Unmanned aerial vehicle movement via environmental interactions
First Claim
1. A system for movement control, the system comprising:
- a porous surface comprising a plurality of pores;
an air propulsion device that generates an airflow that is output through the plurality of pores in the porous surface, wherein the airflow provides lift to an unmanned vehicle, wherein at least a vector component of the lift is perpendicular to the porous surface and pushes the unmanned vehicle away from the porous surface; and
an airflow regulation mechanism that is actuated to move between a first position and a second position, wherein the airflow regulation mechanism allows the airflow to pass through a first pore of the plurality of pores in an initial direction when the airflow regulation mechanism is in the first position, and wherein the airflow regulation mechanism redirects the airflow in a different direction through the first pore of the plurality of pores when the actuated airflow regulation mechanism is in the second position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An arena includes a porous surface through which an airflow is output, thereby providing lift for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to push the UAV away from the porous surface. The airflow may also provide thrust to push the UAV in a direction that is parallel to the porous surface. The UAV may include one or more propellers that can provide lift, thrust, or both to the UAV. The airflow may be modified over a duration of time to modify lift or thrust to the UAV. The airflow may be modified based on regions of the arena to modify lift or thrust in different regions of the arena. The arena may include a scoreboard to display a score that may be modified as a result of actions undertaken by the UAV. Two or more UAVs may be used to play a game via the arena.
115 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for movement control, the system comprising:
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a porous surface comprising a plurality of pores; an air propulsion device that generates an airflow that is output through the plurality of pores in the porous surface, wherein the airflow provides lift to an unmanned vehicle, wherein at least a vector component of the lift is perpendicular to the porous surface and pushes the unmanned vehicle away from the porous surface; and an airflow regulation mechanism that is actuated to move between a first position and a second position, wherein the airflow regulation mechanism allows the airflow to pass through a first pore of the plurality of pores in an initial direction when the airflow regulation mechanism is in the first position, and wherein the airflow regulation mechanism redirects the airflow in a different direction through the first pore of the plurality of pores when the actuated airflow regulation mechanism is in the second position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for movement control, the system comprising:
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a porous surface comprising a plurality of pores; an air propulsion device that generates an airflow that is output through the plurality of pores in the porous surface, wherein the airflow provides lift to an unmanned vehicle, wherein at least a vector component of the lift is perpendicular to the porous surface and pushes the unmanned vehicle away from the porous surface; and a plurality of actuated airflow regulation mechanisms, wherein the plurality of actuated airflow regulation mechanisms regulate output of the airflow through the plurality of pores in the porous surface so that the airflow is output differently at a first pore of the plurality of pores than at a second pore of the plurality of pores. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for movement control, the method comprising:
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transmitting an activation signal to an arena system, wherein the arena system generates an airflow in response to receipt of the activation signal, the airflow being output through a surface of the arena system and providing lift to an unmanned vehicle that pushes the unmanned vehicle away from the surface of the arena system; receiving a thrust input via an input interface; and transmitting a thrust signal to the arena system in response to receipt of the thrust input, wherein the arena system actuates an airflow regulation mechanism in response to receipt of the thrust signal, the actuated airflow regulation mechanism modifying the airflow that is output through the surface of the arena system, wherein the modified airflow provides thrust to the unmanned vehicle, wherein at least a vector component of the thrust is perpendicular to at least a vector component of the lift and moves the unmanned vehicle in a direction along the surface in accordance with the thrust signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A system for movement control, the system comprising:
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a surface; and an array of electromagnets arranged adjacent to the surface, wherein a magnetic field generated by the array of electromagnets provides lift and thrust to an unmanned vehicle that includes at least one vehicle-based magnet, wherein at least a vector component of the lift is perpendicular to the surface and pushes the unmanned vehicle away from the surface and at least a vector component of the thrust is parallel to the surface and moves the unmanned vehicle in a direction along the surface.
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Specification