Systems and methods for UAV battery power backup
First Claim
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1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) energy provision station comprising:
- a) a landing area that supports a UAV when the UAV is landed at the station, wherein the UAV is operably coupled to (1) a first battery that provides power to the UAV and (2) a backup power source that provides power to the UAV when the first battery is decoupled from the UAV, wherein the backup power source is another battery onboard the UAV; and
b) a battery replacement member that decouples the first battery from the UAV such that the first battery no longer provides power to said UAV, and wherein the backup power source provides power to the UAV prior to or concurrent with said decoupling, thereby allowing the UAV to remain powered before, during, and after the first battery is decoupled from the UAV.
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Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for swapping the battery on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while providing continuous power to at least one system on the UAV. The UAV may be able to identify and land on an energy provision station autonomously. The UAV may take off and/or land on the energy provision station. The UAV may communicate with the energy provision station. The energy provision station may store and charge batteries for use on a UAV. The UAV and/or the energy provision station may have a backup energy source to provide continuous power to the UAV.
58 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) energy provision station comprising:
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a) a landing area that supports a UAV when the UAV is landed at the station, wherein the UAV is operably coupled to (1) a first battery that provides power to the UAV and (2) a backup power source that provides power to the UAV when the first battery is decoupled from the UAV, wherein the backup power source is another battery onboard the UAV; and b) a battery replacement member that decouples the first battery from the UAV such that the first battery no longer provides power to said UAV, and wherein the backup power source provides power to the UAV prior to or concurrent with said decoupling, thereby allowing the UAV to remain powered before, during, and after the first battery is decoupled from the UAV. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method of providing continuous power to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said method comprising:
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a) providing power to the UAV via a battery when the battery is operably coupled to the UAV; b) assessing, with aid of one or more processors individually or collectively, a reliability of a first backup energy source and a second backup energy source that provide power to the UAV prior to or concurrent with decoupling of said battery from the UAV; c) selecting, with aid of the one or more processors individually or collectively, the first backup energy source or the second backup energy source based on the assessed reliability; and d) providing power to the UAV via the selected first or second backup energy source prior to or concurrent with the decoupling of said battery from the UAV. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification