A method and system for an onboard reporting system capable of detecting keywords in voice data and considering the keywords in combination with respective predefined instructions is provided. The provided system uses, for each keyword, predefined instructions to validate the keyword prior to sending a report.

An improved aircraft management system for consolidating and prioritizing alerts through the use of an alert consolidator is described herein. According to an embodiment, a method for providing a list of tasks for responding to alerts provided by an aircraft sensing system includes receiving a plurality of alerts provided by an aircraft sensing system prioritizing at least two alerts, generating a prioritized sequential list of tasks for responding to the prioritized alerts, and providing, in a single format, the prioritized sequential list of tasks.

This disclosure describes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and system that may perform one or more techniques for protecting objects from damage resulting from an unintended or uncontrolled impact by a UAV. As described herein, various implementations utilize a damage avoidance system that detects a risk of damage to an object caused by an impact from a UAV that has lost control and takes steps to reduce or eliminate that risk. For example, the damage avoidance system may detect that the UAV has lost power and/or is falling at a rapid rate of descent such that, upon impact, there is a risk of damage to an object with which the UAV may collide. Upon detecting the risk of damage and prior to impact, the damage avoidance system activates a damage avoidance system having one or more protection elements that work in concert to reduce or prevent damage to the object upon impact by the UAV.

An unmanned aerial vehicle with lift and propulsion system and a flight control system and method. The flight control system has a flight control unit, a navigation system, a communication system and an actuator system. The flight control unit can calculate, based on data from the navigation system and/or data of a ground control station, control commands which can be fed to the actuator system for actuating the lift and propulsion system. The ground control station is configured to control and/or monitor the aerial vehicle. The aerial vehicle has a monitoring unit to monitor the communication system to determine whether all the communication links are interrupted. The monitoring unit can cause the flight control unit to land the aerial vehicle safely at a suitable landing site based on stored data relating to current flight conditions and nearby landing sites.

A drone safety mechanism that prevents autonomously controlled or human-in-the-loop drones from interfering with aircraft. A signal is generated at the center of an area to be maintained free of drone activity. The signal decays with distance from the source of the signal. A sensor onboard the drone is able to measure the signal itself, as well as the strength of the signal. When the signal strength passes above some threshold level, or the signal provides some other message, an intention is sent to the drone that forces the drone to stop and/or descend. The signal may be a preexisting signal, such as an electromagnetic signal emitted from a radar system atop an air traffic control tower. To prevent drones interfering with aircraft in flight, the signal may be emitted from the aircraft itself.

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.

According to various embodiments, there is provided a safety motor controller (SMC) for installing in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) between at least one electronic speed controller (ESC) configured to use a predetermined data protocol and an existing motor controller (EMC) configured to transmit EMC motor control signals in accordance with the predetermined data protocol to the at least one ESC, the SMC including: an input port configured to receive the EMC motor control signals in accordance with the predetermined data protocol from the EMC; and a processor configured to detect a trigger event and to transmit SMC motor control signals corresponding to at least one of the EMC motor control signals in accordance with the predetermined data protocol to the at least one ESC in response to the trigger event.

A method, apparatus, and aircraft tracker system for reporting state information for an aircraft. A state of the aircraft is identified using sensor data received from an aircraft sensor system in the aircraft. The state information is transmitted at a reporting rate set using the state of the aircraft identified from the sensor data, at least one of a crew command or a ground command when at least one of the crew command is received from a crew interface or the ground command is received from a ground source, and a policy defining priorities for reporting that are based on at least one of the crew command, the ground command, or the state of the aircraft identified from the sensor data.

An automated aircraft flight data and delivery management system and method operates in a normal state and a demand state. The demand state may be self-initiated or manually-initiated, and may be triggered during situations which include but are not limited to situations when the aircraft is in a potential or confirmed emergency situation. Data transmission increases in intensity when the system is in a demand state.

The control unit 16 of the UAV 1 detects the UAV 50 as a search target on the basis of the sensing data obtained by sensing of the sensor unit 14, and moves the UAV 1 to a position above the detected UAV 50. Then, the control unit 16 identifies a current position of the UAV 1 when the UAV 1 has moved to the position above the UAV 50, and transmits search position information indicating the identified current position as the current position of the UAV 50.