Tracking a vehicle using an unmanned aerial vehicle is disclosed. One or more first images may be received from a first camera of the first unmanned aerial vehicle located at a first location. A parking violation committed by a first vehicle may be determined in at least one of the one or more first images. The first unmanned aerial vehicle may be then repositioned. One or more second images having the second field of view and showing the first vehicle may then be received. A unique identifier of the first vehicle may then be determined based on at least one of the one or more second images.

This disclosure is directed to an automated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) self-identification system, devices, and techniques pertaining to the automated identification of individual UAVs operating within an airspace via a mesh communication network, individual UAVs and a central authority representing nodes of the mesh network. The system may detect nearby UAVs present within a UAV's airspace. Nearby UAVs may self-identify or be identified via correlation with one or more features detected by the UAV. The UAV may validate identifying information using a dynamic validation policy. Data collected by the UAV may be stored in a local mesh database and distributed to individual nodes of the mesh network and merged into a common central mesh database for distribution to individual nodes of the mesh network. UAVs on the mesh network utilize local and central mesh database information for self-identification and to maintain a dynamic flight plan.

Methods, devices, and systems of various embodiments are disclosed for managing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) charging station having a docking terminal. In various embodiments, a priority of a first UAV and a second UAV may be determined for using the docking terminal when a docking request is received from the second UAV while the first UAV occupies the docking terminal. In some embodiments, the priorities of the first and second UAVs may be based on an available power level of each of the first and second UAVs. The first UAV may be instructed to undock from the docking terminal in response to determining that the second UAV has a higher priority.

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for generating flight restriction zones associated with flight response measures. The flight restriction zones may be generated with one or more flight restriction strips. Flight response measures for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be directed based on a location and/or movement characteristic of the UAV relative to the one or more flight restriction strips. Different flight-response measures may be taken based on various parameters.

A registration authority (RA) server registers unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their owners/operators (O/O). A UAV is maintained in a flight lock state until a flight plan request from the O/O is approved by the RA, which sends an key-signed approval to unlock the UAV's flight lock. The RA server evaluates a UAV's proposed flight plan based on the attributes of the O/O and UAV, the location and time of the requested flight plan, and a set of flight rules and exclusion zones that are developed in view of privacy assurance, security assurance, flight safety assurance, and ground safety assurance. The flight plan key-signed approval supplied to the UAV by the RA server specifies an inclusion zone that corresponds to a flight plan trajectory to be followed. Once in flight, the UAV maintains real-time knowledge of its position and time to ensure its flight remains within the approved inclusion zone.

One variation of a method for imaging an area of interest includes: within a user interface, receiving a selection for a set of interest points on a digital map of a physical area and receiving a selection for a resolution of a geospatial map; identifying a ground area corresponding to the set of interest points for imaging during a mission; generating a flight path over the ground area for execution by an unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission; setting an altitude for the unmanned aerial vehicle along the flight path based on the selection for the resolution of the geospatial map and an optical system arranged within the unmanned aerial vehicle; setting a geospatial accuracy requirement for the mission based on the selection for the mission type; and assembling a set of images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission into the geospatial map.

A device moving in a space determines one or more zones around it, wherein the one or more zones are linked to the device and move together with the device through the space. The device detects if a border of a first of the one or more zones starts to intersect or stops to intersect with a border of an area inside the space. If the detecting is affirmative, the device transmits information related to the intersection. An apparatus receives this information from the device and adapts a status value of the area in dependence of the received information.

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating a digital flight path within complex mission boundaries. In particular, in one or more embodiments, systems and methods generate flight legs that traverse a target site within mission boundaries. Moreover, one or more embodiments include systems and methods that utilize linking algorithms to connect the generated flight legs into a flight path. Moreover, one or more embodiments include systems and methods that generate a mission plan based on the flight path. In one or more embodiments, the generated mission plan enables a UAV to traverse a flight area within mission boundaries and capture aerial images with regard to the target site.

The present invention is to provide a system of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle and method of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle, which are capable of storing a flight route through which an airborne vehicle has flown to reproduce a flight of the uninhibited airborne vehicle. The system of controlling an uninhabited airborne vehicle by controlling a flight route of an uninhabited airborne vehicle, includes: a memory unit that stores a flight route through which an uninhabited airborne vehicle has flown; an acquisition unit that acquires the flight route stored in the memory unit; and a control unit that controls the flight route acquired by the acquisition unit to reproduce a flight of the uninhibited airborne vehicle.

One embodiment provides a method comprising receiving a flight plan request for a drone. The flight plan request comprises a drone identity, departure information, and arrival information. The method further comprises constructing a modified flight plan for the drone based on the flight plan request, wherein the modified flight plan represents an approved, congestion reducing, and executable flight plan for the drone, and the modified flight plan comprises a sequence of four-dimensional (4D) cells representing a planned flight path for the drone. For each 4D cell of the modified flight plan, the method further comprises attempting to place an exclusive lock on behalf of the drone on the 4D cell, and in response to a failure to place the exclusive lock on behalf of the drone on the 4D cell, rerouting the modified flight plan around the 4D cell to a random neighboring 4D cell.