US 10,593,218 B1 · Hierarchal reference system

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for reducing the amount of messaging between aerial vehicles and between controllers of aerial vehicles and simplifying aerial vehicle traffic management. In one implementation, a large service area, such as the United States, may be separated into a series of hierarchal regions. Rather than sending notifications to all agents (e.g., aerial vehicles, controllers) in the service area, each agent may subscribe to one or more regions of the hierarchal regions and only receive messages intended for the subscribed regions. In one example, as discussed below, messages for a particular region are only sent to agents subscribed to that region. Other agents within the larger service area do not receive the messages as they may not be relevant to those agents.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a first region within a service area;
a first sub-region that is contained within the first region;
a second sub-region that is contained within the first region but not contained with the first sub-region;
a notification management system configured to at least:
maintain a first subscriber list for the first region, the first subscriber list indicating one or more agents subscribed to receive notifications related to the first region;
maintain a second subscriber list for the first sub-region, the second subscriber list indicating one or more agents subscribed to receive notifications related to the first sub-region;
receive a notification that designates the first sub-region;
and
send the notification to the one or more agents indicated on the first subscriber list and to the one or more agents indicated on the second subscriber list without sending the notification to agents not indicated on the first subscriber list or the second subscriber list.

6 more elements

A method, comprising:

maintaining a first subscriber list for a first region within a service area, the first subscriber list indicating one or more agents subscribed to receive notifications related to the first region;
maintaining a second subscriber list for a first sub-region that is contained within the first region, the second subscriber list indicating one or more agents subscribed to receive notifications related to the first sub-region;
maintaining a third subscriber list for a second sub-region that is contained within the first region but not contained within the first sub-region, the third subscriber list indicating one or more agents subscribed to receive notifications related to the second sub-region;
receiving a notification that designates the first sub-region;
and
sending the notification to the one or more agents indicated on the first subscriber list and to the one or more agents indicated on the second subscriber list without sending the notification to agents indicated on the third subscriber list that are not also indicated on at least one of the first subscriber list or the second subscriber list.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hierarchal reference system

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Hierarchal reference system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20