Methods and apparatus for reducing energy consumed by drones during flight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10969776-B2
Application number	US-201916459193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2019
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for reducing energy consumed by drones during flight are disclosed. A drone includes a housing, a motor, receiver circuitry carried by the housing, and a route manager. The receiver circuitry is to receive airborne drone-generated wind data from an airborne drone located in an area within which a segment of a flight of the drone is to occur. The airborne drone-generated wind data is to be determined by an inertial measurement unit of the airborne drone. The route manager is to generate a route for the flight of the drone based on wind data, the wind data including the airborne drone-generated wind data. The route is to be followed by the drone during the flight. The route manager is to select at least one portion of the route to cause the drone to be at least partially propelled by wind to reduce energy consumed by the drone during the flight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drone, comprising:
a housing;
a motor;
receiver circuitry carried by the housing, the receiver circuitry to receive airborne drone-generated wind data from an airborne drone located in an area within which a segment of a flight of the drone is to occur, the airborne drone-generated wind data to be determined by an inertial measurement unit of the airborne drone; and
a route manager to generate a route for the flight of the drone based on wind data, the wind data including the airborne drone-generated wind data, the route to be followed by the drone during the flight, the route manager to select at least one portion of the route to cause the drone to be at least partially propelled by wind to reduce energy consumed by the drone during the flight.

2. A drone as defined in claim 1 , wherein the airborne drone-generated wind data includes a direction of airflow detected by the inertial measurement unit, a speed of the airflow detected by the inertial measurement unit, and a location of the airborne drone.

3. A drone as defined in claim 1 , wherein the route manager is to select a portion of the route including a tailwind area within which the drone is to engage a tailwind during the flight, the tailwind to be detected by the airborne drone.

4. A drone as defined in claim 1 , wherein the route manager is to select a portion of the route including an updraft area within which the drone is to engage an updraft during the flight, the updraft to be detected by the airborne drone.

5. A drone as defined in claim 1 , wherein the drone is to be launched via a launch booster.

6. A drone as defined in claim 5 , wherein the launch booster is to increase at least one of a height of the drone or a speed of the drone.

7. A drone as defined in claim 5 , wherein the launch booster includes at least one of a catapult, a slingshot, a balloon, a rocket, or a vacuum chamber.

8. A drone as defined in claim 5 , further including a power manager to provide power to the motor of the drone in response to detecting an apex of the launch of the drone.

9. A drone as defined in claim 5 , further including a shape manager to change a shape of the drone in response to detecting an apex of the launch of the drone.

10. A drone as defined in claim 1 , wherein the wind data further includes turbine-generated wind data provided by turbines that detect airflows received at the turbines, the turbines located in the area within which the segment of the flight is to occur, the turbine-generated wind data including a direction of airflow detected by a first one of the turbines, a speed of the airflow detected by the first one of the turbines, and a location of the first one of the turbines.

11. A drone, comprising:
a housing;
a motor;
an altitude sensor carried by the housing, the altitude sensor to detect an altitude of the drone; and
a power manager to detect, based on the altitude, an apex of a launch of the drone from a launch booster, the power manager to provide power to the motor of the drone in response to detecting the apex.

12. A drone as defined in claim 11 , wherein the launch booster is to increase at least one of a height of the drone or a speed of the drone.

13. A drone as defined in claim 11 , wherein the launch booster includes at least one of a catapult, a slingshot, a balloon, a rocket, or a vacuum chamber.

14. A drone as defined in claim 11 , further including a route manager to generate a route for a flight of the drone based on wind data, the wind data including airborne drone-generated wind data provided to the drone by an airborne drone located in an area within which a segment of the flight is to occur, the airborne drone-generated wind data to be determined by an inertial measurement unit of the airborne drone, the route to be followed by the drone during the flight to reduce energy consumed by the drone during the flight.

15. A drone as defined in claim 14 , wherein the airborne drone-generated wind data includes a direction of airflow detected by the inertial measurement unit, a speed of the airflow detected by the inertial measurement unit, and a location of the airborne drone.

16. A drone, comprising:
a housing;
a motor;
an altitude sensor carried by the housing, the altitude sensor to detect an altitude of the drone; and
a shape manager to detect, based on the altitude, an apex of a launch of the drone from a launch booster, the shape manager to change a shape of the drone in response to detecting the apex.

17. A drone as defined in claim 16 , wherein the launch booster is to increase at least one of a height of the drone or a speed of the drone.

18. A drone as defined in claim 16 , wherein the launch booster includes at least one of a catapult, a slingshot, a balloon, a rocket, or a vacuum chamber.

19. A drone as defined in claim 16 , further including a route manager to generate a route for a flight of the drone based on wind data, the wind data including airborne drone-generated wind data provided to the drone by an airborne drone located in an area within which a segment of the flight is to occur, the airborne drone-generated wind data to be determined by an inertial measurement unit of the airborne drone, the route to be followed by the drone during the flight to reduce energy consumed by the drone during the flight.

20. A drone as defined in claim 19 , wherein the airborne drone-generated wind data includes a direction of airflow detected by the inertial measurement unit, a speed of the airflow detected by the inertial measurement unit, and a location of the airborne drone.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Yang Songnan
• Abozaed Muhammad
• De La Guardia Gonzalez Rafael
• Gomez Gutierrez David
• Wong Hong W

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U70/70

  Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails (launching from storage containers B64U70/50) · CPC title

• G08G5/76

  for monitoring atmospheric conditions · CPC title

• G08G5/30

  Flight plan management · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title