Drones convertible into personal computers are disclosed, A disclosed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a body and rotors carried by the body. The rotors move relative to the body from a first position when the UAV is in a drone mode to a second position when the UAV is in a computer mode.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for powering and controlling flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in a networked cellular communication system. A tether management system can be used to facilitate both mobile and static tethered operation to provide power and/or voice and data communication.

Temperature management systems for aerial vehicles may include heat pipes that are thermally connected to components that generate heat. The heat pipes may be routed through or adjacent to a propeller or propulsion airflow, or within or across a vehicle airflow, to dissipate heat from the components. A heat pipe may be selected from a plurality of heat pipes based on measured temperatures of components that generate heat, operational characteristics of the aerial vehicle and/or one or more propellers, and/or measured temperatures of other components that may be heated. Additional temperature management systems may include cool air ducts and cool air pipes that may be routed from a propeller or propulsion airflow, or a vehicle airflow, to components that generate heat or other components that may be cooled.

An aircraft includes a battery, an airfoil and heat conducting elements, and the heat conducting elements connect the battery thermally to the airfoil in such a way that heat which is produced in the battery is distributed to the airfoil.

In an example embodiment, a drone-based system comprises: a base station, wherein the base station is configured to provide drone control and power, a drone; a tether connecting the base station to the drone and configured to provide the drone with the power from the base station; and a lighting system, operably attached to the drone via the tether, configured to generate illumination of a ground area, wherein the illumination of the ground area is controllable by modifying least one of an intensity of the illumination and a height of the drone above the ground area.

A vehicle such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can include a heat-generating electronic device coupled with a heat exhaust element by a vibration isolating thermal connector. The thermal connector includes a first heat-conducting element configured to draw heat from the electronic device, a second heat-conducting element separated from the first heat-conducting element, and a flexible seal connected with the first and second heat-conducting elements and defining an enclosed cavity between the elements. The enclosed cavity contains a heat conducting liquid, and allows limited movement of the first and second heat conducting elements with respect to each other while maintaining thermal connection.

An innovative passive cooling solution with sealed UAV enclosure system allows heat from a semiconductor chip to be dissipated to the ambient environment through evaporation/condensation phase-change cooling and air cooling a heat sink such as a fin without any additional power consumption to operate cooling solution. One example of such a solution may include a pipe with a fin and a fluid. The pipe may include a wick structure along an inner surface of the pipe configured to allow the fluid to travel within the wick structure and to allow a vapor form of the fluid to exit the wick structure towards a center of the pipe.

A drone adapted for flight may include propellers that may be powered by motors to move the drone. The drone may include a processing component and arms for supporting each of the propellers. At least a portion of at least one of the arms may include a first thermal spreading material that is coupled to the processing component. Each of the arms may be exposed to the air.

Systems for wing structure and attachment to frame for Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle (UAV) are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a UAV includes an H-frame having a wing spar secured to two or more boom carriers. The wing spar includes two or more mounting locations, where each of the two or more mounting locations of the wing spar secures a horizontal propulsion unit. The boom carriers include a plurality of mounting locations, each of the plurality of mounting locations of the boom carriers securing a vertical propulsion unit. The UAV also includes a pre-formed wing shell attached to the H-frame.

A UAV heatsink assembly including two heat pipes, a first and second heat pipes including transfer and end portions, the end portions thermally connected to first and second metallic heat transfer elements, and a third metallic heat transfer element thermally connected to opposite ends of the heat pipes. A CPU thermally connected to the third metallic heat transfer element with first and second electrically insulating thermoplastic elements into which the respective first and second metallic components fit where the first and second electrically insulating thermoplastic elements are not between an outside ambient environment and the first and second metallic components. The heat pipes each include a wick structure and an embedded liquid providing thermal transport therein while at least some of the embedded liquids are above a threshold temperature between ?40? C. and 70? C. such that the UAV is at least operable above ?40? C. degrees and below 70? C.