Patent ID: 11881116
Assignee: AURORA FLIGHT SCIENCES CORPORATION
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 16:
17. A communication system for use in operating a plurality of aerial vehicles including a first aerial vehicle in an environment, the communication system comprising:
a first command module on board the first aerial vehicle configured to:
receive, at the first command module, sensor data from one or more sensors comprising a forward-facing optical sensor and a rear-facing optical sensor on board the first aerial vehicle, wherein the sensor data reflects one or more characteristics of the environment, and wherein at least one of the forward-facing optical sensor or rear-facing optical sensor comprises a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor;
receive additional sensor data from one or more additional sensors on board a second aerial vehicle that are different from the one or more sensors, wherein the additional sensor data reflects information about a position of the first aerial vehicle such that the second aerial vehicle can track the position of the first aerial vehicle;
determine a change from a predetermined formation to a different formation for the second aerial vehicle based at least in part on sensor data and the additional sensor data, wherein the predetermined formation and the different formation are relative to the first aerial vehicle, and wherein the sensor data reflects one or more characteristics of the environment,
generate control signals reflecting the change from the predetermined formation to the different formation, and
send the control signals from the first aerial vehicle to a second command module of the second aerial vehicle; and

the second command module, wherein the second command module is configured to:
receive the control signals,
maneuver the second aerial vehicle to navigate along a flight path,
track the position of the first aerial vehicle to yield a tracked position,
maneuver the second aerial vehicle to follow the first aerial vehicle based on the control signals and the tracked position of the first aerial vehicle,
receive zone data that indicates one or more zones, wherein the zone data includes a time component reflecting a validity period or an expiration time, and
maneuver the second aerial vehicle to enter the one or more zones based at least in part on the zone data.