Multi-zone battery exchange system

• US 9,550,582 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Hara, Brian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Keith L
• Application Number:
  US15/048,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 244/135.A, 244/110.E
• 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 comprising a first visible marker, said first UAV landing area configured to (1) support a first UAV when the first UAV is resting at 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 located at the station while the first UAV is supported by the first UAV landing area; and

a second UAV landing area comprising a second visible marker, said second UAV landing area configured to (1) support a second UAV when the second UAV is resting at 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 located at the station while the second UAV is supported by the second UAV landing area, wherein the first visible marker is visually distinguishable from the second visible marker.

2. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first visible marker is an image and the second visible marker is a different image than the first visible marker.

3. The energy provision station of claim 2, wherein the first visible marker is a bar code or QR code and the second visible marker is a bar code or QR code of a different pattern than the first visible marker.

4. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first visible marker comprises a pattern of lights and the second visible marker comprises a different pattern of lights from the first visible marker.

5. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first visible marker and the second visible marker dynamically change over time.

6. The energy provision station of claim 5, wherein the first UAV is configured to land when the first visible marker becomes apparent, and wherein the second UAV is configured to land when the second visible marker becomes apparent.

7. The energy provision station of claim 6, wherein the first visible marker remains visible while the first UAV is at the first UAV landing area, and wherein the second visible marker remains visible while the second UAV is at the second UAV landing area.

8. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first visible marker is indicative of the first landing area for the first UAV of a first type, and the second visible marker is indicative of the second landing area for the second UAV of a second type that is different from the first type.

9. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first visible marker is indicative of the first landing area using a first set of energy provision rules, and (2) the second visible marker is indicative of the second landing area using a second set of energy provision rules different from the first set of energy provision rules.

10. The energy provision station of claim 1, wherein the first UAV and the second UAV are of the same type.

18. The energy provision station of claim 1, further comprising one or more processors that are configured to, individually or collectively, (1) receive information about a priority level of missions to be performed by the first UAV and the second UAV, and (2) cause the first visible marker and the second visible marker to indicate the priority level of the missions to be performed by the first UAV and the second UAV.

19. The energy provision station of claim 18, wherein the first UAV has a higher priority mission than the second UAV, and the first UAV is directed to land at the first UAV landing area with aid of the first visible marker and the second UAV is directed to land at the second UAV landing area with aid of the second visible marker.

20. The energy provision station of claim 19, wherein the first UAV is directed to land at the first UAV landing area prior to the second UAV landing at the second UAV landing area.

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

one or more UAV landing areas each comprising at least one visible marker, said UAV landing area configured to (1) support a UAV when the UAV is resting at the station, said UAV coupled to a battery configured to power the UAV, and (2) charge the battery or exchange the battery for another battery located at the station while the UAV is supported by the UAV landing area,

wherein the visible marker is configured to dynamically change from a first visible marker configuration to a second visible marker configuration, and wherein the first visible marker configuration is visually distinguishable from the second visible marker configuration.

12. The energy provision station of claim 11, wherein the visible marker is an image, and the first visible marker configuration is a first image and the second visible marker configuration is a second image that is different from the first image.

13. The energy provision station of claim 12, wherein the first image is a bar code or QR code and the second image is a bar code or QR code of a different pattern than the first image.

14. The energy provision station of claim 11, wherein the visible marker comprises a pattern of lights, and the first visible marker configuration comprises a first pattern of lights and the second visible marker configuration comprises a second pattern of lights that is different from the first pattern of lights.

15. The energy provision station of claim 14, wherein the pattern of lights comprises a change of the lights within a predetermined period, wherein said pattern comprises at least a blinking pattern or a spatial arrangement of the lights.

16. The energy provision station of claim 11, wherein the first visible marker configuration is indicative that the landing area is prepared to receive a first UAV of a first type, and the second visible marker configuration is indicative that the landing area is prepared to receive a second UAV of a second type that is different from the first type.

17. The energy provision station of claim 11, wherein the first visible marker configuration is indicative that the landing area is prepared to operate using a first set of energy provision rules, and the second visible marker configuration is indicative that the landing area is prepared to operate using a second set of energy provision rules different from the first set of energy provision rules.

21. The energy provision station of claim 17, wherein the first UAV requires a faster energy reload than the second UAV, and the first UAV is directed to land at the first UAV landing area with aid of the first visible marker and the second UAV is directed to land at the second UAV landing area with aid of the second visible marker.

22. The energy provision station of claim 21, wherein the first UAV is directed to land at the first UAV landing area prior to the second UAV landing at the second UAV landing area.

23. The energy provision station of claim 17, wherein the first UAV requires an energy reload by charging the first battery onboard the first UAV, the second UAV requires an energy reload by exchanging the second battery onboard the second UAV for another battery located at the station, and wherein the first UAV is directed to land at the first UAV landing area with aid of the first visible marker and the second UAV is directed to land at the second UAV landing area with aid of the second visible marker.

24. A method for directing a UAV to a UAV energy provision station, said method comprising:

providing the UAV energy provision station, wherein said station comprises one or more UAV landing areas each comprising at least one visible marker, said UAV landing area configured to (1) support a UAV when the UAV is resting at the station, said UAV coupled to a battery configured to power the UAV, and (2) charge the battery or exchange the battery for another battery located at the station while the UAV is supported by the UAV landing area, wherein the visible marker is configured to dynamically change from a first visible marker configuration to a second visible marker configuration, and wherein the first visible marker configuration is visually distinguishable from the second visible marker configuration;

causing a first UAV to land on the UAV landing area when the visible marker has the first visible marker configuration; and

causing a second UAV to land on the UAV landing area when the visible marker has the second visible marker configuration.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein causing the first UAV to land comprises storing, in a memory of the first UAV, the first visible marker configuration;

and detecting, using a sensor of the first UAV, the first visible marker configuration of the visible marker.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein causing the second UAV to land comprises storing, in a memory of the second UAV, the second visible marker configuration;

and detecting, using a sensor of the second UAV, the second visible marker configuration of the visible marker.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending a signal from the first UAV to the energy provision station, said signal indicative of a power status of the first UAV.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the visible marker has the first visible marker configuration in response to the signal from the first UAV.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending a signal from the second UAV to the energy provision station, said signal indicative of a power status of the second UAV.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the visible marker is changed to a second visible marker configuration in response to the signal from the second UAV.