How Drones Test Their Balance While Flying
A system for drones to shift their center of gravity during flight while simultaneously measuring how that change affects their stability and performance.
Original patent title: “Flight status inspection system, flight status inspection method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing program”
A system for drones to shift their center of gravity during flight while simultaneously measuring how that change affects their stability and performance. Granted to Honda Motor Co Ltd in 2022 with 10 claims and 1 forward citation.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a drone equipped with an internal mechanism that physically shifts its center of gravity while in the air. An external inspection system sends commands to the drone to move this center of gravity while simultaneously changing flight parameters, such as speed or direction. The drone uses onboard sensors to record how it reacts to these combined maneuvers, sending that data back to the inspection system to determine if the drone is flying within safe, acceptable limits. This allows for real-time diagnostic testing of a drone's structural and aerodynamic integrity during active flight.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover drones that lack a dedicated mechanical device for shifting their center of gravity.
- Does not cover software-only simulations of flight stability that do not involve physical movement of the drone's center of mass.
- Does not cover standard flight control systems that only adjust motor speeds without actively moving internal components to change the center of gravity.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The innovation lies in linking the physical movement of the center of gravity to the flight control system, allowing the drone to test its own stability and responsiveness under dynamic weight conditions rather than just static ones.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Industrial drones carrying variable-weight payloads
Autonomous delivery drones adjusting for shifting cargo
Research drones testing aerodynamic stability
Why it matters
The bigger picture
As drones take on more complex delivery and industrial inspection tasks, understanding how they handle shifting payloads or changing weight distributions is critical. This patent provides a framework for manufacturers like Honda to automate the 'stress testing' of a drone's flight characteristics, ensuring that a drone remains controllable even when its physical balance is intentionally altered.
Filed
February 7, 2019
Granted
November 29, 2022
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. remains the primary assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →. The technology is relevant to major aerospace and robotics firms like DJI, Skydio, and various logistics companies developing autonomous delivery platforms that must account for dynamic weight shifts.
Market impact
This patent enables more rigorous automated quality control for advanced aerial vehicles. It helps manufacturers move away from purely manual test flights by providing a standardized, repeatable method for evaluating how a drone's flight control software compensates for physical changes in its center of mass.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a drone equipped with an internal mechanism that physically shifts its center of gravity while in the air. An external inspection system sends commands to the drone to move this center of gravity while simultaneously changing flight parameters, such as speed or direction. The drone uses onboard sensors to record how it reacts to these combined maneuvers, sending that data back to the inspection system to determine if the drone is flying within safe, acceptable limits. This allows for real-time diagnostic testing of a drone's structural and aerodynamic integrity during active flight.
The clever bit
The innovation lies in linking the physical movement of the center of gravity to the flight control system, allowing the drone to test its own stability and responsiveness under dynamic weight conditions rather than just static ones.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover drones that lack a dedicated mechanical device for shifting their center of gravity.
- Does not cover software-only simulations of flight stability that do not involve physical movement of the drone's center of mass.
- Does not cover standard flight control systems that only adjust motor speeds without actively moving internal components to change the center of gravity.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
7/20
Moderate scope
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$32K – $104K
Midpoint $65K · 12.6 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
10 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
MINAGAWA, Y., Yokokawa, A., & Murakami, H. (2022). How Drones Test Their Balance While Flying (U.S. Patent No. 11,511,890). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11511890/starlink-user-terminal-dishy
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Drones Test Their Balance While Flying cover?
A system for drones to shift their center of gravity during flight while simultaneously measuring how that change affects their stability and performance.
Who owns patent US 11511890?
Honda Motor Co Ltd owns this patent, granted in 2022.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 29, 2042, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 11511890 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
As drones take on more complex delivery and industrial inspection tasks, understanding how they handle shifting payloads or changing weight distributions is critical. This patent provides a framework for manufacturers like Honda to automate the 'stress testing' of a drone's flight characteristics, ensuring that a drone remains controllable even when its physical balance is intentionally altered.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover drones that lack a dedicated mechanical device for shifting their center of gravity.
Patent monitoring