Methods and apparatus for persistent deployment of aerial vehicles

• US 9,612,327 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Identified Technologies Corp. (Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Identified Technologies Corp. (Alpine 4 Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Richard Yang, Wu, Andy
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US14/193,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• 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: B64F 1/22 for handling aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/39 Battery swapping
• 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: B64U 70/97 Means for guiding the UAV to a specific location on the platform, e.g. platform structures preventing landing off-centre
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/10 Simultaneous control of position or course in three dimensions G05D1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/00 Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for persistent deployment of aerial vehicles. The present application discloses a mission control system that is configured to control and manage one or more aerial vehicles for deployment to and from one or more docking stations. The one or more docking stations may be configured with a battery swapping device for removing the depleted battery from an aerial vehicle and for refilling a charged battery into the aerial vehicle. The mission control system may be configured to generate a priority list used to determine the recharging order of the one or more aerial vehicles.

Claims

1. A system for persistent deployment of aerial vehicles to and from a docking station, the system comprising:

aerial vehicles configured to;

perform a mission when deployed; and

return to a docking station for docking;

the docking station configured to;

receive the aerial vehicles; and

supply power to the aerial vehicles; and

a mission control system for controlling and managing the aerial vehicles by arranging the aerial vehicles that are deployed from the docking station to return to the docking station in a predetermined order based on a total number of the aerial vehicles that are deployed from the docking station, a position of each of the aerial vehicles relative to the docking station, and a payload weight of each of the aerial vehicles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the docking station is further configured to upload and/or download data to and from the aerial vehicles.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the docking station comprises a battery swapping device for removing a depleted battery from an aerial vehicle and refilling a charged battery into the aerial vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission control system is configured to assign priorities to each of the aerial vehicles.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising the mission control system controlling and managing the aerial vehicles according to a charge status of a power supply at the docking station.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising the mission control system calculating a remaining flight time for each of the aerial vehicles that are deployed from the docking station.