The Boeing Company
Recharging an aircraft in a region using areas of increased sunlight within the region

Abstract:

A system is presented. The system comprises sunlight sensors and GPS receivers in a region, an aerial vehicle, a solar panel, and a flight plan generator. The aerial vehicle is within the region. The aerial vehicle has a rechargeable battery. The solar panel is physically connected to the aerial vehicle and operably connected to the rechargeable battery. The flight plan generator is configured to create a flight plan within the region for the aerial vehicle based on measurements from the sunlight sensors within the region.