Charging apparatus

• US 10,647,217 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Shosei
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Application Number:
  US16/171,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20190152326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/22 for handling aircraft
• 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 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/00 Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes series of co-operating belt conveyor units B65G15/22; series of co-operating chain conveyor units B65G17/26; sequence control of combined conveyors B65G43/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 39/10 Arrangements of rollers on a single axle B65G39/04
• 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

Abstract

A charging apparatus includes a charging section configured to perform charging on a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) and a conveyor group arranged around the charging section. The conveyor group are arranged at positions adjacent to the charging section and include a first conveyor section placed at a position adjacent to the charging section and configured to move the drone in a first direction toward the charging section, and a second conveyor section placed at a position adjacent to the first conveyor section and configured to move the drone in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus comprising:

a charging section configured to perform charging on an unmanned aerial vehicle;

a first conveyor section disposed at a position adjacent to the charging section and configured to move the unmanned aerial vehicle in a first direction toward the charging section;

a second conveyor section disposed at a position adjacent to the first conveyor section and configured to move the unmanned aerial vehicle in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

a detection unit configured to detect landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle on the first and second conveyor sections; and

a control unit configured to control operations of the first and second conveyor sections based on detection of the unmanned aerial vehicle by the detection unit, wherein the control unit is further configured to make a moving speed of the first conveyor section differ from a moving speed of the second conveyor section.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the second conveyor section is disposed at the position adjacent to the charging section together with the first conveyor section, and is configured to be able to move the unmanned aerial vehicle directly to the charging section through a movement in the second direction.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the first conveyor section includes a pair of the first conveyor sections disposed with the charging section interposed therebetween; and

the second conveyor section includes a pair of the second conveyor sections with the charging section and the first conveyor sections interposed therebetween.

4. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the charging section is provided at a lower position than the first conveyor section.

5. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first conveyor section is provided at a lower position than the second conveyor section.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the charging section is provided at a lower position than the second conveyor section.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit is further configured to stop the operation of one of the first and second conveyor sections while operating the other of the first and second conveyor sections.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the first and second conveyor sections includes a notification section configured to notify the unmanned aerial vehicle of position information of the charging apparatus.

9. The charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section are formed by a plurality of rollers and a belt that is wound around a plurality of rollers.

10. The charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to select the moving speed of the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section, and wherein control unit is configured to select a faster moving speed for the moving speed of the first conveyor section than the moving speed of the second conveyor section.

11. The charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to select the moving speed of the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section based on a possibility that the unmanned aerial vehicle will fall from at least one of the first conveyor section or the second conveyor section.

12. The charging apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to select the moving speed of the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section based on a reduction in the likelihood that the unmanned aerial vehicle will fall from at least one of the first conveyor section or the second conveyor section.