Unmanned air and underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190421-A1
Application number	US-201515312968-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	May 21, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle including a body and a frame structure extending from the body and supporting a plurality of propeller assemblies, each propeller assembly including at least one propeller and a corresponding motor with the motor housed in a watertight housing or coated and made corrosion resistant. The propellers comprise a first subset of propellers of the propeller assemblies and a second subset of propellers of the propeller assemblies which rotate in a plane positioned below a plane in which the first subset of propellers rotate, wherein said first and second subset of propellers are configured for independent operation of one another as the vehicle transitions from an air medium to a water medium.

First claim

1 . An unmanned vehicle comprising:
a body; a frame structure extending from the body and supporting a plurality of propeller assemblies, each propeller assembly including at least one propeller and a corresponding motor, the motor housed in a watertight housing or coated and made corrosion resistant; wherein the propellers comprise a first set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propeller assemblies and a second set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propeller assemblies which rotate in a plane positioned below a plane in which the first set of propellers rotate, wherein the plurality of propeller assemblies are configured for independent operation of the first and second sets of propellers so that the first and second sets of propellers (i) operate simultaneously to control propulsion when the vehicle is fully immersed and being propelled in either one of both an air medium and a water medium, and (ii) operate sequentially when the vehicle transitions between the air and water mediums.

2 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the second set of the at least one propeller is configured to slow or stop rotating when the second set of the at least one propeller is at a transition between the air medium and the water medium while the first set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate.

3 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the first set of the at least one propeller is configured to slow or stop rotating when the first set of the at least one propeller is at the transition between the air medium and the water medium while the second set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate.

4 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 3 further comprising at least one sensor configured to determine when the second set of the at least one propeller, the first set of the at least one propeller or both are at the transition between the air medium and the water medium.

5 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the first set of the at least one propeller is configured to provide optimum lift force in the air medium and the second set of the at least one propeller is configured to provide optimum lift force in the water medium.

6 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the plane in which the first set of the at least one propeller rotates is above a center of gravity of the vehicle and the plane in which the second set of the at least one propeller rotates is below the center of gravity of the vehicle.

7 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle has a density which is equal to or slightly less than the density of the water medium.

8 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the body and the frame structure are sealed against water entry.

9 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to control rotation of each of the motors and wherein the controller is configured to rotate the motors with a higher torque when the propeller associated with the respective motor is submerged in the water medium.

10 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to control rotation of each of the motors and wherein the controller is configured to rotate the motors such that the vehicle tilts at a greater angle when the vehicle is in the water medium compared to the tilt in the air medium when achieving forward/back or side-to-side motion.

11 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a heat sink associated with the body.

12 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is configured to be operated autonomously.

13 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is configured to be operated by remote control.

14 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein each propeller assembly includes first and second propellers which share a common thrust axis, with the first propeller part of the first set and the second propeller part of the second set.

15 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein each propeller assembly includes a single propeller.

16 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the second set of the at least one propeller includes a propeller assembly connected to a lower surface of the body.

17 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the frame structure includes a plurality of arms extending from the body.

18 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 17 wherein the frame structure includes two, three, four or eight arms.

19 . A kit for assembling an unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the kit includes the body and a plurality of arms to define the frame structure, the arms connectable with the body in a sealed manner and wherein at least two of the arms include propeller assemblies with different configurations.

20 . A method of operating an unmanned vehicle having a plurality of propellers, the method comprising:
while in either one of both a first medium and a second medium, controlling the vehicle by simultaneously operating the plurality of propellers comprising a first set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propellers which are positioned in a plane above a plane having a second set including at least one propeller of the plurality of propellers; and while transitioning between the first and second mediums, controlling the vehicle by sequentially operating the first and second sets of propellers so that one of the first and second sets of propellers that is located at the boundary between the first and second mediums operates at a slow or stopped rotation.

21 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the first set of the at least one propeller is configured to continue to rotate when the first set of the at least one propeller is at a transition between the air medium and the water medium while the second set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate at a substantially unchanged speed.

22 . The unmanned vehicle according to claim 21 wherein the second set of the at least one propeller is configured to continue to rotate when the second set of the at least one propeller is at a transition between the air medium and the water medium while the first set of the at least one propeller continues to rotate at a substantially unchanged speed.

Assignees

• Univ Rutgers

Inventors

• Diez-Garias Francisco Javier
• Maia Marco M

Classifications

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · CPC title

• A63H27/12

  Helicopters (A63H27/04 takes precedence); Flying tops · CPC title

• B63G8/16

  by direct use of propellers or jets · CPC title

• B63G8/001

  Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42) · CPC title

• B63G2008/005

  remotely controlled · CPC title