{
  "patent_number": "US 11858662",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Delivery Drones Self-Calibrate and Pass Safety Checks Before Takeoff",
  "original_title": "Autonomous drone diagnosis",
  "summary": "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.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes an automated inspection station designed to live on a delivery vehicle (like a truck). Before a drone takes off, the station runs a series of diagnostic tests to ensure the drone is airworthy. It checks the drone's GPS accuracy by comparing the drone's reported location against the vehicle's known location, and it can automatically send correction data to the drone if the sensors are misaligned. The station also uses cameras to inspect propellers for damage, heat sensors to check battery safety, and force sensors to ensure the drone and its parcel are within safe weight limits.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover drones that perform diagnostic checks while in flight.",
    "Does not cover manual inspection methods performed by human technicians.",
    "Does not cover inspection stations that are not physically coupled to a deployment vehicle.",
    "Does not cover software-only diagnostic systems that lack the specified physical sensors like directional-force or optical cameras."
  ],
  "filed": "2021-11-10",
  "granted": "2024-01-02",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "United Parcel Service of America Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/united-parcel-service-of-america-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Julio Gil",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/julio-gil"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 9,
  "tags": [
    "aerospace",
    "consumer_electronics",
    "automotive"
  ],
  "abstract": "Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for autonomously performing and/or facilitating drone diagnostic functions. Prior to a mission of a UAV, an inspection station comprising at least one imaging sensor and at least one directional force sensor may be used to perform a plurality of air worthiness inspections and/or maintenance checks with little to no human intervention. Once the UAV has been determined to be air worthy, it is approved for a subsequent mission.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11858662/starlink-aviation",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11858662/starlink-aviation/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11858662",
  "relatedPatents": []
}