Drones convertible into personal computers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10766618-B2
Application number	US-201715855516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2017
Priority date	Dec 27, 2017
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

Drones convertible into personal computers are disclosed, A disclosed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a body and rotors carried by the body. The rotors move relative to the body from a first position when the UAV is in a drone mode to a second position when the UAV is in a computer mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
a body;
a heatsink carried by the body, the heatsink to cool a heat generating device of the UAV;
arms pivotable relative to the body; and
rotors carried by the arms, the arms to pivot relative to the body to move the rotors from a deployed position in which the rotors are positioned to rotate and levitate the body when the UAV is in a drone mode to a folded position in which the rotors are positioned proximate the heatsink to rotate and move air toward the heatsink when the UAV is in a computer mode.

2. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , further including
at least one processor carried by the body,
the heatsink operatively coupled to the processor.

3. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , further including a support, the arms carried by the support, the support pivotally coupled to the body to pivotally couple the arms to the body.

4. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , further including an interface carried by the body, the interface to engage a connector of a dock when the UAV is positioned in the dock.

5. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , further including landing legs.

6. The UAV as defined in claim 5 , wherein the landing legs are mounted to move from a deployed position to a stored position.

7. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , further including a camera.

8. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , wherein the rotors include first, second, third and fourth rotors.

9. The UAV as defined in claim 8 , wherein the first and second rotors are located to a first side of the body when the UAV is in the drone mode, and the third and fourth rotors are located to a second side of the body opposite of the first side when the UAV is in the drone mode.

10. A UAV as defined in claim 9 , wherein the first and second rotors pivot with respective ones of first and second arms about a first axis, and the third and fourth rotors pivot with respective ones of third and fourth arms about a second axis.

11. The UAV as defined in claim 9 , wherein the first and second rotors are located adjacent a top side of the body when the UAV is in the computer mode, and the third and fourth rotors are located adjacent a bottom side of the body when the UAV is in the computer mode.

12. A UAV as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first and second rotors spin in a first direction, and the third and fourth rotors spin in a second direction opposite of the first direction when the UAV is in the computer mode.

13. The UAV as defined in claim 1 , further including an actuator to move the rotors.

14. A system comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including:
a body;
a heatsink carried by the body, the heatsink to cool a device that generates heat within the body when the UAV is operable,
arms pivotable relative to the body, and
rotors carried by the arms, the arms pivotable relative to the body to move the rotors from a deployed position in which the rotors are positioned to rotate and levitate the body when the UAV is in a drone mode to a folded position in which the rotors are positioned proximate the heatsink to rotate and move air toward the heatsink when the UAV is in a computer mode; and

a dock to receive the UAV when the UAV is in the computer mode.

15. The system as defined in claim 14 , further including a sensor to detect a presence of the UAV in the dock.

16. The system as defined in claim 14 , further including a connector operatively coupled to the UAV or the dock, and an interface operatively coupled to the other of the UAV or the dock, wherein placement of the dock on a support surface facilitates engagement of the interface to the connector via gravity.

17. A system comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including:
a body;
rotors carried by the body, the rotors to move relative to the body from a first position when the UAV is in a drone mode to a second position when the UAV is in a computer mode; and

a dock to receive the UAV when the UAV is in the computer mode, the dock including an opening for a camera of the UAV when the UAV is positioned in the dock.

18. A method comprising:
determining whether arms carrying rotors of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are moved into a deployed position corresponding to a drone mode in which the rotors are positioned to levitate a body of the UAV or a folded position corresponding to a computer mode of the UAV in which the arms are pivoted to position the rotors proximate a heatsink carried by the body; and
upon determining that the arms are in the folded position, spinning the rotors to move air toward the heatsink to cool the heatsink.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 , further including increasing a clock speed of a processor of the UAV based on the determining that rotors are in the computer position.

20. The method as defined in claim 18 , further including decreasing a clock speed of a processor of the UAV based on the determining that the arms are in the folded position.

21. The method as defined in claim 18 , further including determining whether the UAV is placed in a dock.

22. The method as defined in claim 18 , further including:
detecting a temperature of a component of the UAV; and
varying a rotational speed of at least one of the rotors based on the detected temperature.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Kulkarni Shantanu D
• Sung Gavin
• Ku Jeff

Classifications

• B64U80/70

  in containers (B64U80/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B64U20/92

  of avionics · CPC title

• B64U20/80

  Arrangement of on-board electronics, e.g. avionics systems or wiring · CPC title

• B64U80/30

  with arrangements for data transmission · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title