Drone system with distributed basing

Abstract

A system for basing drones is described. A network of geographically diverse hangars provides storage and charging locations as well as backhaul communications infrastructure and video monitoring. As drones are needed, a central command point tasks an available drone, which may or may not already be located in proximity to a target. If additional drones are needed, drones can be flown to the area of interest and continuous coverage provided by charging drones while an active drone is conducting the mission, then rotating charged drones into the active mission. Structures for the hangars, the overall system, and methods of operation are described.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system of two or more drone hangars and one or more drones, including at least one drone that is housed in the hangar, each said hangar including a communication link to a central facility and a communication link to one or more of said drones. 
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of said hangars is mounted on an elevated structure substantially above surrounding terrain. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of said hangars includes a surveillance camera for monitoring operation of a drone. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of said hangars connects to fixed public infrastructure for power. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of said hangars connects to a public high bandwidth infrastructure service for communications to a central control location. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of said hangars connects to the wired public switched network for communications to a central control location. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of said hangars communicates with a central control location using a dedicated network. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said drones are in radio communication with said hangar. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein said hangar comprises at least one antenna. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein said radio communication is by mm wave radio. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein said radio communication is by Wi-Fi. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein said radio communication is by cellular radio. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said drones are equipped with one or more sensors comprising an infrared imager, a video camera, radar, lidar, an acoustic sensor 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more sensors of said drones are configured to collect information while docked within one or more of said hangars. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein said video camera is configured to send real time video data to one or more of said hangars. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said drones form a mesh network. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein said mesh network includes one or more hangars. 
     
     
         18 . A drone hangar comprising a retractable cover, a mating surface, and a battery charger, wherein said mating surface is tapered so that it is narrower at the top than at the bottom; said surface corresponding to a central area of an aerial drone. 
     
     
         19 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said mating surface includes charging contacts. 
     
     
         20 . The hangar of  claim 19 , wherein said charging contacts are strip contacts. 
     
     
         21 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said mating surface includes a shelf that receives a corresponding surface of an aerial drone. 
     
     
         22 . The hangar of  claim 21 , wherein said shelf comprises a plurality of horizontally projecting tabs. 
     
     
         23 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said battery charger is an inductive charger. 
     
     
         24 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said retractable cover has a spherical upper surface. 
     
     
         25 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein the elements of said retractable cover are oriented in a vertical position when open. 
     
     
         26 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein when said retractable cover is open, the structure presents at least 50% open area to downward airflow through the hangar. 
     
     
         27 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein when said retractable cover is open, the cross sectional profile of the hangar to downward airflow is tapered so turbulence is reduced. 
     
     
         28 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said hangar is mounted on a light pole. 
     
     
         29 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said hangar is mounted on a vehicle. 
     
     
         30 . The hangar of  claim 18 , wherein said hangar is mounted on a roof or an elevated platform. 
     
     
         31 . A system of distributed hangars comprising:
 A plurality of hangars, one or more of which house an aerial drone; and   A central control point connected to said plurality of hangars by a communications network;   Wherein one or more of said plurality of hangars are distributed so that said aerial drones can roam from one hangar to another such that at least 10% of said drone's endurance is available for a mission when roaming from a first hangar location to a second hangar location.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein at least one of said plurality of hangars is equipped with a video camera for monitoring the flight of an aerial drone from said central control point. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein at least one of said plurality of hangars has a retractable cover. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein one of said drones communicates with one of said hangars using a millimeter wave radio when deployed. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein one or more of said plurality of hangars have at least 50% open area when viewed vertically through said hangars when one of said aerial drones is landing. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 31 , further comprising a plurality of simplified hangars for charging drones. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein one of said simplified hangars is located within the video field of view of said video camera. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein two or more simplified hangars are located within the video field of view of said video camera. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein two or more of said plurality of simplified hangars are located on a mobile vehicle. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein one or more of said plurality of hangars is equipped with inductive charging. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein one or more of said plurality of hangars is equipped with direct contact charging points.