Wireless control of unmanned aerial vehicle with distance ranging and channel sensing

A system comprising:

• a transmitter coupled to a transmitter antenna array, wherein the transmitter is configured to apply amplitude weight vectors to signals provided to the transmitter antenna array to form corresponding transmitter channels using one or more antenna elements of the transmitter antenna array;
• a receiver coupled to a receiver antenna array, wherein the receiver is configured to apply amplitude weight vectors to signals provided to the receiver antenna array to form corresponding receiver channels using one or more antenna elements of the receiver antenna array;
• a logic device configured to communicate with the transmitter and the receiver;
• and
• a memory configured to store a plurality of computer readable instructions which when executed by the logic device are adapted to cause the system to perform a method comprising:
• establishing a wireless link between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) controller and a UAV using at least one of the transmitter antenna array and the receiver antenna array;
• communicating link state data corresponding to the established wireless link over the established wireless link;
• generating UAV operational data based, at least in part, on the link state data, wherein the UAV operational data is configured to control operation of the UAV;
• and
• controlling operation of the UAV using the UAV operational data.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system are adapted to cause the UAV system to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

• establishing a wireless link between a UAV controller and a UAV using at least one transmitter antenna array and/or at least one receiver antenna array;
• communicating link state data corresponding to the established wireless link over the established wireless link;
• generating UAV operational data based, at least in part, on the link state data, wherein the UAV operational data is configured to control operation of the UAV;
• and
• controlling operation of the UAV using the UAV operational data.