Battery arm sensor assembly

• US 10,040,578 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Skycatch, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Skycatch, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Samuel Giles
• Primary Examiner(s): Benedik, Justin M
• Application Number:
  US15/054,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20170247120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/007 Helicopter portable landing pads
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/36 Other airport installations ground installations for de-icing aircraft B64F5/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/83 Electronic components structurally integrated with aircraft elements, e.g. circuit boards carrying loads
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/39 Battery swapping
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/50 with landing legs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/30 with arrangements for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed toward a system for autonomously landing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) within an unmanned aerial vehicle ground station (UAVGS) and removing a battery assembly from within the UAV while landed. In particular, systems described herein enable a battery arm to engage a battery assembly and remove the battery assembly from within the UAV. Additionally, the battery arm can include one or more sensors that detect a pattern of sensor contacts arranged on an end of the battery assembly. In particular, the sensors on the battery arm can detect and identify the battery assembly based on the particular pattern of sensor contacts on the end of the battery assembly.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising;

a main body; and

a battery assembly within the main body of the UAV, the battery assembly comprising a plurality of sensor contacts arranged in a first pattern on a first end of the battery assembly; and

an unmanned aerial vehicle ground station (UAVGS) comprising;

a landing housing sized to receive the UAV; and

a battery arm comprising;

a battery gripping assembly that extends through a portion of the landing housing to approach the first end of the battery assembly; and

a plurality of sensors arranged in a second pattern on the battery arm corresponding to an arrangement of sensor contacts on one or more models of battery assemblies associated with the UAV, wherein the battery arm detects a position of the battery assembly based on each of the plurality of sensors detecting a corresponding sensor contact as the battery gripping assembly approaches the first end of the battery assembly.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor contacts comprises one or more conductive contacts.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensor contacts comprises one or more non-conductive contacts.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the first pattern of sensor contacts comprises one or more conductive contacts and the one or more non-conductive contacts arranged on the first end of the battery assembly.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first pattern of sensor contacts are arranged symmetrically on the first end of the battery assembly.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor contacts comprise a plurality of metal contacts on a non-metal surface of the first end of the battery assembly.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor contacts comprise a plurality of non-metal contacts on a metal surface of the first end of the battery assembly.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery arm further comprises a latch engagement assembly that unlocks the battery assembly from within the UAV by engaging at least one latch securing the battery assembly within the UAV.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery arm comprises an alignment assembly, the alignment assembly comprising an actuator that causes the battery arm to move within the UAVGS and align with respect to the battery assembly within the main body of the UAV.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery assembly comprises at least one non-conductive contact that extends outward from the first end of the battery assembly to provide a first point of contact with the battery arm as the battery gripping assembly approaches the first end of the battery assembly.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one non-conductive contact comprises a compressible material that compresses as the battery gripping assembly approaches the first end of the battery assembly and comes into contact with the at least one non-conductive contact.

12. A battery arm, comprising:

a battery gripping assembly operable to extend into an unmanned aerial vehicle ground station (UAVGS) to engage a battery assembly within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the battery assembly comprising a plurality of sensor contacts arranged in a first pattern on a first end of the battery assembly, wherein the first pattern of the plurality of sensor contacts corresponds to an arrangement of contacts on one or more models of battery assemblies associated with the UAV; and

a plurality of sensors positioned on the battery arm and arranged in a second pattern corresponding to the first pattern of the plurality of sensor contacts on the first end of the battery assembly, wherein the plurality of sensors detect a position of the battery assembly based on each of the plurality of sensors detecting a corresponding sensor contact as the battery gripping assembly approaches the first end of the battery assembly.

13. The battery arm as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more non-contact sensors that detect the position of the plurality of sensor contacts without coming into physical contact with the plurality of sensor contacts.

14. The battery arm as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more contact sensors that detect the position of the plurality of sensor contacts by detecting an energy field between the plurality of sensors and the plurality of sensor contacts as the battery gripping assembly approaches the first end of the battery assembly.

15. The battery arm as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more non-contact Eddy Current sensors.

16. The battery arm as recited in claim 15, wherein the one or more non-contact Eddy Current sensors detect a position of the plurality of sensor contacts on the battery assembly by:

applying a magnetic field to the plurality of sensor contacts; and

detecting one or more current patterns corresponding to the first pattern of the plurality of sensor contacts induced by the magnetic field.

17. The battery arm as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more non-contact Eddy Currents further detect a distance between the battery arm and the plurality of sensor contacts as the battery gripping assembly approaches the first end of the battery assembly.

18. A method comprising:

aligning a battery arm within an unmanned aerial vehicle ground station (UAVGS) with respect to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landed within the UAVGS by moving the battery arm within the UAVGS toward the UAV, the battery arm comprising a plurality of sensors arranged in a first pattern on a portion of the battery arm that extends toward the UAV, the first pattern of the plurality of sensors corresponding to an arrangement of contacts on one or more models of battery assemblies associated with the UAV;

detecting, by each of the plurality of sensors, a corresponding sensor contact from a plurality of sensor contacts arranged in a second pattern on a first end of a battery assembly corresponding to the first pattern of the plurality of sensors;

determining, based on each of the plurality of sensors detecting a corresponding sensor contact, that the second pattern of sensor contacts on the first end of the battery assembly corresponds to the arrangement of contacts on one or more models of battery assemblies associated with the UAV; and

causing, in response to determining that the second pattern of sensor contacts on the first end of the battery assembly corresponds to the arrangement of contacts on the one or more models of battery assemblies associated with the UAV, the portion of the battery arm to move towards the first end of the battery assembly.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein determining that the second pattern of sensor contacts on the first end of the battery assembly corresponds to the arrangement of contacts on one or more models of battery assemblies associated with the UAV comprises:

applying a magnetic field to the first end of the battery assembly as the battery arm moves towards the first end of the battery assembly; and

detecting an opposing magnetic field pattern caused as a response to the magnetic field inducing electrical currents within the plurality of sensor contacts on the first end of the battery assembly.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

detecting an obstruction between the portion of the battery arm and the first end of the battery assembly; and

in response to detecting the obstruction between the portion of the battery arm and the first end of the battery assembly, causing the portion of the battery arm to stop moving towards the first end of the battery assembly.