Systems and methods include UAVs that serve to assist carrier personnel by reducing the physical demands of the transportation and delivery process. A UAV generally includes a UAV chassis including an upper portion, a plurality of propulsion members configured to provide lift to the UAV chassis, and a parcel carrier configured for being selectively coupled to and removed from the UAV chassis. UAV support mechanisms are utilized to load and unload parcel carriers to the UAV chassis, and the UAV lands on and takes off from the UAV support mechanism to deliver parcels to a serviceable point. The UAV includes computing entities that interface with different systems and computing entities to send and receive various types of information.

An aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing comprises a fuselage, at least one processor carried by the fuselage and a pair of aerodynamic, lift-generating wings extending from the fuselage. A plurality of vectoring rotors are rotatably carried by the fuselage so as to be rotatable between a substantially vertical configuration relative to the fuselage for vertical take-off and landing and a substantially horizontal configuration relative to the fuselage for horizontal flight. The vectoring rotors are unsupported by the first pair of wings. The wings may be modular and removably connected to the fuselage and configured to be interchangeable with an alternate pair of wings. A cargo container may be secured to the underside of the fuselage, and the cargo container may be modular and interchangeable with an alternate cargo container.

Disclosed is an autonomous hanging storage, docking and charging multipurpose station (the UAVMCS) for unmanned aerial vehicles. The UAVMCS enables UAV to approach it, connect to it and fly into it from the bottom up. The UAVMCS is in the form of a cocoon in a closed state, and it is in the form of an umbrella in the open state. The system can be networked with a central control and a plurality of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The UAVMCS can include a base structure connected to a power grid, a station receiving assembly, a remote controller at the base structure enabled to communicate with a UAV and to initiate, control and stop docking and charging processes, a housing with covers, a positioning and stabilizing surface, and a UAV docking charging and refueling frame used for connecting to the docking housing unit. The UAVMCS can be mounted on towers, bridges, posts, electricity pylons, communication structures, buildings, and gas stations, but is not limited to them. The UAVMCS can serve as a UAV garage and as a place for storage of packages, as an outdoor lighting facility, and perform other functions.

A system to implement an aerial security network utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to provide security surveillance, suspicious activity/target detection and tracking, and deterrence actions for a protected area. The system includes one or more UAVs to capture images or videos of a protected area, a plurality of sensors to provide sensor information, one or more aerial security hubs (ASHs) to receive sensor information from the plurality of sensors, and an aerial security service to detect a suspicious activity in the protected area based on the sensor information. Upon detecting the suspicious activity by the aerial security service, one or more ASHs may instruct one or more UAVs to collect evidence of detected suspicious activity and/or perform defensive actions to deter the suspicious activity. One or more users may be notified of the suspicious activity, may receive a real-time view of the suspicious activity, and may remotely control the UAVs.

Provided herein are systems and methods for providing reliable control of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A system for providing reliable control of the UAV can include a computing device that can execute reliable and unreliable programs. The unreliable programs can be isolated from the reliable programs by virtue of executing one or more of the programs in a virtual machine client. The UAV can initiate a recovery action when one or more of the unreliable programs fail. The recovery action can be performed without input from one or more of the unreliable programs.

An aerial drone parcel delivery/transfer management system includes an aerial drone parcel delivery/transfer management server (ADPTMS) and a plurality of aerial drone landing pads (ADLPs). Each ADLP has a corresponding ADLP address with a unique ADLP identifier (e.g., a manufacturing serial number); most-recently known ADLP geolocation data (e.g., geospatial coordinates); and possibly most-recently known ADLP elevation data. The ADPTMS communicates with order management/fulfillment servers associated with online stores, which communicates with aerial drone parcel delivery/transfer services for dispatching aerial drones to particular ADLPs corresponding to particular ADLP addresses as part of online orders fulfillment. An ADLP presents a machine readable code such as a quick response (QR) code that is captured by an aerial drone and processed to verify the ADLP's identity. An ADLP can output local RF and/or optical guiding signals to aid aerial drone navigation to the ADLP.

The current invention concerns an improved system for cargo delivery through (unmanned) aerial vehicles (preferably UAVs or drones) to specifically designed home stations. Additionally, a method is described according to which the system of the invention functions.

A monitoring system, a base station, and a control method thereof are provided. The monitoring system includes a drone and a base station. The drone includes a main body and at least two leg holders extending from the main body. The base station includes a platform and a positioning mechanism. The platform has a horizontal plate, and the drone is placed on the platform. The positioning mechanism includes at least two movement members. The movement members are movably disposed on the platform and movable between a first position and a second position. When the movement members are located at the second position, the movement members hold and fix the leg holders of the drone, each of the leg holders forms an inclined angle with respect to the horizontal plate, and the inclined angle is less than 90 degrees.

Systems and methods for powering and controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle are provided. The unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in a networked communication system. A tether management system can be used to facilitate both mobile and static tethered operation to provide power and/or voice and data communication.

Systems, apparatuses and methods for landing an unmanned aircraft on a mobile structure are presented. Sensors on the aircraft identify a predetermined landing area on a mobile structure. The aircraft monitors the sensor data to maintain its position hovering over the landing area. The aircraft estimates a future attitude of the surface of the landing area and determines a landing time that corresponds to a desired attitude of the surface of the landing area. The unmanned aircraft executes a landing maneuver to bring the aircraft into contact with the surface of the landing area at the determined landing time.