An unmanned aerial vehicle system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle, a tether assembly selectively coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle, a processor, and a memory. The memory contains instructions thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to disconnect the tether assembly from the unmanned aerial vehicle.

An unmanned aerial vehicle system includes a tether assembly, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a processor, and a memory. The unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a housing and a slider plate supported by the housing. The memory containing instructions thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to move the slider plate relative to the housing to selectively decouple the tether assembly from the housing.

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.

A method for controlling an aerial vehicle of a specific type, in particular a multirotor VTOL aerial vehicle with preferably electrically driven rotors, in which a) before a flight, a finite number of nominal trajectories (NT) for the aerial vehicle and a finite number of emergency trajectories (CT) arranged around the nominal trajectories (NT) are calculated and stored in a database available on board the aerial vehicle; b) before a flight, a finite number of type-specific admissible flying maneuvers of the aerial vehicle are pre-planned and stored in the database as a maneuver library; c) optionally before a flight, a number of discrete flight levels with different flight altitudes are defined and stored in the database; d) during a flight, the database is accessed by a computer-aided transition planning algorithm, in order, depending on a state of the aerial vehicle recorded by sensors, to change between the nominal trajectories (NT) and the emergency trajectories (CT) and also optionally between the defined flight levels by using the pre-planned flying maneuvers and to correspondingly activate a path-tracking controller and/or a flight control system of the aerial vehicle.

A docking system for drones and a method for operating the same include: a seat part configured to land a drone thereon; a wire provided on the seat part and configured to allow the landing drone to be hung on the wire so that the drone may land on the seat part; and tension adjusters configured to adjust tension of the wire so as to allow the drone to land at a target position of the seat part when the drone is hung on the wire.

A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle within a flight operating space. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes one or more sensor arrays on each spar. The method includes determining, using a plurality of sensor arrays, a flight path for the unmanned aerial vehicle. The method also includes receiving, by at least one sensor array of the plurality of sensor arrays, sensor data identifying at least one object in the operating space. The sensor data is transmitted over a communications bus connecting components of the UAV. The method further includes determining, by one or more processors onboard the unmanned aerial vehicle, a flight path around the at least one object. The method also includes generating, by the one or more onboard processors, a first signal to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate within the operating space around the at least one object.

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 unmanned aerial vehicle system includes a ground station, a tether assembly coupled to the ground station, and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle having a quick release mechanism selectively coupled to the tether assembly to restrain movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The quick release mechanism is electrically actuatable to decouple the tether assembly from the unmanned aerial vehicle for enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly freely.

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.

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft includes an airframe having first and second wings with first and second pylons extending therebetween. The first and second wings each having first and second outboard nacelle stations. A two-dimensional distributed thrust array is attached to the airframe. The thrust array including a plurality of outboard propulsion assemblies coupled to the first and second outboard nacelle stations of the first and second wings. A flight control system is coupled to the airframe and is operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies. A cargo hook module is coupled to the airframe. The cargo hook module is operable for external load operations.