Articulated magnet-bearing legs for UAV landing on curved surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11097796-B2
Application number	US-201916688706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2019
Priority date	Nov 29, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for landing and perching on a curved ferromagnetic surface is provided. The UAV includes a plurality of articulated legs. Each articulated leg includes: a magnet configured to magnetically attach to the curved ferromagnetic surface; and a magnetic foot for housing the magnet and configured to magnetically articulate towards and attach to the curved ferromagnetic surface using the magnet in a perpendicular orientation with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface, in response to the UAV approaching the curved ferromagnetic surface, in order to land the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface and for the UAV to perch on the curved ferromagnetic surface after the landing. The magnetic foot is configured to remain magnetically attached to the curved ferromagnetic surface while the UAV is perched on the curved ferromagnetic surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for landing and perching on a curved ferromagnetic surface, the UAV including a plurality of articulated legs, each articulated leg comprising:
a main body attaching the articulated leg to the UAV;
a magnet configured to magnetically attach to the curved ferromagnetic surface;
a magnetic foot for housing the magnet and configured to magnetically articulate towards and attach to the curved ferromagnetic surface using the magnet in a perpendicular orientation with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface in response to the UAV approaching the curved ferromagnetic surface in order to land the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface and for the UAV to perch on the curved ferromagnetic surface after the landing;
a passive articulation joint coupling the main body to the magnetic foot and configured to passively articulate the magnetic foot with two degrees of freedom with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface; and
a detachment motor configured to magnetically detach the magnetic foot from the curved ferromagnetic surface by tipping the magnetic foot away from the curved ferromagnetic surface,
wherein the magnetic foot is further configured to remain magnetically attached to the curved ferromagnetic surface while the UAV is perched on the curved ferromagnetic surface.

2. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of articulated legs comprises four articulated legs.

3. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for landing and perching on a curved ferromagnetic surface, the UAV including a single detachment motor and a plurality of articulated legs, each articulated leg comprising:
a main body attaching the articulated leg to the UAV;
a magnet configured to magnetically attach to the curved ferromagnetic surface;
a magnetic foot for housing the magnet and configured to magnetically articulate towards and attach to the curved ferromagnetic surface using the magnet in a perpendicular orientation with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface in response to the UAV approaching the curved ferromagnetic surface in order to land the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface and for the UAV to perch on the curved ferromagnetic surface after the landing, the magnetic foot being further configured to remain magnetically attached to the curved ferromagnetic surface while the UAV is perched on the curved ferromagnetic surface; and
a passive articulation joint coupling the main body to the magnetic foot and configured to passively articulate the magnetic foot with two degrees of freedom with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface,
wherein the single detachment motor of the UAV is configured to detach the magnetic feet of all of the articulated legs from the curved ferromagnetic surface by tipping the magnetic feet away from the curved ferromagnetic surface.

4. The UAV of claim 3 , wherein the magnet comprises a permanent magnet.

5. The UAV of claim 4 , wherein the permanent magnet comprises an adjustable quantity of one or more permanent magnets.

6. The UAV of claim 4 , wherein the magnetic foot comprises a magnet housing configured to house the permanent magnet within the magnetic foot at an adjustable distance from the curved ferromagnetic surface when the UAV is perched on the curved ferromagnetic surface.

7. The UAV of claim 3 , wherein the magnet comprises a switchable magnet and the magnetic foot comprises a motor or actuator configured to move or actuate internal magnets of the switchable magnet, in order to switch the switchable magnet on and off.

8. The UAV of claim 3 , wherein the magnet comprises an electro-permanent magnet configured to switch between on and off in response to a pulse of electric current.

9. The UAV of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to use the detachment motor of each articulated leg to adjust a separation between the articulated legs prior to landing on the curved ferromagnetic surface.

10. The UAV of claim 3 , further comprising a controller configured to use the single detachment motor of the UAV to adjust a separation between the articulated legs prior to landing on the curved ferromagnetic surface.

11. An automated method of landing and perching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a curved ferromagnetic surface, the UAV including a plurality of articulated legs, each articulated leg having a main body attaching the articulated leg to the UAV, the method comprising:
approaching the curved ferromagnetic surface with the UAV;
magnetically articulating a magnetic foot of each articulated leg towards the approached curved ferromagnetic surface in order to orient a magnet of the magnetic foot perpendicularly with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface, comprising passively articulating the magnetic foot with two degrees of freedom with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface using a passive articulation joint of the articulated leg coupling the main body to the magnetic foot;
landing the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface by magnetically attaching each magnetic foot to the curved ferromagnetic surface using the perpendicularly oriented magnet of the magnetic foot;
perching the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface after the landing by having each magnetic foot remain magnetically attached to the curved ferromagnetic surface; and
magnetically detaching the magnetic foot of each articulated leg from the curved ferromagnetic surface using a detachment motor of the articulated leg to tip the magnetic foot away from the curved ferromagnetic surface.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of articulated legs comprises four articulated legs.

13. An automated method of landing and perching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a curved ferromagnetic surface, the UAV including a single detachment motor and a plurality of articulated legs, each articulated leg having a main body attaching the articulated leg to the UAV, the method comprising:
approaching the curved ferromagnetic surface with the UAV;
magnetically articulating a magnetic foot of each articulated leg towards the approached curved ferromagnetic surface in order to orient a magnet of the magnetic foot perpendicularly with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface, comprising passively articulating the magnetic foot with two degrees of freedom with respect to the curved ferromagnetic surface using a passive articulation joint of the articulated leg coupling the main body to the magnetic foot;
landing the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface by magnetically attaching each magnetic foot to the curved ferromagnetic surface using the perpendicularly oriented magnet of the magnetic foot;
perching the UAV on the curved ferromagnetic surface after the landing by having each magnetic foot remain magnetically attached to the curved ferromagnetic surface; and
magnetically detaching the magnetic feet of all of the articulated legs from the curved ferromagnetic surface using the single detachment motor of the UAV to tip the magnetic feet away from the curved ferromagnetic surface.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the magnet comprises a permanent magnet.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the permanent magnet comprises an adjustable quantity of one or more permanent magnets, and the method further comprises adjusting the quantity of the one or more permanent magnets in order to adjust a weight or magnetic strength of the magnetic foot.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the magnetic foot comprises a magnet housing configured to house the permanent magnet within the magnetic foot at an adjustable distance from the cur

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Univ King Abdullah Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Abdellatif Fadl
• Abdelkader Mohamed
• Shamma Jeff S

Classifications

• B60B19/006 Primary

  Magnetic wheels · CPC title

• G06V20/17

  taken from planes or by drones · CPC title

• G06V20/13

  Satellite images · CPC title

• B62D57/024 Primary

  specially adapted for moving on inclined or vertical surfaces (endless-track vehicles for ascending or descending stairs B62D55/075; hand-carts with provision for travelling up or down stairs B62B5/02) · CPC title

• B64U2201/10

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