Unmanned aerial vehicle docking system

• US 10,407,182 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama (University of Alabama System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama (University of Alabama System)
• Inventors: Alcorn, John, King, Stewart, Bales, Mark, Landrum, David Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Richard R.
• Application Number:
  US15/093,382
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/007 Helicopter portable landing pads
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/125 Mooring or ground handling devices for helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/362 Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/30 Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle docking system can include a docking arm and a docking station. The docking arm can be mounted on the UAV and include a rod with an interface element positioned on top of the rod. The interface element can have charging contacts that are attached to wires that extend down to a charging circuit on the UAV. The docking station can be located separate from the docking arm and have a guidance cone to direct the docking arm to a capture mechanism. Once the interface element is in the capture mechanism, a charging dome is then lowered down onto the top of the interface element to form a circuit between a power source at the docking station and the UAV'"'"'s battery. Upon completion of the charging process, the charging dome is raised and the capture mechanism releases the interface element of the UAV.

Claims

1. A docking system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the docking system comprising:

a docking arm, the docking arm comprising a rod mountable on an unmanned aerial vehicle and an interface element at an end of the rod;

a docking station comprising a guidance device and a capture mechanism, the guidance device configured to guide the docking arm to the capture mechanism, the capture mechanism comprising a first holding device and a second holding device, the capture mechanism configured to receive and hold the interface element of the docking arm with the first holding device and the second holding device, wherein the first holding device is configured to pivot from a first position in response to the interface element applying a force to the first holding device and the second holding device is configured to pivot from a second position in response to the interface element applying a force to the second holding device;

the capture mechanism further comprising a first pin and a second pin, the first pin being movable independent of the first holding device, the first pin being configured to move between a first extended position and a first retracted position such that the first holding device is prevented, by the first pin, from pivoting in a direction to release the interface element from the capture mechanism when the first pin is positioned in the first extended position, and the second pin being movable independent of the second holding device, the second pin being configured to move between a second extended position and a second retracted position such that the second holding device is prevented, by the second pin, from pivoting in a direction to release the interface element from the capture mechanism when the second pin is positioned in the second extended position; and

wherein the docking station is configured to transfer at least one of data or power to the interface element of the docking arm upon the interface element being held in the capture mechanism by the first holding device and the second holding device.

2. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the first holding device and the second holding device are each configured to pivot to permit the capture mechanism to release the interface element in response to the first pin being moved to the first retracted position and the second pin being moved to the second retracted position.

3. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the first position for the first holding device and the second position for the second holding device are substantially horizontal positions.

4. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the first holding device is configured to return to the first position and the second holding device is configured to return to the second position upon the interface element passing between the first holding device and the second holding device, the first holding device and the second holding device configured to hold the interface element in the capture mechanism in response to the first holding device returning to the first position, the second holding device returning to the second position, the first pin being moved to the first extended position and the second pin being moved to the second extended position.

5. The docking system of claim 4, wherein the capture mechanism further comprises a first actuator and a second actuator, the first actuator configured to move the first pin between the first extended position and the first retracted position, the second actuator configured to move the second pin between the second extended position and the second retracted position.

6. The docking system of claim 4, wherein the interface element comprises a first contact positioned on a upper surface of the interface element and a second contact positioned on a lower surface of the interface element, the first contact and the second contact being positioned to contact corresponding contacts of the docking station in response to the interface element being held by the first holding device and the second holding device.

7. The docking system of claim 6, wherein the docking arm comprises a charging circuit electrically connected to the first contact and the second contact, the charging circuit configured to charge a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle upon receiving energy from the docking station via the first contact and the second contact.

8. The docking system of claim 6, wherein the first contact is configured to engage a third contact of the docking station and the second contact is configured to engage a fourth contact of the docking station, wherein the third contact is positioned on a charging dome and the fourth contact is positioned on at least one of the first holding device or the second holding device.

9. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the docking arm is configured to permit a transfer of material between the docking station and the unmanned aerial vehicle upon the interface element of the docking arm being held by the first holding device and the second holding device.

10. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the docking arm comprises a camera, the camera configured to capture images of the interface element to assist a user to guide the docking arm to the capture mechanism.

11. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the interface element has a spherical shape.

12. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the guidance device has a cone shape.

13. The docking system of claim 1, wherein pivoting of the first holding device in response to the force applied to the first holding device and pivoting of the second holding device in response to the force applied to the second holding device permit the interface element to pass between the first holding device and the second holding device.

14. The docking system of claim 13, wherein the first holding device is configured to pivot toward the first position in response to gravity and the second holding device is configured to pivot toward the second position in response to gravity after at least a portion of the interface element passes between the first holding device and the second holding device.

15. A method for recharging an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:

guiding a docking arm of an unmanned aerial vehicle to a docking station;

inserting the docking arm into a capture mechanism of the docking station, the capture mechanism comprising a first holding device and a second holding device, the capture mechanism further comprising a first pin and a second pin, the first pin being movable independent of the first holding device, the first pin being configured to move between a first extended position and a first retracted position, the second pin being movable independent of the second holding device, the second pin being configured to move between a second extended position and a second retracted position;

pivoting the first holding device from a first position in response to the docking arm applying a force to the first holding device;

pivoting the second holding device from a second position in response to the docking arm applying a force to the second holding device;

holding the docking arm in the capture mechanism of the docking station with the first holding device and the second holding device subsequent to the pivoting the first holding device and the pivoting the second holding device, wherein the holding the docking arm in the capture mechanism includes;

preventing, by the first pin, the first holding device from pivoting in a direction to release the docking arm from the capture mechanism when the first pin is positioned in the first extended position; and

preventing, by the second pin, the second holding device from pivoting in a direction to release the interface element from the capture mechanism when the second pin is positioned in the second extended position;

transferring power from the docking station to the unmanned aerial vehicle through the docking arm upon the docking arm being held in the capture mechanism of the docking station; and

releasing the docking arm from the capture mechanism upon completion of the transferring power from the docking station.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the inserting the docking arm comprises:

pushing an interface element of the docking arm between the first holding device and the second holding device of the capture mechanism; and

returning the first holding device to the first position and the second holding device to the second position subsequent to the interface element pushing between the first holding device and the second holding device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transferring power includes engaging contacts on the interface element with contacts on the first holding device and the second holding device and a charging dome of the capture mechanism.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the engaging contacts includes moving the contacts of the charging dome to the contacts of the interface element.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the pivoting the first holding device and the pivoting the second holding device permit the docking arm to pass between the first holding element and the second holding element.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

pivoting the first holding device toward the first position in response to gravity after at least a portion of the docking arm passes between the first holding device and the second holding device; and

pivoting the second holding device toward the second position in response to gravity after at least a portion of the docking arm passes between the first holding device and the second holding device.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the releasing the docking arm from the capture mechanism includes moving the first pin being to the first retracted position and moving the second pin to the second retracted position.

22. A docking station for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the docking station comprising:

a guidance cone, the guidance cone configured to guide a docking arm of an unmanned aerial vehicle to the docking station while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight;

a capture mechanism connected to the guidance cone, the capture mechanism comprising a securing mechanism and a receiving mechanism;

the securing mechanism configured to receive and hold the docking arm, the securing mechanism comprising a first holding device and a second holding device, wherein the first holding device is configured to pivot from a first position in response to the docking arm applying a force to the first holding device and the second holding device is configured to pivot from a second position in response to the docking arm applying a force to the second holding device;

the securing mechanism further comprising a first pin and a second pin, the first pin being movable independent of the first holding device, the first pin being configured to move between a first extended position and a first retracted position such that the first holding device is prevented, by the first pin, from pivoting in a direction to release the docking arm from the capture mechanism when the first pin is positioned in the first extended position, and the second pin being movable independent of the second holding device, the second pin being configured to move between a second extended position and a second retracted position such that the second holding device is prevented, by the second pin, from pivoting in a direction to release the docking arm from the capture mechanism when the second pin is positioned in the second extended position; and

the receiving mechanism configured to transfer at least one of data, fuel, charge or payload between the docking station and the docking arm in response to the docking arm being held in the securing mechanism by the first holding device and the second holding device, and the first holding device and the second holding device of the securing mechanism configured to release the docking arm in response to the transfer between the docking station and the docking arm being completed, the first pin being moved to the first retracted position and the second pin being moved to the second retracted position.

23. The docking station of claim 22, further comprising one or more interface cables configured to mount the docking station on an aerial vehicle.

24. The docking station of claim 22, wherein at least a portion of the receiving mechanism is incorporated in the securing mechanism.

25. The docking station of claim 22, wherein the receiving mechanism and the securing mechanism are configured to receive separate components of the docking arm.

26. The docking station of claim 22, further comprising at least one positioning sensor configured to provide data to be used to guide the docking arm to the securing mechanism.

27. The docking station of claim 22, wherein the receiving mechanism configured to move to engage the docking arm prior to the transfer of at least one of data, fuel, charge or payload between the docking station and the docking arm.