# How a Drone Automatically Films a Moving Car Like a Movie Crew > 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. - **Patent:** US 11490056 - **Original title:** Drone system and method of capturing image of vehicle by drone - **Owner:** Toyota Motor - **Granted:** 2022 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 3 - **Field:** automotive, consumer_electronics, software, telecommunications, robotics, ai_ml ## What it does The patent describes a drone system that automatically captures video of a vehicle. The vehicle sends its current information, like speed, acceleration, braking, and steering data (Claim 5), to the drone. The drone's controller receives this data and uses it to predict where the vehicle will be in the future (Claim 1). The drone also stores a "scene information database" (Claim 1), which is like a pre-written movie script. This database contains a series of scenes, each specifying a desired camera position and angle relative to the vehicle, and how long that shot should last. Based on the predicted vehicle path and the movie script, the drone calculates its own flight path to achieve each relative shot (Claim 1). It then flies autonomously and adjusts its camera direction and angle to capture the video, even sending the footage back to the vehicle in real-time (Claim 6). For example, a car driving through a scenic route could have a drone automatically film it from various angles, like a side-tracking shot followed by an overhead view, all pre-programmed and executed autonomously. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover drones that are manually controlled by a human operator. - Does not cover drones that only follow a vehicle without using a pre-defined "scene information database" for specific shots. - Does not cover drones that predict a vehicle's path without receiving real-time traveling and navigation information directly from the vehicle. - Does not cover systems where the drone's camera adjustments are not based on both the stored relative positions and the live captured image. - Does not cover drones that simply record a continuous, unscripted video without calculating specific flight paths for a series of defined scenes. ## The clever bit The novelty lies in combining real-time vehicle telemetry and predicted future movement with a pre-programmed, time-series "scene information database" that defines relative camera positions and orientations. This allows the drone to dynamically adapt its flight path and camera angles to execute a complex, cinematic shot sequence even as the vehicle's actual path might vary slightly. ## Real-world examples 1. Automotive marketing videos 2. Personalized adventure travel videos 3. Off-road vehicle event documentation 4. Autonomous vehicle testing and demonstration footage ## Why it matters This technology could allow car owners or professional videographers to capture high-quality, cinematic footage of vehicles without needing a skilled drone pilot to manually track and frame every shot. It integrates advanced autonomous drone capabilities with vehicle data, potentially making professional-looking automotive videography more accessible for marketing, events, or personal use. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How a Drone Automatically Films a Moving Car Like a Movie Crew cover? 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. ### Who owns patent US 11490056? Toyota Motor owns this patent, granted in 2022. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on January 11, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 11490056 cited by? This patent has been cited by 3 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This technology could allow car owners or professional videographers to capture high-quality, cinematic footage of vehicles without needing a skilled drone pilot to manually track and frame every shot. It integrates advanced autonomous drone capabilities with vehicle data, potentially making professional-looking automotive videography more accessible for marketing, events, or personal use. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover drones that are manually controlled by a human operator. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11490056/drone-system-and-method-of-capturing-image-of-vehicle-by-drone **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US11490056 --- _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 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 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 Drones Test Their Balance While Flying](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11511890/starlink-user-terminal-dishy) — A system for drones to shift their center of gravity during flight while simultaneously measuring how that change affects their stability and performance. - [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.