HVAC Arrangement Including a Motor Vehicle and a Drone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018346117-A1
Application number	US-201815991299-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 29, 2018
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air-conditioning system includes a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger vehicle, and a drone. The drone is configured to be secured, in a secured state, to the motor vehicle and released from the motor vehicle. The drone is a flying drone that is driven using propellers. The drone, in the secured state, serves to air-condition the motor vehicle using the propellers by pushing air into the passenger vehicle through a roof of the vehicle. The roof defines openings that correspond to a propeller circumference that allow air, generated by the propellers, to flow into the passenger vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a drone configured to be secured to and released from the motor vehicle, wherein the drone is driven by propellers aligned parallel with a roof and perpendicular to the axes of rotation of the propellers, and, in a state of being secured to the motor vehicle, the propellers air-condition the motor vehicle through the roof via air flow through the roof.

2 . The air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drone is secured to the roof of the motor vehicle in a secured state.

3 . The air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the roof of the motor vehicle defines openings, having axes, that are automatically or manually closed and opened, and coincide with a position of the drone in the secured state via alignment of the axes of the propellers and the openings.

4 . The air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the openings in the roof correspond to propeller circumferences.

5 . The air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a control unit being configured to automatically open and close the openings in the roof.

6 . A vehicle comprising:
a roof having a drone arranged on an exterior surface of the roof, wherein the drone is configured to be secured to and released from the exterior surface and includes propellers aligned on the exterior surface such that axes of the propellers intersect a roof centerline, and, in a secured state on the roof, the propellers air-condition a vehicle interior underneath the roof via air flow through the propellers.

7 . The vehicle as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the roof defines openings, having axes, that are automatically or manually closed and opened, and coincide with a position of the drone in the secured state via alignment of the axes of the propellers and the openings.

8 . The vehicle as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the openings defined in the roof define a size that corresponds to propeller circumferences.

9 . The vehicle as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a control unit being configured to automatically open and close the openings in the roof.

10 . The vehicle as claimed in claim 8 further comprising an environment sensor configured to detect precipitation such that, in response to detected precipitation, the control unit closes the openings.

11 . A vehicle roof arrangement comprising:
a roof having an exterior surface that defines openings extending through the roof; and a drone, arranged on the exterior surface and being configured to be secured to and released from the exterior surface, that includes propellers aligned on the exterior surface such that axes of the propellers intersect a roof centerline, and, in a secured state on the roof, the propellers air-condition a vehicle interior underneath the roof via air flow generated by the propellers through the openings into the vehicle interior.

12 . The vehicle roof arrangement as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the openings, having axes, are automatically or manually closed and opened, and coincide with a position of the drone in the secured state via alignment of the axes of the propellers and the openings.

13 . The vehicle roof arrangement as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the openings defined in the roof define a size that corresponds to propeller circumferences.

14 . The vehicle roof arrangement as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a control unit being configured to automatically open and close the openings in the roof.

15 . The vehicle roof arrangement as claimed in claim 14 further comprising an environment sensor configured to detect precipitation such that, in response to detected precipitation, the control unit closes the openings.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Wolf-Monheim Friedrich Peter

Classifications

• B62D63/025

  Modular vehicles (superstructures for busses having modular sections B62D31/025) · CPC title

• B64C29/0091

  Accessories not provided for elsewhere · CPC title

• B60J7/00

  Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels {, e.g. rotary sunroofs}(B60J10/00 takes precedence; window aspects B60J1/00; fixed roofs B62D25/06; mechanisms for operating wings E05F11/00, E05F15/00) · CPC title

• B64C2201/108

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C2201/042

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic