US 12,230,146 B2
Efficient VTOL resource management in an aviation transport network
Nikhil Goel, San Francisco, CA (US); Jon Petersen, Walnut Creek, CA (US); John Badalamenti, San Francisco, CA (US); and Mark Moore, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to JOBY AERO, INC., Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Filed by Joby Aero, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/514,823.
Application 17/514,823 is a continuation of application No. 17/461,212, filed on Aug. 30, 2021.
Application 17/461,212 is a continuation of application No. 15/961,806, filed on Apr. 24, 2018, granted, now 11,145,211, issued on Oct. 12, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/489,992, filed on Apr. 25, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0122467 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G08G 5/00 (2006.01); B64C 29/02 (2006.01); G06Q 30/0202 (2023.01); G06Q 50/40 (2024.01); G06Q 50/47 (2024.01)
CPC G08G 5/003 (2013.01) [B64C 29/02 (2013.01); G06Q 50/40 (2024.01); G06Q 50/47 (2024.01); G08G 5/0034 (2013.01); G08G 5/0039 (2013.01); G08G 5/0043 (2013.01); G06Q 30/0202 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for intra-city VTOL aircraft routing within a geographic area comprising:
accessing data indicative of user ground-based travel within one or more geographic regions;
accessing data indicative of one or more parameters associated with a transport network configured to provide services using vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, the VTOL aircraft comprising a propulsion mechanism for horizontal and vertical thrust;
performing a simulation of the transport network based on the data indicative of user ground-based travel and the one or more parameters associated with the transport network, wherein performing the simulation comprises:
initializing an aerial transportation model based on the data indicative of user ground-based travel and the one or more parameters associated with the transport network, wherein the aerial transportation model comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of arcs between the plurality of nodes, at least a portion of the plurality of nodes representing candidate hubs of the transport network for vertical take-off and landing, and at least a portion of the plurality of arcs representing candidate routes for the VTOL aircraft,
computing a flow of riders and the VTOL aircraft through at least the portion of the plurality of nodes representing the candidate hubs and at least the portion of the plurality of arcs representing the candidate routes; and
providing an output based on the simulation, wherein the output indicates:
hub locations for a plurality of hubs where the VTOL aircraft can take off and land via one or more landing or launching pads physically positioned on infrastructure within the geographic area to allow the VTOL aircraft to vertically take off and land for air travel within the geographic area; and
one or more routes between at least a portion of the hub locations.