US 12,448,157 B1
Drone-based emergency beacon system for vehicles
Ric M. Peña, Boerne, TX (US); Charlotte Thomas Creech, San Antonio, TX (US); Bianca Gonzalez, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX (US); David Joaquin Harris, San Antonio, TX (US); Nickolaus Wayne O'Neal, Adkins, TX (US); Jennifer Marie Chandler-Bradley, Tampa, FL (US); and Brandy Lynne Hartwig, Colo, IA (US)
Assigned to United Services Automobile Association (USAA), San Antonio, TX (US)
Filed by UIPCO, LLC, San Antonio, TX (US)
Filed on May 31, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/680,269.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/601,926, filed on Nov. 22, 2023.
Int. Cl. B64U 10/60 (2023.01); B64U 70/93 (2023.01); B64U 101/55 (2023.01)
CPC B64U 10/60 (2023.01) [B64U 70/93 (2023.01); B64U 2101/55 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of triggering deployment of a drone-based beacon from a vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving, at an onboard computing system for the vehicle, first data;
determining, at the onboard computing system, that the first data matches a condition corresponding to a triggering event;
generating, at the onboard computing system and in response to determining a triggering event has occurred, an activation signal that causes deployment of a drone beacon from an exterior of the vehicle; and
having the drone beacon project a symbol against the sky indicative of the triggering event.