Unmanned aerial vehicles
First Claim
1. An unmanned aerial vehicle system, comprising:
- a first communication unmanned aerial vehicle (CUAV) of a plurality of communication unmanned aerial vehicles (CUAVs), wherein each of the CUAVs is navigated in self-powered flight to fly in an area for maintaining communications with one or more unmanned aerial vehicles flying within a coverage volume of each of one or more of a plurality of communication coverage volumes, wherein the first CUAV includes (1) and (2) following;
(1) a first omnidirectional antenna for providing wireless communication coverage in a first of the communication coverage volumes and receiving first wireless transmissions, at least one of the first wireless transmissions having first data, and at least another of the first wireless transmissions having another data, each of the first and the another data is transmitted from an omnidirectional antenna of a first of the unmanned aerial vehicles (first UAV) operating in the first communication coverage volume in self-powered flight, and(2) a first directional antenna for directionally transmitting first wireless signals to a first communication site, the first wireless signals including data (D1) indicative of the first data and data (D2) indicative of the another data;
wherein the first communication site comprises one of (a) a terrestrial base station, (b) a communication satellite, and (c) another of the CUAVs, the first communication site for sending the data D1 to at least one network node of a communications network and the data D2 to at least one network node of the communications network;
wherein the first data is not used to maintain the self-powered flight of the first UAV, and wherein the another data is used to maintain the self-powered flight of the first UAV; and
a second of the unmanned aerial vehicles (second CUAV) including (A) a second omnidirectional antenna for providing wireless communication coverage in a second communication coverage volume of the plurality of the communication coverage volumes and receiving a second wireless transmission, having second data, from an omnidirectional antenna of a second UAV, different from the first UAV, operating in the second communication coverage volume, and (B) a second directional antenna for directionally transmitting second wireless signals to a second communication site;
wherein the second communication site comprises the first CUAV, the second communication site for sending data indicative of the second data to a network node of the communications network;
wherein a distance for effective reception of a transmission (T) of the first directional antenna is greater than;
(i) a distance for effective reception, by the first communication site, of the at least another of the first wireless transmissions from the omnidirectional antenna of the first UAV within the first communication coverage volume, and (ii) a distance for effective reception by the first omnidirectional antenna of the first data, and another data of the first wireless transmissions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Various systems, methods, for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are disclosed. In one aspect, UAVs operation in an area may be managed and organized by UAV corridors, which can be defined ways for the operation and movement of UAVs. UAV corridors may be supported by infrastructures and/or systems supported UAVs operations. Support infrastructures may include support systems such as resupply stations and landing pads. Support systems may include communication UAVs and/or stations for providing communications and/or other services, such as aerial traffic services, to UAV with limited communication capabilities. Further support systems may include flight management services for guiding UAVs with limited navigation capabilities as well as tracking and/or supporting unknown or malfunctioning UAVs.
87 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An unmanned aerial vehicle system, comprising:
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a first communication unmanned aerial vehicle (CUAV) of a plurality of communication unmanned aerial vehicles (CUAVs), wherein each of the CUAVs is navigated in self-powered flight to fly in an area for maintaining communications with one or more unmanned aerial vehicles flying within a coverage volume of each of one or more of a plurality of communication coverage volumes, wherein the first CUAV includes (1) and (2) following; (1) a first omnidirectional antenna for providing wireless communication coverage in a first of the communication coverage volumes and receiving first wireless transmissions, at least one of the first wireless transmissions having first data, and at least another of the first wireless transmissions having another data, each of the first and the another data is transmitted from an omnidirectional antenna of a first of the unmanned aerial vehicles (first UAV) operating in the first communication coverage volume in self-powered flight, and (2) a first directional antenna for directionally transmitting first wireless signals to a first communication site, the first wireless signals including data (D1) indicative of the first data and data (D2) indicative of the another data; wherein the first communication site comprises one of (a) a terrestrial base station, (b) a communication satellite, and (c) another of the CUAVs, the first communication site for sending the data D1 to at least one network node of a communications network and the data D2 to at least one network node of the communications network; wherein the first data is not used to maintain the self-powered flight of the first UAV, and wherein the another data is used to maintain the self-powered flight of the first UAV; and a second of the unmanned aerial vehicles (second CUAV) including (A) a second omnidirectional antenna for providing wireless communication coverage in a second communication coverage volume of the plurality of the communication coverage volumes and receiving a second wireless transmission, having second data, from an omnidirectional antenna of a second UAV, different from the first UAV, operating in the second communication coverage volume, and (B) a second directional antenna for directionally transmitting second wireless signals to a second communication site; wherein the second communication site comprises the first CUAV, the second communication site for sending data indicative of the second data to a network node of the communications network; wherein a distance for effective reception of a transmission (T) of the first directional antenna is greater than;
(i) a distance for effective reception, by the first communication site, of the at least another of the first wireless transmissions from the omnidirectional antenna of the first UAV within the first communication coverage volume, and (ii) a distance for effective reception by the first omnidirectional antenna of the first data, and another data of the first wireless transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising:
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a universal access transceiver (UAT) station for a UAV operational area, wherein the UAT station includes an UAT server system; and a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating within the operational area in self-powered flight, wherein each of the plurality of the UAVs comprises; first communication equipment for communicating flight data with the UAT server system; and second communication equipment for communicating through a communication station, wherein the UAT server system comprises; third communication equipment for communicating the flight data with the plurality of UAVs; and fourth communication equipment for communicating automatic dependent surveillance —
broadcast (ADS-B) transmissions with one or more of air traffic controls (ATCs) and aerial vehicles,wherein the UAT server system transmits at least a portion of the flight data through the ADS-B transmissions to the ATCs or the aerial vehicles, wherein the UAT server system transmits modified flight data to one or more of the plurality of UAVs based on the ADS-B transmissions received from the ATCs or the aerial vehicles, wherein the operational area includes an area of managed operation for the plurality of UAVs through communications between the communication station and the plurality of UAVs. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 31)
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22. A method for operating an unmanned aerial vehicle system, comprising:
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navigating a plurality of communication unmanned aerial vehicles (CUAVs) in self-powered flight to fly in an area for maintaining communications with one or more unmanned aerial vehicles flying within a coverage volume of each of one or more of a plurality of communication coverage volumes; receiving, for a first CUAV of the CUAVs, first wireless transmissions from an omnidirectional antenna of a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating in self-powered flight in a first of the communication coverage volumes to a first omnidirectional antenna of the first CUAV; wherein the first omnidirectional antenna provides wireless communication coverage for the first communication coverage volume, and wherein at least one of the first wireless transmissions includes first data and at least another of the first wireless transmissions includes another data; directionally transmitting, from the first CUAV, first wireless signals from a first directional antenna of the first CUAV to a first communication site comprising one of a terrestrial base station, a communication satellite, and another CUAV of the plurality of the CUAVs, for sending data (D1)to at least one network node of a communication network and data (D2) to at least one network node of the communication network; wherein the first wireless signals include the data D1 indicative of the first data and the data D2 indicative of the another data; wherein the first data is not used to maintain the self-powered flight of the first UAV, and wherein the another data is used to maintain the self-powered flight of the first UAV; receiving, for a second of the unmanned aerial vehicles (second CUAV), second wireless transmissions, from an omnidirectional antenna of a second UAV operating in a second communication coverage volume of the plurality of the communication coverage volumes, to a second omnidirectional antenna of the second CUAV; wherein the second UAV is different from the first UAV, wherein the second omnidirectional antenna provides wireless communication coverage for the second communication coverage volume, and wherein the second wireless transmissions include data indicative of second data for a network node from the second UAV; and transmitting, from the second CUAV, second wireless signals from a second directional antenna of the second CUAV to a second communication site comprising a second CUAV, for sending the second data to the network node; wherein a distance for effective reception of a transmission (T) of the first directional antenna is greater than;
(i) a distance for effective reception, by the first communication site, of the at least another of the first wireless transmissions from the omnidirectional antenna of the first UAV within the first communication coverage volume, and (ii) a distance for effective reception by the first omnidirectional antenna of the first data, and another data of the first wireless transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification