This disclosure describes a configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) that will facilitate extended flight duration. The UAV may have any number of lifting motors. For example, the UAV may include four lifting motors (also known as a quad-copter), eight lifting motors (also known as an octo-copter), etc. Likewise, to improve the efficiency of horizontal flight, the UAV also includes a pivot assembly that may rotate about an axis from a lifting position to a thrusting position. The pivot assembly may include two or more offset motors that generate a differential force that will cause the pivot assembly to rotate between the lifting position and the thrusting position without the need for any additional motors or gears.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for autonomously performing and/or facilitating drone diagnostic functions. Prior to a mission of a UAV, an inspection station comprising at least one imaging sensor and at least one directional force sensor may be used to perform a plurality of air worthiness inspections and/or maintenance checks with little to no human intervention. Once the UAV has been determined to be air worthy, it is approved for a subsequent mission.

An apparatus for use in harvesting airborne moisture includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a woven mesh, supported by the UAV, for collecting liquid droplets upon contact with a fog bank, a camera, a processor, a non-transitory, tangible computer readable memory storing software instructions executable by the processor, a fog identification engine, and a flight controller on board the UAV. The fog identification engine is executable on the processor according to the software instructions and is configurable to capture a digital image via the camera, detect an absence of features in the digital image, and identify a fog bank as a function of the absence of features in the digital image. The flight controller directs the UAV to enter a fog bank identified by the fog identification engine.

This disclosure describes an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), which includes a plurality of maneuverability propulsion mechanisms that enable the aerial vehicle to move in any of the six degrees of freedom (surge, sway, heave, pitch, yaw, and roll). The aerial vehicle may also include a lifting propulsion mechanism that operates to generate a force sufficient to maintain the aerial vehicle at an altitude.

A system that combines aerial surveying and spraying services in a single remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) popularly known as Drone, in a multirotor configuration, with electric propulsion and power system with hybrid power supply (battery and motor-generator) and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system, wherein, the equipment allows, from the coupling of a set comprising aerial survey sensors such as a high definition camera and equipment aimed at spraying activities such as pumps and nozzles, aerial surveying practices, geoprocessing and spraying of chemical substances such as pesticide, herbicide, larvicide, fungicide and fertilizer, or other liquid agricultural products using a single vehicle a vehicle is also provided that is prepared to carry out the described system being a remotely piloted aircraft intended for aerial surveying and spraying activities.

A system that combines aerial surveying and spraying services in a single remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) popularly known as Drone, in a multirotor configuration, with electric propulsion and power system with hybrid power supply (battery and motor-generator) and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system, wherein, the equipment allows, from the coupling of a set comprising aerial survey sensors such as a high definition camera and equipment aimed at spraying activities such as pumps and nozzles, aerial surveying practices, geoprocessing and spraying of chemical substances such as pesticide, herbicide, larvicide, fungicide and fertilizer, or other liquid agricultural products using a single vehicle a vehicle is also provided that is prepared to carry out the described system being a remotely piloted aircraft intended for aerial surveying and spraying activities.

A blower including: a forward end; an aft end located opposite the forward end; a shaft located at the aft end; a flange located at the forward end; an internal surface defining an axial passageway within the blower; an external surface radially outward of the internal surface; one or more radial passageway formed within the flange and fluidly connected to the axial passageway, the radial passageway extending from the internal surface to the external surface; and a plurality of blower blades located within the flange and defining the radial passageway.

UAV configurations and battery augmentation for UAV internal combustion engines, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative configuration includes a fuselage, first and second wings coupled to and pivotable relative to the fuselage, and a plurality of lift rotors carried by the fuselage. A representative battery augmentation arrangement includes a DC-powered motor, an electronic speed controller, and a genset subsystem coupled to the electronic speed controller. The genset subsystem can include a battery set, an alternator, and a motor-gen controller having a phase control circuit configurable to rectify multiphase AC output from the alternator to produce rectified DC feed to the DC-powered motor. The motor-gen controller is configurable to draw DC power from the battery set to produce the rectified DC feed.

The present invention relates to a system for remote and/or autonomous cutting at least a portion of a harvested tree trunk, at least a portion of a tree trunk to be harvested, at least a portion of a tree trunk during harvesting or at least a portion of a tree trunk during transporting, said system comprising: a remotely and/or autonomously controlled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (100), UAV, means (116) for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk attachable to said UAV (100), means for detecting at least a portion of a tree (135), means for detecting at least one tree parameter of at least a portion of a tree (135) and/or at least one growing condition of at least a portion of a tree (tree), a base station (120) for communication with said UAV (100), and means configured for selecting at least one cutting position on at least a portion of a tree trunk depending on the at least one detected tree parameter and/or the at least one detected growing condition of at least a portion of a tree (135).

Provided is an apparatus for assisting formation flight. The apparatus comprises a formation maintaining member for maintaining formation of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles in flight and having connection points formed at points corresponding to positions of each unmanned aerial vehicle on the formation, and a plurality of fastening members, in which one end is connected to the connection points of the formation maintaining member and the other end is fastened to the unmanned aerial vehicle to connect the formation maintaining member and the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, wherein a movement permitting member for permitting a posture change of the unmanned aerial vehicle within a predetermined range is formed on the other end of the plurality of fastening members.