Patent ID: 9596617
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: B64C,H04W

Claim:
1. A method performed at a cell site with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communicatively coupled to a controller to perform a cell site audit, without requiring a tower climb at the cell site, the method comprising: causing the UAV to fly substantially vertically up to cell site components using the controller, wherein flight of the UAV is constrained in a three-dimensional rectangle at the cell site, wherein the three-dimensional rectangle is defined about a cell tower, and wherein the UAV is flown by a single operator without a license based on the three-dimensional rectangle constrained flight; collecting data associated with the cell site components and the surrounding airspace and environment using the UAV; transmitting and/or storing the collected data; and processing the collected data to obtain information for the cell site audit, wherein the processing comprises determining a down tilt angle of one or more antennas of the cell site components based on measuring three points comprising two defined by each antenna and one by an associated support bar using the UAV, plumb of the cell tower and/or the one or more antennas, azimuth of the one or more antennas using a location determining device of the UAV, dimensions of the cell site components, equipment type and serial number of the cell site components, connections between the cell site components, a status of a lighting rod and warning light on the cell tower, and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates, for the cell site audit.