Hangar system for local drone storage and charging

• US 10,570,636 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frans Merrild
• Original Assignee: Frans Merrild
• Inventors: Merrild, Frans
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/921,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20190301192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320108, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/222 for storing aircraft, e.g. in hangars
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/44 for storing aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 17/00 Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

The invention is a drone hangar enabling safe containment and recharging of a drone located close to an area of interest, such as a drone used to inspect wind turbines located off shore.

Claims

1. A drone hangar system comprising:

a bowl-shaped lower portion comprising a flat circular floor and curved side substructure;

said flat circular floor is attached to interior side of said curved side substructure;

a bowl-shaped upper portion comprising bowed, triangular segments whose apexes meet at the center of said upper portion and whose sides opposite said apexes comprise a composite edge of said bowl-shaped upper portion;

edge of said curved side substructure of said bowl-shaped lower portion and said composite edge of said bowl-shaped upper portion are conjoined to form essentially a closed oblate spheroid;

perimeter of said flat circular floor must be larger than effective perimeter of largest drone to be accommodated; and

vertical diameter of said closed oblate spheroid must be larger than effective height of tallest drone to be accommodated.

2. A claim as in claim 1 further comprising:

said flat circular floor operative to provide inductive charging for one or more batteries powering said drone to be accommodated.

3. A claim as in claim 1 further comprising:

said triangular segments rotated upward and downward by an electromechanical subsystem.

4. A claim as in claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless network infrastructure operative to convey control signals to said drone to be accommodated;

said wireless network infrastructure operative to convey said control signals to said hangar'"'"'s said electromechanical subsystem for opening and closing said triangular segments of said upper portion;

said wireless network infrastructure operative to convey real-time image and sensor data from said drone to said hangar and to said wireless network user.

5. A claim as in claim 3 further comprising:

said electromechanical subsystem powered by a wind turbine'"'"'s electrical generating subsystem.

6. A claim as in claim 4 further comprising:

said wireless network infrastructure powered by said wind turbine'"'"'s said electrical generating subsystem.

7. A claim as in claim 6 further comprising:

a plurality of drone hangar systems wherein each said hangar system is located such that said drone, with said one or more batteries fully charged, compatible with said inductive charging, can fly from one said hangar system to next said hangar system without needing to recharge said one or more batteries before landing and recharging.

8. A claim as in claim 7 further comprising:

a drone-range-extending-control program, wherein commands are conveyed over said wireless network, operative to guide said drone, automatically, from said hangar system to said hangar system, to control successive landing, charging, and take off, so as to extend the range of said drone.