Ensuring Safe Interactions Between Drones and Humans
11 patents in this list
Updated:
It is critical to put the security of human-drone interactions first as the use of drones grows in a range of sectors and recreational activities. The creation of new services and applications, as well as the broad acceptance of drones, depend on safe interactions.
A variety of barriers must be tackled using systems that enable safe human-drone interactions, such as preventing collisions, identifying and avoiding obstructions, and guaranteeing safe and encrypted communication between humans and drones.
1. Protective Enclosure System for Safe UAV Launch and Landing from Mobile Locations
FLIR Unmanned Aerial Systems AS, 2023
Launching and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from a mobile location like a vehicle without exposing personnel to danger. The system has a protective enclosure mounted on the vehicle that stores and protects the UAVs. The UAV launch/land pad inside the enclosure raises and lowers the UAVs between storage and launch positions. The pad has articulating arms to fold for compact storage and unfolds for launch. The UAVs are remotely launched and operated from inside the vehicle without needing personnel outside.
2. Flight Direction Indication System for Drones to Enhance Human Safety
GOODRICH LIGHTING SYSTEMS GMBH, 2023
A system for increasing the flight safety of drones and other multicopters. The system uses a matrix of controllable lights on the drone body to indicate the drone's flight direction to observers. By illuminating patterns on the drone that show its current direction, like a moving arrow or color-coded frames, people nearby can be more aware of its flight path and avoid collisions. The lights are controlled based on the drone's internal flight direction sensors.
3. Safe Passing Maneuver Control System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
NTT DOCOMO, INC., 2023
Flight control system for unmanned aerial vehicles that enables safe passing of nearby aircraft. The system detects nearby aircraft and determines if passing is possible based on their trajectories and airspace conditions. If passing is possible, it controls the drone to perform a passing maneuver at a safe distance from the other aircraft.
4. Priority-Based Collision Avoidance System for Unmanned Aerial Platforms
CICONIA LTD., 2023
System for mid-air collision avoidance and traffic control between unmanned aerial platforms with different priority levels. The system involves CAS (collision avoidance system) units on each platform that intermittently transmit their locations. Higher-priority platforms can receive these transmissions and calculate collision risks. If the risk is high, the higher priority platform CAS unit generates and transmits steering commands to the lower priority platform to avoid a collision.
5. Drone Malfunction Alert System for Enhanced Ground Safety
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), 2023
Alerting people on the ground when a drone malfunctions and is likely to crash. The drone notifies a network node of the issue and estimated crash point. The network node then sends warning signals to devices in the area to clear out.
6. Automated Drone-Based Search and Rescue System for Disaster Response
TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH, 2023
Automated search and rescue system that uses drones to quickly locate survivors in disaster situations and relay vital information to rescuers. The drones are equipped with sensors to detect survivors buried in debris and a data link to transmit that information to a command center. This allows rapid deployment of drones to scan large areas and identify survivors without putting human rescuers at risk.
7. UAV Equipped with Deployable Warning Alarm for Enhanced Ground Safety
Rakuten Group, Inc., 2023
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can release a warning alarm device when it detects an abnormality that may cause a crash. The UAV monitors its flight and when it senses an impending failure, it detaches and deploys an alarm device to warn people on the ground. The alarm device can have a parachute to slow its descent and stay airborne while sounding an alarm or displaying a warning message. This provides a way to alert people below about an imminent UAV crash so they can evacuate the area.
8. Flight Path Optimization System for Minimizing Ground Risk in Drone Operations
VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC., 2023
Quantitative approach and departure risk assessment for aircraft flights to evaluate the danger posed to people on the ground in the event of a crash. The system calculates potential crash areas, crash footprints, and risk values based on population data along the flight path. This allows optimizing flight paths to minimize risk to people on the ground.
9. Flight Path Coordination System for Safe Commercial Drone Operations in Public Airspace
John Svolos, 2023
Provisioning and coordinating flight paths for commercial drones that integrate with public airspace to enable safe and regulated drone flights. It involves generating flight paths and cross-sections based on drone capabilities, payloads, and locations. Drones are sent these pre-defined paths that they must fly within. This allows planning and enforcement of safe routes with deviations permitted. The system tracks flights and adherence to guidelines. It enables commercial drone operations through public airspace in a regulated manner while avoiding collisions and other risks.
10. Dynamic Early-Warning System for Human Safety in UAV Crop-Spraying Operations
SQ Technology (Shanghai) Corporation, Inventec Corporation, 2023
An automatic crop-spraying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system that can improve safety by dynamically adjusting the early-warning range for staff and automatically pausing when someone enters that zone. The system analyzes video during spraying and if staff are detected in a calculated early-warning area around the spraying range, it pauses spraying until they leave.
11. Drone Delivery Notification System Based on Transfer Area Visibility Conditions
Rakuten Group, Inc., 2023
An unmanned aerial vehicle delivery system that notifies a recipient that their delivery has arrived at a transfer location. The system determines visibility at the transfer area using sensors on the delivery drone. If visibility is poor, it sends a notification to the recipient to not come to the transfer area. If visibility is good, it notifies the recipient to come pick up the delivery. This prevents recipients from traveling to the transfer area when conditions are unsafe.
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The road to guaranteeing safe drone-human interactions is being paved with protective launch and landing systems, warning alarms for drone malfunctions, and airspace management with priority-based collision avoidance and flight path optimization for reducing ground risk.