Foldable and self-deployable aerial vehicle

• US 9,446,845 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecole polytechnique fãdãrale de lausanne epfl (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft)
• Original Assignee: Ecole polytechnique fãdãrale de lausanne epfl (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft)
• Inventors: Mintchev, Stefano, Daler, Ludovic, Floreano, Dario
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzell, Philip J
• Application Number:
  US14/528,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20160122016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/293 Foldable or collapsible rotors or rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors

Abstract

An aerial vehicle including self-autonomous deployable arms and methods of deploying the vehicle are disclosed. The arms may include patterns located thereon that allow the arms to transition between wrapped, flat, and deployed configurations autonomously without the need for direct intervention by a user.

Claims

1. An aerial vehicle comprising:

a main frame;

arms attached to the main frame and having a wrapped configuration, a flat configuration, and a deployed configuration;

motors attached to the arms;

propellers in working communication with the motors, the propellers generating a torque that transitions the arms from the wrapped configuration to the flat configuration; and

magnets attached to the main frame and arms, the magnets having attraction forces that transition the arms from the flat configuration to the deployed configuration.

2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

a set of magnets attached to the main frame and arms, the set of magnets having attraction forces that hold the arms in the wrapped configuration.

3. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of the arms include at least one horizontal fold line.

4. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

switches attached to the main frame, the switches indicating when the arms are in the deployed configuration.

5. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the arms include two substantially perpendicular portions when in the folded configuration.

6. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of the arms include at least one vertical fold line.

7. The aerial vehicle of claim 6 wherein each of the arms include two vertical fold lines.

8. The aerial vehicle of claim 7 wherein each of the arms are folded along each of the two vertical fold lines when in the wrapped configuration.

9. An arm of an aerial vehicle comprising:

a first portion oriented parallel with an axis of a propeller;

a second portion oriented parallel with the axis of the propeller when the arm is in a flat configuration and oriented perpendicular with the axis of the propeller when the arm is in a deployed configuration;

a first device attached to the arm to hold the arm in a wrapped configuration; and

a second device attached to the arm to transition the arm from the flat configuration to the deployed configuration.

10. The arm of claim 9 further comprising:

at least one fold line oriented parallel with the axis of the propeller.

11. The arm of claim 9 further comprising:

at least one fold line oriented substantially perpendicular with the axis of the propeller.

12. The arm of claim 9 wherein at least one of the first and second devices are magnets.

13. The arm of claim 12 wherein at least one magnet is located on the second portion of the arm proximate a main frame of the aerial vehicle, the at least one magnet interacting with at least one magnet attached to the main frame, thereby transitioning the arm from the flat configuration to the deployed configuration.

14. A method of deploying an aerial vehicle comprising the steps of:

activating motors located on arms of the aerial vehicle;

generating torque through propellers by rotating the propellers in a first direction;

detecting when the arms have achieved a deployed configuration; and

inverting a rotation of a portion of the propellers thereby causing the portion of the propellers to rotate in a second direction.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the generating step includes rotating the propellers in a counterclockwise direction.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the inverting step includes causing the portion of the propellers to rotate in a clockwise direction.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the detecting step includes detecting when each of the arms, individually, has achieved the folded configuration and the inverting step includes inverting the rotation of the portion of the propellers, individually, when the arms in communication with the portion of the propellers individually achieve the deployed configuration.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the detecting step includes using switches to detect when the arms have achieved the deployed configuration.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the detecting step includes detecting when the switches are in a closed position.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the inverting step includes inverting the rotation of the portion of the propellers upon receiving a signal indicating the switches are in the closed position.