KDDI and Terra Drone have announced completion of inventing “4G LTE control system”, the system allows operators to control drones via LTE network. This system also helps drone businesses by managing the information on each drone and operator and providing detailed flight logs of each flight.
Flight plans will be created via the system by setting altitude of each optional flight point and flight forms between the points on an online map. During the flight, control instructions based on the flight plan are transmitted to a drone through LTE network.
Automatic flights following set flight plans are not the only things this system can do. This system allows operators to watch real-time flights images through “Live View Area” in order to control drones remotely by sight. This system also can grasp electromagnetic wave conditions and go off alarm when a drone is in a low electric field. This allows the drone to respond to a sudden changes of a flight route and a forced return in case of emergency. Furthermore, through this system operators can monitor and control images taken by the drone and communication of the survey data.
▼ Image of flight plan creation
▲Image of real-time flight control
By setting up a hypothetical cage, a 3D area in which a drone can flight, prior to the flight, the drone automatically goes back within the area even if they are forced out of the zone by rain, wind or a technical trouble of the drone.
Terra drone developed and has started to use “Terra UTM”, its unique operation control system, and now is planning to promote international standardization of the system with UNIFLY, the world-class leading company in the UTM industry. As to the invention of “4G LTE control system”, Terra drone utilized KDDI’s 4G LTE network, its base stations and the core system of Terra UTM.
This 4G LTE control system is the first phase of development on “Smart Drone Platform”, the project that Terra Drone announced last December. Since this April, Terra Drone and KDDI have conducted demonstration experiment of utilisation of the system as a solution to infrastructure inspection.
