Disclosed are embodiments for employing off board sensors to augment data used by a ground based autonomous vehicle. In some aspects, the off-board sensors may be positioned on another autonomous vehicle, such as an aerial autonomous vehicle (AAV). The disclosed embodiments determine uncertainty scores associated with ground regions. The uncertainty scores indicate a need to reimage the ground regions. An AAV may be tasked to reimage a region having a relatively high uncertainty score, depending on a cost associated with the tasking.

A security system can perform a systematic test to generate a visualization of the security camera coverage for an area. The test can be performed using a network of security cameras, a central system, and a mapping entity. The mapping entity may hold or be attached to a sign with a pattern. The mapping entity can move the sign from one location to another throughout a zone to be mapped. At each location, the mapping entity may send a message with the coordinate of its current position and optionally the pattern it is carrying to the central system.

A method employs an unmanned aerial vehicle to carry an electromagnetic field measurement system to overcome environmental obstacles in measuring environmental electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field measurement system senses the electromagnetic field of a spatial position in the environment to generate a sensing signal, then processes the sensing signal to remove the high-frequency electromagnetic interference generated by the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself from the sensing signal, and converts the processed sensing signal into a digital signal. The digital signal is processed to extract at least one wave according to a fundamental frequency and a harmonic order, thereby removing the low-frequency electromagnetic interference from the digital signal. The extracted wave is employed in calculating an environmental electromagnetic field value of the spatial location.

A method and system for inspecting and monitoring an elevator installation includes sending an autonomous flying object having at least one sensor to the elevator installation, and granting access to a hoistway of the elevator installation to the autonomous flying object. The autonomous flying object is positioned within the hoistway, and data collected by the associated sensor is sent to a remote elevator service center. The autonomous flying object and the associated sensor can be used to monitor and inspect the elevator installation on a temporary basis, for example for a specific number of hours, days or weeks. Once the autonomous flying object has gained access to the hoistway, the elevator installation can resume normal operation thereby keeping downtime to a minimum. After completing its tasks at one elevator installation, the autonomous flying object can be directed by the remote elevator service center to monitor and inspect another elevator installation.

An example unmanned aerial vehicle includes a housing; a wireless communication module; a plurality of propulsion systems; and a navigation circuit. At least one of the plurality of propulsion systems includes a motor; and a propeller assembly rotatably connected to the motor. The propeller assembly comprises: a hub structure including a surface facing away from the motor; a first connecting member including a first post and a second post extending in parallel to and spaced apart from the first post, and the first post and the second post are fixed to the surface and are able to move elastically in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a first blade detachably coupled to the first connecting member and comprising an opening to which the first post and the second post are coupled; and a cap detachably coupled to the top of the first connecting member.

Provided is a method of avoiding collision of an unmanned aerial vehicle with an obstacle, the method including: calculating two potential fields using ament positional information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a target point that is set, and positional information of the obstacle measured by a sensor, computing an attractive force and a repulsive force by differentiating the computed potential fields, respectively; computing a direction of a potential force that results from adding up the computed attractive force and repulsive force; and performing control that brings about a change from the computed direction of the potential force to a direction in which the unmanned aerial vehicle moves.

Techniques involve releasing and/or capturing a fixed-wing aircraft using an aerial vehicle with VTOL capabilities while the fixed-wing aircraft is in flight. For example, the VTOL aerial vehicle may take off vertically while carrying the fixed-wing aircraft and then fly horizontally before releasing the fixed-wing aircraft. Upon release, the fixed-wing aircraft flies independently to perform a mission (e.g., surveillance, payload delivery, combinations thereof, etc.). After the fixed-wing aircraft has completed its mission, the VTOL aerial vehicle may capture the fixed-wing aircraft while both are in flight, and then land together vertically. Such operation enables the fixed-wing aircraft to vertically take off and/or land while avoiding certain drawbacks associated with a conventional VTOL kit such as being burdened by weight and drag from the VTOL kit's rotors/propellers, mounting hardware, etc. during a mission which otherwise would limit the fixed-wing aircraft's maximum airspeed, ceiling, payload capacity, endurance, and so on.

Mobile station to carry out aerial spraying operations for large surfaces by means of drones which comprises at least one of a machine room comprising at least one electricity generator and an energy backup system; at least one compartment for the storage and transport of drones; a mixing tank connected to a water storage tank; a loading and unloading equipment movable on at least one rail; a lifting equipment arranged outside and configured to lift an operator; a battery charging and transport compartment for drones, a lighting system, a resting place incorporated into the system, multiple hermetic and washable containers for the transport of chemical products, dispensers, chemical waste, personal protection elements, spill containment elements (sand, non-sparking shovels, swabs), clean clothes, dirty clothes, trash.

A system and method for distributing control over a drone and an active-payload carried by the drone to loosely coupled drone controller and payload controller, are disclosed. The active-payload includes a self-embedded payload controller and at least one controllable thrust source or moving weight. The drone controller identifies a current active-payload type that is coupled to the drone for performing one or more tasks and selects a control-type, which defines degrees of freedom (DOFs) to be controlled by the drone controller and released DOFs to be controlled by the payload controller, accordingly. The drone and active-payload perform the one or more task, wherein the drone controller controls maneuver instructions in drone controller controlled DOFs and simultaneously and asynchronously the payload controller controls maneuver instructions in the released DOFs by exerting controllable force or torque in the released DOFs by the at least one thrust source and/or moving weight.

A management system of a work site includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data of an unmanned vehicle stopped at the work site due to generation of a trouble, the image data being imaged by an imaging device mounted in a movable body.