Would Prevent An Unauthorized Person From Taking Control Of One Of Its Drones

The most recent drone patent filed by Amazon would prevent an unauthorized person from taking control of one of its delivery drones as whey work towards FAA approval of such a delivery program.

Drone DJ reports that the company is concerned that a drone could be hijacked by a person taking control of the communication system using a remote controller. "Such attacks could cause the UAVs to operate unsafely and could also result in considerable financial loss for their operators," the patent application states.

The patent would implement a "heartbeat" signal into the company's drone fleet. The signal would be sent by the controlling transmitter every few seconds. If that signal is interrupted, the drone would be placed in a "safety" mode. "In the safety mode, the UAV performs one or more pre-programmed actions designed to reestablish communication with the controller, regain control over the UAV in the event of a hostile takeover, and/or land the UAV at a safe location," the patent application states.

The patent is just the latest filed by Amazon for its proposed drone fleet. Among them is a patent that describes exactly how drones would deliver packages to a customer's doorstep. Another is for a drone rotor design with serrated leading edges that would reduce the amount of noise generated by the aircraft.

(Image from patent application)

FMI: Original Report, Amazon Drone Patents