Method and system for configurable and scalable unmanned aerial vehicles and systems

• US 10,115,048 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Limitless Computing, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limitless Computing, Inc.
• Inventors: Weller, Errin T., Franklin, Jeffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heinle, Courtney D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US15/206,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20170021946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/24 for use as flying displays, e.g. advertising or billboards
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/35 for science, e.g. meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) making use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for more than one task. The inventors discovered that an improved UAS could be provided by combining one or more of these three elements: (1) hot-swappable modular kits (e.g., a plurality of components useful in UAVs to perform particular user-selectable tasks); (2) an interconnection mechanism for each component with identification protocols that provides both a physical and a data connection; and (3) an intelligent system that interprets the identification protocols and determines the configuration for a selected task, error checking, airworthiness, and calibration. The system and associated methods for the task based drone configuration and verification reduces the possibility of task failure by an operator.

Claims

1. An unmanned aircraft system (UAS), comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

a processor running a UAS design module;

a user input device receiving user input indicating a selected task to be performed during operations of the UAV;

a display device operated by the processor to display an identifier for a UAS module for attachment to the UAV that has been determined by the UAS design module for performing the selected task, wherein the UAS module comprises software and hardware for performing the selected task;

a connector associated with the UAS module and adapted for physically and communicatively coupling the UAS module and the UAV; and

the UAS module physically added onto and communicatively coupled to the UAV via the connector.

2. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including an identifier of the connector and a location on the UAV for positioning the connector.

3. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including one or more of:

an identifier of the UAS module, weight of the UAS module, power consumption by the UAS module, sensors included in the UAS module, number and location of connectors for attaching the UAS module to the UAV, lift provided by the UAS module, power provided by the UAS module, and mounting location for the UAS module to the UAV.

4. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including identification of the UAS module and wherein the UAS design module verifies that the UAS module is communicatively coupled to the UAV via the connector via communications with the UAS module via the connector based on the identification in the memory.

5. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS design module determines a second UAS module for performing the selected task, the second UAS module including module data in memory, wherein the module data for the UAS module and the second UAS module further includes a module weight and a module-provided lift.

6. The UAS of claim 5, wherein the processor further runs an autocalibration module to determine whether the module-provided lift of the UAS module and the second UAS module is greater at least than the weight of the UAS module and the second UAS module and if not to display an error message on the display device.

7. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS design module determines a second UAS module for performing the selected task, the second UAS module including module data in memory, wherein the module data for the UAS module and the second UAS module further includes a power consumption value and a power provided value.

8. The UAS of claim 7, wherein the processor further runs an autocalibration module to determine whether a summation of the power provided values exceeds a summation of the power consumption values and if not to display an error message on the display device.

9. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS module comprises one or more components from the group of:

a camera, a sensor, a navigation element, a processor, a wireless communication element, memory, persistent memory storing module data, a power source, a UAV fuselage, a payload, a stabilization element, a thrust element, a lift element, a display device, and a flight control device.

10. The UAS of claim 1, wherein the UAS design module is adapted to determine a range for the UAV with the UAS module based on module data stored in memory of the UAS module and wherein the processor operates the display device to display the determined range.

11. An unmanned aircraft system (UAS), comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

a processor running a UAS design module;

a user input device receiving user input indicating a selected task, wherein the UAS design module responds by determining a UAS module for performing the selected task after attachment onto the UAS and wherein the UAS module includes software and hardware;

a connector associated with the UAS module; and

the UAS module communicatively coupled to and physically supported on the UAV via the connector,

wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including an identifier of the connector and a location on the UAV for positioning the connector.

12. The UAS of claim 11, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including one or more of:

an identifier of the UAS module, weight of the UAS module, power consumption by the UAS module, sensors included in the UAS module, number and location of connectors for attaching the UAS module to the UAV, lift provided by the UAS module, power provided by the UAS module, and mounting location for the UAS module to the UAV.

13. The UAS of claim 11, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including identification of the UAS module and wherein the UAS design module verifies that the UAS module is communicatively coupled to the UAV via the connector via communications with the UAS module via the connector based on the identification in the memory.

14. The UAS of claim 11, wherein the UAS design module determines a second UAS module for performing the selected task, the second UAS module including module data in memory, wherein the module data for the UAS module and the second UAS module further includes a module weight and a module-provided lift.

15. The UAS of claim 14, wherein the processor further runs an autocalibration module to determine whether the module-provided lift of the UAS module and the second UAS module is greater at least than the weight of the UAS module and the second UAS module and if not to display an error message on the display device.

16. The UAS of claim 11, wherein the UAS design module determines a second UAS module for performing the selected task, the second UAS module including module data in memory, wherein the module data for the UAS module and the second UAS module further includes a power consumption value and a power provided value.

17. The UAS of claim 16, wherein the processor further runs an autocalibration module to determine whether a summation of the power provided values exceeds a summation of the power consumption values and if not to display an error message on the display device.

18. The UAS of claim 11, wherein the UAS module comprises one or more components from the group of:

a camera, a sensor, a navigation element, a processor, a wireless communication element, memory, persistent memory storing module data, a power source, a UAV fuselage, a payload, a stabilization element, a thrust element, a lift element, a display device, and a flight control device.

19. An unmanned aircraft system (UAS), comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

a user input device receiving user input indicating a selected task;

a processor running a UAS design module determining a UAS module for performing the selected task, wherein the UAS module comprises software and hardware associated with performance of the selected task; and

a connector associated with the UAS module,

wherein, upon assembly of the UAS, the UAS module is communicatively coupled to the UAV via the connector,

wherein the UAS design module is adapted to determine and output to a display on the user input device a range for the UAV with the UAS module based on module data stored in memory of the UAS module, and

wherein the UAS module comprises one or more components from the group of;

a camera, a sensor, a navigation element, a processor, a wireless communication element, memory, persistent memory storing module data, a power source, a UAV fuselage, a payload, a stabilization element, a thrust element, a lift element, a display device, and a flight control device.

20. The UAS of claim 19, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including an identifier of the connector and a location on the UAV for positioning the connector, wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including one or more of:

an identifier of the UAS module, weight of the UAS module, power consumption by the UAS module, sensors included in the UAS module, number and location of connectors for attaching the UAS module to the UAV, lift provided by the UAS module, power provided by the UAS module, and mounting location for the UAS module to the UAV, and wherein the UAS module includes memory storing module data including identification of the UAS module and wherein the UAS design module verifies that the UAS module is communicatively coupled to the UAV via the connector via communications with the UAS module via the connector based on the identification in the memory.