Autonomous system for unmanned aerial vehicle landing, charging and takeoff

• US 10,633,115 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2016
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyyfish, LLC
• Original Assignee: Skyyfish, LLC
• Inventors: Pilskalns, Orest Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutchens, Christopher D
• Application Number:
  US15/236,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20170050749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/08 optical
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/007 Helicopter portable landing pads
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/12 for anchoring aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/362 Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/95 Means for guiding the landing UAV towards the platform, e.g. lighting means
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/30 with arrangements for data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 : in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/913 : for landing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 : specially adapted for landing
• 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

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can automatically guide itself to the vicinity of a charging station of an automated landing, charging and takeoff system, which then assists with the close-range laser guidance of the UAV in order for it to dock, without the need for landing gear. The dock has locating valleys that help the booms of the UAV to self-align under the force of gravity. Electrical connections are automatically made for data download and charging. A cover may be closed over the UAV during charging.

Claims

1. A base station apparatus for docking and downloading data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

(a) a landing platform configured to receive and dock a UAV, wherein the UAV comprises an airframe with one or more booms, said landing platform having a centrally located cradle and one or more elevated walls on an outside perimeter of the landing platform defining a four-sided sensor configuration;

(b) a primary landing guidance system comprising;

i) an array of laser sensors mounted on said one or more elevated walls, wherein said sensors surround said cradle, face skyward, and are configured to detect an overflight by downwardly targeted laser beams from an array of laser diodes mounted on an underside of the airframe of the UAV;

ii) a radio transceiver;

iii) a microprocessor;

vi) a memory operatively coupled to said microprocessor, including non-transitory memory enabled to hold an instruction set executable by said microprocessor to operate said landing platform cooperatively with the UAV, wherein said instruction set is configured for detecting patterns of laser beam strikes on said laser sensors during an overflight;

(c) wherein said cradle is configured with

i) contoured support ribs with guide slots, each contoured rib and slot defining a trough, wherein said trough is configured to enable gravity-assisted coarse positioning of a boom of said airframe of the UAV in said cradle;

ii) one or more reversibly lockable clamps configured to seat and dock the one or more booms of said airframe of the UAV in said cradle;

iii) a power supply, said power supply having a connector configured to conductively engage a mating recharge-power circuit connector mounted on an underside of said airframe of the UAV when seated and docked in said cradle; and

(d) wherein said microprocessor analyzes the patterns of laser beam strikes on the sensor array during an overflight, each laser beam strike defining an off center axis of the UAV relative to the landing area, and transmits to the UAV a radio signal containing exact location coordinate information of the side of the four-sided sensor configuration on the landing platform that detected the laser beam strike;

(e) wherein the UAV, having a radio set configured to receive the location coordinate information transmitted from the landing platform, and having a flight control system configured to process information transmitted from the landing platform and autonomously navigate the UAV to execute a centered and oriented landing in said cradle with each boom of the UAV in a designated slot in said cradle.

2. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein said radio transceiver of said landing platform is configured to transmit, on detecting proximity of the UAV, an initial navigation command to switch on the downward-pointing laser diodes on the underside of the airframe and to overfly the landing platform according to a patterned flight path.

3. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor and radio transceiver are configured to broadcast exact location coordinate information to the UAV during the final stages of descent to a landing in the cradle, whereby that information is processed by the UAV to navigate a pattern of flight maneuvers that rotate and position the UAV so that the docking is made with a defined rotational orientation between the airframe and the cradle.

4. The base station apparatus of claim 1, wherein the landing platform comprises a plurality of said troughs, and wherein each trough is configured to receive a uniquely designated boom of the airframe when properly oriented.

5. The base station of claim 4, wherein, said plurality of troughs are disposed on a superior aspect of said cradle, and wherein said troughs are bordered by sloped members of said cradle such that said airframe, on descent into said trough, is guided to a center of said trough by said sloped lateral members.

6. The base station of claim 5, further comprising a secondary landing guidance system which comprises one or more actuators configured to adjust a position of the UAV when the UAV is located in the troughs.

7. The base station apparatus of claim 4, wherein said reversibly lockable clamps are defined by each a capacity to secure and lock a uniquely identifiable boom of said airframe when docked.

8. The base station apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cavity to accommodate a gimballed camera or gimballed instrument package that is suspended from the UAV.

9. The base station of claim 1, further comprising a guided mechanical actuator configured to engage and establish an electrical connection or connections between mating connectors of the landing platform and the UAV, wherein the electrical connection or connections are for transferring power, data, or power and data in combination.

10. A method for operating a base station in cooperation with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising the steps of:

providing a base station for receivingly docking and landing a UAV, the base station comprising a platform with cradle configured to orientedly receive one or more booms of an airframe of the UAV;

a four-sided array of skywardly oriented laser sensors around the cradle configured to detect a pattern of downwardly pointed laser beams emitted from the underside of the UAV when the UAV is in flight above the base station, a microprocessor, a radio transceiver, a power-recharge connector configured to operatively engage a power-recharge circuit on a docked UAV, and one or more reversibly lockable clamps for seating and securing the UAV in the cradle when the UAV is docked;

by the base station, activating a primary landing guidance system and issuing a command to a UAV hovering over the base station, the command ordering the UAV to turn on the laser beams and fly a defined flight path above the base station;

by the UAV, switching on the laser beams and flying the defined flight path received from the base station;

by the base station, transmitting a signal containing exact location coordinate information of the side of the laser sensor array that detected the laser beams;

by the UAV, from the location coordination information transmitted from the base station, autonomously solving for a flight path to achieve a required position and orientation relative to the base station and navigating the UAV to a centered and properly oriented landing in the cradle; and

,

by the base station, docking a recharge-power circuit connector to a corresponding connector on the airframe when the UAV is properly seated and clamped to said cradle.

11. The method of claim 10, further characterized by rotationally aligning the UAV during flight until each boom of the airframe is in a required rotational alignment relative to the cradle;

landing the UAV using the primary landing guidance system;

aligning and connecting a dataport on the base station to a correctly oriented data connector on the airframe;

downloading flight and imagery data from a memory on the UAV to the base station via the data connector; and

,

by the UAV, executing an autonomous launch from the base station on a command from a remote control center.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving via a smartphone application a request from a user;

transmitting the request and a location of the user to a control center of a fleet of said UAVs; and

dispatching by the control center one of said UAVs to said location.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising collecting video footage during flight and downloading video footage to said base station when cradled in said base station.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprises recharging the UAV while simultaneously downloading digital data.

15. A base station apparatus for docking an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

(a) a cradle configured to receive and dock a UAV, said cradle surrounded on four sides by one or more walls;

(b) a primary landing guidance system comprising

i) an array of laser sensors mounted on said one or more walls, wherein said sensors face skyward and are configured to detect downwardly targeted laser beams from an array of laser diodes mounted on the UAV;

ii) a radio transceiver;

iii) a microprocessor;

vi) a non-transitory memory operatively coupled to said microprocessor, the memory comprising an instruction set executable by said microprocessor to determine when said laser sensors detect laser beams during an overflight of the UAV; and

(c) a power supply configured to recharge the UAV when the UAV is in the cradle;

wherein said microprocessor is operative, in response to detection by one of said laser sensors of a laser beam during the overflight, to transmit via the transceiver to the UAV, a signal comprising location information of the side of the four sides having the sensor that detected the laser beam.

16. The base station apparatus of claim 15, wherein said radio transceiver is configured to transmit, on detecting proximity of the UAV, an initial navigation command to switch on downward-pointing laser diodes on the UAV and to overfly the base station apparatus according to a patterned flight path.

17. The base station apparatus of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor and radio transceiver are configured to broadcast exact location coordinate information to the UAV during final stages of descent to landing in the cradle, whereby the exact location coordinate information is processed by the UAV to rotate and position the UAV so that the UAV docks with a defined rotational orientation with respect to the cradle.

18. The base station apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cradle comprises a plurality of troughs, and wherein each trough is configured to receive a boom of the UAV when the UAV is properly oriented in the cradle.