KR20160074897A - The method and apparatus for allowing right of flight of drone - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for authorizing a flight right to a drone. The method for authorizing a flight right to a drone comprises the steps of: a drone management device receiving a scanning signal from a drone control device; the drone management device transmitting a scanning response signal to the drone control device in a response to the scanning signal; the drone management device receiving a flight right requesting signal from the drone control device; the drone management device determining on authorizing the flight right according to the flight right requesting signal to the drone control device; when the flight right according to the flight right requesting signal can be authorized, the drone management device transmitting a flight right authorizing signal to the drone control device; and when the flight right according to the flight right requesting signal cannot be authorized, the drone management device transmitting an adjusted flight right authorizing signal to the drone control device.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for granting a drones flight authorization,

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for granting a flight authorization of a drones, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for authorizing drones to operate on a route.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drone, which can be remotely operated without firing, are expected to be widely used for military use as well as for commercial use in the private market.

In fact, there are more and more instances of introducing drones to enhance the security of film and entertainment shootings and important events. Especially, Amazon's prime air has become a catalyst for popularizing drones. Amazon is aiming to introduce a system that uses drones to load up to 5 pounds of luggage and deliver goods to up to 10 miles (16 km) away.

As the drones get attention in the private market, cheap drones made for personal entertainment and hobbies are also being produced. On the extension of military drones, drones can be used in various fields. For example, drones can be used to monitor and monitor specific areas where access is difficult. Specifically, the drone can move freely and quickly, and can monitor a specific area remotely through a mounted camera or sensor. That is, the drones can be used for public purposes such as victim search, wildfire monitoring, traffic violation control, hunting areas and border area surveillance.

Also, the drones are excellent in mobility because they can fly. That is, even in severe traffic congestion and rough roads, the drones can be used for logistics delivery because they can move quickly through the air. As well as Amazon, DHL and UPS, world-class logistics carriers, are also interested in drones.

KR 10-2009-0123039

One aspect of the invention provides a method for granting a drones flight authorization.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for granting a flight authorization of a drones.

A method for granting a flight authorization of a dron according to an aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: receiving a scanning signal from a drones control device, wherein the drones control device transmits a scanning response in response to the scanning signal Signal, a step in which the drone control device receives a flight authorization request signal from the drones control device, and the drone control device determines whether to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal to the drones control device A step in which the drone control device transmits a flight authorization signal to the drone control device when it is possible to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal, If the drone control device is not able to do so, And transmitting the signal to the drone control device.

Meanwhile, the flight authorization request signal may include information on the requested route and information on the requested route.

The step of determining whether or not to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal includes the steps of: determining the congestion level of the lower route included in the requested route during the requested route usage time, The drone control device may determine the grant of the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal.

In addition, the reconciliation flight authorization signal may include information on a reconciliation route in which the requested route is adjusted and a use time in the reconciliation request route in which the requested route use time is adjusted.

Also, the congestion level may be determined based on the number of maximum drone that can be operated in the lower route and the number of drones expected when the drone approaches the lower route.

The coordinated flight authorization signal may not grant a flight authorization if there are a number of non-flying zones on the requesting route of the drones, or if the flight of the drones is prohibited.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a drones control device for authorizing a drones flight includes a processor, receives a scanning signal from a drones control device, and transmits a scanning response signal in response to the scanning signal to the drones control device And determines whether or not to grant a flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal to the drones control device, and if the grant of the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal is If it is possible to send a flight authorization signal to the drone control device and to send a reconfiguration flight authorization signal to the drone control device if the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal is not possible have.

Meanwhile, the flight authorization request signal may include information on the requested route and information on the requested route.

Also, the processor may be configured to determine the congestion level of the lower route included in the requested route during the requested route usage time, and to determine the grant of the flurry authority according to the flight authorization request signal if the congestion degree is less than the threshold value .

In addition, the reconciliation flight authorization signal may include information on a reconciliation route in which the requested route is adjusted and a use time in the reconciliation request route in which the requested route use time is adjusted.

Also, the congestion level may be determined based on the number of maximum drone that can be operated in the lower route and the number of drones expected when the drone approaches the lower route.

The coordinated flight authorization signal may not grant a flight authorization if there are a number of non-flying zones on the requesting route of the drones, or if the flight of the drones is prohibited.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a flight control authority is given to a drone by a drone control device, thereby preventing a collision between the drone and an efficient route.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a drone operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of acquiring a flight authorization according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of granting a flight authorization by the Drones Control Center according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for granting authorization for individual route according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of assigning a flight authority of a drone control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a drones control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a block diagram illustrating a drone control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain features, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in connection with an embodiment. It is also to be understood that the position or arrangement of the individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled, if properly explained. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the several views.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a drone operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the drone control device 110 requests permission of the drone 100 to operate the drone 100 in order to operate the drone 100 in the drone operation system. When the drone management device 120 requests the drone control device 110 to operate the drone 100 ) To the user.

Referring to FIG. 1, the drone operating system may include a drone 100, a drone control device 110, and a drone control device 120.

The drones 100 may be an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can be operated remotely without a person's ride. The drones 100 can acquire the flight authority for the route to the destination point based on the drones controller 110 and can be operated according to the flight authority.

The drones controller 120 may be implemented for control of individual drones (or drones) by the user. The drone control device 110 can control the operation of the drone 100 based on a command received from a user and received as input. For example, the user may set up a network with the drones control device 120 based on the drones control device 110 and request the drones control device 120 for flight rights to the destination point of the drones 100 have. Specifically, the drone control device 110 may transmit information on the requested route of the drones 100, information on the use time of the drones 100 to the requested route, and the like to the drone control device 120.

The drone 100 and the drone control device 120 may be implemented in a single structure. For example, the drones controller 120 may be implemented in the drones 100 to control the operation of the drones 100.

The drones control device 120 may be implemented to control and manage a plurality of drones operated on the route. The drones control device 120 may be implemented to form a network with a plurality of drones control devices 110 and to control and manage the drones 100. For example, the drone control device 120 receives information on the requested route of the drones 100 from the drones control device 110, information on the use time of the drones 100 with the requested route, It can be determined whether or not it is available during the use time.

If the requested route is available during the requested route usage time, the drone control device 120 may grant to the drone 100 via the drones control device 110 the flight authorization available during the requested route usage time .

Conversely, when the requested route is not available during the requested route usage time, the drone control device 120 transmits the adjusted route, which has adjusted the requested route, to the drones And can be given to the drones 100 through the control device 110. [

On the other hand, if there are a large number of prohibited areas on the request route of the drone, or if the drone's flight is totally prohibited due to an accident, the flight authority may not be granted.

The drone control device 110 that receives the flight authorization information (or the adjusted flight authorization information) from the drone control device 120 operates the drones 100 to the destination point based on the flight authorization (or the adjusted flight authorization information) .

When the drones 100 are out of the control range of the drones controller 110, the drones 100 may be managed and controlled by an intermediate network device (e.g., base station, AP) connected to the drones controller 120 have.

Hereinafter, in the embodiment of the present invention, a detailed flight authorization acquisition procedure is started.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of acquiring a flight authorization according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the dron control device may transmit a scanning signal for scanning the drones located in the vicinity for the flight of the drones (step S200). The scanning signal may include information on the identification information and capability of the drone control device and the drone.

The scanning signal is broadcast by the dron control device, and the drone control device located in the periphery of the dron control device can transmit a scanning response signal for the scanning signal to the drone control device (step S210). The scanning response signal may include identification information of the drone control device and information on the performance of the drone control device. The drone control device may determine a drone control device to be connected based on the received at least one scanning response signal.

The drone control device may transmit a flight authorization request signal to the drone control device to be connected (step S220). The flight authorization request signal may include information for flight on the route of the drones. For example, the flight authorization request signal may include information about the starting point of the drones, information about the destination point of the drones, information about the capabilities of the drones (flight speed, flight altitude, flightable time, etc.) Information on the requested route usage time of the drones, and the like. The request route of the drones may include information about the route the drones are intended to operate. The requested route usage time of the drone may include information on a time period during which the drone wants to use the requested route.

The drone control device receives the flight authorization request signal from the drone control device and can determine whether the drone is available for the requested route during the requested route. The drone control device can judge whether or not to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal to the drone in consideration of the congestion of the route. For example, the drone controller may determine whether to grant a flight authorization to the drones according to the flight authorization request signal, taking into account the threshold value for the maximum number of drones available for the flight. A method for determining whether or not to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal will be described later.

If it is judged whether or not to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal to the drone, it is determined that the flight authorization can be granted according to the flight authorization request signal (the request route requested by the drone control device, The drone control device can transmit the flight authorization signal to the drone (step S230). The flight authorization signal may include information indicating the assignment of the flight authority according to the usage time with the request route to the request route requested by the drones control device.

The drone control device receives the flight authorization signal and transmits the ACK signal to the drone control device as a response signal to the flight authorization signal, and then can operate the drone using the requested route during the use time of the requested route.

As a result of judging whether or not the drone control device should grant the flight authorization according to the request signal to the drones, it may not be possible to grant the flight authorization according to the request signal. In this case, the drone control device may transmit the reconfigured flight authorization signal to the drone (step S230). The reconcile flight authorization signal may include information on the reconciliation route from the departure point to the destination point and / or information on the availability time of the reconcile route.

The drone control device may receive a reconcile flight authorization signal and send a decision signal to the drone control device as to whether to perform the flight according to the reconcile flight privilege with a response signal to the reconcile flight authorization signal. The decision signal as to whether or not to carry out the flight according to the coordinated flight authority may include information on acceptance or rejection of the coordinated flight authority.

On the other hand, if there are a large number of prohibited areas on the request route of the drone, or if the drone's flight is totally prohibited due to an accident, the flight authority may not be granted.

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of granting a flight authorization by the Drones Control Center according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, the drone control center can receive the flight authorization request signal from a plurality of drone control devices and group the plurality of drone control devices. The Drones Control Center can perform flight control on a drones group basis.

Referring to FIG. 3, the drone control center receives the flight authorization request signal received from the plurality of drones control management devices, and calculates the same route as the request route and the overlap route The plurality of drones having the requested use time can be grouped to manage one dron group 300 grouped. Using this method, the Drones Control Center can manage the drones more easily than when managing the Drones individually.

For example, the dron control center may set one of the plurality of drones included in the drones group 300 to the leader drone 320 and set the remaining drones to the follower 340. The drones control center may transmit control commands (e.g., route change commands, hovering commands, etc.) to the leader drone 320. The leader drone 320 may send a control command to another following drone 340. The drone control center can set one of the plurality of drone included in the drone group 300 as the leader drone 320 considering the performance information of the drone in the scanning signal. For example, the drones having the longest flying time or the highest charge amount can be set as the leader drone 320.

The leader drums 320 may be changed in consideration of the amount of charged drones and the like. For example, if the amount of charge of the current leader drill 320 is less than the threshold value, the drone control center transmits the followardron 320 having the relatively highest charge amount of the following drondon or the fly- .

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the drones 300 can be set even if only a part of the paths from the start point to the destination point overlap. That is, the specific drones are included in the drones 300 up to the overlapped path, receive the control signals transmitted in group units by the drones control center, and are classified in the drones 300 from the non- It is possible to receive individual control signals.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for granting authorization for individual route according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates in detail a method for determining whether or not the drone control device grants the flight authorization according to the flight permission request signal.

Drones may allow only a limited number of drones to be operated per route. The limited number per route is expressed in terms of a limited number of drones. The drones control unit firstly determines the number of anticipated drones to be operated on the requested route during the requested route usage time in order to determine whether or not navigation for the requested route is possible during the use time of the drones that requested the flight authorization request signal .

For example, it can be assumed that the requested route includes lower route 1 (410), lower route 2 (420), and lower route 3 (430). The drone control device determines the number of anticipated drones located at the lower line 1 410 at the time of the operation of the lower line 1 410 of the drones and estimates the number of expected drones at the lower line 1 at the time of operation of the lower line 1 410 Only if the number of drones is less than the number of restricted drones per line can the drones be allowed to operate.

In the same manner, the drone control device can determine whether the drones can be operated for the lower route 2 (420) and lower route 3 (430) during the requested route use time. That is, the drone control device determines whether or not it is possible to operate the lower route 1 (410), the lower route 2 (420) and the lower route 3 (430) constituting the requested route during the requested route usage time, The flight authorization signal can be transmitted to the drone control device only when Route 1 410, Lower Route 2 420 and Lower Route 3 430 are all operational.

As described above, when the lower route of some of the lower route 1 410, the lower route 2 420 and the lower route 3 430 is unavailable during the requested route use time, the adjustment route can be determined. For example, it can be assumed that lower route 1 410 is available during the use time of the request route, but lower route 2 420 is not available during the use time of the request route. In this case, it is determined whether the other route (for example, lower route 4 (440)) that replaces lower route 2 (420) after the lower route 1 (410) is available and if the other lower route is available, The route may be determined to be one sub-route that constitutes the coordinated route.

On the other hand, if there are a large number of prohibited areas on the request route of the drone, or if the drone's flight is totally prohibited due to an accident, the flight authority may not be granted.

5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of assigning a flight authority of a drone control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 5, the drone control device 550 discloses a method for determining whether or not to grant a flight authorization according to a flight authorization request signal to a drone in consideration of a hovering permission time included in a flight authorization request signal.

The drone control device 500 may transmit the flight permission request signal to the drones including the hovering allowable time. The hovering allowable time may be a time at which the dron can perform the hovering while performing the waiting at the specific route.

The drone control unit 550 may not allow entry of the drones on the requested route if the specific sub-route included on the requested route is congested, if the hover allowable time of the dron is not considered. According to the embodiment of the present invention, in consideration of the hover permissible time of the drones, the drones controller 550 determines that the period for entering the specified lower subroutine, which is not allowed to enter immediately due to congestion of the drones, , It may allow the use of the drones' requested route. That is, if the duration of the drones 'waiting period to the reduction of the congestion level of a particular sub-line to an acceptable range is within the hovering allowable time, the drones control unit may allow the use of the drones' requested route.

In this case, the drone control device 550 transmits a flight authorization signal, and the flight authorization signal may include information on the hovering time required before entering the specific lower route. For example, the flight authorization signal may include a signal instructing to perform hovering for 5 minutes prior to entry into sub-route 2 included in the request route. In other words, the drones control device 500 may calculate the hovering time by considering the information on the hovering time transmitted from the drone control device 550 before entering the specific lower route, Hovering can be performed during the indicated hovering time.

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a drones control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 discloses a method for granting a flight authorization to a drone through information sharing among the drones.

Referring to FIG. 6, each of the plurality of drones may assign the same route to a plurality of drones that access each of the plurality of drones. In this case, information on the number of drones allocated to the route can be determined through sharing of information among each of the plurality of Drones control devices.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an integrated drones controller 650 for controlling a plurality of drones can be defined. The integrated drone control device 650 can share information among the plurality of drone control devices, control each of the plurality of drone control devices, and give final flight permission. By using this method, it is possible to manage the flight authority assignment to the same route by each of the plurality of drone control devices.

For example, when the first drones control unit 610 assigns the flight authorization for the drones to Route 1, the first drones control unit 610 controls the integrated drones control unit 650 to control the drones Information can be requested. The integrated drones control unit 650 may control the drones assigned to the flight authority in Route 1 by other dron control devices (e.g., second drones control device 620) other than the first dron control device 610 Information to the first drones control device 610. [

The first drones control unit 610 determines whether or not the flight authority to the drones that have accessed the first drones control unit 610 based on the information about the drones assigned flight authority in Route 1 by the other drones control unit You can decide. For example, if the number of drones assigned flight privileges in Route 1 by other drones during the requested route during the usage time plus the number of drones that have previously assigned flight privileges for Route 1, The first drones control device 610 may transmit the reconfigured flight authorization signal in response to the request signal of the first drones control device 610. [ As discussed above, the reconcile flight authorization signal may include information about the reconcile route and / or information about the available time of the reconcile route.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a drone control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the drone control device may include a flight authorization determination unit 700, a flight authorization information generation unit 710, a communication unit 720, and a processor 730.

Each component of the drone control device can perform the operation of the drone control device disclosed in Figs. 1 to 6 described above. For example, each component can perform the following operations.

The flight authority determiner 700 may be implemented to determine the flight authority of the drones. The flight authorization decision unit 700 receives the flight authorization request signal from the drone control device, and based on the request route and the request route utilization time included in the flight authorization request signal, It is possible to decide whether or not to grant the flight authority according to the use time.

If the flight authorization decision unit 700 can not grant the flight authorization according to the flight permission request signal as a result of the determination as to whether or not to grant the flight authorization according to the usage time with the request route as the request route requested by the drone control device , The drone control device may determine information about the adjustment route to be transferred to the drones and / or the available time of the adjusted route.

On the other hand, the flight authorization decision unit 700 may not grant the flight authorization itself when there are a plurality of prohibited areas on the request route of the drones or when the flight of the drone is totally prohibited due to an accident or the like.

The flight authorization information generating unit 710 may generate a flight authorization signal to be transmitted to the drone control device when it is possible to grant the flight authorization according to the usage time with the request route as the request route requested by the drone control device. In addition, the flight authority information generating unit 710 may generate a reconciled flight authorization signal when it can not grant the flight authority according to the requested time to the requesting route to the drones controller.

The communication unit 720 can be implemented for communication with the dron control device, the intermediate network device, and the integrated drone control device.

The processor 730 may be implemented to control operations of the flight authorization determination unit 700, the flight authorization information generation unit 710, and the communication unit 720.

Such a method of acquiring the flight authority of the drones may be implemented in an application or may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer components and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination.

The program instructions recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be ones that are specially designed and configured for the present invention and are known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software.

Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.

Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules for performing the processing according to the present invention, and vice versa.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be possible.

100: Drones
110: Drone control device
120: Drone control device
650: Integrated drone control unit
700: Flight Authorization Unit
710: Flight Permission Information Generation Unit
720:
730: Processor

Claims (12)

In the manner of granting the drones' flight authorization,
Comprising: receiving a scanning signal from a drone control device;
The drone control device sending a scanning response signal in response to the scanning signal to the drones control device;
Receiving the flight authorization request signal from the drone control device;
Determining whether the drone control device is to grant a flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal to the drones control device;
Transmitting the flight authorization signal to the drone control device when the flight control right request signal indicates that the flight control right can be granted; And
And if the granting of the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal is not possible, the drone control device transmits an adjustment flight authorization signal to the drone control device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the flight authorization request signal includes information on a request route and information on a use time of the request route. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether to grant a flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal comprises:
Determining the congestion degree of the lower route included in the requested route during the requested route usage time by the drone control device; And
And if the congestion degree is less than the threshold value, determining that the drone control device grants the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the reconciliation flight authorization signal includes information on a reconciliation route in which the requested route is adjusted and a use time in the reconciliation request route in which the requested route usage time is adjusted. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the congestion degree is determined based on the number of maximum drones that can be operated in the lower route and the number of drones expected when the drones approach the lower route. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reconciliation flight authorization signal does not grant a flight authorization if a plurality of prohibited areas exist on the requesting route of the drones or if the flight of the drones is prohibited. A drones control device for authorizing a drones to fly,
Wherein the drones control device comprises a processor,
Receives the scanning signal from the drone control device,
Transmitting a scanning response signal in response to the scanning signal to the drone control device,
Receives a flight authorization request signal from the drone control device,
Determines whether to grant a flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal to the drones control device,
And transmits a flight authorization signal to the drone control device when the flight authorization is granted according to the flight authorization request signal,
And transmits the reconfigured flight authorization signal to the drone control device when the grant of the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal is not possible. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the flight authorization request signal includes information on a request route and information on a use time of the request route. 9. The method of claim 8,
The processor determines the congestion level of the lower route included in the requested route during the requested route usage time,
And when the congestion degree is less than a threshold value, determining to grant the flight authorization according to the flight authorization request signal. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the reconfigured flight authorization signal includes information on a reconciliation route in which the requested route is adjusted and a use time in the reconciliation request route in which the requested route usage time is adjusted. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the congestion degree is determined based on the number of maximum drone that can be operated in the lower route and the number of drones expected when the drone approaches the lower route. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the reconfigured flight authorization signal does not grant a flight authorization if there are a plurality of prohibited areas on the request route of the drones or if the flight itself is prohibited.

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