MULTI-ZONE BATTERY EXCHANGE SYSTEM

• US 20160039542A1
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wang, Mingyu
• Granted Patent: US 9,284,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/52 Wind-driven generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 39/00 Refuelling during flight filling or emptying fuel tanks B64D37/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/00 Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations specially adapted for captive aircraft B64F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/18 Visual or acoustic landing aids taxiing aids B64F1/002
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/20 Arrangement of optical beacons
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/362 Installations for supplying conditioned air to parked aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 3/00 Ground installations specially adapted for captive 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 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/39 Battery swapping
• 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: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 : Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06
• 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 50/60 : Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A multi-zone battery station is provided, comprising a plurality of landing areas configured to support a UAV. The battery station may permit battery life to be reloaded onto a UAV, which may include recharging a battery of the UAV or exchanging the UAV battery for a new battery. The different zones may accommodate different UAV types, different battery types, or operate in accordance with different energy provision rules. A marker may be provided on a landing area to aid in guiding the UAV to an appropriate landing area.

Claims

1. A UAV energy provision station, said station comprising:

a first UAV landing area configured to (1) support a UAV of a first type when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a first battery configured to power the UAV, and (2) charge the first battery or exchange the first battery for another battery while the UAV is supported by the first UAV landing area; and

a second UAV landing area configured to (1) support a UAV of a second type different from the first type when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a second battery configured to power the UAV, and (2) charge the second battery or exchange the second battery for another battery while the UAV is supported by the second UAV landing area,

wherein the first UAV landing area is not configured to charge the second battery or exchange the second battery for another battery for a UAV of the second type.

2. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the second UAV landing area is not configured to charge the first battery or exchange the first battery for another battery for a UAV of the first type.

3. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the UAV of the first type and the UAV of the second type have different dimensions or shapes.

4. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first UAV landing area is configured to accommodate a battery of a first type while not being able to accommodate a battery of a second type, and the second UAV landing area is configured to accommodate a battery of a second type while not being able to accommodate a battery of a first type.

5. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the UAV of the first type comprises a recessed region into which the first battery is inserted to couple to the UAV and provide power to the UAV.

6. The energy provision station of claim 5, wherein a battery charging unit is configured to charge the first battery while the first battery is inserted in the recessed region.

7. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first UAV landing area and the second UAV landing area comprise visible markers configured to aid the UAV in landing.

8. The energy provision station of claim 7, wherein the visible markers comprise images or LED lights.

9. The energy provision station of claim 7, wherein the visible markers dynamically change over time.

10. A UAV energy provision station, said station comprising:

a first UAV landing area configured to (1) support a first UAV when the first UAV is resting on the station, said first UAV coupled to a first battery configured to power the first UAV, and (2) charge the first battery or exchange the first battery for another battery in accordance with a first set of energy provision rules while the first UAV is supported by the first UAV landing area; and

a second UAV landing area configured to (1) support a second UAV when the second UAV is resting on the station, said second UAV coupled to a second battery configured to power the second UAV, and (2) charge the second battery or exchange the second battery for another battery in accordance with a second set of energy provision rules while the second UAV is supported by the second UAV landing area,

wherein the first set of energy provision rules and the second set of energy provision rules are different from one another.

11. The energy provision station of claim 10, wherein the first set of energy provision rules only permits charging the first battery without permitting exchanging the first battery for another battery, and wherein the second set of energy provision rules only permits exchanging the second battery for another battery without permitting charging of the second battery.

12. The energy provision station of claim 10, wherein the first set of energy provision rules provides faster completion of the charge of the first battery or faster exchange of the first battery for another battery relative to those of the second set of energy provision rules.

13. The energy provision station of claim 10, wherein the first set of energy provision rules provides charging the first battery to a first state of charge or exchanging the first battery for another battery of the first state of charge, and the second set of energy provision rules provides charging the second battery to a second state of charge or exchanging the second battery for another battery of the second state of charge, wherein the second state of charge is different from the first state of charge.

14. The energy provision station of claim 10, wherein the first set of energy provision rules depends on a state of charge of the first battery, and wherein the second set of energy provision rules depends on a state of charge of the second battery.

15. The energy provision station of claim 10, further comprising a first GPS sensor, wherein the first UAV or the second UAV has a second GPS sensor, wherein the first GPS sensor and the second GPS sensor operate in concert to provide navigation to the first UAV or the second UAV in relation to the energy provision station.

16. A method for directing a UAV to a landing area of a UAV energy provision station, said method comprising:

providing a first UAV landing area configured to (1) support a UAV when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a battery configured to power the UAV, and (2) charge the battery or exchange the first battery for another battery while the UAV is supported by the first UAV landing area; and

providing a second UAV landing area configured to (1) support a UAV when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a battery configured to power the UAV, and (2) charge the second battery or exchange the battery for another battery while the UAV is supported by the second UAV landing area,

receiving, at a processor, a signal indicative of information about a UAV having a battery on board, that is to land at the UAV energy provision station, and generating a command for the UAV to land at the first UAV landing area or the second landing area based on the information about the UAV.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information about the UAV comprises information about a type of the UAV.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first UAV landing area is configured to support a UAV of a first type and a second UAV landing area is configured to support a UAV of a second type that is different from the first type, and wherein the command is for the UAV to land at the first UAV landing area when the UAV is of the first type, or for the UAV to land at the second UAV landing area when the UAV is of the second type.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the information about the UAV comprises information about a state of charge of a battery on board the UAV.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the information about the UAV comprises information about a timeframe in which the battery on board the UAV needs to be charged or exchanged for another battery.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the information about the UAV comprises an estimate for the state of charge on the battery board on board the UAV needs to be to meet an anticipated travel plan for the UAV.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining, using one or more processors on board the UAV, whether additional battery life is needed for the battery on board the UAV to meet the anticipated travel plan.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the information about the UAV comprises information about whether the battery on board the UAV needs to be charged and not exchanged for another battery or vice versa.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first UAV landing area only permits charging the first battery without permitting exchanging the first battery for another battery, wherein the command is for the UAV to land at the first UAV landing area when the battery on board the UAV needs to be charged, wherein the second UAV landing area only permits exchanging the battery for another battery without permitting charging of the battery, and wherein the command is for the UAV to land at the second UAV landing area when the battery on board the UAV needs to be exchanged for another battery.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, at a processor, a signal indicative of information about one or more batteries stored at the UAV energy provision station.

26. A method for directing a UAV to a landing area of a UAV energy provision station, said method comprising:

determining, with aid of one or more processors, whether the UAV is to (1) land at the UAV energy provision station, or (2) continue on to another location without landing at the UAV energy provision station;

determining a position in a UAV queue for the UAV to land at the energy provision station;

selecting a UAV landing area from a plurality of UAV landing areas for the UAV to land, wherein the selected UAV landing area is configured to reload energy on the UAV; and

directing the UAV to the selected UAV landing area when the selected UAV landing area is prepared to accept the UAV.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising exchanging data between the UAV and the energy provision station prior to determining whether the UAV is to (1) land, or (2) continue.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data exchanged comprises one or more of the following:

state of a battery on board the UAV, flight conditions, time or distance remaining on a mission for the UAV, distance to another energy provision station, UAV specifications, state of the UAV, or information pertaining to a payload on board the UAV.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the position in the UAV queue is determined based on the data exchanged between the UAV and the energy provision station, or based on a priority of a mission of the UAV in relation to a priority of a mission of another UAV in the queue.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the selected UAV landing area is configured to reload energy on the UAV by (1) recharging a battery on board the UAV, or (2) exchanging the battery on board the UAV with another battery from the energy provision station.