UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE-BASED SYSTEMS AND METHODS ASSOCIATED WITH CELL SITES AND CELL TOWERS
First Claim
1. A method performed at a cell site with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communicatively coupled to a controller to perform a cell site audit, without requiring a tower climb at the cell site, the method comprising:
- causing the UAV to fly substantially vertically up to cell site components using the controller, wherein flight of the UAV is constrained to fly vertically in a three-dimensional rectangle at the cell site;
collecting data associated with the cell site components and the surrounding airspace and environment using the UAV;
transmitting and/or storing the collected data; and
processing the collected data to obtain information for the cell site audit, wherein the processing comprises determining a down tilt angle of one or more antennas of the cell site components, plumb of the tower and/or the one or more antennas, azimuth of the one or more antennas, and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates, for the cell site audit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method performed at a cell site with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communicatively coupled to a controller to perform a cell site audit, without requiring a tower climb at the cell site, includes causing the UAV to fly substantially vertically up to cell site components using the controller, wherein flight of the UAV is constrained in a three-dimensional rectangle at the cell site; collecting data associated with the cell site components and the surrounding airspace and environment using the UAV; transmitting and/or storing the collected data; and processing the collected data to obtain information for the cell site audit.
7 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method performed at a cell site with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communicatively coupled to a controller to perform a cell site audit, without requiring a tower climb at the cell site, the method comprising:
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causing the UAV to fly substantially vertically up to cell site components using the controller, wherein flight of the UAV is constrained to fly vertically in a three-dimensional rectangle at the cell site; collecting data associated with the cell site components and the surrounding airspace and environment using the UAV; transmitting and/or storing the collected data; and processing the collected data to obtain information for the cell site audit, wherein the processing comprises determining a down tilt angle of one or more antennas of the cell site components, plumb of the tower and/or the one or more antennas, azimuth of the one or more antennas, and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates, for the cell site audit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) configured to perform a cell site audit at a cell site, without requiring a tower climb at the cell site, the UAV comprising:
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one or more rotors disposed to a body; a camera associated with the body; wireless interfaces; a processor coupled to the wireless interfaces; and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to; receive instructions, via the wireless interfaces, related to flight at the cell site, wherein flight of the UAV is constrained to fly vertically in a three-dimensional rectangle at the cell site; cause the one or more rotors to operate pursuant to the instructions; operate the camera pursuant to the instructions; and transmit, via the wireless interfaces, or store, in a data store, data from the camera, for performing the cell site audit, wherein the data is processed to obtain information for the cell site audit, wherein the information comprises a down tilt angle of one or more antennas of the cell site components, plumb of the tower and/or the one or more antennas, azimuth of the one or more antennas, and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates, for the cell site audit. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system configured to perform a cell site audit at a cell site, without requiring a tower climb at the cell site, the system comprising:
a mobile device comprising; mobile device wireless interfaces communicatively coupled to wireless interfaces on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV); a display; a processor, wherein the mobile device wireless interfaces, the display, and the processor are communicatively coupled to one another; and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to; cause the UAV to fly substantially vertically up to cell site components through communication to the UAV wireless interfaces, wherein flight of the UAV is constrained to fly vertically in a three-dimensional rectangle at the cell site; receive data associated with the cell site components from the UAV wireless interfaces; display the received data to the display; and process the received data to obtain information for the cell site audit, wherein the information comprises a down tilt angle of one or more antennas of the cell site components, plumb of the tower and/or the one or more antennas, azimuth of the one or more antennas, and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates, for the cell site audit. - View Dependent Claims (20)
Specification