Unmanned aerial vehicle and method for driving an unmanned aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10633083-B2
Application number	US-201715718037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

According to various aspects, an unmanned aerial vehicle may include one or more electric drive motors. Each drive motor of the one or more electric drive motors may include a first drive rotor structure; a second drive rotor structure, the first drive rotor structure being coaxially aligned with the second drive rotor structure, the first drive rotor structure including a first magnetic arrangement and the second drive rotor structure including a second magnetic arrangement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:
a frame; and
at least three vehicle drive arrangements coupled to the frame,
wherein each vehicle drive arrangement of the at least three vehicle drive arrangements comprises an electric drive motor, and
wherein each electric drive motor of the at least three vehicle drive arrangements comprises:
a mount structure;
a first bearing;
a second bearing;
a first drive rotor structure rotatably mounted at the mount structure via the first bearing;
a second drive rotor structure rotatably mounted at the mount structure via the second bearing; and
a third bearing rotatably coupling the first drive rotor structure and the second drive rotor structure with each other.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 ,
wherein each vehicle drive arrangement of the at least three vehicle drive arrangements further comprises:
a first propeller coupled to the first drive rotor structure; and
a second propeller coupled to the second drive rotor structure.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 ,
wherein the first propeller has a first propeller pitch that is fixed,
wherein the second propeller has a second propeller pitch that is fixed, and
wherein the first propeller pitch is different from the second propeller pitch.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3 ,
wherein the second propeller pitch is greater than the first propeller pitch.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 ,
wherein the first propeller has a first diameter,
wherein the second propeller has a second diameter, and
wherein the first diameter is different from the second diameter.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 ,
wherein the first drive rotor structure comprises a first drive shaft, and
wherein the first drive shaft extends through the first bearing.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 ,
wherein the second drive rotor structure comprises a second drive shaft, and
wherein the second drive shaft extends through the second bearing.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 ,
wherein the third bearing is between a first portion of the first drive rotor structure and a second portion of the second drive rotor structure.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more flight controllers configured to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 9 ,
wherein the one or more flight controllers are further configured to provide a flight path based at least on an actual position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a desired target position for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more sensors configured to monitor an environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. A vehicle drive arrangement for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the vehicle drive arrangement comprising:
a first propeller;
a second propeller; and
a single electric drive motor configured to be coupled between the first propeller and the second propeller,
wherein the single electric drive motor comprises:
a first drive rotor structure; and
a second drive rotor structure,

wherein the first drive rotor structure is coaxially aligned with the second drive rotor structure,
wherein the first drive rotor structure comprises a first magnetic arrangement, and
wherein the second drive rotor structure comprises a second magnetic arrangement.

13. The vehicle drive arrangement of claim 12 ,
wherein the first propeller is coupled to the first drive rotor structure, and
wherein the second propeller is coupled to the second drive rotor structure.

14. The vehicle drive arrangement of claim 13 ,
wherein the first propeller has a first propeller pitch that is fixed,
wherein the second propeller has a second propeller pitch that is fixed, and
wherein the first propeller pitch is different from the second propeller pitch.

15. The vehicle drive arrangement of claim 14 ,
wherein the second propeller pitch is greater than the first propeller pitch.

16. The vehicle drive arrangement of claim 12 ,
wherein the single electric drive motor further comprises an air gap between the first magnetic arrangement and the second magnetic arrangement.

17. The vehicle drive arrangement of claim 12 ,
wherein the first magnetic arrangement and the second magnetic arrangement are configured to:
provide a first rotational moment associated with the first drive rotor structure, and
provide a second counteracting rotational moment associated with the second drive rotor structure to rotate the first drive rotor structure and the second drive rotor structure in opposite rotational directions.

18. The vehicle drive arrangement of claim 12 ,
wherein the single electric drive motor is configured to be directly coupled between the first propeller and the second propeller.

19. An electric drive motor for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the electric drive motor comprising:
a first drive rotor structure; and
a second drive rotor structure,
wherein the first drive rotor structure is coaxially aligned with the second drive rotor structure,
wherein the first drive rotor structure comprises a first magnetic arrangement,
wherein the second drive rotor structure comprises a second magnetic arrangement, and
wherein the electric drive motor is configured to be the only electric drive motor coupled between a first propeller of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a second propeller of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

20. The electric drive motor of claim 19 ,
wherein the first magnetic arrangement and the second magnetic arrangement are configured to:
provide a first rotational moment associated with the first drive rotor structure, and
provide a second counteracting rotational moment associated with the second drive rotor structure to rotate the first drive rotor structure and the second drive rotor structure in opposite rotational directions.

Assignees

• Intel Ip Corp

Inventors

• Oberndorfer Fabian
• Klar Stefan

Classifications

• B64D35/06

  the propellers or rotors being counter-rotating · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64D27/24

  using steam or spring force (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title

• B64C2201/108

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C27/12 Primary

  Rotor drives · CPC title