Apple is working on a high-tech modem for drones according to patent filing

According to a filing with the US Patent & Trademark Office, Apple is working on a high-tech modem for drones, officially called the “EU Modem for Drones with Flight Path and 3D Wireless Environment Signal Quality Information.”

Apple is working on a high-tech modem for drones according to filing

Back in 2016, apple was 据报道 using drones to help improve the accuracy of the Apple Maps feature we find on the iPhones and iPad. in 2020, Bloomberg reported that Apple had hired Lisa Ellman, a partner at Hogan Lovells to help shape drone legislation. Ellman leads the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) practice at the law firm.

The Apple patent’s filing, number 20200413267, for the modem for drones lists 6 inventors, none of which seem to be directly connected to the computer giant, says Patently Apple. At the time of publishing this article, none of the images were visible in the filing.

The abstract of Apple’s patent filing reads:

Systems and methods of controlling drones are disclosed. Computation and control of beam direction and frequency is dependent on drone characteristics including three-dimensional location, orientation, and flight plan, with messages exchanged between the drone processor and modem dependent on which entity is performing the computation and control. Communications with the serving cell use a directional antenna and cell selection using an omni-directional antenna. MDT measurement and reporting and IDC measurement uses the drone characteristics and battery life.

DroneXL’s take

It is exciting to think that Apple might be working on 无人机技术 and bring a consumer drone to the market, however, we doubt that that will happen, and this particular filing does not support that idea. We have seen many companies, including 大疆创新, 亚马逊, 沃尔玛 file for drone-related patents in the past. mostly these filings are made to protect ideas and they do not always indicate that a certain product will actually be brought to market.

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Photo credit: The Apple Drone concept by “Mighty Things Co.“