# US 2014/0207367 A1 · Method for defining a fall back route for a mobile machine, method of fall back, by a mobile machine, for such a route, associated modules and computer programmes

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2014/0207367 A1
- Document ID: US20140207367A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/154,063
- Filed: 2014-01-13
- Published: 2014-07-24
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-18
- Assignees: Dassault Aviation
- Applicants: Dassault Aviation
- Inventors: Jean-Michel PFLIMLIN; Gildas DAUPHIN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140207367A1

## CPC

- G08G 5/34: for flight plan modification
- G01C 21/005: {with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching (G01C21/30 takes precedence)}
- G05D 1/0055: {with safety arrangements}
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A Method for defining a fall back route comprising of way points, for a mobile machine, in a 3D zone (ZNd) of displacement having convex zones (Zni, i=1 to 7) each describing a polygon in any plane perpendicular to a Z axis over a considered region (Hj, j=1 to 6) of a Z axis, according to which: set of beacons points (PBk, k=1 to 7) is defined, such that the edges of the Voronoi diagram associated with the said set of beacon points separate therebetween the polygons described by the convex zones in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis over the said region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for defining a fall back route comprising of way points, for a mobile machine, in a 3D zone (ZNd) of displacement having convex zones (Zni, i=1 to 7) such that over a considered region (Hj, j=1 to 6) of a Z axis, said zones each describe a polygon in any plane perpendicular to a Z axis, said method being characterised in that it is implemented on a computer and in that it comprises the following steps i/ to ii/ relative to said region of the Z axis, in considering any plane perpendicular to the Z axis over said region:
i/ defining a set of points (PBk, k=1 to 7), referred to as beacons points for the fall back route, such that the edges of the Voronoi diagram associated with said set of beacon points separate therebetween the polygons described by the convex zones in said plane; and
ii/ in a database, associating with each way point of the fall back route and each beacon point of the route, an identifier of the convex zone to which said point belongs, coordinates of said point and for each beacon point, an identifier of the said region of the Z axis.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method for defining a fall back route according to claim 1, in which the way points of the fall back route include at least some of said beacon points in said region under consideration (Hj, j=1 to 6) of the Z axis.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method for defining a fall back route according to claim 1, in which:
the Z-axis is cut into a plurality of regions (Hj, j=1 to 6), such that the polygons described by the convex zones of the zone of displacement are constant in all planes perpendicular to the Z axis over a same region;
in each region, the steps i/ and ii/ are carried out.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method for defining a fall back route according to claim 1, in which in step i/, a new beacon point is inserted in a polygon described in a convex zone (Zni, i=1 to 7), and moreover there is a further addition of every additional beacon point that is symmetrical with said new beacon point relative to any side of said polygon and which is located in another polygon, described by another convex zone over said region of the Z axis (Hj, j=1 to 6).

### Claim 5

A module for defining a fall back route comprising of way points, for a mobile machine, in a 3D zone (ZNd) of displacement having convex zones (ZNi, i=1 to 7) such that over a considered region (Hj, j=1 to 6) of a Z axis, said zones each describing a polygon in any plane perpendicular to a Z axis,
said module being characterised in that it is adapted to, relative to said region of the Z axis and taking into consideration any plane perpendicular to the Z axis over said region, define a set of points (PBk, k=1 to 7), referred to as beacon points, for the fall back route, such that the edges of the Voronoi diagram associated with the said set of beacon points separate therebetween the polygons described by convex zones in said plane; and
in that it is adapted so as to, in a database, associate with each way point of the fall back route and each beacon point of the route, an identifier of the convex zone to which said point belongs, coordinates of the said point and for each beacon point, an identifier of the said region of the Z axis.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A computer programme for defining a fall back route comprising of way points, for a mobile machine, in a 3D zone (ZNd) of displacement having convex zones (ZNi, i=1 to 7) such that over a considered region (Hj, j=1 to 6) of a Z axis, said zones each describe a polygon in any plane perpendicular to a Z axis, said programme including instructions for carrying out the steps of a method according to claim 1 during the execution of the programme by data processing means.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A method of fall back, by a mobile machine, to a fall back route, in a 3D zone (ZNd) of displacement of the mobile machine having convex zones each describing a polygon in any plane perpendicular to a Z axis in a region under consideration (Hj, j=1 to 6) of the Z axis, said method being characterised in that:
the mobile machine stores an on board database of way points and beacon points (PBk, k=1 to 7) of a fall back route that has been previously defined by a method according to claim 1; and
in that said method comprises of the following steps of:
determination of the value on the Z axis corresponding to the current position of the mobile machine and determination, from among the beacon points of the fall back route in the on board database, of the beacon points associated with an identifier of the region of the Z axis such that the value on the Z axis determined for the mobile machine is comprised within said region;
identification, from among said beacon points determined, of the beacon point that is closest to the mobile machine, on the basis of the coordinates of the beacon points in the database and taking into consideration that the determined beacon points are at the same level on the Z axis as the mobile machine; and
selection of a way point to be reached by the mobile machine from among the way points, in the database, which are associated with the same convex zone identifier as the convex zone identifier associated with the beacon point identified.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A module for determination for a mobile machine of a fall back route, in a 3D zone (ZNd) of displacement of the mobile machine comprising convex zones each describing a polygon in any plane perpendicular to a Z axis over a region under consideration (Hj, j=1 to 6) of the Z axis;
the mobile machine storing an on board database) of way points and beacon points (PBk, k=1 to 7) of a fall back route that has previously been defined by a method (100) according to claim 1;
said determination module being designed to determine the value on the Z axis corresponding to the current position of the mobile machine and to determine, from amongst the beacon points of the fall back route in the on board database, the beacon points associated with an identifier of the region of the Z axis such that the value on the Z axis determined for the mobile machine is comprised within said region;
said determination module being adapted to identify, from among said determined beacon points, the beacon point that is closest to the mobile machine, on the basis of the coordinates of the beacon points in the database and taking into consideration that the determined beacon points are at the same level on the Z axis as the mobile machine; and
said determination module being adapted to select a way point to be reached by the mobile machine from among the way points, in the database, which are associated with the same convex zone identifier as the convex zone identifier associated with the beacon point identified.