Airborne drone traffic broadcasting and alerting system

• US 10,424,207 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2018
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drone Traffic, LLC
• Original Assignee: Drone Traffic, LLC
• Inventors: Zelenka, Richard Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Application Number:
  US16/138,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20190019417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 367 Days
• Field of Search: 340961
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/00 Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

A system and method to alert pilots of the presence of drone aircraft and to document or report errant drone flight operations, in particular to alert and report drone aircraft which may present a hazard to a piloted aircraft and/or are operating outside governing regulations. In one embodiment, the system comprises a surveillance subsystem configured to identify a drone operating in an airspace adjacent the aircraft; an imaging subsystem configured to acquire at least one image of the drone; a triggering subsystem interconnected with the surveillance subsystem and configured to activate the imaging subsystem; a navigational subsystem configured to provide aircraft state data associated with the at least one image; and a communication subsystem configured to transmit the at least one image and the associated aircraft state data to a receiving station; wherein the at least one image and the associated aircraft state data are transmitted to the receiving station.

Claims

1. An airborne system to identify and report drone flight operations, the system disposed on an aircraft and comprising:

a surveillance subsystem identifying a drone operating in an airspace adjacent the aircraft;

an imaging subsystem acquiring at least one image of the drone;

a navigational subsystem providing aircraft state data associated with the at least one image of the drone; and

a communication subsystem transmitting the at least one image of the drone and the associated aircraft state data to a receiving station;

wherein the at least one image of the drone and the associated aircraft state data are received by the receiving station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving station is a ground-based receiving station.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a triggering subsystem interconnected with the surveillance subsystem and activating the imaging subsystem.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the surveillance subsystem surveils a region adjacent a flight path of the aircraft.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the surveillance subsystem and the imaging subsystem comprise a radar.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging subsystem comprises a camera and a camera orientation sensor to measure a camera orientation of the camera.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a camera orientation associated with the at least one image of the drone is measured and transmitted by the communication subsystem to the receiving station.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a database configured to store drone flight plans, wherein the camera orientation is determined by the drone flight plans.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the camera is oriented to track an intended flight path of at least one drone.

10. An airborne system to identify an airborne drone in a particular airspace, the airborne system coupled with a first aircraft, the system comprising:

an imaging component imaging the airborne drone operating in the particular airspace, the imaging component producing images;

a navigational component providing state data of the first aircraft, the state data of the first aircraft associated with the images; and

a communication component transmitting the state data of the first aircraft and the images to at least one of a ground-based receiving station and a second aircraft.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a surveillance component identifying the airborne drone operating in the particular airspace.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the state data of the first aircraft and the images are transmitted to the ground-based receiving station.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a surveillance component identifying the airborne drone operating in the particular airspace.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the state data of the first aircraft and the images determine a location of the airborne drone; and

the location of the airborne drone is transmitted to the second aircraft.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the communication component transmits the state data of the first aircraft and the images to the ground-based receiving station; and

the ground-based receiving station transmits a drone activity report to the second aircraft, the drone activity report associated with the state data of the first aircraft and the images.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the imaging component is a radar; and

the radar provides range and angle to the airborne drone relative to the first aircraft.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein:

a location of the airborne drone is displayed on a display disposed in a cockpit of the first aircraft.

18. An airborne system receiving a drone activity report, the airborne system comprising:

a communication component receiving the drone activity report;

a display providing a location of at least one drone associated with the drone activity report;

wherein;

the drone activity report is associated with a first aircraft, the first aircraft imaging the at least one drone to produce images and broadcasting the images to a ground-based receiving station;

the airborne system is disposed on a second aircraft;

the ground-based receiving station creates the drone activity report, the drone activity report associated with the images'"'"'of the at least one drone; and

the drone activity report is broadcast to the second aircraft by the ground-based receiving station.

19. The airborne system of claim 18, further comprising a cockpit display, wherein:

the display provides a location of the at least one drone based at least in part on the images.

20. The airborne system of claim 19, wherein:

the images are produced by a radar; and

the drone activity report comprises data associated with at least one filed drone flight plan.