Unmanned aerial vehicle base station
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a platform configured to house a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles;
a battery system;
a power generation system connected to the battery system, wherein the power generation system is configured to generate electrical energy from an environment in which the platform is located, and store the electrical energy in the battery system;
a number of charging stations connected to the battery system; and
a controller connected to the battery system and configured to receive sensor data from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, generate information from the sensor data, and send the information to a remote location;
wherein the number of charging stations comprises at least one of a number of inductive coupling systems configured to generate a magnetic field that cause a current to flow in a coil in an unmanned aerial vehicle that charges a battery in the unmanned aerial vehicle and a number of electrical pads configured to make electrical contact with a pad on the unmanned aerial vehicle.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus comprising a platform, a battery system, a power generation system, a number of charging stations, and a controller. The platform is configured to house a number of unmanned aerial vehicles. The power generation system is connected to the battery system. The power generation system is configured to generate electrical energy from an environment in which the platform is located, and store the electrical energy in the battery system. The number of charging stations is connected to the battery system. The controller is connected to the battery system and is configured to receive sensor data from the number of unmanned aerial vehicles, generate information from the sensor data, and send the information to a remote location.
339 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a platform configured to house a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; a battery system; a power generation system connected to the battery system, wherein the power generation system is configured to generate electrical energy from an environment in which the platform is located, and store the electrical energy in the battery system; a number of charging stations connected to the battery system; and a controller connected to the battery system and configured to receive sensor data from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, generate information from the sensor data, and send the information to a remote location; wherein the number of charging stations comprises at least one of a number of inductive coupling systems configured to generate a magnetic field that cause a current to flow in a coil in an unmanned aerial vehicle that charges a battery in the unmanned aerial vehicle and a number of electrical pads configured to make electrical contact with a pad on the unmanned aerial vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus comprising:
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a platform configured to house a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; a number of charging stations, wherein each charging station in the number of charging stations is configured to charge the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; and a controller configured to receive sensor data from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; wherein the number of charging stations comprises at least one of a number of inductive coupling systems configured to generate a magnetic field that cause a current to flow in a coil in an unmanned aerial vehicle that charges a battery in the unmanned aerial vehicle and a number of electrical pads configured to make electrical contact with a pad on the unmanned aerial vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification