Unmanned aerial vehicles with multiple configurations

• US 10,065,726 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Istari Digital Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Top Flight Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Phan, Long N., Biradar, Anandrao, Duong, Luan H., Nayfeh, Samir
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzell, Philip J
• Application Number:
  US15/593,803
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/386 Devices adapted to cut lines or straps
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/80 in association with aircraft, e.g. for braking thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/50 Foldable or collapsible UAVs with frangible components B64U20/30
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/80 Arrangement of on-board electronics, e.g. avionics systems or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/83 Electronic components structurally integrated with aircraft elements, e.g. circuit boards carrying loads
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/35 for science, e.g. meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/293 Foldable or collapsible rotors or rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/296 Rotors with variable spatial positions relative to the UAV body foldable or collapsible rotors B64U30/293
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/297 Tilting rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 40/20 for in-flight adjustment of the base configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/50 Launching from storage containers, e.g. from submarine missile tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/83 using parachutes, balloons or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/82 Airborne vehicles

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle includes multiple rotor arms; a rotor disposed at an end of each of the multiple rotor arms; and an adjustment component configured to enable a first rotor arm to move relative to a second rotor arm.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

multiple rotor arms;

a rotor disposed at an end of each of the multiple rotor arms;

an adjustment component configured to enable a first rotor arm of the multiple rotor arms to move relative to a second rotor arm of the multiple rotor arms; and

a battery forming part of one of the multiple rotor arms.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, in which the first rotor arm is attached to the adjustment component, and in which the adjustment component comprises a bar configured to slide along the second rotor arm.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, in which the adjustment component comprises a joint formed in the first rotor arm.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, in which the adjustment component comprises a pivot point and in which the first rotor arm is configured to pivot around the pivot point.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein one of the multiple rotor arms has a different length than the other rotor arms.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, comprising a weather sensor.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, comprising a camera.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, in which the adjustment component is configured to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle to take on an open configuration or a closed configuration.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, in which in the closed configuration, an angle between adjacent rotor arms is less than 30°

.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, in which in the closed configuration, at least two of the rotor arms are positioned such that the rotors disposed at the ends of the at least two rotor arms do not have sufficient space to rotate propellers attached to the rotors.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, in which in the closed configuration, the multiple rotor arms are oriented parallel to each other.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, in which in the closed configuration, the unmanned aerial vehicle is sized to fit into a volume of less than about 1000 cm³.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, in which in the closed configuration, the unmanned aerial vehicle is sized to fit into a volume of between about 500 cm³ and about 10,000 cm³.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8, in which in the open configuration, the multiple rotor arms are extended away from each other.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 14, in which in the open configuration, an angle between adjacent rotor arms is at least about 85°

.

16. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, in which the adjustment component comprises an actuator mechanism configured to push the first rotor arm away from the second rotor arm.

17. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the actuator mechanism is configured to detach from the adjustment component when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes on an open configuration.

18. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the actuator mechanism comprises one or more of a torsion spring, an extension spring, a motor and screw, a motor and gearbox, a pneumatic device, a chemical reaction, and a parachute attachment.

19. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the actuator mechanism comprises a portion of one or more of the multiple rotor arms.

20. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, comprising a tilt mechanism configured to control one or more of an angular velocity and a translational velocity of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

21. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 20, in which the tilt mechanism is positioned at the end of one of the multiple rotor arms.

22. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 20, wherein the battery that forms part of one of the multiple rotor arms is configured to provide power to the tilt mechanism.

23. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, in which the battery acts as a power source configured to provide power to a rotor motor coupled to one or more of the rotors.

24. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 23, in which the power source comprises a hybrid generator system.

25. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, comprising multiple rotor motors, each rotor motor configured to power a corresponding one of the rotors.

26. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 25, wherein the battery that forms part of one of the multiple rotor arms is configured to provide power to the multiple rotor motors.