Unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system

• US 9,616,998 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Geotech Environmental Equipment, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Geotech Environmental Equipment, Inc.
• Inventors: Oakley, John Robert, Heath, David Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOFI, YAZAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/301,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20150232181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 244 1723
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2025/325 specially adapted for helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/52 Skis or runners
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/96 using air
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• 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: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system including an airframe; a plurality of rotor assemblies respectively extending from a plurality of arms connected to said airframe, said rotor assemblies each having a rotor thereon with at least one rotor blade; a landing gear extending from said airframe; and a flight controller disposed on said airframe; wherein said flight controller receives instructions for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system control.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system comprising:

an airframe, said airframe comprising at least one modular component;

a plurality of rotor assemblies respectively extending from a plurality of arms connected to said at least one modular component of said airframe, said rotor assemblies each having a rotor thereon with at least one rotor blade, such that each rotor is disposed horizontally with respect to a corresponding one of the plurality of arms, wherein said at least one modular component is configured to be interchangeable, such that the number of rotors is changed by interchanging said at least one modular component with another modular component having disposed thereon a different number of rotors;

a flight controller disposed on said airframe; and

an indicator display disposed on the airframe and which displays a status of the unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system,

wherein said flight controller receives instructions for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system control.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein said at least one modular component includes at least one layer.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein said at least one layer is covered by a cover.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein said at least one layer comprises a plurality of layers assembled together in a vertical stacked arrangement, and wherein said at least one modular component comprises one of said plurality of layers.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 3, wherein said at least one layer comprises a plurality of layers assembled together in at least one of a circular or square, vertical stacked arrangement, and said cover comprises at least one of a dome-shape, that is secured to a bottom layer of said plurality of layers, or a square shape.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the flight controller comprises a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the flight controller comprises an autopilot.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter/receiver which;

transmits and receives wireless instructions from at least one of a ground station or a hand-held remote control unit, is connected to said flight controller, and sends instructions to said flight controller for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system control.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system carries a payload.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 9, wherein the payload comprises a camera.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 6, further comprising:

a setting which allows the unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system to return to a pre-determined GPS point.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising:

an arm connection mechanism which allows each of said plurality of arms with attached rotor assemblies, to be folded substantially parallel with one another.

17. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising:

a landing gear extending from said airframe, wherein the landing gear comprises a combination landing gear and camera mount.

18. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 17, wherein the camera mount includes a semicircular camera mounting frame and a shelf plate for mounting a camera, the shelf plate being tiltably mounted to the semicircular camera mounting frame.

14. An unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system comprising:

an airframe;

a plurality of rotor assemblies respectively extending from a plurality of arms connected to said airframe, said rotor assemblies each having a rotor thereon with at least one rotor blade;

a landing gear extending from said airframe;

an air cooling system disposed in said airframe and which includes a fan;

wherein said airframe includes a central core stacked shelf system, with electronics disposed in an outer ring configuration around the fan of said air cooling system; and

a flight controller disposed on said airframe;

wherein said flight controller receives instructions for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system control.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 14, wherein the air cooling system includes a temperature sensor for turning on the fan on condition that an internal temperature of the unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system reaches a predetermined threshold.

16. The unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system of claim 14, wherein the air cooling system includes a plurality of air cooling ducts which direct cooling air onto the electronics.

19. An unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system comprising:

an airframe;

a plurality of rotor assemblies respectively extending from a plurality of arms connected to said airframe, said rotor assemblies each having a rotor thereon with at least one rotor blade;

an indicator display screen disposed in the airframe and which displays a flight status of the unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system; and

a flight controller disposed on said airframe,

wherein said flight controller receives instructions for unmanned aerial vehicle/unmanned aircraft system control, and

wherein the flight status displayed by the indicator display screen includes at least a status of the flight controller.