US 11,238,745 B2Granted

Dynamic aircraft routing

AssigneeJoby Aero, Inc.

InventorsIan Andreas Villa, Eric Mueller, Christabelle Bosson, Thomas Prevot

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Example embodiments are directed to generating an optimized network of flight paths and an operations volume around each of these flight paths. A network system creates a source network of paths, whereby the source network comprises a set of possible paths between two locations. The network system assigns a cost for traversing each edge of each path of the source network and aggregates the cost for traversing each edge of each path to obtain a cost for each path of the source network. Based on the cost for each path, the network system identifies a path having the lowest cost, whereby the path having the lowest cost is the optimized route between the two locations. The network system then generates an operations volume for the optimized route. The operations volume represents airspace surrounding the optimized route. The operations volume is transmitted to a further system for use.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

creating, by a network system, a source network of flight paths, the source network comprising a set of possible flight paths between two locations;
assigning, by the network system, a cost for traversing each edge of each flight path of the source network of flight paths;
aggregating, by the network system, the cost for traversing each edge of each flight path to obtain a cost for each flight path of the source network of flight paths;
based on the cost for each flight path of the source network of flight paths, identifying, by the network system, a flight path having the lowest cost, the flight path having the lowest cost being an optimized route between the two locations and comprising a corridor having a plurality of skylanes spaced a minimum distance apart;
generating, by a hardware processor of the network system, an operations volume for a skylane of the plurality of skylanes of the optimized route based in part on one or more characteristics of an aircraft assigned to the skylane, the operations volume being a three-dimensional representation of the skylane between the two locations;
and
transmitting the operations volume to a further system for use.

4 more elements

A machine-storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more hardware processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

creating a source network of flight paths, the source network comprising a set of possible flight paths between two locations;
assigning a cost for traversing each edge of each flight path of the source network of flight paths;
aggregating the cost for traversing each edge of each flight path to obtain a cost for each flight path of the source network of flight paths;
based on the cost for each flight path of the source network of flight paths, identifying a flight path having the lowest cost, the flight path having the lowest cost being an optimized route between the two locations and comprising a corridor having a plurality of skylanes spaced a minimum distance apart;
generating an operations volume for a skylane of the plurality of skylanes of the optimized route based in part on one or more characteristics of an aircraft assigned to the skylane, the operations volume being a three-dimensional representation of the skylane between the two locations;
and
transmitting the operations volume to a further system for use.

4 more elements

A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;
and
a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising:
accessing an optimized route between two locations, the optimized route comprising a corridor having a plurality of skylanes spaced a minimum distance apart;
receiving parameters for generating an operations volume for a skylane of the plurality of skylanes of the optimized route;
based on the optimized route and the parameters, generating the operations volume for the skylane based in part on one or more characteristics of an aircraft assigned to the skylane, the operations volume being a three-dimensional representation of the skylane between the two locations;
and
transmitting the operations volume to a further system for use.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/437,745Filed 11 Jun 2019 · continuation in part
Priority: 7 May 2018
Published: US 2019/0340933 A17 Nov 2019
Granted: 1 Feb 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

G08G 5/30
Traffic control systems for aircraft: flight plan management
G01C 21/20
Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00: instruments for performing navigational calculations
G01C 23/00
Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value
G06Q 10/047
Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem":…

Family

Application62/668,176Us provisional application · filed 7 May 2018
Application62/668,745Us provisional application · filed 8 May 2018
Application16/405,493Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 May 2019
US 2019/0340934 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Nov 2019
US 11,244,572 B2Related patent
US 2019/0340933 A1Published application
US 11,238,745 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.