Unmanned vehicle

• US 10,124,891 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Company Limited (Inventec Corporation), Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Company Limited (Inventec Corporation), Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Chang, Jing-Song, Tseng, Steven, Dai, Zhi-Hong, Yang, An-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US15/176,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20170029106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/042 operated by hand
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2025/325 specially adapted for helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/405 Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/00 Convertible aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• 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 20/70 Constructional aspects of the UAV body
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/297 Tilting rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/299 Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/10 specially adapted for use on water
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/80 Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle includes a vehicle body having an accommodating space, an arm assembly coupled to the vehicle body, and a floating member connected to a bottom surface of the vehicle body. The arm assembly includes a first rotating member, a second rotating member coupled to the first rotating member, and a propeller. The propeller includes a rotatable axle coupled to the second rotating member and extending along a rotating axis. The second rotating member can turn the propeller by rotating the rotatable axle about the rotating axis. The first rotating member can rotate and effect a movement of the second rotating member so as to selectively adjust the rotatable axle to align the rotating axis with a first axial direction and a second axial direction. The arm assembly can rotate relative to the vehicle body to selectively rotate into or out of the accommodating space.

Claims

1. An unmanned vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body having at least one accommodating space;

at least one arm assembly coupled to the vehicle body, the arm assembly comprising;

a first rotating member;

a second rotating member coupled to the first rotating member; and

a propeller comprising a rotatable axle coupled to the second rotating member, wherein the rotatable axle extends along a rotating axis, and the second rotating member is configured to turn the propeller by rotating the rotatable axle about the rotating axis; and

a floating member connected to a bottom surface of the vehicle body;

wherein the first rotating member is configured to rotate and effect a movement of the second rotating member so as to selectively adjust the rotatable axle to align the rotating axis at least with a first axial direction and a second axial direction; and

wherein the arm assembly is capable of rotating relative to the vehicle body to selectively rotate into or out of the accommodating space.

2. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the arm assemblies, wherein the vehicle body further has a plurality of the accommodating spaces respectively corresponding to the arm assemblies, and each of the arm assemblies is capable of rotating relative to the vehicle body to selectively rotate into or out of the corresponding accommodating space.

3. The unmanned vehicle of claim 2, wherein the arm assemblies respectively rotate into the accommodating spaces along a first rotational direction, and respectively rotate out of the accommodating spaces along a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction.

4. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the propeller has a rotational plane perpendicular to the rotating axis and comprises:

a third rotating member coupled to the rotatable axle; and

a plurality of vanes coupled to the third rotating member, wherein the third rotating member is configured to rotate the vanes to selectively spread from each other or close to each other along the rotational plane, and the vanes are substantially parallel to each other while being rotated to close to each other.

5. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a positioning module disposed between the first rotating member and the second rotating member, wherein the positioning module is configured to position the second rotating member relative to the first rotating member so as to selectively position the rotatable axle to align the rotating axis at least with the first axial direction and the second axial direction.

6. The unmanned vehicle of claim 5, wherein the positioning module comprises:

a plurality of positioning structures formed on the first rotating member;

a resilient member, an end of the resilient member being coupled to the second rotating member; and

a pin coupled to another end of the resilient member, wherein the resilient member is configured to press the pin to selectively engage one of the positioning structures during the rotation of the second rotating member relative to the first rotating member.

7. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a shoulder joint connecting the arm assembly to the vehicle body, wherein the arm assembly is configured to pivot about the shoulder joint and rotate relative to the vehicle body.

8. The unmanned vehicle of claim 7, further comprising a positioning module disposed between the vehicle body and the arm assembly, wherein the positioning module is configured to position the first rotating member relative to the vehicle body so as to selectively position the arm assembly in or out of the accommodating space.

9. The unmanned vehicle of claim 8, wherein the positioning module comprises:

a plurality of positioning structures formed on the vehicle body;

a resilient member, an end of the resilient member being coupled to the first rotating member; and

a pin coupled to another end of the resilient member, wherein the resilient member is configured to press the pin to selectively engage one of the positioning structures during the rotation of the first rotating member relative to the vehicle body.

10. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle body comprises:

a main module; and

a connecting member detachably connected to the main module, wherein the arm assembly is connected to the connecting member.

11. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller configured to control a movement of the first rotating member and a movement of the second rotating member; and

a power unit configured to supply power to move the first rotating member and the second rotating member.

12. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first axial direction is substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the vehicle body, and the second axial direction is substantially orthogonal to the first axial direction.

13. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the floating member is an inflatable air cushion.

14. A method for controlling the unmanned vehicle of claim 1, the method comprising at least one of:

adjusting the rotable

axle to align the rotating axis with a first axial direction substantially perpendicular from a top surface of the vehicle body, to configure the unmanned vehicle to an aerial vehicle capable of flight by a propelling force of the propeller; and

adjusting the rotatable axle to align the rotating axis with a second axial direction substantially orthogonal to the first axial direction, to configure the unmanned vehicle to a navel vehicle capable of sail on the floating member by the propelling force of the propeller.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle body has at least one accommodating space, the unmanned vehicle further comprises a shoulder joint connecting the arm assembly to the vehicle body, and the method further comprises at least one of:

rotating the arm assembly relative to the vehicle body about the shoulder joint to accommodate the arm assembly into the accommodating space; and

rotating the arm assembly relative to the vehicle body about the shoulder joint to move the arm assembly out of the accommodating space.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

before accommodating the arm assembly into the accommodating space, adjusting the rotatable axle to align the rotating axis with a third axial direction opposite to the first axial direction.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the propeller has a rotational plane perpendicular to the rotating axis and comprises a plurality of vanes capable of rotating about the rotatable axle, and the method further comprising:

before accommodating the arm assembly into the accommodating space, rotating the vanes about the rotatable axle to close to each other in the rotational plane.