Unmanned air and underwater vehicle

• US 10,315,762 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2015
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rutgers University
• Original Assignee: Rutgers University
• Inventors: Diez-Garias, Francisco Javier, Maia, Marco M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US15/312,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20170190421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 114313, 244 1713, 244 1723
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 23/08 Cartesian or other divers
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/002 unmanned
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/005 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/001 Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/16 by direct use of propellers or jets
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/00 Convertible aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/00 Constructional aspects of UAVs of lift-producing means B64U30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle including a body and a frame structure extending from the body and supporting a plurality of propeller assemblies, each propeller assembly including at least one propeller and a corresponding motor with the motor housed in a watertight housing or coated and made corrosion resistant. The propellers comprise a first subset of propellers of the propeller assemblies and a second subset of propellers of the propeller assemblies which rotate in a plane positioned below a plane in which the first subset of propellers rotate, wherein said first and second subset of propellers are configured for independent operation of one another as the vehicle transitions from an air medium to a water medium.

Claims

1. An unmanned vehicle comprising:

a body;

a frame structure extending from the body and supporting a plurality of propeller assemblies, each propeller assembly including at least one propeller and a corresponding motor, the motor housed in a watertight housing or coated and made corrosion resistant;

wherein the propellers comprise a first set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propeller assemblies and a second set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propeller assemblies which rotate in a plane positioned below a plane in which the first set of propellers rotate, wherein the plurality of propeller assemblies are configured for independent operation of the first and second sets of propellers so that the first and second sets of propellers (i) operate simultaneously to control propulsion when the vehicle is fully immersed and being propelled in either one of both an air medium and a water medium, and (ii) operate sequentially when the vehicle transitions between the air and water mediums.

2. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the second set of the at least one propeller is configured to slow or stop rotating when the second set of the at least one propeller is at a transition between the air medium and the water medium while the first set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate.

3. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the first set of the at least one propeller is configured to slow or stop rotating when the first set of the at least one propeller is at the transition between the air medium and the water medium while the second set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate.

4. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 3 further comprising at least one sensor configured to determine when the second set of the at least one propeller, the first set of the at least one propeller or both are at the transition between the air medium and the water medium.

5. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the first set of the at least one propeller is configured to provide lift force in the air medium and the second set of the at least one propeller is configured to provide lift force in the water medium.

6. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the plane in which the first set of the at least one propeller rotates is above the frame structure of the vehicle and the plane in which the second set of the at least one propeller rotates is below the frame structure of the vehicle.

7. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle has a density which is equal to or slightly less than the density of the water medium.

8. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the body and the frame structure are sealed against water entry.

9. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to control rotation of each of the motors and wherein the controller is configured to rotate the motors with a higher torque when the propeller associated with the respective motor is submerged in the water medium.

10. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to control rotation of each of the motors and wherein the controller is configured to rotate the motors such that the vehicle tilts at a different angle when the vehicle is in the water medium compared to the tilt in the air medium when achieving forward/back or side-to-side motion.

11. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a heat sink associated with the body.

12. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is configured to be operated autonomously.

13. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is configured to be operated by remote control.

14. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein each propeller assembly includes first and second propellers which share a common thrust axis, with the first propeller part of the first set and the second propeller part of the second set.

15. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein each propeller assembly includes a single propeller.

16. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the second set of the at least one propeller includes a propeller assembly connected to a lower surface of the body.

17. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the frame structure includes a plurality of arms extending from the body.

18. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 17 wherein the frame structure includes two, three, four or eight arms.

19. A kit for assembling an unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the kit includes the body and a plurality of arms to define the frame structure, the arms connectable with the body in a sealed manner and wherein at least two of the arms include propeller assemblies with different configurations.

21. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the first set of the at least one propeller is configured to continue to rotate when the first set of the at least one propeller is at a transition between the air medium and the water medium while the second set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate at an unchanged speed.

22. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 21 wherein the second set of the at least one propeller is configured to continue to rotate when the second set of the at least one propeller is at a transition between the air medium and the water medium while the first set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate at an unchanged speed.

20. A method of operating an unmanned vehicle having a plurality of propellers, the method comprising:

while in either one of both a first medium and a second medium, controlling the vehicle by simultaneously operating the plurality of propellers comprising a first set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propellers which are positioned in a plane above a plane having a second set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propellers; and

while transitioning between the first and second mediums, controlling the vehicle by sequentially operating the first and second sets of propellers so that one of the first and second sets of propellers that is located at the boundary between the first and second mediums operates at a slow or stopped rotation.