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US 10,593,215 B2Granted
Dynamic aircraft routing
AssigneeUber Technologies, Inc.
InventorIan Villa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. A transportation system determines a first and a second hub for a leg of the transport request serviced by the VTOL aircraft and calculates a set of candidate routes from the first hub to the second hub. A provisioned route is selected from among the set of candidate routes based on network and environmental parameters and objectives including pre-determined acceptable noise levels, weather, and the presence and planned routes of other VTOL aircrafts along each of the candidate routes.
Claims21
A method for dynamically routing a VIOL aircraft in a transportation system, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the transportation system, a request to route the VTOL aircraft from a first location to a second location, the request generated in response to receiving a request for transport services from a client device associated with a user of the transportation system;
- in response to receiving the request to route the VIOL aircraft, determining a set of candidate routes from the first location to the second location;
- determining, by a processor of the transportation system, a route cost for each candidate route in the set of candidate routes, the route cost being a function of one or more network or environmental factors, the one or more network factors include a number of VIOL aircraft that will be at the first location within a specified time period;
- selecting a candidate route having a route cost at or below an acceptable route cost threshold as a provisioned route for the transport services;
- and
- transmitting data related to the provisioned route selected based on having the route cost at or below the acceptable route cost threshold to the VTOL, aircraft.
3 more elements
A method for dynamically routing a VTOL aircraft in a transportation, system, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the transportation system, a request to route the VTOL aircraft from a first location to a second location, the request generated in response to receiving a request for transport services from a client device associated with a user of the transportation system;
- in response to receiving the request to route the VTOL, aircraft, determining, by a processor of the transportation system, a set of candidate routes from the first location to the second location;
- selecting, from the set of candidate routes, a provisioned route for the transport services based on a noise profile of the candidate route, the selecting the provisioned route comprising:
- calculating a cost score for each candidate route in the set of candidate routes, the cost score being based on one or more network or environmental factors;
- selecting a first candidate route with a lowest cost score;
- determining whether a noise profile for the first candidate route remains at or below an acceptable noise profile threshold for the first candidate route;
- and
- responsive to determining that the noise profile remains at or below the acceptable noise profile threshold, selecting the first candidate route as the provisioned route;
- and
- transmitting data related to the provisioned route to the VTOL aircraft.
7 more elements
A method for dynamically routing a VTOL aircraft in a transportation system, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the transportation system, a request to route the VTOL aircraft from a first location to a second location, the request generated in response to receiving a request for transport services from a client device associated with a user of the transportation system;
- in response to receiving the request to route the VTOL aircraft, determining a set of candidate routes from the first location to the second location;
- determining, by a processor of the transportation system, a route cost for each candidate route in the set of candidate routes, the route cost being a function of one or more network or environmental factors;
- determining that the route costs for each of the candidate routes exceeds an acceptable route cost threshold;
- periodically recalculating the route costs for each of the candidate routes until at least one candidate route has a route cost at or below the acceptable route cost threshold;
- selecting a candidate route having a route cost at or below an acceptable route cost threshold as a provisioned route for the transport services;
- and
- transmitting data related to the provisioned route selected based on having the route cost at or below the acceptable route cost threshold to the VTOL aircraft.
5 more elements
A method for dynamically routing a VTOL aircraft in a transportation, system, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the transportation system, a request to route the VTOL aircraft from a first location to a second location, the request generated in response to receiving a request for transport services from a client device associated with a user of the transportation system;
- in response to receiving the request to route the VTOL aircraft, determining, by a processor of the transportation system, a set of candidate routes from the first location to the second location;
- selecting, from the set of candidate routes, a provisioned route for the transport services based on a noise profile of the candidate route, the selecting the provisioned route comprising:
- calculating a cost score for each candidate route in the set of candidate routes, the cost score being based on one or more network or environmental factors;
- selecting a first candidate route with a lowest cost score;
- responsive to determining that a noise profile of the first candidate route exceeds an acceptable noise profile threshold at a point on the first candidate route;
- selecting a second candidate route with a next lowest cost score;
- and
- responsive to determining that a noise profile of the second candidate route remains at or below the acceptable noise profile threshold, selecting the second candidate route as the provisioned route;
- and
- transmitting data related to the provisioned route to the VTOL aircraft.
8 more elements
A method for dynamically routing a VTOL aircraft in a transportation, system, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the transportation system, a request to route the VTOL aircraft from a first location to a second location, the request generated in response to receiving a request for transport services from a client device associated with a user of the transportation system;
- in response to receiving the request to route the VTOL aircraft, determining, by a processor of the transportation system, a set of candidate routes from the first location to the second location;
- determining that a noise profile for each of the candidate routes exceeds an acceptable noise threshold;
- and
- periodically recalculating the noise profile for each of the candidate routes until at least one candidate route has a noise profile at or below the acceptable noise threshold;
- selecting, from the set of candidate routes, a provisioned route for the transport services based on the noise profile of the candidate route;
- and
- transmitting data related to the provisioned route to the VTOL aircraft.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.