Joby Aviation has patented a unified command system for aircraft, allowing seamless transition between forward flight, hover, and ground operations. The system includes an input mechanism and a flight processor translating inputs into control outputs, enabling precise control over pitch, roll, yaw, and airspeed. GlobalData’s report on Joby Aviation gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Joby Aviation, Photovoltaic drones was a key innovation area identified from patents. Joby Aviation's grant share as of April 2024 was 41%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Aircraft control system with unified command mechanism
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11940816B2) discloses a control system for aircraft that can be configured between a forward configuration, a hover configuration, and ground operations. The system includes an input mechanism that can be moved along different axes to control various parameters such as pitch rate, flight path, vertical rate, braking motion, roll rate, lateral translational rate, sideslip response, yaw, steering, airspeed rate, and speed. A processor is configured to provide control outputs based on the inputs received along each axis, with the control output determined using a lookup table for each configuration mode.
Additionally, the system includes a geo-brake input mechanism to control the deceleration of the aircraft to zero-velocity relative to the ground in the hover configuration. The input mechanism can also receive inputs for yaw response in the hover configuration, with the processor providing further outputs based on these inputs. The patent also covers a method for controlling the aircraft using the described system, as well as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for the control system to perform the operations outlined in the patent claims, including controlling pitch rate, flight path, vertical rate, braking motion, roll rate, lateral translational rate, sideslip response, yaw, steering, airspeed rate, longitudinal translational rate, acceleration rate, and speed based on inputs received along different axes.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
