US 11,726,484 B1
Airport ground support equipment navigation system
Sterling Gerdes, Peachtree City, GA (US); William Seo, Atlanta, GA (US); and Vandan Patel, Lilburn, GA (US)
Assigned to Delta Air Lines, Inc., Atlanta, GA (US)
Filed by Delta Air Lines, Inc., Atlanta, GA (US)
Filed on Jun. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/337,119.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/033,955, filed on Jun. 3, 2020.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); B64F 1/36 (2017.01); G08G 5/06 (2006.01); G08G 7/00 (2006.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01)
CPC G05D 1/0214 (2013.01) [B64F 1/36 (2013.01); G05D 1/0231 (2013.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); G08G 5/065 (2013.01); G08G 7/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
capturing, at a ground support equipment comprising a ground support equipment navigation system, sensor data comprising an image captured by a camera located at the ground support equipment;
detecting, by the ground support equipment navigation system and using object recognition applied to the image, an aircraft in the image;
obtaining, by the ground support equipment navigation system and from data sources, contextual data associated with the aircraft and with the ground support equipment;
determining, by the ground support equipment navigation system and based on the contextual data, a ground support equipment path via which the ground support equipment will travel to complete a task;
determining, by the ground support equipment navigation system and based on the contextual data, an aircraft path associated with the aircraft, wherein the contextual data indicates if the aircraft is moving along the aircraft path or is about to move along the aircraft path;
determining, by the ground support equipment navigation system and based on the ground support equipment path and the aircraft path, if a delay is expected along the ground support equipment path due to the aircraft; and
if the delay is expected along the ground support equipment path, determining, by the ground support equipment navigation system, an action to take to avoid the delay, wherein the ground support equipment comprises a ground support equipment autonomous driving system that is configured to autonomously implement the action to avoid the delay.