MOTOR VEHICLE WITH CAPTIVE AIRCRAFT

• US 20150102154A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Duncan, William D., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Malaska, Stephen L., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Petroski, Robert C., Weaver, Thomas Allan, Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 10,112,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/022 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/00 Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations specially adapted for captive aircraft B64F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/24 for use as flying displays, e.g. advertising or billboards
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/15 using combustion exhausts other than turbojets or turbofans, e.g. using rockets, ramjets, scramjets or pulse-reactors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/93 for use on a land or nautical vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/99 Means for retaining the UAV on the platform, e.g. dogs or magnets
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

A motor vehicle system includes a motor vehicle including an aircraft landing portion, and an actively propelled unmanned aircraft configured to be supported on the aircraft landing portion. The vehicle and aircraft are configured such that the vehicle can provide at least one of fuel and electrical energy to the aircraft while the aircraft is supported on the aircraft landing portion.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle system, comprising:

a motor vehicle including an aircraft landing portion; and

an actively propelled unmanned aircraft configured to be supported on the aircraft landing portion;

wherein the vehicle and aircraft are configured such that the vehicle can provide at least one of fuel and electrical energy to the aircraft while the aircraft is supported on the aircraft landing portion.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle includes a vehicle coupling port and the aircraft includes an aircraft coupling port configured to be removably coupled to the vehicle coupling port to enable the transfer of fuel and electrical energy from the motor vehicle to the aircraft.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the aircraft coupling port is configured to be removably coupled to the vehicle coupling port while the aircraft is supported on the aircraft landing portion of the motor vehicle.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the aircraft coupling port is configured to be removably coupled to the vehicle coupling port while the aircraft is airborne.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is configured to take off and land from the aircraft landing portion on the motor vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the aircraft is configured to take off from the aircraft landing portion while the motor vehicle is in motion.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is configured to capture environment data regarding a driving environment and communicate aircraft data generated based on the environment data to the motor vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the environment data includes data regarding two or more potential driving routes for the motor vehicle.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the motor vehicle is configured to determine a driving route based on the environment data.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the environmental data provides an indication of road conditions along at least one potential driving route for the motor vehicle.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the aircraft is configured to identify at least one of a road blockage condition, a road washout condition, and an icy road condition based on the environment data.

35. The system of claim 17, wherein the motor vehicle is configured to provide driving data to a driver of the motor vehicle, the driving data being based on the environment data captured by the aircraft.

2-5. -5. (canceled)

11-16. -16. (canceled)

20-32. -32. (canceled)

36-58. -58. (canceled)

59. An unmanned aircraft for use with a motor vehicle, comprising:

a propulsion system configured to enable the aircraft to take off and land from a motor vehicle;

a transceiver configured to provide communication between the aircraft and the motor vehicle; and

a coupling port configured to be removably coupled to the motor vehicle and receive at least one of fuel and electrical energy from the motor vehicle.

64. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the coupling port is configured to be removably coupled to a vehicle coupling port while the aircraft is supported on an aircraft landing portion of the vehicle.

65. The aircraft of claim 64, wherein the coupling port is configured to be removably coupled to the vehicle coupling port while the aircraft is airborne.

72. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the aircraft is configured to receive data from the motor vehicle using a first communication protocol and forward the data to a wireless access point using a second communication protocol.

73. The aircraft of claim 72, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

74. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the aircraft is configured to capture environment data regarding a driving environment using a data capture device and communicate aircraft data generated based on the environment data to the motor vehicle.

92. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the motor vehicle comprises a positioning aid configured to assist the aircraft in determining a relative position between the motor vehicle and the aircraft.

93. The aircraft of claim 92, wherein the positioning aid comprises at least one of a radar retroreflector, an optical retroreflector, a radiofrequency transmitter, an optical transmitter, a radar transponder, and a lidar transponder.

94. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the aircraft comprises a positioning aid configured to assist the motor vehicle in determining a relative position between the motor vehicle and the aircraft.

95. The aircraft of claim 94, wherein the positioning aid comprises at least one of a radar retroreflector, an optical retroreflector, a radiofrequency transmitter, an optical transmitter, a radar transponder, and a lidar transponder.

96. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the aircraft comprises a cargo delivery system configured to receive cargo from the motor vehicle and to deliver the cargo to an external location.

97. The aircraft of claim 59, wherein the aircraft comprises a cargo delivery system configured to receive cargo from an external location and to deliver the cargo to the motor vehicle.

60-63. -63. (canceled)

66-71. -71. (canceled)

75-91. -91. (canceled)

98-136. -136. (canceled)

137. A motor vehicle system, comprising:

a motor vehicle including an aircraft support portion;

an actively propelled unmanned aircraft configured to be selectively supported on the aircraft support portion; and

a computer vehicle control system configured to control operation of the motor vehicle based at least in part on data acquired by the aircraft.

139. The system of claim 137, wherein the data is associated with a driving environment for the motor vehicle.

140. The system of claim 139, wherein the data provides an indication of traffic flow within the driving environment.

141. The system of claim 139, wherein the data provides an indication of road conditions within the driving environment.

142. The system of claim 141, wherein the data relates to at least one of traffic flow and road conditions along a predicted driving route for the motor vehicle.

143. The system of claim 137, wherein the aircraft includes a data capture device configured to acquire the data.

144. The system of claim 143, wherein the data capture device includes a video camera and the environment data includes video images.

145. The system of claim 143, wherein the data capture device includes a still image camera and the environment data includes still images.

146. The system of claim 143, wherein the data capture device includes at least one of a lidar device, a radar device, an infrared scanning device, a spectroscopic imaging device, and a night vision imaging device.

148. The system of claim 137, wherein the vehicle control system includes a collision avoidance system.

149. The system of claim 148, wherein the collision avoidance system is configured to receive the data acquired by the aircraft.

138. (canceled)

147. (canceled)

150-233. -233. (canceled)