A pipeline in a controller may be configured to interface between sensors and actuators. The pipeline may elements such as drivers, filters, a combine, estimators, controllers, a mixer, and actuator controllers. The drivers may receive sensor data and pre-process the received sensor data. The filters may filter the pre-processed sensor data to generate filtered sensor data. The combine may package the filtered sensor data to generate packaged sensor data. The estimators may determine estimates of a position of a vehicle based on the packaged sensor data. The controllers may generate control signals based on the determined estimates. The mixer may modify the generated control signals based on limitations of the vehicle. The actuator controllers may generate actuator control signals based on the modified control signals to drive the actuators.

Example embodiment provides an aircraft with improved agility. The aircraft includes a main body, at least two wing assemblies, at least two motors, and a controller. The wing assemblies are attached to the main body. Each motor tilts one wing assembly with a tilting angle. The controller is connected with the motors for controlling the tilting angle of the wing assembly. Each wing assembly further includes a wing, a power plant, and a propeller that is driven by the power plant for providing propulsion. Each wing assembly tilts with an individual tilting angle, so that the aircraft can fly with improved agility. The power plants and propellers on the wings can each be controlled independently in synchronism with the tilting wings.

Example embodiment provides an aircraft with improved agility. The aircraft includes a main body, at least two wing assemblies, at least two motors, and a controller. The wing assemblies are attached to the main body. Each motor tilts one wing assembly with a tilting angle. The controller is connected with the motors for controlling the tilting angle of the wing assembly. Each wing assembly further includes a wing, a power plant, and a propeller that is driven by the power plant for providing propulsion. Each wing assembly tilts with an individual tilting angle, so that the aircraft can fly with improved agility. The power plants and propellers on the wings can each be controlled independently in synchronism with the tilting wings.

A tethered unmanned aerial vehicle firefighting system includes a firefighting drone, a lifting drone and a tether line coupling the firefighting drone to a control station through the lifting drone. The control station includes a control unit for controlling the firefighting drone and the lifting drone, a fire retardant supply, a pump coupled to the fire retardant supply, and a power supply. The tether line includes a power line coupling the power source to and powering the firefighting drone and a fire retardant hose coupled between the pump and a nozzle carried by the firefighting drone. A lifting tower hold the tether from the control station at a height above ground level, and the lifting drone maintains the tether above obstruction for the firefighter drone. The firefighter drone disperses fire retardant from the nozzle for firefighting purposes and with a substantially unlimited supply of retardant and power.

An aerial vehicle docking system includes a landing pad and an aerial vehicle. The landing pad has a concave landing surface and a depression. The aerial vehicle has landing gear and a protrusion. The protrusion is shaped to mate with the depression. The protrusion and the landing gear are positioned on a bottom surface of the aerial vehicle.

A wide area sensor system includes an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight, a state detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane, the state detection sensor being driven to detect a state of a detection target, and an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane and driving of the state detection sensor. The external control apparatus performs high speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the airplane mode. The control apparatus performs low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the VTOL mode.

According to this invention, an aerial vehicle can be provided that reduces the effect of wind in a given direction striking its frame during flight of the aerial vehicle, thereby improving fuel consumption and stability. The aerial vehicle of this invention is equipped with a flight part including a frame to which a plurality of rotor blades including at least a propeller and a motor are connected, wherein the frame includes a right frame and a left frame extending side by side in the front-rear direction of the aerial vehicle, and at least one of the right frame and the left frame has a substantially wing-shaped portion with a leading edge located outside the aerial vehicle and a trailing edge located inside the aerial vehicle relative to a vertical center line in the frame. The substantially wing-shaped shape is a symmetrical wing shape.

According to this invention, an aerial vehicle can be provided that reduces the effect of wind in a given direction striking its frame during flight of the aerial vehicle, thereby improving fuel consumption and stability. The aerial vehicle of this invention is equipped with a flight part including a frame to which a plurality of rotor blades including at least a propeller and a motor are connected, wherein the frame includes a right frame and a left frame extending side by side in the front-rear direction of the aerial vehicle, and at least one of the right frame and the left frame has a substantially wing-shaped portion with a leading edge located outside the aerial vehicle and a trailing edge located inside the aerial vehicle relative to a vertical center line in the frame. The substantially wing-shaped shape is a symmetrical wing shape.

A system is provided which can achieve reliability of a notification about a moving manner of a work machine for a worker regardless of the distance between the work machine and the worker. A sign image M is projected onto a peripheral region of the worker (for example, a ground surface which is present in the vicinity of the worker to the extent that the worker is capable of visually recognizing the sign image M) by an unmanned aircraft 60. The sign image M is an image which represents a moving manner of a work machine 40. Thus, regardless of the distance between the work machine 40 and the worker, reliability of a notification about the moving manner of the work machine 40 for the worker is achieved compared to a case where the sign image M is projected onto an irrelevant place to the position of the worker.

Heating a battery and cooling an electric power conversion device are achieved together. This mobile body includes an electric motor, a battery, a thermoelectric conversion element, an electric power conversion device, and a controller. The electric motor is a driving source. The electric power conversion device is configured to convert electric power outputted from the battery into driving electric power for the electric motor. The electric power conversion device is disposed in direct contact or in indirect contact with the battery with the thermoelectric conversion element interposed therebetween. The controller is configured to control electric power to be supplied to the thermoelectric conversion element. The controller controls, in a case where the battery is in a predetermined low-temperature state, the electric power to be supplied to the thermoelectric conversion element to cause a surface of the thermoelectric conversion element coupled to the battery to serve as a heat dissipation surface.