Mobile antenna array

• US 9,415,869 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Danny, Lee, Tzung-I (Ian), Channabasappa, Eswarappa, Kim, Namhoon, Mattsson, Ulf Jan Ove, Modro, Joseph Christopher, Zheng, Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US14/670,279
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/2, 701/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/299 Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

A plurality of UAVs may be operated in a fleet, each of the UAVs in the fleet being configured to work collectively to achieve one or more functions, such as to create a display or implement an antenna array. The fleet of UAVs may operate individually and/or may be coupled to one another to operate as a collective unit. In some embodiments, one or more UAVs in the fleet may operate individually, while two or more UAVs in the fleet may be connected to one another. In such embodiments, the individual UAVs and the connected UAVs may together comprise the fleet.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising;

a first airframe;

a first antenna coupled to the first airframe;

a first propulsion system coupled to the first airframe; and

a first control management system coupled to the first airframe and configured to send signals to the first propulsion system to maintain a first flight plan, and wherein the first control management system is further configured to send transmission signals via the first antenna;

a second UAV comprising;

a second airframe;

a second antenna coupled to the second airframe;

a second propulsion system coupled to the second airframe; and

a second control management system coupled to the second airframe and configured to send signals to the second propulsion system to maintain a second flight plan, wherein the second flight plan is based at least in part on the first UAV and the second UAV flying in proximity to one another such that the first antenna and the second antenna form an antenna array configured to transmit a signal,

wherein the second control management system is further configured to send the transmission signals via the second antenna.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first control management system and the second control management system are further configured to:

receive input signals from one or more accelerometers; and

calculate adjustments necessary to maintain a respective flight plan,

wherein the signals to the propulsion system are based at least in part on the input signals received from the one or more accelerometers.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first control management system and the second control management system are further configured to:

process a first transmission signal;

maintain a first distance between the first UAV and the second UAV;

orient the first antenna to a first azimuth and a first elevation based at least in part on the first transmission signal;

orient the second antenna to a second azimuth and a second elevation based at least in part on the first transmission signal; and

transmit the first transmission signal via the antenna array.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first control management system and the second control management system are further configured to:

receive the transmission signals from a remote computing device;

orient the first antenna and the second antenna based at least in part on the transmission signals; and

transmit the transmission signals via the antenna array.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the array comprises at least one of:

a parabolic array;

a sectional array;

a planar array;

or

a spherical array.

6. A fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) comprising:

two or more UAVs, wherein each of the two or more UAVs comprise;

an airframe;

an antenna coupled to the airframe;

a propulsion system coupled to the airframe; and

a control management system coupled to the airframe and configured to send signals to the propulsion system to maintain a first collective flight plan, wherein the first collective flight plan is based at least in part on the two or more UAVs flying in proximity to one another such that each of the two or more antennas may work together to form an antenna array.

7. The fleet of UAVs as claim 6 recites, wherein each of the two or more control management systems is further configured to:

receive a first transmission data;

orient the antenna based at least in part on the first transmission data; and

transmit the first transmission data via the antenna array.

8. The fleet of UAVs as claim 7 recites, wherein the first collective flight plan comprises:

at least one waypoint; and

a first distance to maintain between each of the two or more UAVs, the first distance being based at least in part on a wavelength of the first transmission data.

9. The fleet of UAVs as claim 8 recites, wherein the first distance is a distance equal to or less than half the wavelength of the first transmission data.

10. The fleet of UAVs as claim 6 recites, wherein each of the two or more control management systems is further configured to:

receive input signals from one or more accelerometers; and

based at least in part on the receiving the input signals, calculate adjustments necessary to maintain the first collective flight plan.

11. The fleet of UAVs as claim 6 recites, wherein each of the two or more control management systems is further configured to receive the first collective flight plan from a remote computing device.

12. The fleet of UAVs as claim 6 recites, wherein each of the two or more control management systems is further configured to receive transmission signals from a remote computing device.

13. The fleet of UAVs as claim 6 recites, wherein each of the two or more UAVs further comprises a coupling system to couple to one or more others of the two of more UAVs.

14. The fleet of UAVs as claim 13 recites, wherein the coupling system comprises an arm or a cable coupled to the airframe, the arm or the cable comprising one or more of:

a magnetic connector;

a latch connector;

a ball and socket connector;

or

a snap fit connector.

15. A method comprising:

spacing a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a second UAV by a first distance;

combining a first antenna of the first UAV and a second antenna of the second UAV into an antenna array, wherein the antenna array is configured to operate as a single antenna;

connecting the first UAV and the second UAV to a base station;

receiving, from the base station, a control signal at the first UAV and at the second UAV, the control signal comprising orientation data and transmission data;

orienting the first UAV and the second UAV based at least in part on the control signal; and

transmitting the transmission data from the antenna array.

16. The method as claim 15 recites, further comprising orienting the first antenna and the second antenna based at least in part on the control signal.

17. The method as claim 16 recites, wherein orienting the first antenna and the second antenna comprises:

directing the first antenna and the second antenna to a first azimuth; and

directing the first antenna and the second antenna to a first elevation.

18. The method as claim 16 recites, wherein orienting the first antenna and the second antenna comprises:

directing the first antenna to a first azimuth;

directing the first antenna to a first elevation;

directing the second antenna to a second azimuth; and

directing the second antenna to a second elevation.

19. The method as claim 15 recites, further comprising:

coupling a first connector of the first UAV to a second connector of the second UAV; and

transferring data between the first UAV and the second UAV via the first connector and the second connector.

20. The method as claim 15 recites, further comprising:

coupling a first connector of the first UAV to a second connector of the second UAV; and

transferring power between the first UAV and the second UAV via the first connector and the second connector.