Post-type apparatus for containing and charging unmanned vertical take-off and landing aircraft and method of containing and charging unmanned vertical take-off and landing aircraft using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016347192-A1
Application number	US-201414556296-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 16, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus and method for containing and charging an unmanned VTOL aircraft are disclosed. The apparatus for containing and charging an unmanned VTOL aircraft includes a post, an extended member, a cover, a fastening unit, and a charging unit. The post is placed on a ground. The extended member is connected to the post. The cover is provided on the extended member, and is configured to be opened or closed in order to contain and protect the unmanned VTOL aircraft. The fastening unit is provided in the cover, and is configured to fasten the unmanned VTOL aircraft. The charging unit is provided in the fastening unit, and is configured to charge the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for containing and charging an unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, comprising:
a post placed on a ground; an extended member connected to the post; a cover provided in the extended member, and configured to be selectively opened and closed in order to contain and protect the unmanned VTOL aircraft; a fastening unit provided inside the cover, and configured to fasten the unmanned VTOL aircraft; and a charging unit provided in the fastening unit, and configured to charge the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an light emitting diode (LED)/Infrared (IR) pattern configured to identify a post to which the unmanned VTOL aircraft belongs is formed on an outside of the cover.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication unit configured to communicate with the unmanned VTOL aircraft; and a status data monitoring unit provided in the charging unit, and configured to simultaneously perform charging and data exchange on the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a LED lamp configured to normally function as a street light is mounted on a bottom of the cover.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a LED/IR illuminant is attached to the post in order to guide the unmanned VTOL aircraft through its return.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a plurality of portions, and each of the plurality of portions are rotated around a top of the cover and thus opened.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the charging unit comprises a reception hole configured such that a pole of the unmanned VTOL aircraft is inserted into the reception hole, an electrode connected to the pole inserted into the reception hole, and configured to charge the unmanned VTOL aircraft, and an electrode driving spring configured to push the electrode toward the pole.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the electrode and the electrode driving spring are disposed in each of a plurality of lateral holes that communicate with the reception hole.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the pole comprises a plurality of rings that are disposed at predetermined intervals in a length direction of the pole; and an latch unit disposed in one of the plurality of lateral holes is configured to stop a bottom of any one of the plurality of rings, thereby preventing the pole from being removed from the reception hole in a state in which the pole has been inserted into the reception hole.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an external fastening unit configured to fasten a side of the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cover is opaque, and is configured to function as a monitoring camera and a light by attaching a camera and a LED lamp to an outside of the cover.

12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cover is transparent, and is configured to be used as a monitoring camera by using a LED lamp and a camera that are attached to the unmanned VTOL aircraft fastened inside the cover.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a solar cell plate is installed on a top of the post, and charges the unmanned VTOL aircraft or powers a lamp for a street light.

14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein strip-shaped LED/IR illuminants surrounding the post are disposed on an outside of the post at intervals so that the unmanned VTOL aircraft determines a height and a distance from the ground to the post via a vision, radar or IR sensor of the unmanned VTOL aircraft, thereby guiding the unmanned VTOL aircraft through fastening to perform charging day and night.

15 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the communication unit can receive at least one of a GPS signal, a DGPS signal, and a beacon signal for detecting location information of the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

16 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein status information and a video data from the unmanned VTOL aircraft are transmitted in real time via the communication unit.

17 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein an entrance of the reception hole is formed in a cone shape, and thus the fastening of the unmanned VTOL aircraft is facilitated by lift of the unmanned VTOL aircraft and a slope of the cone shape during the fastening of the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

18 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fastening unit is further configured such that a target- and cross-shaped LED/IR light is lit in order to guide the unmanned VTOL aircraft through automatic insertion via vision of the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

19 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cover is further configured to be selectively opened and closed using any one of a method in which two opposite cover portions are selectively opened and closed and a method in which a plurality of cover portions is selectively opened and closed.

20 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the charging unit is further configured to simultaneously perform charging and data exchange.

21 . An apparatus for containing and charging an unmanned VTOL aircraft, comprising:
a post placed on a ground; and at least one lateral fastening hole formed in a side of the post, and configured such that a pole of the unmanned VTOL aircraft is inserted and fastened into the lateral fastening hole; wherein an entrance of the lateral fastening hole is formed in a cone shape, and thus the pole of the unmanned VTOL aircraft is easily inserted into the lateral fastening hole during fastening of the unmanned VTOL aircraft; and wherein the lateral fastening hole is further configured such that target- and cross-shaped LED/IR lights are lit in order to guide the unmanned VTOL aircraft through automatic insertion via vision of the unmanned VTOL aircraft.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the pole is fixed not to move within the lateral fastening hole in a rolling direction so that the unmanned VTOL aircraft does not roll in a state in which the pole has been inserted into the lateral fastening hole.

23 . The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the pole has an angled shape, and the lateral fastening hole has a shape corresponding to the angled shape.

24 . A method of containing and charging an unmanned VTOL aircraft at a post placed on a ground, the method comprising:
identifying an unmanned VTOL aircraft at a long distance and receiving location information of the unmanned VTOL aircraft by an apparatus for containing and charging an unmanned VTOL aircraft; guiding the unmanned VTOL aircraft to a nearby location; guiding the unmanned VTOL aircraft toward a cover through guidance of a LED/IR illuminant attached to the post; opening the cover in order to contain the unmanned VTOL aircraft; calculating a height or a distance from the post to the ground using the LED/IR illuminant attached to the post, and allowing the unmanned VTOL aircraft to approach a location immediately below the cover to perform charging and fastening when the unmanned VTOL aircraft detects an IR/LED light on a bottom of the cover via a camera attached to an end of a pole of the unmanned VTOL aircraft while performing X-Y axis turning flight in a safe area in which the unmanned VTOL aircraft does not collide with the ground below the cover; fastening the unmanned VTOL aircraft to a fastening unit of the apparatus for containing and charging the unmanned VTOL aircraft; and performing charging and data exchange with the

Assignees

• Korea Aerospace Res Inst

Inventors

• Lee Sang-Cherl
• Kim Hae-Dong
• Gong Hyeon-Cheol
• Choi Gi-Hyuk
• Hwang In-Hee
• Suk Byong-Suk

Classifications

• B64U10/10

  Rotorcrafts · CPC title

• B64U70/30

  for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net · CPC title

• B64U80/70

  in containers (B64U80/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60L53/30 Primary

  Constructional details of charging stations · CPC title

• B60L2230/10

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic