Surface cleaning unmanned aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016052027-A1
Application number	US-201514689916-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 17, 2015
Priority date	Aug 20, 2014
Publication date	Feb 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Described embodiments include an unmanned aerial vehicle and a method. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes an airframe and a rotary wing system coupled with the airframe and configured to aerodynamically lift the vehicle in the air. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a flight controller configured to control a movement of the vehicle while airborne. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a cleansing controller configured to manage a removal of a surface contaminant from a selected portion of a surface of an external object using an airflow generated by the rotary wing system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
a rotary wing system configured to aerodynamically lift the vehicle in the air; a flight controller configured to control a movement of the vehicle while airborne; a surface contaminant sensor configured to measure a contamination state of a surface; and a cleansing controller configured to manage a removal of a surface contaminant from a selected portion of a surface of an external object using an airflow generated by the rotary wing system and based on data acquired by the surface contaminant sensor.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the surface contaminant sensor is configured to measure a size or characteristic of particles located on a portion of the surface of the external object.

3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the surface contaminant sensor includes at least one of an optical sensor or an ultrasound sensor.

4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the surface contaminant sensor includes at least one of an optical sensor or an ultrasound sensor.

5 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the surface contaminant sensor includes a polarized light source and an optical sensor configured to detect at least one of a presence or an amount of diffuse reflection of polarized light by the surface, the polarized light first emitted by the polarized light source.

6 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cleansing controller is configured to direct at least a portion of the airflow generated by the rotary wing system at the selected portion of the surface with sufficient force to dislodge the surface contaminant, and wherein the cleansing controller is configured to at least one of (A) select the direction of the at least a portion of the airflow based on data from the surface contaminant sensor or (B) select an amount of airflow to direct towards the surface contaminant based on data from the surface contaminant sensor.

7 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the flight controller is responsive to an instruction from the cleansing controller to direct at least a portion of the airflow generated by the rotary wing system at a selected portion of the surface with sufficient force to dislodge the surface contaminant.

8 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the flight controller is configured to control a cleaning route of the vehicle relative to the selected portion of the surface in response to a record of a previous cleaning activity.

9 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the flight controller controls the cleaning route taken by the unmanned aerial vehicle based on a characteristic of the surface contaminant measured by the surface contaminant sensor.

10 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the rotary wing system includes a helicopter, quad-copter, or quad-rotor configuration.

11 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the rotary wing system includes a protective structure to decrease any damage caused by a contact between the rotary wing system and the external object.

12 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the rotary wing system includes a duct which partially surrounds at least a portion of the rotary wing system.

13 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the external object includes a solar panel.

14 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the external object includes an exterior window of a building or other stationary structure.

15 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the external object includes a component of an electrical power transmission line.

16 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the external object includes a mirror or an array of mirrors.

17 . An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
a rotary wing system configured to aerodynamically lift the vehicle in the air; a flight controller configured to control a movement of the vehicle while airborne; a surface contaminant sensor configured to measure a contamination state of a surface; an onboard cleaning device; and a cleansing controller configured to manage a removal of a surface contaminant from a selected portion of a surface of an external object using the onboard cleaning device and based on data acquired by the surface contaminant sensor.

18 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the onboard cleaning device includes a nozzle configured to direct an airstream from the rotary wing system to the selected portion of the surface of the external object.

19 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the onboard cleaning device includes a device, separate from the rotary wing system, configured to generate an airstream and controlled by the cleansing controller to remove the surface contaminant.

20 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the onboard cleaning device includes an actuator and a brush coupled to the actuator, wherein the cleansing controller is configured to control the actuator in removing the surface contaminant using, at least in part, the brush.

21 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the onboard cleaning device includes a reservoir configured to contain a cleaning fluid and a controllable nozzle configured to direct the cleaning fluid at the selected portion of the surface, wherein the cleansing controller is configured to control the controllable nozzle.

22 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the flight controller is configured to control a cleaning route of the vehicle relative to the selected portion of the surface in response to a record of a previous cleaning activity.

23 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the flight controller controls the cleaning route taken by the unmanned aerial vehicle based on a characteristic of the surface contaminant measured by the surface contaminant sensor.

24 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the rotary wing system includes a helicopter, quad-copter, or quad-rotor configuration.

25 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the external object includes a solar panel.

26 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the external object includes an exterior window of a building or other stationary structure.

27 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the external object includes a component of an electrical power transmission line.

28 . The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the external object includes a mirror or an array of mirrors.

29 . A method implemented in an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
launching the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a rotary wing system coupled with an airframe and configured to aerodynamically lift, hover, and maneuver the vehicle; selecting a portion of an exterior surface of an object having a surface contaminant based on data acquired by a surface contaminant sensor included in the unmanned aerial vehicle; maneuvering the vehicle to a working proximity to the selected portion of the surface; and removing the surface contaminant from the selected portion of the surface using an airflow generated by the rotary wing system or an onboard cleaning device.

30 . The method of claim 29 , further comprising measuring a presence or amount of the surface contaminant using the surface contaminant sensor.

31 . The method of claim 29 , further comprising:
emitting polarized light using a polarized light source of the surface contaminant sensor;
receiving polarized light reflected from the exterior surface of the object;
detecting at least one of a presence or an

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Chin Hon Wah
• Gross William
• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Petroski Robert C
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• B64U2201/202

  using tethers for connecting to ground station · CPC title

• B08B1/165

  Scrapers · CPC title

• B08B1/16

  Rigid blades, e.g. scrapers; Flexible blades, e.g. wipers · CPC title

• B64C2201/14

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic