Method and apparatus for extending the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 9,551,989 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Scarlatti, David, Campillo, David Esteban, Casado Magana, Enrique Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T
• Application Number:
  US13/871,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• 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: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• 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 50/39 Battery swapping
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A method of extending the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed. The method comprises detecting that an energy storage device on board the UAV is depleted below a threshold level, landing the UAV at a base station, and initiating operation of the base station to cause a replacement mechanism thereof to remove the energy storage device on board the UAV from the UAV and to replace this with another energy storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a landing pad of a base station after the UAV has landed on the landing pad, the position determined via a surface sensor coupled to the landing pad;

removing an energy storage device on board the UAV from the UAV using a replacement mechanism of the base station based on the position; and

coupling a second energy storage device to the UAV using the replacement mechanism based on the position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface sensor includes a pressure sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an orientation of the UAV on the landing pad via the surface sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein removing the energy storage device comprises moving a portion of the replacement mechanism to the position and rotating the portion of the replacement mechanism based on the orientation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein coupling the second energy storage device comprises rotating the portion of the replacement mechanism so that the second energy storage device corresponds with the position and the orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising taking the second energy storage device from a charging station with the replacement mechanism.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the replacement mechanism has a first energy storage device receptacle and a second energy storage device receptacle, wherein the first energy storage device receptacle is configured to couple to the energy storage device, wherein the second energy storage device receptacle is configured to couple to the second energy storage device, and further comprising swapping locations of the first energy storage device receptacle and the second energy storage device receptacle after removing the energy storage device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a portion of the replacement mechanism is rotated about a pivot to swap locations of the first energy storage device receptacle and the second energy storage device receptacle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the replacement mechanism deposits the energy storage device in a charging station.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a landing pad of a base station after the UAV has landed on the landing pad, the position determined via a surface sensor coupled to the landing pad;

initiating a replacement mechanism to remove an energy storage device on board the UAV from the UAV based on the position; and

initiating the replacement mechanism to couple a second energy storage device to the UAV using the replacement mechanism based on the position.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a signal from a command and control station indicating that the energy storage device is depleted below a threshold level before determining the position; and

initiating the replacement mechanism to retrieve the second energy storage device from a recharging station in response to the signal.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the command and control station provides commands to the UAV to land on the landing pad of the base station.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a second signal to the command and control station in response to the second energy storage device being coupled to the UAV, wherein the second signal indicates that second energy storage device is coupled to the UAV.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise coupling the energy storage device to the recharging station in response to the UAV taking off from the landing pad.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a landing pad;

a surface sensor coupled to the landing pad;

a replacement mechanism coupled to the landing pad;

a processor communicatively coupled to the replacement mechanism; and

a computer readable storage device comprising processor-executable instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a position of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on the landing pad after the UAV has landed on the landing pad, the position determined via the surface sensor;

initiating the replacement mechanism to remove an energy storage device on board the UAV from the UAV based on the position; and

initiating the replacement mechanism to couple a second energy storage device to the UAV using the replacement mechanism based on the position.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the surface sensor includes an optical sensor embedded in a surface of the landing pad.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the replacement mechanism comprises a pivotable section that rotates around a pivot point, wherein a first end of the pivotable section comprises a first connector configured to remove the energy storage device, and wherein a second end of the pivotable section comprises a second connector configured to couple the second energy storage device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise initiating rotation of the pivotable section so that the second connector is in a location that the first connector was previously in after the energy storage device is removed.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a recharge station coupled to the landing pad.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the operations further include initiating the replacement mechanism to insert the energy storage device into the recharge station.