Wing Aviation LLC

X Development LLC

Aerostar International, Inc.

Loon LLC

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Siegfried Zerweckh

Sean Mullaney

Andrew Patton

David Vos

Behnam Motazed

Andre Prager

Jesse Blake

James Schmalzried

Scott Velez

Michael Rudolf Ruith

Steven James Ruther

Pritesh Chetan Mody

A buoyant aerial vehicle includes: a balloon configured to store a gas; a payload coupled to the balloon; and a propulsion unit coupled to the payload by a tether. The propulsion unit includes: a fuselage having a substantially longitudinal shape, a first end, and a second end; a primary airfoil coupled to the fuselage; a secondary airfoil coupled to the fuselage at one of the first end or the second end; and a thrust generating device disposed at one of the first end or the second end and configured to move the propulsion unit relative to the payload along a propulsion flight path. The movement of the propulsion unit imparts movement of the buoyant aerial vehicle along a vehicle flight path.

Propulsion system for a buoyant aerial vehicle

Example implementations may relate to self-deployment of operational infrastructure by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Specifically, a control system may determine operational location(s) from which a group of UAVs is to provide aerial transport services in a geographic area. For at least a first of the operational location(s), the system may cause a first UAV from the group to perform an infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight from a source location to the first operational location and (ii) installation of operational infrastructure at the first operational location by the first UAV. In turn, this may enable the first UAV to operate from the first operational location, as the first UAV can charge a battery of the first UAV using the operational infrastructure installed at the first operational location and/or can carry out item transport task(s) at location(s) that are in the vicinity of the first operational location.

Methods and systems for self-deployment of operational infrastructure by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

An example embodiment may involve flying, by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), to a geographical location, where a wireless router is at the geographical location. The example embodiment may also involve detecting, by the UAV, a wireless coverage area defined by the wireless router. The example embodiment may also involve accessing, by the UAV, the wireless coverage area using a network identifier and a password. The example embodiment may also involve establishing, by the UAV, a backhaul link to a data network. The example embodiment may also involve transmitting, by the UAV, a notification to a client device served by the wireless coverage area, where the notification indicates that the UAV is a default gateway for the wireless coverage area. The example embodiment may also involve exchanging, by the UAV, data transmissions between (i) the client device, and (ii) one or more other devices accessible via the data network.

Network capacity management

A rotor unit is disclosed. The rotor unit includes a hub and a stacked rotor blade. The hub is configured to rotate about an axis in a first rotation direction. The stacked rotor blade is rotatable about the axis and further includes a first blade element and a second blade element. The first blade element has a first leading edge and the second blade element has a second leading edge. The blade elements are arranged in a stacked configuration. A leading edge of the stacked rotor blade is formed by at least a portion of the first leading edge of the first blade element as well as at least as portion of the second leading edge of the second blade element. In some embodiments, the rotor unit is coupled to an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Fiber sheet stacked rotor design

Example implementations may relate to using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dedicated to deployment of operational infrastructure, with such deployment enabling charging of a battery of a UAV from a group of UAVs. More specifically, the group of UAVs may include at least (i) a first UAV of a first type configured to deploy operational infrastructure and (ii) a second UAV of a second type configured to carry out a task other than deployment of operational infrastructure. With this arrangement, a control system may determine an operational location at which to deploy operational infrastructure, and may cause the first UAV to deploy operational infrastructure at the operational location. Then, the control system may cause the second UAV to charge a battery of the second UAV using the operational infrastructure deployed by the first UAV at the operational location.

Methods and systems for using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dedicated to deployment of operational infrastructure

An example embodiment may involve receiving a request to provide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based wireless coverage to a particular geographical location. Possibly in response to the request, a UAV may fly to the particular geographical location. A first wireless interface of the UAV may define a wireless coverage area that covers at least part of the particular geographical location. A second wireless interface of the UAV may establish a wireless backhaul link to a data network. The UAV may provide wireless data transfer services to at least one device in the particular geographical location, where the wireless data transfer services allow the device to exchange data communication with the data network via the UAV.

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Siegfried Zerweckh