilities and dynamically adjusts the UAV's target position, allowing the facility assignment to change adaptively rather than being fixed, thereby improving flight efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through automated calculations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Length of moving object

If the UAV always flies to the nearest facility, then flight distance is minimized, but facility utilization becomes unbalanced and reservation priorities are ignored

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflight distanceVSAvoidfacility utilization balance
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the target position parameter dynamically based on facility reservation statuses. Instead of always selecting the nearest facility, the system calculates the target position as the midpoint or gravity center of facilities considering their availability and reservation priorities. This parameter change allows the UAV to adapt its flight target based on real-time conditions, balancing facility utilization while respecting reservation priorities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If real-time adjustment of flight path is implemented, then facility utilization is optimized, but system complexity and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefacility utilizationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors facility reservation statuses and adjusts the UAV's target position accordingly. The management device receives reservation information from multiple facilities, calculates the optimal target position based on this feedback, and updates the flight path in real-time. This feedback loop enables optimized facility utilization while managing system complexity through structured information flow and automated decision-making.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

4Adaptability or versatility

If multiple facilities are monitored and compared, then the most suitable facility is selected, but information processing time and computational load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefacility selection accuracyVSAvoidinformation processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary calculations of target positions (midpoints or gravity centers) based on facility locations and reservation statuses before the UAV needs to make its final approach decision. By pre-processing the facility information and calculating potential target positions in advance, the system reduces the computational load during critical flight decision moments, enabling accurate facility selection without excessive processing delays.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3693945B1Control method for unmanned aerial vehicle, management method, control device, management device, and unmanned aerial vehicle system
Publication Date: 2024.09.04 RAKUTEN GROUP INC
  • EP3693945B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3693945B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3693945B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In an unmanned aerial vehicle system S, a target position Pt to which UAV 1a is headed among a plurality of UAVs 1 is determined on the basis of a position of each of a plurality of ports 2, and the UAV 1a is controlled to fly toward the target position Pt. And then, a port 2x to be used for landing of the UAV 1a is determined on the basis of a reservation status of each of the plurality of ports 2 by the other UAV 1 different from the UAV 1a among the plurality of the UAVs 1 while the UAV 1a is flying toward the target position Pt, and the UAV 1a is controlled to fly toward the determined port 2x.