# How a Drone Can Fly Ahead of a Moving Vehicle > This patent describes a system where a drone flies a non-linear path, deliberately spaced from a moving ground or water vehicle, using the vehicle's future path information to stay ahead or in a specific relative position. - **Patent:** US 10133281 - **Original title:** Leading drone system - **Owner:** Pinnacle Vista - **Granted:** 2018 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 2 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, software, automotive, telecommunications, robotics, aerospace ## What it does This system involves a 'leading drone' that flies a non-linear path relative to a 'base station' which is a vehicle moving on the ground or water. The base station automatically sends its planned non-linear route and future location to the drone (Claim 1). The drone then calculates and follows its own non-linear path, maintaining a deliberate distance from the base station in real-time (Claim 1). For example, the drone might fly ahead of the base station, reaching a future location while the base station is still lagging behind (Claim 2). The drone can also collect sensor data, like with a directional radar, and update geographical maps as it flies (Claims 8, 10, 15). ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover systems where the base station is an airborne vehicle; it must be on the ground or water surface (Claim 1). - Does not cover scenarios where the base station or the drone follows a straight-line path; both paths must be non-linear (Claim 1). - Does not cover a drone that flies directly above the base station's path; its path must be parallel but not directly 'attitudinally above' (Claim 5). - Does not cover a base station that manually provides its path information; it must automatically send this data (Claim 1). - Does not cover drones that simply follow the base station without maintaining a deliberate, pre-calculated spacing along a relative path. ## The clever bit The core innovation is the drone's ability to anticipate and proactively position itself relative to a moving base station by using the base station's *future* path information, rather than simply reacting to its current position or passively following it. ## Real-world examples 1. Autonomous agricultural vehicles using drones for crop scouting ahead of planting or harvesting. 2. Self-driving cars or trucks with accompanying drones for advanced road condition scanning. 3. Autonomous marine vessels deploying drones for ahead-of-ship navigation or environmental surveys. 4. Security patrols using ground robots with leading drones for perimeter surveillance. ## Why it matters This technology is important for applications where a drone needs to scout ahead or perform tasks in advance of a slower-moving vehicle. It allows for proactive data collection or mission execution, rather than reactive following. This could be useful in fields like surveying, security, or environmental monitoring, enabling more efficient operations. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How a Drone Can Fly Ahead of a Moving Vehicle cover? This patent describes a system where a drone flies a non-linear path, deliberately spaced from a moving ground or water vehicle, using the vehicle's future path information to stay ahead or in a specific relative position. ### Who owns patent US 10133281? Pinnacle Vista owns this patent, granted in 2018. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on May 5, 2037, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 10133281 cited by? This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This technology is important for applications where a drone needs to scout ahead or perform tasks in advance of a slower-moving vehicle. It allows for proactive data collection or mission execution, rather than reactive following. This could be useful in fields like surveying, security, or environmental monitoring, enabling more efficient operations. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover systems where the base station is an airborne vehicle; it must be on the ground or water surface (Claim 1). **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10133281/leading-drone-system **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US10133281 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How a Drone Flies Ahead of a Moving Ground or Water Vehicle](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20180321681/leading-drone-method) — This patent describes a method where an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flies ahead of a mobile base station, like a boat or ground vehicle, by predicting the base station's future path and scouting the area in advance. - [How a Boat Guides Air and Underwater Drones for Data Collection](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10317904/underwater-leading-drone-system) — This patent describes a system where a watercraft follows a planned route, guiding an aerial drone that stays a fixed distance ahead, which in turn tows a tethered underwater drone to collect combined air and sea data. - [How a Drone Automatically Films a Moving Car Like a Movie Crew](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11490056/drone-system-and-method-of-capturing-image-of-vehicle-by-drone) — This patent describes a system where a drone automatically films a moving vehicle by receiving real-time vehicle data, predicting its future path, and then flying a pre-planned "movie script" of camera shots relative to the car. - [How Delivery Drones Self-Calibrate and Pass Safety Checks Before Takeoff](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11858662/starlink-aviation) — A system for automated drone maintenance stations that check if a drone is safe to fly by verifying its GPS, weight, and physical condition without human help. - [How Autonomous Air Taxis Use Hand Gestures and 3D Mapping](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11513606/universal-control) — A system for operating air taxis that uses hand gestures for control and crowd-sourced 3D mapping to navigate urban environments.