Using a Smartphone to Autonomously Control a Vehicle's Direction
This patent describes a system where a smartphone, rigidly mounted to a vehicle, uses its internal sensors to track the vehicle's orientation and then autonomously sends signals to control the vehicle's movement.
Original patent title: “Vehicle control system”
This patent describes a system where a smartphone, rigidly mounted to a vehicle, uses its internal sensors to track the vehicle's orientation and then autonomously sends signals to control the vehicle's movement. Granted to Individual in 2016 with 26 claims and 14 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2033.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The system connects a smartphone to a vehicle's control electronics. A special mount holds the smartphone firmly to the vehicle (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1), ensuring that any movement the vehicle experiences is also felt by the phone. This setup allows the smartphone's internal sensors, like its accelerometer and gyroscope (Claim 17), to continuously track the vehicle's orientation in three-dimensional space. The smartphone then autonomously calculates control signals based on how the vehicle's orientation changes from a starting point (Claim 1). These signals are sent to the vehicle's directional devices, such as flight surfaces or throttles on an airframe (Claim 9), through electromechanical control devices, allowing the phone to steer the vehicle. For example, a drone could use a smartphone mounted this way to automatically maintain a level flight path.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover systems where a smartphone is used only as a remote control or display, without autonomously tracking and controlling the vehicle's orientation.
- Does not cover systems where the smartphone is not rigidly secured to the vehicle, preventing its internal sensors from accurately reflecting vehicle motion.
- Does not cover vehicles where the smartphone's internal reference frame is not substantially aligned with the vehicle's own reference frame.
- Does not cover control systems that rely on external sensors or dedicated vehicle flight controllers for primary orientation tracking, rather than the smartphone's internal sensors.
- Does not cover systems where the smartphone does not autonomously generate control signals based on continuous orientation tracking.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The real innovation is using an off-the-shelf smartphone's built-in sensors (like accelerometers and gyroscopes) and processing power to autonomously track and control a vehicle's precise 3D orientation, rather than relying on dedicated, often more expensive, custom control units.
The Patent Drawing
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
Hobbyist drones using smartphone-based flight controllers
Autonomous model airplanes
Robotics platforms integrating smartphones for navigation
DIY autonomous ground vehicles
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent explores how common smartphone technology, with its powerful processors and built-in sensors, can be repurposed for complex tasks like vehicle control. By using a smartphone as the "brain" for navigation, it could potentially reduce the cost and complexity of creating autonomous vehicles, especially for smaller or hobbyist applications. This approach leverages widely available hardware for sophisticated real-time 3D orientation control.
Filed
August 2, 2013
Granted
December 13, 2016
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies in the drone and robotics space, particularly those developing smaller, more accessible autonomous platforms, might draw inspiration from this concept. While not necessarily using this exact patent, the idea of leveraging consumer-grade hardware for sophisticated control is prevalent in the open-source drone community and companies like DJI (for integrated systems) or even educational robotics kits.
Market impact
This patent, while perhaps not directly leading to a specific product line, contributed to the broader idea of democratizing access to sophisticated vehicle control. It highlighted how readily available smartphone components could be used as a cost-effective alternative to specialized flight controllers, potentially influencing the development of more affordable and accessible autonomous systems for hobbyists and educational purposes. It conceptually lowered the barrier to entry for developing certain types of autonomous vehicles.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The system connects a smartphone to a vehicle's control electronics. A special mount holds the smartphone firmly to the vehicle (Claim 1), ensuring that any movement the vehicle experiences is also felt by the phone. This setup allows the smartphone's internal sensors, like its accelerometer and gyroscope (Claim 17), to continuously track the vehicle's orientation in three-dimensional space. The smartphone then autonomously calculates control signals based on how the vehicle's orientation changes from a starting point (Claim 1). These signals are sent to the vehicle's directional devices, such as flight surfaces or throttles on an airframe (Claim 9), through electromechanical control devices, allowing the phone to steer the vehicle. For example, a drone could use a smartphone mounted this way to automatically maintain a level flight path.
The clever bit
The real innovation is using an off-the-shelf smartphone's built-in sensors (like accelerometers and gyroscopes) and processing power to autonomously track and control a vehicle's precise 3D orientation, rather than relying on dedicated, often more expensive, custom control units.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover systems where a smartphone is used only as a remote control or display, without autonomously tracking and controlling the vehicle's orientation.
- Does not cover systems where the smartphone is not rigidly secured to the vehicle, preventing its internal sensors from accurately reflecting vehicle motion.
- Does not cover vehicles where the smartphone's internal reference frame is not substantially aligned with the vehicle's own reference frame.
- Does not cover control systems that rely on external sensors or dedicated vehicle flight controllers for primary orientation tracking, rather than the smartphone's internal sensors.
- Does not cover systems where the smartphone does not autonomously generate control signals based on continuous orientation tracking.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
23/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
17/20
Very broad protection
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
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
$120K – $384K
Midpoint $240K · 6.8 yr remaining · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
26 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Malay, B. (2016). Using a Smartphone to Autonomously Control a Vehicle's Direction (U.S. Patent No. 9,518,821). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9518821/vehicle-control-system
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 Using a Smartphone to Autonomously Control a Vehicle's Direction cover?
This patent describes a system where a smartphone, rigidly mounted to a vehicle, uses its internal sensors to track the vehicle's orientation and then autonomously sends signals to control the vehicle's movement.
Who owns patent US 9518821?
Individual owns this patent, granted in 2016.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on August 2, 2033, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 9518821 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 14 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent explores how common smartphone technology, with its powerful processors and built-in sensors, can be repurposed for complex tasks like vehicle control. By using a smartphone as the "brain" for navigation, it could potentially reduce the cost and complexity of creating autonomous vehicles, especially for smaller or hobbyist applications. This approach leverages widely available hardware for sophisticated real-time 3D orientation control.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover systems where a smartphone is used only as a remote control or display, without autonomously tracking and controlling the vehicle's orientation.
Same assignee
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