The invention discloses a system and method of displaying UAS traffic in the cockpits of manned aircraft and also for use with other unmanned aircraft. The invention utilizes the FAA concept of remote identification for supplying the UAS data necessary to generate traffic reports. The invention discloses several different methods of communicating the UAS remote ID data to re-broadcast stations which would then re-broadcast the UAS traffic reports to receiving aircraft. The invention suggests leveraging the existing ASD-B and TIS-B FAA traffic reporting system to communicate the UAS traffic reports to the receiving aircraft.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing autonomous protected flight zones during emergency operations of aerial vehicles. In an example embodiment, a three-dimensional (3D) protected zone around a flight path for an aerial vehicle associated with an emergency operations event is generated based on emergency flight plan information for the aerial vehicle. Additionally, the 3D protected zone and/or the emergency flight plan information are broadcasted to a different aerial vehicle in a certain vicinity of the aerial vehicle. In response to the aerial vehicle arriving at a designated location, a removal indicator for the 3D protected zone and/or the emergency flight plan information are broadcasted to the different aerial vehicle.

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 and methods of the present invention are provided to generate a plurality of flight trajectories that do not conflict with other aircraft in a local area. Interventions by an air traffic control system help prevent collisions between aircraft, but these interventions can also cause an aircraft to substantially deviate from the pilot's intended flight trajectory, which burns fuels, wastes time, etc. Systems and methods of the present invention can assign a standard avoidance interval to other aircraft in the area such that a pilot's aircraft does not receive an intervention by an air traffic control system. Systems and methods of the present invention also generate a plurality of conflict-free flight trajectories such that a pilot or an automated system may select the most desirable flight trajectory for fuel efficiency, speed, and other operational considerations, etc.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an alternative distributed airborne transportation system. In some embodiments, a method for distributed airborne transportation includes: providing an airborne vehicle with a wing and a wing span, having capacity to carry one or more of passengers or cargo; landing of the airborne vehicle near one or more of passengers or cargo and loading at least one of passengers or cargo; taking-off and determining a flight direction for the airborne vehicle; locating at least one other airborne vehicle, which has substantially the same flight direction; and joining at least one other airborne vehicle in flight formation and forming a fleet, in which airborne vehicles fly with the same speed and direction and in which adjacent airborne vehicles are separated by distance of less than 100 wing spans.

A portable, externally mounted device for aircraft used to provide user selectable readings of airspeed, pressure, temperature, orientation, heading, acceleration, and angular rate is disclosed. The device is self-contained and wireless and is portable from aircraft to aircraft. The device is externally mounted on the aircraft.

A flight hindrance display apparatus includes circuitry. The circuitry is configured to acquire surrounding information of an aircraft. The surrounding information is related to a hindrance factor which is a possible flight hindrance to the aircraft. The circuitry is configured to determine a spatial range of the flight hindrance factor on a basis of the acquired surrounding information. The circuitry is configured to determine a flight hindrance cross-section that intersects a plane including a vector of a flight direction of the aircraft and is included in the determined spatial range of the flight hindrance factor. The circuitry is configured to cause a display unit to stereoscopically display an own position of the aircraft, the spatial range of the flight hindrance factor, and the flight hindrance cross-section.

A collaborative aviation information collection and distribution system includes a plurality of aircraft data transmitters and an aircraft data processing system. Each aircraft data transmitter is configured to selectively transmit aircraft data associated with a subscribing aircraft. The aircraft data processing system is in operable communication with each of the aircraft data transmitters and includes a data receiver, a data transmitter, and a data processor. The data receiver receives aircraft data transmitted from each of the aircraft transmitters. The data transmitter selectively transmits actionable aircraft data to one or more of the subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users. The data processor determines which of, and when, the one or more subscribing aircraft or subscribing ground-based users should receive actionable aircraft data, generates actionable aircraft data from at least a portion of the received aircraft data, and supplies the generated actionable aircraft data to the data transmitter for transmission.

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.