AIRCRAFT INFORMATION RETRIEVAL USING ONBOARD RFID TAGS
First Claim
1. An aircraft survey system for determining information about an aircraft, comprising:
- an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, a UAV controller, and a UAV transceiver, the RFID reader being configured to read an RFID tag supported on the aircraft at an identified location and having aircraft-related identifying data, the UAV controller configured to receive an RFID tag location map for the aircraft and generate navigation signals based at least in part on the RFID tag location map for navigating proximate to the identified location, and the UAV transceiver configured to communicate with the UAV controller and receive and transmit data wirelessly; and
a base station including a communication system, a base-station controller operatively coupled to the communication system, and a data storage device operatively coupled to the base-station controller, the communication system configured to communicate wirelessly with the UAV, the base-station controller configured to receive and transmit to the UAV the RFID tag location map for the aircraft, receive read-related data from the UAV, the read-related data including aircraft-related identifying data when the RFID tag is at the RFID tag location, and determine from the received read-related data information about the aircraft.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for determining information about an aircraft may include receiving at a base station an RFID tag location map for the aircraft and transmitting to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) the RFID tag location map for the aircraft. The method may include generating navigation signals by the UAV based at least in part on the received RFID tag location map appropriate for controlling navigation of the UAV proximate to an RFID tag supported on the aircraft at an RFID tag location, the RFID tag having aircraft-related identifying data. The method may include receiving, by the base station, read-related data from the UAV. The read-related data may include aircraft-related identifying data when the RFID tag is at the RFID tag location. The method may include determining, at the base station from the received read-related data, information about the aircraft.
21 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An aircraft survey system for determining information about an aircraft, comprising:
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an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, a UAV controller, and a UAV transceiver, the RFID reader being configured to read an RFID tag supported on the aircraft at an identified location and having aircraft-related identifying data, the UAV controller configured to receive an RFID tag location map for the aircraft and generate navigation signals based at least in part on the RFID tag location map for navigating proximate to the identified location, and the UAV transceiver configured to communicate with the UAV controller and receive and transmit data wirelessly; and a base station including a communication system, a base-station controller operatively coupled to the communication system, and a data storage device operatively coupled to the base-station controller, the communication system configured to communicate wirelessly with the UAV, the base-station controller configured to receive and transmit to the UAV the RFID tag location map for the aircraft, receive read-related data from the UAV, the read-related data including aircraft-related identifying data when the RFID tag is at the RFID tag location, and determine from the received read-related data information about the aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for determining information about an aircraft, comprising:
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receiving at a base station an RFID tag location map for the aircraft; transmitting to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) the RFID tag location map for the aircraft; generating navigation signals by the UAV based at least in part on the received RFID tag location map appropriate for controlling navigation of the UAV proximate to an RFID tag supported on the aircraft at an RFID tag location, the RFID tag having aircraft-related identifying data; receiving by the base station read-related data from the UAV, the read-related data including aircraft-related identifying data when the RFID tag is at the RFID tag location; and determining at the base station from the received read-related data information about the aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A computer program product, comprising:
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a first computer readable storage medium having a first set of computer readable program instructions embodied therewith and a second computer readable storage medium having a second set of computer readable program instructions embodied therewith, the first set of computer readable program instructions, when executed by a first processor of a base station, configuring the base station to; receive an RFID tag location map for the aircraft; transmit the RFID tag location map for the aircraft to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); receive read-related data from the UAV, the read-related data including aircraft-related identifying data when an RFID tag is at an RFID tag location; and determine from the received read-related data information about the aircraft; and the second set of computer readable program instructions, when executed by a second processor of the UAV, configuring the UAV to; receive the RFID tag location map from the base station; and generate navigation signals based at least in part on the received RFID tag location map appropriate for controlling navigation of the UAV proximate to an RFID tag supported on the aircraft at an RFID tag location, the RFID tag having the aircraft-related identifying data;
. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification