UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
– Jeep is looking at ways to integrate drones with its vehicles, as recent patent filings indicate. One possible use Jeep is looking to patent is off-road spotting. Instead of a person getting out of the vehicle to survey the terrain ahead and direct the driver over the appropriate line through obstacles, Jeep proposes deploying a drone from an in-vehicle docking station. Continue reading
Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for resilient UAV landing platforms that may be used in future Ford pickups, Ford Authority has learned. Continue reading
H2 Clipper, Inc. (“H2C”), an aerospace and alternative energy company developing uniquely capable hydrogen-powered dirigibles, announced that it was granted a new U.S. patent for its warehouse-in-the-sky that includes the integration of aerial drones for picking up, transporting, and delivering packaged goods and other payloads. Continue reading
Apple originally filed for a drone patent in Singapore in May 2020 under number 10202004252X. Apple then filed for this patent in the US in November 2021. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has now officially granted Apple a second patent for this invention that relates to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and more particularly to a system and method for tracking and/or controlling of UAVs in a cellular network system. Continue reading
Quanta Services has been granted a patent for a remotely controlled unmanned aerial device that can safely operate near high voltage powerlines. The device includes an electrically conductive shield that encapsulates the unmanned aerial vehicle, allowing it to transfer the powerline potential without affecting its components. The system aims to protect the vehicle from electrical charge while in contact with the powerlines. Continue reading
AeroVironment has been granted a patent for a system that improves the performance of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicles. The system includes two GPS antennas and a flight controller that utilizes the GPS signal from the antenna that is not being used for navigation when the vehicle is at a certain pitch level. The system also detects errors in the GPS antennas and adjusts the pitch level to minimize the use of the antenna with the error. Continue reading
AeroVironment has filed a patent for a UAV payload module retraction mechanism. The mechanism includes a payload that can be stowed and deployed, with a biasing member to deploy the payload and a winch and flexible drawing member to retract it back into the UAV. Continue reading
Textron Systems Corp. has emerged victorious in a legal battle against DJI, a leading manufacturer of drones. Textron claimed that DJI had infringed upon its drone-related patents and demanded access to DJI’s source code. After a lengthy court battle, the judge ruled in favor of Textron, ordering DJI to hand over its source code. Continue reading