Spooler for unmanned aerial vehicle system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising:
- a spooling apparatus;
a filament that is dispensed from the spooling apparatus;
a cooling apparatus that provides a cooling air flow to the spooling apparatus such that a portion of the filament wound on the spooling apparatus is cooled by the air flow;
an unmanned aerial vehicle that is connected to the spooling apparatus with the filament, the filament delivering power and flight control data to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
a control station that is electrically connected to the filament with a filament interface such that the operational data is transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle with the filament;
a power source that is electrically connected to the filament interface such that electrical power is delivered to unmanned aerial vehicle with the filament interface;
a tension sensor that measures tension of the filament between the spooling apparatus and the unmanned aerial vehicle;
a control system that controls dispensing and retracting of the filament with the spooling apparatus in response to measured filament tension data from the tension sensor;
a sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle that transmits data with the filament; and
wherein the spooling apparatus is mounted to a mobile vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle can be operated with the filament deployed from the mobile vehicle.
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Abstract
In an aspect, in general, a spooling apparatus includes a filament feeding mechanism for deploying and retracting filament from the spooling apparatus to an aerial vehicle, an exit geometry sensor for sensing an exit geometry of the filament from the spooling apparatus, and a controller for controlling the feeding mechanism to feed and retract the filament based on the exit geometry.
160 Citations
43 Claims
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1. An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising:
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a spooling apparatus; a filament that is dispensed from the spooling apparatus; a cooling apparatus that provides a cooling air flow to the spooling apparatus such that a portion of the filament wound on the spooling apparatus is cooled by the air flow; an unmanned aerial vehicle that is connected to the spooling apparatus with the filament, the filament delivering power and flight control data to the unmanned aerial vehicle; a control station that is electrically connected to the filament with a filament interface such that the operational data is transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle with the filament; a power source that is electrically connected to the filament interface such that electrical power is delivered to unmanned aerial vehicle with the filament interface; a tension sensor that measures tension of the filament between the spooling apparatus and the unmanned aerial vehicle; a control system that controls dispensing and retracting of the filament with the spooling apparatus in response to measured filament tension data from the tension sensor; a sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle that transmits data with the filament; and wherein the spooling apparatus is mounted to a mobile vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle can be operated with the filament deployed from the mobile vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A tether system for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
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an unmanned aerial vehicle; a control station that communicates with the unmanned aerial vehicle; a power source; a filament coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle, the filament providing electric power and communication between the control station and the unmanned aerial vehicle; a filament mechanism that provides feed and retraction of the filament between the filament mechanism and the unmanned aerial vehicle; a cooling apparatus that directs an air flow onto a portion of the filament that is wound on the filament mechanism; a tension sensor that measures filament tension, the tension sensor generating a tension signal; a filament controller connected to the filament mechanism, the filament controller receiving the tension signal to adjust filament tension between the filament mechanism and the unmanned aerial vehicle; a camera mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, the camera transmitting image data to the control station with the filament; and a mobile vehicle wherein the control station and the filament mechanism are mounted on the mobile vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle can be operated from the mobile vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising:
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a spooling apparatus; an unmanned aerial vehicle that is connected to the spooling apparatus by a filament, the filament delivering power and operational data to the unmanned aerial vehicle; a control station that delivers control data to the unmanned aerial vehicle; a tension sensor that measures tension of the filament between the spooling apparatus and the unmanned aerial vehicle; a filament control system that controls feed and retraction of the filament with the spooling apparatus; a cooling apparatus that directs an air flow onto a wound portion of the filament on the spooling apparatus; a sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle that transmits data with the filament to the control station; and wherein the spooling apparatus is mounted to a moving mobile vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle can be operated with the filament deployed from the spooling apparatus on the moving mobile vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification