FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus for the remote control of aircraft flight .

In the context of the present invention, an aircraft is primarily understood to be a drone, i . e. an aircraft without a pilot on board.

However, the present invention can also be applied to aircraft such as aeroplanes or helicopters, provided that the latter mount the relevant components of the invention on board.

PRIOR ART

It is well known that drones are currently flown either in a mode where the pilot is in visual contact with the drone itself, or if regulations permit, over distances of a few kilometres at most.

This distance can be extended to a maximum of 100 km if a satellite data link is used.

One purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for remote flight control of drones that allows the range of command transmission to drones to be extended far beyond what is currently possible .

A further purpose of the invention is to extend the range of data and image transmission from drones .

Another purpose of the invention is to increase the flight safety of drones and other aircraft . A further purpose of the present invention is to achieve the above results in a simple and cost-effective manner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention achieves the above-described purposes by means of an apparatus for remotely controlling the flight of aircraft, wherein said apparatus comprises a first wireless transceiver module placed on board the aircraft and a second wireless transceiver module placed on the ground, wherein the first wireless transceiver module comprises at least one processor, at least one memory unit, a GPS module and/or a solid state inertial navigation system, a module housing a plurality of eSIMs and a transponder, wherein the first and second transceiver modules are connected to each other by means of a plurality of wireless transceiver channels, wherein a first transceiver channel is dedicated to flight data transmission, a second transceiver channel is dedicated to remote control of the aircraft and a third transceiver channel is dedicated to image transmission, and wherein said transceiver channels operate according to 5G network technology.

An advantage of such a realisation is that using eSIMs and 5G transmission technology results in a data rate of up to 1.8 Gigabps, whereas a transmission over direct satellite channels only reaches 200 kbps .

In addition, the use of multiple eSIMs allows the transmission channels to be differentiated so as to increase the redundancy of the system, which is beneficial in terms of flight safety.

Further features of the invention can be deduced from the dependent claims .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in the light of the detailed description that follows with the aid of the accompanying drawing plates :

- Figure 1 schematically illustrates the main components of the apparatus for the remote flight control of aircraft, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

- Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example of the operation of apparatus for the remote control of aircraft flight, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SCME FORMS OF EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The invention will now be described with initial reference to Figure 1, which schematically illustrates the main components of the apparatus for the remote flight control of aircraft 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention, collectively referred to by THA numerical reference 10.

The apparatus 10 comprises a first wireless transceiver module 20 placed on board the aircraft 100 to be controlled and a second wireless transceiver module 30 placed on the ground.

The first wireless transceiver module 20 comprises at least one processor 40 and at least one memory unit 95, a GPS module 50, a module 60 housing a plurality of eSIMs, a video camera 75 and a transponder 70.

A solid-state inertial navigation system 85 can also be provided in the first wireless transceiver module 20, which functions even in the event of a GPS 50 malfunction, since the positioning defined by the solid- state inertial navigation system 85 can be used in the absence of a GPS signal .

The solid-state inertial navigation system 85 can also be used in conjunction with GPS to increase the redundancy of the overall system. In particular, the module 60 housing a plurality of eSIMs may comprise at least three eSIMs, such that the first and second transceiver modules are connected to each other by at least three wireless communication or transceiver channels 61, 63, 65.

A first transceiver channel 61 is dedicated to the transmission of flight data using the eSIMl 62, a second transceiver channel 63 is dedicated to the remote control of the aircraft 100 using the eSIM2 64 and a third transceiver channel 65 is dedicated to the transmission of images using the eSIM3 66.

According to an embodiment of the invention, such transmission channels operate with 5G network technology with data rates of up to 1.8 Gigabps . Indeed, it is known that very fast data transmission is possible by transmitting/ receiving data using a 5G communication network.

The apparatus 10 can include an additional communication channel for data transmission via satellite 400, the communication of which can take place via the MAVLINK 80 protocol .

Module 20 further comprises a power supply module 90 equipped with micro- USB socket 92, an input/output channel 22 and an antenna 24.

Finally, module 20 includes an LED 26 to indicate an ON/OFF operating state, an LED 27 indicating a pre-alarm state, and an LED 28 indicating an alarm state .

As indicated above, the second wireless transceiver module 30 of the apparatus 10 for remote flight control of aircraft of the invention is generally placed on the ground and comprises a control console 32 to which is associated a monitor 34 for receiving images from the controlled aircraft 100 and a plurality of antennas 36 configured to operate with 5G technology.

In this way, it is possible to control the aircraft 100 remotely, even at great distances of the order of 1, 000 km, and even further.

In order to increase the redundancy of apparatus 10, it is possible to use data transmitted via 5G from transponder 70, e . g. the identifier and altitude of aircraft 100.

Alternatively, it is possible to assign missions to the drone that can be performed without remote control .

In this regard, consider Figure 2, which schematically illustrates an example of the operation of the apparatus for the remote flight control of aircraft 100 of the invention.

In particular, the memory of the first wireless transceiver module 20 may contain map data showing obstacles that may pose a danger to flight . These maps can be downloaded wirelessly from a remote server 200 via a 5G connection.

In particular, the WITP maps, as stated in Italian patent application 102020000024013, show the position of telephone and/or power line cables or antennas located in the terrain in such a way that a visual and/or acoustic alarm can be generated if the aircraft is close to or on a collision course with such obstacles, or the aircraft' s course can be automatically changed.

To increase safety, the data from transponder 70 on board aircraft 100, e . g. the identification and altitude of aircraft 100, and transmitted via 5G can be used for further coirparison with the altitude of obstacles marked on maps .

Furthermore, it is possible to equip the first wireless transceiver module 20 with software that allows connection to one or more remote servers 300 capable of processing all the navigation data of all the aircraft present in a volume of space close to the aircraft equipped with the apparatus 10 in order to monitor the air traffic of interest to that aircraft 100 and avoid collisions with other aircraft by applying a proprietary anti-collision algorithm , as indicated in Italian patent application 102017000121411.

Specifically, the aforementioned 300 servers are capable of relaying this data, via 5G, to the transceiver module 20 on board the controlled 100 aircraft .

In the event that one or more aircraft are close to or on a collision course with the controlled aircraft 100, a visual and/or acoustic alarm can be generated.

The servers 200 containing maps showing obstacles that may pose a danger to the flight and the servers 300 monitoring air traffic may also be able to transmit the relevant information to a corresponding transceiver module 20 ' placed on board of an aircraft 100 ' with a pilot, such as the helicopter 100 ' in figure 2. Of course, modifications or improvements may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed below.