# How a Boat Guides Air and Underwater Drones for Data Collection > 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. - **Patent:** US 10317904 - **Original title:** Underwater leading drone system - **Owner:** Pinnacle Vista - **Granted:** 2019 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 1 - **Field:** robotics, marine, telecommunications, software, consumer_electronics ## What it does The system uses a "base station" which is a watercraft following a "pre-determined path of travel" (Claim 1). An "unmanned aerial drone" receives this path information and "autonomously calculate[s] an aerial drone path that directly correlates" with the base station's route (Claim 1). This aerial drone travels at a "fixed distance" from the watercraft (Claim 1) and collects data from the air. Crucially, a "submersed drone" is "physically tethered" to the aerial drone (Claim 1), allowing it to traverse underwater and collect data. The submersed drone sends its data to the aerial drone, which then combines both aerial and underwater sensor data into "target location data" (Claim 1). For example, a research ship could map a coral reef by sending an aerial drone ahead, which then lowers a camera-equipped underwater drone to capture images of the reef while the ship follows safely behind. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover systems where the base station is not a watercraft, such as a land vehicle or an aircraft. - Does not cover systems where the aerial drone does not maintain a "fixed distance" from the base station during travel. - Does not cover systems where the submersed drone is not "physically tethered" to the aerial drone. - Does not cover systems where the aerial drone's path does not "directly correlate" with the base station's pre-determined path. - Does not cover systems where the aerial drone simply follows the base station, rather than leading it. ## The clever bit The novelty lies in the specific coordinated movement: a watercraft guides an aerial drone that *leads* it at a fixed distance, and that aerial drone *tows* a submersed drone. This setup allows for simultaneous, multi-domain data collection (air and underwater) with the leading drones anticipating the base station's movement, rather than merely following. ## Real-world examples 1. Oceanographic survey missions 2. Marine habitat mapping 3. Underwater pipeline inspection 4. Search and rescue operations in coastal areas 5. Environmental monitoring of water bodies ## Why it matters This patent addresses the challenge of efficiently collecting comprehensive environmental data in marine environments, combining both aerial and underwater perspectives. By coordinating a watercraft with leading air and submersed drones, it allows for simultaneous data collection across different mediums, which can be critical for tasks like oceanographic research, marine biology studies, or infrastructure inspection. The coordinated movement aims to streamline operations and improve data accuracy by maintaining relative positions. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How a Boat Guides Air and Underwater Drones for Data Collection cover? 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. ### Who owns patent US 10317904? Pinnacle Vista owns this patent, granted in 2019. ### 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 10317904 cited by? This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent addresses the challenge of efficiently collecting comprehensive environmental data in marine environments, combining both aerial and underwater perspectives. By coordinating a watercraft with leading air and submersed drones, it allows for simultaneous data collection across different mediums, which can be critical for tasks like oceanographic research, marine biology studies, or infrastructure inspection. The coordinated movement aims to streamline operations and improve data accuracy by maintaining relative positions. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover systems where the base station is not a watercraft, such as a land vehicle or an aircraft. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10317904/underwater-leading-drone-system **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US10317904 --- _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 Drone Can Fly Ahead of a Moving Vehicle](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10133281/leading-drone-system) — 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. - [How One Person Can Control Two Robots as a Team](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11794345/unified-robotic-vehicle-systems-and-methods-of-control) — This patent describes a system where a single operator can control two separate robots together as one unified machine, or switch to control them individually, using a master control system. - [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 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.