METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXTENDING THE OPERATION OF AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

• US 20140129059A1
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,551,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/16
• 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 to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station detects the position and orientation of the UAV relative to the base station when landed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein operating sensors at the base station sense the position of the UAV, wherein the operating sensors comprise at least one of an operating pressure sensor positioned in or on a landing surface of the base station or an optical sensors positioned in, on, or around that surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein operating the base station comprises the operating replacement mechanism to take the other energy storage device from a store thereof.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the replacement mechanism uses a detected position and orientation of the UAV to a move replacement structure of the replacement mechanism to the UAV to remove the energy storage device therefrom.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the replacement mechanism uses information indicative of a sensed position and orientation of the UAV to move the replacement structure of the replacement mechanism to the UAV to couple the other energy storage device thereto.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein operation of the base station comprises moving the replacement structure to the UAV, the replacement structure having two energy storage device engaging portions, a first one of the portions engaging the other energy storage device and the other portion being empty, and then operating the other portion to engage the energy storage device of the UAV, and then operating the replacement structure to swap the relative positions of the other energy storage device and that from the UAV, and then the first one of the portions disengaging the other energy storage device to fit that device to the UAV.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the replacement structure is rotated about a pivot to swap the relative positions.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the replacement mechanism deposits the energy storage device removed from the UAV at the store for recharging its store of energy.

10. A non-transitory computer program product comprising processor-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

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.