Drone Patents
US. Pat. No. 9,274,529
SAFE EMERGENCY LANDING OF UAV
The following drone patents were granted in March 2016:
| Patent Number | Title |
| 9,300,872 | Hybrid stabilizer with optimized resonant and control loop frequencies |
| 9,299,731 | Systems and methods for selectable photodiode circuits |
| 9,298,992 | Geographic feature-based localization with feature weighting |
| 9,298,186 | Methods for operation of autonomous vehicles in special control zones |
| 9,298,184 | Process and device to enable or disable an automatic driving function |
| 9,297,920 | Enhanced method and device for aquatic seismic prospecting |
| 9,297,626 | Aquatic vessel fiber optic network |
| 9,296,411 | Method and system for controlling a vehicle to a moving point |
| 9,296,270 | Combined submersible vessel and unmanned aerial vehicle |
| 9,296,108 | Pre-screening for robotic work |
| 9,293,044 | Cooperative vehicle collision warning system |
| 9,292,705 | Management of drone operations and security in a pervasive computing environment |
| 9,290,269 | Spooler for unmanned aerial vehicle system |
| 9,290,181 | Detecting and responding to tailgaters |
| 9,288,938 | Robotic platform and method for performing multiple functions in agricultural systems |
| 9,288,513 | System and method of high-resolution digital data image transmission |
| 9,286,520 | Real-time road flare detection using templates and appropriate color spaces |
| 9,285,463 | Method and apparatus for battle damage assessment of electric or electronic devices and systems |
| 9,285,222 | Autonomous vehicle power line position and load parameter estimation |
| 9,285,068 | Retention system and method for a wing |
| 9,284,062 | Multi-zone battery exchange system |
| 9,284,052 | Aerial vehicle with frame assemblies |
| 9,284,049 | Unmanned aerial vehicle and operations thereof |
| 9,284,043 | Evaluating aileron deflection while an unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight |
| 9,284,040 | Self-tightening rotor |
| 9,283,972 | Networking operation dispatch system based on electronic zones for rail vehicle |
| 9,283,967 | Accurate curvature estimation algorithm for path planning of autonomous driving vehicle |
| 9,283,958 | Method and device for assisting in returning a vehicle after leaving a roadway |
| 9,283,862 | Electric vehicle power management systems |
| 9,283,681 | Robotic vehicle systems for inspecting remote locations |
| D751,025 | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| 9,282,144 | Unmanned vehicle selective data transfer system and method thereof |
| 9,280,710 | Bus detection for an autonomous vehicle |
| 9,280,559 | Registrar mapping toolkit for geofences |
| 9,280,374 | Virtual machine asynchronous patch management |
| 9,280,156 | Positioning vehicles to improve quality of observations at intersections |
| 9,280,038 | Interchangeable mounting platform |
| 9,279,691 | Method and apparatus for two-stage planning |
| 9,278,689 | Autonomous vehicle detection of and response to emergency vehicles |
| 9,277,122 | System and method for removing camera rotation from a panoramic video |
| 9,275,645 | Drone detection and classification methods and apparatus |
| 9,275,551 | Methods and systems for determining fleet trajectories to satisfy a sequence of coverage requirements |
| 9,274,529 | Safe emergency landing of a UAV |
| 9,274,526 | Autonomous vehicle and method of estimating self position of autonomous vehicle |
| 9,274,525 | Detecting sensor degradation by actively controlling an autonomous vehicle |
| 9,274,524 | Method for machine coordination which maintains line-of-site contact |
| 9,274,521 | Employing local, opportunistic automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) information processed by an unmanned aerial vehicle ground control station to augment other source “knowledge” of local aircraft position information for improving situational awareness |
| 9,274,086 | Magnetic shielding of servo-motors in magnetic detection systems |
| 9,273,981 | Distributed unmanned aerial vehicle architecture |
| 9,272,784 | Vertical takeoff winged multicopter |
Drone Patent Applications
The following drone patent applications were published in March 2016:
| Published Application Nuber | Title |
|---|---|
| 20160094309 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR JAMMING CELLULAR SIGNALS USING AERIAL VEHICLES |
| 20160093212 | USING AERIAL IMAGING TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ABOUT A LOCATION |
| 20160093211 | NAVIGATION AID FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE WITH AUTOPILOT |
| 20160092755 | Construction Zone Sign Detection |
| 20160091899 | APPARATUS FOR GUIDING AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TOWARDS A DOCKING STATION |
| 20160091895 | REMOTELY CONTROLLABLE VEHICLES |
| 20160091894 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FLIGHT SIMULATION |
| 20160091338 | GENERATING AN OPTIMAL REFUELING PLAN FOR ROAD VEHICLES |
| 20160090248 | AUTOMATED LOADING SYSTEM |
| 20160090184 | HYBRID PROPULSION POWER SYSTEM FOR AERIAL VEHICLES |
| 20160089979 | MECHANICALLY RECONFIGURABLE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER |
| 20160088498 | UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE FOR ANTENNA RADIATION CHARACTERIZATION |
| 20160086621 | DRONE DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS |
| 20160086494 | Method and Apparatus for Ensuring the Operation and Integrity of a Three-Dimensional Integrated Logistical System |
| 20160086052 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR SALIENCY DETECTION BASED ON COLOR OCCURRENCE ANALYSIS |
| 20160086051 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING SALIENT FEATURES |
| 20160086050 | SALIENT FEATURES TRACKING APPARATUS AND METHODS USING VISUAL INITIALIZATION |
| 20160084708 | SPECTRAL IMAGING |
| 20160083115 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR TETHERED AERIAL PLATFORM AND SYSTEM |
| 20160083112 | UAV Take-Off Method and Apparatus |
| 20160083110 | INTERCHANGEABLE MOUNTING PLATFORM |
| 20160083084 | UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AND OPERATIONS THEREOF |
| 20160082976 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROL OF AN AUTONOMOUS DRIVE RELATED OPERATION |
| 20160082953 | Consideration of Risks in Active Sensing for an Autonomous Vehicle |
| 20160082935 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING |
| 20160082903 | AUTOMATED DRIVING SOLUTION GATEWAY |
| 20160082867 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEAT RETRACTION DURING AN AUTONOMOUS DRIVING MODE |
| 20160082597 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR EARLY SENSORY INTEGRATION AND ROBUST ACQUISITION OF REAL WORLD KNOWLEDGE |
| 20160082460 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UNMANNED AERIAL PAINTING APPLICATIONS |
| 20160082298 | Forest Fire Control System |
| 20160080389 | Using Connections Between Users In A Social Networking System To Regulate Operation Of A Machine Associated With A Social Networking System User |
| 20160079810 | Photovoltaics optimized for laser remote power applications at eye-safer wavelengths |
| 20160078759 | Tracking a Vehicle Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |
| 20160078299 | Imaging a Parking Display Ticket |
| 20160078272 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISMOUNT DETECTION IN LOW-RESOLUTION UAV IMAGERY |
| 20160076892 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING A STATE OF AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE |
| 20160075512 | AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING PAYLOADS |
| 20160075447 | IMPACT PROTECTION APPARATUS |
| 20160075431 | UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AND OPERATIONS THEREOF |
| 20160075422 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GAS AND, OPTIONALLY, LIQUID CARGO TRANSPORTATION BY AIR |
| 20160075418 | WEAPON CLEARANCE APPLIANCE FOR CLEARING WEAPONS, SUCH AS UNDERWATER MINES, UNDER WATER, UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLE HAVING A WEAPON CLEARANCE APPLIANCE OF THIS KIND, AND METHOD FOR THIS PURPOSE |
| 20160075357 | AUTOMATIC TRAIN OPERATION SYSTEM IN RAILWAY VEHICLES |
| 20160073378 | ADAPTIVE COMMUNICATION MODE SWITCHING |
| 20160072804 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO SHARE A RESOURCE OR A CAPABILITY OF A DEVICE |
| 20160072771 | HEALTH AND OTHER USE OF COLLECTION OF ARCHIVAL DIGITAL DATA |
| 20160072643 | MODULAR DEVICE AND DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND GATEWAY FOR A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK |
| 20160071420 | DO-NOT-FLY AND OPT-OUT PRIVACY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES |
| 20160071419 | AERIAL INFORMATION REQUEST SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES |
| 20160071418 | VEHICLE OPERATION ASSISTANCE |
| 20160070265 | MULTI-SENSOR ENVIRONMENTAL MAPPING |
Definitions
As we use the term here, a “drone” is a vehicle that does not have an on-board human operator. Most drones have some degree of autonomous operation. At least some aspect of a drone’s operation is controlled internally. This requires a computer and software. Vehicles that require a human to control every aspect of operation, such as a hobbyist’s remote controlled airplane, are generally not considered drones.
Most drones use a mixture of autonomous and human control. For example, a drone may have the ability to automatically stabilize itself by adjusting control elements and power settings, but a person is needed to tell the drone where to go.
Aerial drones are known by many different names and acronyms. Here are the most popular:
- Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV)
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
- Unmanned Aircraft (UA)
- Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)
- Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)
Since drones use a very wide range of technologies (please see our drone technology article), we do not attempt to include every patent or application that could be applied to drones. As we use it here, the term “drone” includes any autonomous vehicle. Please let us know if we have missed any important patents.
Drone patent applications are applications that have been filed with and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Although most applications are published, a small percentage (about 7% nation wide) are not published for various reasons. Patent applications are generally published 18 months after the first priority date of the application. Published applications have not necessarily been examined and some applications will be abandoned after publication. Once an application is examined and approved and all fees and formalities have been satisfied, the Patent Office grants a patent.
More Information
Please see our patent page for more information on patents and our intellectual property page for more information on intellectual property.