Systems and methods for uav battery exchange

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016039540-A1
Application number	US-201514832808-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 21, 2015
Priority date	Aug 8, 2014
Publication date	Feb 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for swapping the battery on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV may be able to identify and land on an energy provision station autonomously. The UAV may take off and/or land on the energy provision station. The UAV may communicate with the energy provision station. The energy provision station may store and charge batteries for use on a UAV.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) battery changing station, said station comprising:
a UAV landing area configured to support a UAV when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a first battery configured to power the UAV, wherein the UAV landing area comprises a visible marker configured to aid the UAV in landing; and a battery storage unit comprising at least one holding station configured to store a battery capable of powering the UAV upon being coupled to the UAV, wherein the visible marker is configured to be indicative of an orientation of the UAV landing area relative to the UAV.

2 . An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) battery changing station, said station comprising:
a UAV landing area configured to support a UAV when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a first battery configured to power the UAV, wherein the UAV landing area comprises a visible marker configured to aid the UAV in landing; and a battery storage unit comprising at least one holding station configured to store a battery capable of powering the UAV upon being coupled to the UAV, wherein the visible marker is indicative of whether the UAV is to land on the UAV landing area or to bypass the battery changing station.

3 . An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) battery changing station, said station comprising:
a UAV landing area configured to support a UAV when the UAV is resting on the station, said UAV coupled to a first battery configured to power the UAV, wherein the UAV landing area comprises a visible marker configured to aid the UAV in landing; and a battery storage unit comprising at least one holding station configured to store a battery capable of powering the UAV upon being coupled to the UAV, wherein the visible marker is indicative of a state of charge of one or more batteries stored in the battery storage station.

4 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the landing area comprises multiple visible markers configured to aid the UAV in landing.

5 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker is a raised pattern, a recessed pattern, an image, a symbol, a decal, a barcode, a QR code, or a light visible on the energy provision station landing area.

6 . The battery changing station of claim 2 , wherein the visible marker is a raised pattern, a recessed pattern, an image, a symbol, a decal, a barcode, a QR code, or a light visible on the energy provision station landing area.

7 . The battery changing station of claim 3 , wherein the visible marker is a raised pattern, a recessed pattern, an image, a symbol, a decal, a barcode, a QR code, or a light visible on the energy provision station landing area.

8 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker comprises one or more images, wherein the images aid a UAV in landing when the UAV recognizes a particular image indicative that the UAV is to land.

9 . The battery changing station of claim 2 , wherein the visible marker comprises one or more images, wherein the images aid a UAV in landing when the UAV recognizes a particular image indicative that the UAV is to land.

10 . The battery changing station of claim 3 , wherein the visible marker comprises one or more images, wherein the images aid a UAV in landing when the UAV recognizes a particular image indicative that the UAV is to land.

11 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker comprises LED lights, wherein the LED lights flash in a specific spatial or temporal pattern that the UAV recognizes at the specific spatial or temporal pattern that is indicative that the UAV is to land.

12 . The battery changing station of claim 5 , wherein the visible marker is asymmetric to be indicative of the orientation.

13 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker is indicative of the distance of the landing area relative to the UAV.

14 . The battery changing station of claim 2 , wherein the visible marker is indicative of the distance of the landing area relative to the UAV.

15 . The battery changing station of claim 3 , wherein the visible marker is indicative of the distance of the landing area relative to the UAV.

16 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker is asymmetric to be indicative of the orientation of the UAV landing area.

17 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker is discernable to the UAV from above the UAV landing area.

18 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the visible marker is on an exterior surface of the battery changing station.

19 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the marker is uniquely recognized by an approaching UAV.

20 . The battery changing station of claim 1 , wherein the battery changing station emits intra-red (IR), ultra-violet (UV), radio, and/or audio signals.

21 . A method of processing information from a battery changing station at an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said method comprising:
detecting, at the UAV, a visible marker from the battery changing station of claim 1 ; and generating, with aid of one or more processors at the UAV, a command signal that affects operation of the UAV based on the detection of the visible marker.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the command signal drives one or more propulsion units of the UAV.

23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the command signal causes the UAV to land on the battery changing station after the UAV detects the visible marker on the battery changing station, and wherein the UAV does not receive any other information from the battery changing station.

24 . A method of processing information from a battery changing station at an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said method comprising:
detecting, at the UAV, a visible marker from the battery changing station of claim 2 ; and generating, with aid of one or more processors at the UAV, a command signal that affects operation of the UAV based on the detection of the visible marker.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the command signal causes the UAV to effect a choice between (1) bypassing the UAV landing area, or (2) landing on the UAV landing area, based on the visible marker.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the command signal is generated without any input by a user.

27 . A method of processing information from a battery changing station at an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said method comprising:
detecting, at the UAV, a visible marker from the battery changing station of claim 3 ; and generating, with aid of one or more processors at the UAV, a command signal that affects operation of the UAV based on the detection of the visible marker.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the command signal drives one or more propulsion units of the UAV to land on the UAV landing area when visible marker is indicative that the one or more batteries stored in the battery changing station are fully charged.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the UAV lands in an autonomous or semi-autonomous fashion.

30 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the command signal does not drive one or more propulsion units of the UAV to land on the UAV landing area when the visible marker is indicative that no battery on th

Assignees

• Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Mingxi

Classifications

• B60L53/80 Primary

  Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries · CPC title

• B60L2200/10

  Air crafts · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• B60L2240/667

  Precipitation · CPC title

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title