Exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure are generally directed to a collaborative relationship between a UAV and an automobile. In a first exemplary method, a data capture system is provided in a UAV. The data capture system may be used to capture data when the UAV is in flight. A first computer in the UAV determines one or more limitations associated with wirelessly transmitting some or all of the data from the UAV to an automobile. The first computer may be further used to withhold wireless transmission of a portion of the data to the automobile due to the one or more limitations. The portion of data is transferred to a second computer in the automobile after landing the UAV on the automobile. In a second exemplary method, the UAV includes a communication relay system for relaying to an automobile, signals received from a satellite or a cellular base station.

A vehicle includes a platform disposed on the roof of the vehicle for landing/launching an autonomously free-flying drone where the drone is set up and designed to receive/deliver and transport an object. A first device determines a current position of the platform and/or the vehicle and a communication device directly or indirectly transmits data from the vehicle to the drone. The communication device transmits at least the current position of the platform and/or the vehicle to the drone.

Disclosed herein are system and method for automatically recharging a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a moving platform, comprising: a software module identifying the moving platform; a software module estimating a real-time state of the moving platform; a software module controlling automatic landing of the UAV on the moving platform based on the real-time state estimation of the moving platform and data collected from the one or more sensors; a software module controlling automatic connection of the UAV to a charging station of the moving platform with a pre-determined orientation; and a software module controlling automatic taking off of the UAV from the moving platform after charging.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions. When executed by the one or more processors, the instructions cause the UAV to perform operations including: recognizing a first gesture of a hand; responsive to a recognition of the first gesture, moving the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover above the hand; detecting a distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the hand; responsive to a determination that the distance falls in a range, monitoring the hand to recognize a second gesture of the hand; and responsive to a recognition of the second gesture, landing the unmanned aerial vehicle on the hand.

Disclosed herein are system and method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tethered from a mobile platform, the UAV system comprising: a UAV comprising one or more sensors, and one or more propellers; a tether attached to the UAV and to the mobile platform; a digital processing device comprising an operating system configured to perform executable instructions and a memory; and a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device to automatically control the UAV relative to the mobile platform comprising: a software module identifying the mobile platform; a software module estimating a real-time state of the mobile platform; and a software module automatically controlling three-dimensional real-time motion of the UAV based on the real-time state estimation of the mobile platform and data collected from the one or more sensors, such that the UAV is maintained at a predetermined position relative to the mobile platform.

A method for predictive drone landing is provided. The method includes obtaining a relative position of a drone with respect to a landing dock mounted on a vehicle, obtaining a relative velocity of the drone with respect to the landing dock, estimating a time of landing based on the relative position and the relative velocity of the drone with respect to the landing dock, and predicting a location of the vehicle at the estimated time of landing as a drone landing location based on driving data of the vehicle and flight conditions of the drone. In particular, the drone landing location is predicted based on at least one of a speed of the vehicle, a calculated vehicle route from a navigation system, a road traffic condition, a 2-D map data, a 3-D map data, advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) data, and traffic data received via a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.

An aircraft control system includes a target instruction value calculation unit acquires a target instruction value to set an aircraft in a target state, a reference velocity calculation unit inputs, to a reference model in which reference velocity corresponding to a reference value of aircraft velocity is set uniquely as an output value according to an input value, a value based on the target instruction value as the input value. A relative velocity calculation unit calculates relative velocity of the aircraft to a target position, the relative velocity being used in control of the aircraft. An estimated disturbance quantity calculation unit calculates an estimated disturbance quantity acting on the aircraft, based on a difference between the relative velocity and the reference velocity, and a correction target instruction value calculation unit corrects the target instruction value, based on the estimated disturbance quantity calculated at a previous timing.

An aircraft position control system to make a position of an aircraft follow movement of a target landing point due to motion includes a motion quantity estimation processing unit that estimates a motion quantity of the target landing point, based on attitude correction acceleration for correcting attitude of the aircraft and a relative position between the aircraft and the target landing point, and a target information generation unit that outputs a target relative position between the aircraft and the target landing point to be achieved and target relative velocity between the aircraft and the target landing point to be achieved, based on the estimated motion quantity.

An apparatus for housing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in or on a vehicle includes a landing connection component configured to form a connection between the UAV and the vehicle when the UAV is landed in or on the vehicle, and a cover movable between a plurality of positions to permit the UAV to take off and land in or on the vehicle. The cover includes an antenna or a satellite dish integrated thereto. An orientation of the antenna or the satellite dish is adjustable for tracking a motion of the UAV when the UAV is in flight.

The present disclosure provides a method for controlling a drone, a drone, and a system. The method for controlling a drone comprises: determining operating parameters of a moving platform according to field-of-view images containing the moving platform collected at any two different moments and flight parameters of the drone; calculating a time-varying tracking position of the moving platform based on the operating parameters; controlling the drone to track the moving platform according to the time-varying tracking position of the moving platform; and controlling the drone to perform a landing operation according to a relative position of the moving platform and the drone during tracking. The technical solutions according to the present disclosure have high landing accuracy, rely less on device performance and have high versatility.