Regulatory-Compliant Drones: Navigating Safety and Legal Standards

(Summary) An authorization system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that restricts the operation of UAVs and equipment based on the user's license. The system involves an off-board controller that checks the license, determines authorized equipment/software profiles, and selectively transmits that software to the UAV for installation. This prevents unauthorized equipment operation even if assembled on the UAV.

(Summary) Manage and restrict drone operations and equipment to prevent unauthorized use and avoid bad actors gaining access to restricted capabilities. It involves an off-board computer that checks user licenses and selectively provides equipment control software to the drone based on the license. If a license authorizes certain equipment, it will transmit the proper software to operate it. This ensures the drone cannot operate unauthorized equipment.

(Summary) An automated system helps unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots plan and monitor flights to avoid airspace restrictions. The system uses a checklist of flight restriction conditions generated based on a planned flight area and time period. The system also monitors for changes to the restrictions and notifies the pilot before the flight if any restrictions have changed.

(Summary) Autonomous swarm control system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that allows safe and efficient coordinated flight of multiple UAVs. The system has a ground control station that receives flight commands and generates fleet instructions. Each UAV receives instructions and checks for collisions. If collisions are detected, the UAV modifies the instructions to avoid them. This allows real-time collision avoidance while following commands. The ground control station also monitors UAV availability to ensure they can execute commands. If not, it notifies operators.

(Summary) Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight system that supports UAV operations in controlled airspace. The system receives cleared flight path instructions from air traffic control and determines specific lateral and vertical guidance modes required for the UAV to follow the instructions. The UAV engages these modes, which are independent of each other and follow instrument flight rules. This allows the UAV to fly autonomously in complex airspace by following authorized routes and procedures.

(Summary) Ground-based automated flight management of urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles using localized temporal data to enable efficient and safe UAM operations without heavy on-board systems. The method involves a ground control system connecting to UAM vehicles, exchanging data, and remotely controlling flight using localized temporal data. This allows UAM vehicles to have minimal onboard systems for communication, position sensing, and avionics. The ground control provides safety and planning functionality. The ground control continuously updates instructions based on UAM vehicle inputs, like sensors, to optimize safe routes.

(Summary) Automated flight control for drones to prevent unauthorized entry into restricted airspace. The system assesses drone location relative to flight-restricted regions like airports. If the drone is near a restricted zone, it prompts the drone to land immediately, provides time to leave, or alerts the pilot. The response level escalates as proximity decreases to balance safety and convenience. The system calculates distances using drone and region locations. This allows automated flight control without needing real-time drone positioning systems.

(Summary) Enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fly safely and efficiently using cellular networks. The system allows UAVs to fly beyond line-of-sight by leveraging existing cellular infrastructure. It involves equipping UAVs with cellular modems and antennas, allowing them to connect to cell towers for flight control and data transmission. The UAVs can switch between towers mid-flight for seamless handover. This provides a reliable and scalable alternative to dedicated wireless links. The UAVs can also use cellular networks for payload data transmission.

(Summary) A flight management system that automates and streamlines the process of approving drone flights by using guidelines and AI analysis to determine if a planned flight is acceptable. The system identifies flight characteristics like user, aircraft, airspace, and weather, and evaluates them against guidelines from sources like government, organizations, and manufacturers. It flags any questionable characteristics that are close to violating rules. This allows pilots to review and mitigate potential issues before flight, improving safety and efficiency compared to manual approval processes.

(Summary) Controlling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using the communications systems they use. The method involves having the UAV participate in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications with entities like roadside units. A flight controller follows normal flight commands, but a vehicle processing unit (VPU) monitors for faults in comms or V2I reception. If so, it takes over control and overrides normal flight to descend or land. This ensures safe operation if comms fail.