Automated installation of electronic devices on infrastructure components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11855461-B1
Application number	US-202117464426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 1, 2021
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

The disclosed apparatus may include unmanned aerial vehicle having (1) a flight system that causes movement and hovering of the unmanned aerial vehicle, (2) a coupling mechanism that interacts with a corresponding coupling mechanism of an electronic device for carrying the electronic device from a remote location to a mount of an infrastructure component, and (3) an extension mechanism connecting the coupling mechanism to the flight system, wherein the extension mechanism dynamically extends the coupling mechanism from the flight system to facilitate installation of the electronic device to the mount while the unmanned aerial vehicle hovers. Various other apparatuses, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
a flight system that causes movement and hovering of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
a coupling mechanism that interacts with a corresponding coupling mechanism of an electronic device for carrying the electronic device from a remote location to a mount of an infrastructure component, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to interact with the corresponding coupling mechanism of the electronic device to facilitate secure transfer of the electronic device to the mount; and
an extension mechanism connecting the coupling mechanism to the flight system, wherein the extension mechanism dynamically extends the coupling mechanism from the flight system from a first position relative to a vertical center axis to a second position horizontally outward relative to the vertical center axis to facilitate installation of the electronic device to the mount while the unmanned aerial vehicle hovers.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the extension mechanism comprises a first dynamically controllable pivoting arm that:
maintains the electronic device, when coupled to the coupling mechanism, in a position that maintains the unmanned aerial vehicle in a rotationally balanced state when carrying the electronic device from the remote location to the mount; and
dynamically extends the electronic device from the flight system to facilitate the installation of the electronic device to the mount.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the extension mechanism comprises a second dynamically controllable pivoting arm that dynamically extends in opposition to the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm to maintain the unmanned aerial vehicle in the rotationally balanced state when the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm dynamically extends the electronic device.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3 , further comprising a counterweight attached to the second dynamically controllable pivoting arm, wherein the counterweight is extended away from the electronic device when the second dynamically controllable pivoting arm is dynamically extended in opposition to the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm dynamically extends the electronic device to reposition the electronic device from a transit position directly below the flight system to an installation position horizontally outward from the vertical center axis of the flight system.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 , wherein dynamically extending the electronic device from the flight system orients an installation surface of the electronic device toward a corresponding installation surface of the mount of the infrastructure component.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a first communication interface that:
retrieves information from at least one of the electronic device and the mount; and
performs, based on the information, at least one of provisioning, registration, or authentication of the electronic device with a second communication interface associated with the mount.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the first communication interface comprises at least one of:
an optical imager that retrieves the information from a visual symbol located on at least one of the electronic device or the mount; or
a short-range wireless communication interface that retrieves the information wirelessly from at least one of the electronic device or the mount.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a drone and the flight system comprises at least one rotor.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the at least one rotor comprises a plurality of rotors disposed around the vertical center axis of the drone.

11. An attachment arrangement comprising:
a coupling mechanism that interacts with a corresponding coupling mechanism of an electronic device, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to interact with the corresponding coupling mechanism of the electronic device to facilitate secure transfer of the electronic device to a mount; and
an extension mechanism connecting the coupling mechanism to a flight system of an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the extension mechanism dynamically extends the coupling mechanism from a first position relative to a vertical center axis to a second position horizontally outward relative to the vertical center axis to facilitate installation of the electronic device to the mount while the unmanned aerial vehicle hovers.

12. The attachment arrangement of claim 11 , wherein the extension mechanism comprises a first dynamically controllable pivoting arm that:
maintains the electronic device, when coupled to the coupling mechanism, in a position that maintains the unmanned aerial vehicle in a rotationally balanced state when carrying the electronic device from a remote location to the mount; and
dynamically extends the electronic device from the flight system to facilitate the installation of the electronic device to the mount.

13. The attachment arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the extension mechanism comprises a second dynamically controllable pivoting arm that dynamically extends in opposition to the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm to maintain the unmanned aerial vehicle in the rotationally balanced state when the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm dynamically extends the electronic device.

14. The attachment arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the first dynamically controllable pivoting arm dynamically extends the electronic device to reposition the electronic device from a transit position directly below the flight system to an installation position horizontally outward from the vertical center axis of the flight system.

15. The attachment arrangement of claim 11 , further comprising a first communication interface that:
retrieves information from at least one of the electronic device and the mount; and
performs, based on the information, at least one of provisioning, registration, or authentication of the electronic device with a second communication interface associated with the mount.

16. The attachment arrangement of claim 15 , wherein the first communication interface comprises at least one of:
an optical imager that retrieves the information from a visual symbol located on at least one of the electronic device or the mount; or
a short-range wireless communication interface that retrieves the information wirelessly from at least one of the electronic device or the mount.

17. The attachment arrangement of claim 11 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a drone and the flight system comprises at least one rotor.

18. The attachment arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the at least one rotor comprises a plurality of rotors disposed around the vertical center axis of the drone.

19. A method comprising:
carrying, by an unmanned aerial vehicle, an electronic device from a remote location to a mount of an infrastructure component, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises:
a flight system that causes movement and hovering of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
a coupling mechanism that interacts with a corresponding coupling mechanism of the electronic device wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to interact with the corresponding coupling mechanism of the electronic device to facilitate secure transfer of the electronic device

Assignees

• Meta Platforms Inc

Inventors

• Parikh Jay
• Maguire Yael

Classifications

• B64U2101/26

  for manufacturing, inspections or repairs · CPC title

• B64U2101/32

  for cartography or topography · CPC title

• B64U2101/64

  for parcel delivery or retrieval · CPC title

• H02J50/10 Primary

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• H04B5/0093

  Electricity · mapped topic