Patents by Inventor Alan Eugene Bruce

Alan Eugene Bruce has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220392357
    Abstract: Methods and systems to develop routes for an aircraft to travel through an airspace. The system includes interface circuitry to receive one or more objectives and one or more constraints for the routes. Processing circuitry is configured to optimize the routes based on one or more of the input parameters. The processing circuitry is configured to: generate a set of routes that each comprise a different flight path through the airspace; rank the routes in the set based on how each of the routes dominates the other routes based on the one or more objectives and constraints; maintain dominant routes in the set and eliminate dominated routes from the set based on the rankings; generate additional dominant routes based on the one or more objectives and constraints; and supplement the set with the additional dominant routes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Inventors: Alan Eugene Bruce, Ronen Elkoby, Trevor Craig Blanarik
  • Patent number: 10145699
    Abstract: A forest fire real-time escape route planning system may include a processor that receives real-time Geographical Information System data. The system may include a firefighter endurance and route-planning model for determining, based on data received by the processor, one or more firefighter evacuation routes to one or more safe areas. The model may determine a rating for each evacuation route based on a degree of risk. The model may predict a rate of fire progression based on fire fuel proximate the fire. They system may include a transmitting device for communicating the one or more firefighter evacuation routes along with the rating for each evacuation route to a mobile device. The mobile device may be configured to display the one or more firefighter evacuation routes overlaid on a map depicting a current location of a firefighter relative to the fire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Charles Briggs Spinelli, Alan Eugene Bruce, Daniel Dale Fuller, Michael Vincent Sahag
  • Publication number: 20170059343
    Abstract: A forest fire real-time escape route planning system may include a processor that receives real-time Geographical Information System data. The system may include a firefighter endurance and route-planning model for determining, based on data received by the processor, one or more firefighter evacuation routes to one or more safe areas. The model may determine a rating for each evacuation route based on a degree of risk. The model may predict a rate of fire progression based on fire fuel proximate the fire. They system may include a transmitting device for communicating the one or more firefighter evacuation routes along with the rating for each evacuation route to a mobile device. The mobile device may be configured to display the one or more firefighter evacuation routes overlaid on a map depicting a current location of a firefighter relative to the fire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Applicant: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Charles Briggs Spinelli, Alan Eugene Bruce, Daniel Dale Fuller, Michael Vincent Sahag
  • Patent number: 9520066
    Abstract: A routing tool is disclosed. The routing tool is configured to determine a landing site for an aircraft by receiving flight data. The routing tool identifies at least one landing site proximate to a flight path and generates a spanning tree between the landing site and the flight path. According to some embodiments, the landing sites are determined in real-time during flight. Additionally, the landing sites may be determined at the aircraft or at a remote system or device in communication with the aircraft. In some embodiments, the routing tool generates one or more spanning trees before flight. The spanning trees may be based upon a flight plan, and may be stored in a data storage device. Methods and computer readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Charles B. Spinelli, Bradley William Offer, Alan Eugene Bruce, Robert Lusardi, Steven Furman Cuspard
  • Patent number: 9257048
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing a landing site for an aircraft is presented. The landing site is selected from a group of landing sites. A description is communicated to a platform about a state of the aircraft along a route of the aircraft over time to the landing site. The aircraft is flown to the landing site using the description of the state of the aircraft along the route of the aircraft over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Brad W. Offer, Paul Clark Parks, Alan Eugene Bruce, Charles B. Spinelli, Travis S. Reid
  • Patent number: 8594932
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing a flight of an aircraft. Conditions in an environment around the aircraft are monitored during the flight of the aircraft on a route having a number of target points. In response to detecting a condition requiring a change to the route of the aircraft, current resources for the aircraft are identified. A determination is made as to whether changing the route reduces the number of target points that can be reached based on the current resources for the aircraft. In response to a determination that changing the route reduces the number of target points that can be reached, the route is changed to include a portion of the number of target points using the condition and a policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: John L. McIver, Alan Eugene Bruce, Daniel J. Gadler, Charles B. Spinelli
  • Publication number: 20120065881
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing a flight of an aircraft. Conditions in an environment around the aircraft are monitored during the flight of the aircraft on a route having a number of target points. In response to detecting a condition requiring a change to the route of the aircraft, current resources for the aircraft are identified. A determination is made as to whether changing the route reduces the number of target points that can be reached based on the current resources for the aircraft. In response to a determination that changing the route reduces the number of target points that can be reached, the route is changed to include a portion of the number of target points using the condition and a policy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: John L. McIver, Alan Eugene Bruce, Daniel J. Gadler, Charles B. Spinelli
  • Patent number: 8108138
    Abstract: A method is present for generating a route for a vehicle. A start point and an end point are identified for the vehicle. A spatial model of terrain encompassing the start point and the end point is identified to form an identified spatial model. The route for the vehicle is generated from the start point to the end point using the spatial model based on a cost to traverse a grid point within a grid to meet a number of criteria for energy management for the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Alan Eugene Bruce, Daniel J. Gadler, Kyle Masao Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20110264312
    Abstract: A routing tool is disclosed. The routing tool is configured to determine a landing site for an aircraft by receiving flight data. The routing tool identifies at least one landing site proximate to a flight path and generates a spanning tree between the landing site and the flight path. According to some embodiments, the landing sites are determined in real-time during flight. Additionally, the landing sites may be determined at the aircraft or at a remote system or device in communication with the aircraft. In some embodiments, the routing tool generates one or more spanning trees before flight. The spanning trees may be based upon a flight plan, and may be stored in a data storage device. Methods and computer readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Inventors: Charles B. Spinelli, Bradley William Offer, Alan Eugene Bruce, Robert Lusardi, Steven Furman Cuspard
  • Publication number: 20100088011
    Abstract: A method is present for generating a route for a vehicle. A start point and an end point are identified for the vehicle. A spatial model of terrain encompassing the start point and the end point is identified to form an identified spatial model. The route for the vehicle is generated from the start point to the end point using the spatial model based on a cost to traverse a grid point within a grid to meet a number of criteria for energy management for the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Inventors: Alan Eugene Bruce, Daniel J. Gadler, Kyle Masao Nakamoto