A common command and control architecture (alternatively termed herein as a “universal control architecture”) is disclosed that allows different unmanned systems, including different types of unmanned systems (e.g., air, ground, and/or maritime unmanned systems), to be controlled simultaneously through a common control device (e.g., a controller that can be an input and/or output device). The universal control architecture brings significant efficiency gains in engineering, deployment, training, maintenance, and future upgrades of unmanned systems. In addition, the disclosed common command and control architecture breaks the traditional stovepipe development involving deployment models and thus reducing hardware and software maintenance, creating a streamlined training/proficiency initiative, reducing physical space requirements for transport, and creating a scalable, more connected interoperable approach to control of unmanned systems over existing unmanned systems technology.

A method for policy-based traffic encounter assessment to detect and avoid traffic includes determining, by a processor, an ownship predicted trajectory of an aircraft. The aircraft is the ownship. The method also includes determining a traffic predicted trajectory of one or more other aircraft in the vicinity of the ownship. The one or more other aircraft includes traffic. The method also includes assessing an encounter between the ownship and the traffic, wherein assessing the encounter between the ownship and the traffic includes applying an encounter assessment policy to the traffic predicted trajectory and the ownship predicted trajectory. The method further includes generating encounter assessment data in response to assessing the encounter between the ownship and the traffic. The encounter assessment data is used to at least detect and avoid the traffic by the ownship.

Flight control information systems, flight guidance display, and aircraft are provided. A navigational information system includes an input configured to receive a flight plan wherein the flight plan includes a first waypoint, a second waypoint, a third waypoint, and future waypoints, a user interface operative to generate a control signal in response to a user input, a display configured to display a graphical user interface, a processor operative to receive the flight plan from the input, to generate the graphical user interface to include to the first waypoint and the second waypoint and to couple the graphical user interface to the display, the processor being further operative to generate the graphical user interface in to include the first waypoint and the third waypoint in response to the control signal and to couple the graphical user interface to the display.

An example system for flying to a target location is provided, comprising a parent aerial vehicle and at least one child vehicle releasably coupled to the parent vehicle. The parent vehicle is configured to transport the at least one child aerial vehicle to a region containing a target location, uncouple from the at least one child aerial vehicle, and transmit information to the at least one child aerial vehicle relevant to operation of the child aerial vehicle. The child aerial vehicle comprises at least one sensor for surveillance at the target location.

A flight vehicle is allowed to safely fly even in a wireless communication unavailable area or the like where the flight vehicle cannot report its own location. Control is performed to limit the flight vehicles that enter exclusive controlled airspace including an area where the flight vehicles cannot report their own locations. In a case where the controlling control unit receives an entry application from one of the flight vehicles that seeks to enter the exclusive controlled airspace, the controlling control unit transmits entry permission to the one of the flight vehicles when none of the flight vehicles other than the one of the flight vehicles has entered the exclusive controlled airspace. Furthermore, in this case, for example, when any of the flight vehicles other than the one of the flight vehicles has entered the exclusive controlled airspace, a standby instruction is transmitted to the one of the flight vehicles.

A system may include a user interface and a processor. The processor may be configured to (a) pre-arm multiple actions according to a conditional timeline and any associated trigger events, and (b) output commands to cause the multiple actions to be completed at times consistent with the conditional timeline and any associated trigger events.

Human-machine interface for required time of arrival (RTA) constraint negotiation. Embodiments present critical RTA information and results of associated data calculations to the pilot in a concise and informative manner using a dialogue box with intuitive graphical displays. Embodiments present critical RTA information to assist a pilot in negotiating the RTA constraint with air traffic controllers, accepting the clearance, and having confidence in the system that it will achieve the defined RTA constraint.

An aircraft-based pilot safety system (PSS) includes cameras or other gaze sensors fixed at an aircraft pilot and configured to capture an image stream focused on the pilot's eyes. The gaze sensors continually assess the gaze direction of the pilot (e.g., toward a display, instrument panel, and/or indicator within the cockpit that the pilot is currently looking at or focusing on) and thereby can establish when the pilot is executing a scan pattern and if that scan pattern is nominal for the current flight context by comparing the scan pattern to context-specific reference scan patterns. If, for example, the pilot's gaze deviates from where it should be (e.g., as determined by the current flight segment) or the current scan pattern is interrupted, the system may prompt the pilot to redirect their gaze or resume the scan pattern.

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products for UAV module management are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, UAV module management includes software module library management by a computing system. In this embodiment, the computing system presents information representing a plurality of UAV software modules, receives information representing a UAV software module selection, and adds the UAV software module identified by the information representing a UAV software module selection to a UAV software module library. According to this embodiment, the computing system adds, based on a selection of a UAV software module, the selected UAV module to a UAV software module library.

The present disclosure provides a method, an apparatus and a system for operating waypoint, a ground station and a computer readable storage medium. The method includes: displaying an icon of a flight manner related to the waypoint; determining, based on a first touch operation of a user on the icon of the flight manner, the flight manner related to the waypoint; and sending the flight manner to an aircraft, so that the aircraft flies based on the flight manner at the waypoint. In this way, the user can select the flight manner on the waypoint of the aircraft by himself in a touch operation manner, to facilitate control of the flight of the aircraft by the user, so as to facilitate flight control of the aircraft, thereby improving the experience of human-computer interaction.