US 12,292,515 B2
Generating and distributing GNSS risk analysis data for facilitating safe routing of autonomous drones
Matthew Pottle, Paignton (GB); Esther Anyaegbu, Northampton (GB); Colin Richard Ford, Carmarthen (GB); Paul Hansen, Cambridge (GB); Ronald Toh Ming Wong, Paignton (GB); Jeremy Charles Bennington, Greenwood, IN (US); and Samuel Nardoni, Paignton (GB)
Assigned to Spirent Communications PLC, Crawley (GB)
Filed by Spirent Communications PLC, Crawley (GB)
Filed on Sep. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/948,218.
Application 17/948,218 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/706,421, filed on Mar. 28, 2022, granted, now 11,802,972.
Application 17/706,421 is a continuation of application No. 17/374,885, filed on Jul. 13, 2021, granted, now 11,287,531, issued on Mar. 29, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/407,579, filed on Sep. 16, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/161,386, filed on Mar. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/051,849, filed on Jul. 14, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0016836 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 19/08 (2010.01); H04L 67/12 (2022.01); G08G 1/0968 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 19/08 (2013.01) [H04L 67/12 (2013.01); G08G 1/0968 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of generating and distributing GNSS data for facilitating safe routing of autonomous drones, the method including:
obtaining three to fifty days of historical GNSS satellite path data, at least two of which are non-consecutive days, for a region of calculation;
generating, using the historical GNSS satellite path data, a worst-case risk analysis for the region of calculation that reveals cuboids in the region of interest through which a drone can fly through with configurably adequate GNSS coverage for autonomous flight irrespective of the time of flight, including:
sampling, over a range of hours of historical GNSS satellite path data, using a three-dimension model of the region of calculation, including ray casting from the cuboids to the historical paths of the GNSS satellites using the three-dimensional model to determine precision of GNSS coverage for cuboids; and
for each cuboid in the region of calculation, determining the lowest precision of GNSS coverage during the consecutive span of hours;
receiving and responding to a request for the worst-case risk analysis for a region of interest within the region of calculation by distributing the worst-case risk analysis for the region of interest.