Drone charging stations

• US 9,937,808 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Steward Evans
• Original Assignee: Michael Steward Evans
• Inventors: Evans, Michael Steward
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US15/260,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20180072170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/10 arranged coaxially
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/20 Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/61 for transporting passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/38 by wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 : for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 : specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 : Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 : Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0056 : in an emergency situation, e.g. hijacking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A charging system for drones has a base structure connected to a power grid, a connector extendable from the base structure and ending in a charging interface compatible with a charging port of a drone, and a computerized controller at the base structure enabled to communicate with a drone and to initiate, control and stop charging power. As a drone approaches the charging-system, the controller directs the drone into position for charging, manages connection of the charging interface to the charging port of the drone, initiates charging power, monitors progress of charging, and upon completion of charging, disconnects the charging interface from the charging port of the drone.

Claims

1. A charging system for drones, comprising;

a base structure connected to a power grid, the base structure having a vertically-oriented central pole;

an elongate charging mechanism extendable and retractable horizontally from the central pole, and rotatable about the central pole, ending in a charging interface compatible with a charging port of a drone; and

a computerized controller at the base structure enabled to communicate with a drone and to initiate, control and stop charging power;

wherein, as a drone approaches the charging-system, the computerized controller directs the moving drone into a path through a charging zone proximate the central pole, extends and rotates the elongate charging mechanism to intercept the drone, manages connection of the charging interface to the charging port of the drone, initiates charging power, manages speed and direction of the moving drone along the path through the charging zone, adjusts the extension and direction of the charging mechanism to maintain contact of the charging interface with the charging port of the drone, monitors progress of charging, and upon completion of charging, disconnects the charging interface from the charging port of the drone, allowing the drone to fly away from the charging system.

2. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the elongate charging mechanism extendable from the base structure is an articulated cable, manageable by the controller to extend to and plug into the charging port of the drone.

3. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the elongate charging mechanism extendable from the base structure is an extendable rod including an induction charging interface.

4. The charging system of claim 3, further comprising a drone with a charging port including an induction charging interface.

5. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the elongate charging mechanism extending from the base structure presents a pair of rails, one at ground potential and the other at voltage, oriented along a path wherein a drone is enabled to travel along the path in contact with the rails to accept a charge.

6. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the computerized controller interacts with a drone, determining whether the drone can reach the next destination, how much charge is required, and a rate of charging.

7. The charging system of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of individually controllable elongate charging mechanisms at different heights and extendable in different directions, capable of servicing a plurality of drones simultaneously.

8. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the computerized controller communicates with other charging systems.

9. The charging system of claim 1, further comprising a central computer system managing and gathering data from and sharing data with a plurality of charging stations.

10. A method for drone charging, comprising;

connecting a base structure having a vertically-oriented central pole to a power grid;

extending an elongate charging mechanism from the central pole and connecting with a compatible charging port of a drone; and

communicating with the drone by a computerized central controller directing the moving drone into a path through a charging zone proximate the central pole, extending and rotating the elongate charging mechanism to intercept the drone, managing connection of the charging mechanism to a charging port of the drone, initiating charging power, managing speed and direction of the moving drone along the path through the charging zone, adjusting the extension and direction of the elongate charging mechanism to maintain contact of the charging interface with the charging port of the drone, monitoring progress of charging, and upon completion of charging, disconnecting the charging interface from the charging port of the drone, allowing the drone to fly away from the charging system.

11. The method for drone charging of claim 10, wherein the elongate charging mechanism extendable from the base structure is an articulated cable, and the controller manages the articulated cable to extend to and plug into the charging port of the drone.

12. The method for drone charging of claim 10, wherein the elongate charging mechanism extendable from the base structure is an extendable rod including an induction charging interface, and the controller extends the rod to place the induction charging interface proximate the charging port of a drone also comprising an induction charging interface.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the elongate charging mechanism extending from the central pole presents a pair of rails, one at ground potential and the other at voltage, oriented along a path wherein the drone is enabled to travel along the path in contact with the rails to accept a charge.

14. The method for drone charging of claim 10, wherein the computerized controller interacts with a drone in order to determine whether the drone can reach the next destination, how much charge is required, and a rate of charging.

15. The method for drone charging of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of individually controllable elongate charging mechanisms at different heights and extendable in different directions, capable of servicing a plurality of drones simultaneously.

16. The method for drone charging of claim 10, wherein the computerized controller communicates with other charging systems.

17. The method for drone charging of claim 10, further comprising a central computer system managing, and gathering data from and sharing data with a plurality of charging stations.