A device for making available navigation parameter values of a vehicle is provided. The device includes components distributed in the following categories: several sensors collecting measurement data relating to at least one navigation parameter of the vehicle; several computers processing the measurement data collected by the sensors and calculating said navigation parameters; several networks linking the sensors to the computers and linking the computers to systems using said parameters. The networks transmit all the collected measurement data to the computers, which calculate a value for each navigation parameter as well as an estimated value of the associated fault, using a single common fusion algorithm.

A service unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a flight system, a status component, a navigation system, and a recovery component. The flight system is for flying the service UAV. The status component is configured to determine that a first UAV is disabled. The navigation system is configured to fly the service UAV to a landing location of the first UAV in response to the status component determining that the first UAV is disabled. The recovery component is configured to recover one or more of a payload of the first UAV and a portion of the first UAV.

Systems and methods for UAV safety are provided. An authentication system may be used to confirm UAV and/or user identity and provide secured communications between users and UAVs. The UAVs may operate in accordance with a set of flight regulations. The set of flight regulations may be associated with a geo-fencing device in the vicinity of the UAV.

A method for providing landing assistance for an aircraft is provided. The method analyzes terrain data; identifies one or more landing zones, based on analyzing the terrain data, each of the one or more landing zones comprising a flat area lacking obstacles to aircraft landing; and presents the one or more landing zones via a display element onboard the aircraft.

A device receives a request for a flight path from a first location to a second location in a region, and calculates the flight path based on the request and based on one or more of weather information, air traffic information, obstacle information, regulatory information, or historical information associated with the region. The device determines required capabilities for the flight path based on the request, and selects, from multiple UAVs, a particular UAV based on the required capabilities for the flight path and based on a ranking of the multiple UAVs. The device generates flight path instructions for the flight path, and provides the flight path instructions to the particular UAV to permit the particular UAV to travel from the first location to the second location via the flight path.

In one example, a method to guide and navigate the aircraft during a complete engine failure is disclosed. Nearby airport data is obtained based on aircraft current location upon detecting the complete aircraft engine failure. Minimum and maximum glide distances of the aircraft are computed based on the current aircraft state parameters and environmental parameters. Candidate reachable airports are determined using the obtained nearby airport data for safe landing based on the computed minimum and maximum glide distances. A glide path for each candidate reachable airport is determined. The aircraft is navigated and guided to a selected one of the candidate reachable airports using an associated glide path.

The present disclosure relates to a deployment system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In one aspect, an illustrative deployment system includes a communication system configured for receiving diagnostic data corresponding to an object included in a UAV, wherein the UAV has an expiration condition; and a logic module configured for (i) determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied based, at least in part, on the received diagnostic data, and (ii) responsive to determining that the expiration condition has been satisfied, initiating an action that includes sending to the UAV both (a) navigation data relating to a remedial facility, and (b) instructions to navigate to the remedial facility based, at least in part, on the navigation data.

Methods and systems are provided for presenting a list of potential diversion destinations. One exemplary method involves obtaining status information associated with the vehicle, obtaining status information associated with respective ones of a plurality of destinations, and classifying the plurality of destinations into a plurality of viability groups based at least in part on the status information associated with the vehicle and the respective status information associated with each respective destination. Each of the viability groups contains a subset of the plurality of destinations. The method continues by displaying a list of the plurality of destinations on a display device associated with the vehicle, with the plurality of destinations being ordered in the list based at least in part on their respective viability group classifications. In this regard, destinations classified into higher viability groups may be preferentially displayed over destinations classified into lower viability groups.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for unmanned aerial vehicle authorization and geofence envelope determination. One of the methods includes determining, by an electronic system in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an estimated fuel remaining in the UAV. An estimated fuel consumption of the UAV is determined. Estimated information associated with wind affecting the UAV is determined using information obtained from sensors included in the UAV. Estimated flights times remaining for a current path, and one or more alternative flight paths, are determined using the determined estimated fuel remaining, determined estimated fuel consumption, determined information associated wind, and information describing each flight path. In response to the electronic system determining that the estimated fuel remaining, after completion of the current flight path, would be below a first threshold, an alternative flight path is selected.

A method for supporting aerial operation includes obtaining a real-time location of an aircraft, obtaining a location of a supply station, obtaining a location of a next waypoint, and controlling the aircraft based on a status parameter related to a flight status of the aircraft associated with the real-time location of the aircraft. Controlling the aircraft includes controlling, in response to the status parameter satisfying a first preset condition, the aircraft to fly to the next waypoint; and controlling, in response to the status parameter satisfying a second preset condition, the aircraft to fly to the supply station.