Programming language for execution by drone

US10062292B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Jeanette L. Blomberg · Portola Valley, US
• Eric K. Butler · San Jose, US
• Anca A. Chandra · Los Gatos, US
• Pawan R. Chowdhary · San Jose, US
• Thomas D. Griffin · Campbell, US
• Divyesh Jadav · San Jose, US
• Shun Jiang · Beijing, CN
• Sunhwan Lee · Menlo Park, US
• Robert J. Moore · San Jose, US
• Hovey R. Strong, Jr. · San Jose, US
• Chung-hao Tan · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 8, 2016
• Grant date: Aug 28, 2018
• Expiry date: Aug 2, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B64U2201/104
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

One embodiment provides a method comprising maintaining a weather model based on predicted weather conditions for an air traffic control zone. A hash table comprising multiple hash entries is maintained. Each hash entry comprises a timestamped predicted weather condition for a cell in the zone. A flight plan request for a drone is received. The request comprises a planned flight path for the drone. For at least one cell on the planned flight path, same latitude or same longitude cells, whichever is most closely orthogonal to a direction of the planned flight path, are heuristically probed. Weather conditions for the at least one cell are estimated based on predicted weather conditions for the same latitude or same longitude cells. An executable flight plan is generated if the planned flight path is feasible based on the estimated weather conditions; otherwise, a report including an explanation of infeasibility is generated instead.