Ground movement system plugin for VTOL UAVs

Abstract

A ground movement plug-in (GMP) apparatus for providing ground propulsion to an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV). The GMP apparatus includes a frame configured to mechanically couple with the UAV, a plurality of wheels, at least one of which is actuatable by a motor, and a controller operably coupled to the motor to control propulsion of the GMP apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing ground propulsion to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: a frame configured to physically support an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during landing and to selectively mechanically couple with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); a plurality of wheels, wherein at least one wheel of said plurality of wheels is actuatable by a motor; and a controller operably coupled to said motor so as to control the propulsion of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); wherein said controller is adapted to interface with a flight-control system board of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to receive commands to control the propulsion of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) when the frame is mechanically coupled with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said controller is adapted to interface, in use, with a remote control unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a charger configured to connect to and recharge a battery of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during use.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein: said charger comprises a wireless charger.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: when said frame is coupled with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said apparatus is electrically coupled to said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein: when said frame is coupled with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), said apparatus receives electrical power from a power supply of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said frame includes an adapter configured to connect to said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by at least one of mechanical and electrical couplings.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: said adapter is configured to connect to any one of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) types by the at least one of mechanical and electrical couplings.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a battery.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: at least one of a GPS receiver and an antenna.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a gimbal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a sensor to receive positional data, wherein the instructions further cause the controller to drive said motor so as to reposition said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based upon said positional data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: said sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group comprising a GPS receiver, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a LIDAR device, and a visual recognition system.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: said positional data includes at least one of positional data of the apparatus, and positional data of said UAV.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: said computer further interfaces with a camera configured to capture at least one of video and still images.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: an image processor for processing said at least one of said video and still images.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said computer further includes an antenna configured to communicate with a remote terminal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said remote terminal is the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein: said remote terminal is a docking and recharging station.

20. A system, comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); a frame configured to physically support said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during landing and to selectively mechanically couple with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); a plurality of wheels, wherein at least one wheel of said plurality of wheels is actuatable by a motor; and a controller operably coupled to said motor so as to control ground propulsion of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); wherein said controller is adapted to interface with a flight-control system board of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to receive commands to control ground propulsion of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) when the frame is mechanically coupled with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

21. A method for providing ground propulsion to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising the steps of: selectively coupling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a ground propulsion apparatus, wherein said propulsion apparatus comprises a frame configured to physically support said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during landing and to be mechanically coupled to said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a plurality of wheels, wherein at least one wheel of said plurality of wheels is actuatable by a motor, and a controller operably coupled to said motor so as to control the propulsion of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); and interfacing said controller with a flight-control system board of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to receive commands to control the propulsion of said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) when the frame is mechanically coupled with said unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In order to illustrate the way in which the above mentioned advantages and features of the embodiments can be obtained, a brief description of the components is provided in the appended drawings. It needs to be underlined that the figures are not drawn to scale, and similar elements, in terms of function or shape, are indicated through reference numerals; the drawings should be considered as illustrations of typical embodiments without limiting of the scope.

(2) FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing the interaction of components in GMP systems, according to some embodiments.

(3) FIG. 2 is a rendering of a GMP vehicle attached to a UAV, according to an embodiment.

(4) FIG. 3 is a rendering of a UAV hovering above a GMP vehicle, according to an embodiment.

(5) FIG. 4 is an exploded rendering of a UAV and GMP vehicle, according to an embodiment.

(6) FIG. 5 is a rendering of a perspective view of a GMP vehicle, according to some embodiments.

(7) FIG. 6A is a rendering of a top view of the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5.

(8) FIG. 6B is a partially exploded rendering of a top view of the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5.

(9) FIG. 7 is a rendering of a detail view of the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5.

(10) FIG. 8 is a rendering of a UAV hovering above the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment.

(11) FIG. 9 is a rendering of a UAV with an integrated GMP vehicle, along with an example landing location and lateral location to which the UAV will move after landing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Current technological developments in the field of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) include ground stations that supply power to the UAVs and/or that serve as docking areas. However, UAVs do not always effectively reach these stations when landing operations are completed—a task made particularly difficult in adverse weather conditions, when the process can be disturbed by external factors, such as rain or wind, or impaired by low visibility.

(13) Automatic landing is a difficult task which must be carried out with great care in order to avoid damage to the UAV. Various types of automatic landing systems have been proposed. However, none of the previously proposed systems of this type provides an adequate and sufficiently reliable method by which a safe, autonomous landing can be achieved during adverse weather conditions. Moreover, there is a need for a system that, in addition to the capability of landing a VTOL UAV safely, can direct the UAV to a target location, once it has landed, by using an automatic repositioning system. Previously, multi-copters with fixed wheels have been proposed and are currently in use. The current commercialized systems have wheels that are directly integrated in the vehicle airframe, and not motorized. For example, current systems exploit the UAV propellers' air displacement in order to provide movement on the ground, and are mostly directed at products for recreational use. Ground propulsion for non-flying robots comes in many forms, and a variety of transport methods have been proposed for ground mobility of electromechanical systems, such as rows of wheels, continuous tank tracks, and artificial articulating legs. Other technologies include UAV plug-ins that differ from those described herein. Examples are gimbals for cameras or any other removable support for data acquisition sensors or other hardware extensions enabling, for example, indoor navigation through on-board systems that interface with additional hardware positioned on the ground.

(14) Still other technologies include flight control and movement control electronic boards that allow the programmability of flights through application program interfaces (API), released by a vendor within a software development kit (SDK). Such APIs can be wrapping standard proprietary or open source communication protocols, and used to define the flight instructions (such as Mavlink), or could be based on an entirely new programming language for controlling a specific UAV/robot.

(15) Other related technology includes landing platforms for VTOL UAVs, for example recharging/docking stations, whose working principle is based on the exact positioning of the UAV and its vertical landing on the required spot (i.e., precision landing).

(16) Other related technology also includes ground robot docking stations, accessible to the robots through mechanical or electromagnetic guides, that align the UAV with the robot and allow it to interface with the docking system. These known systems and methods to assist the docking of ground robots have never been applied to UAVs, as they are not traditionally capable of moving on the ground.

(17) The present disclosure is directed to terrestrial ground movement plug-in (GMP) vehicles that are designed to attach to a UAV, either prior to/during flight or after landing, and to provide functionality for terrestrial transport of the UAV (e.g., so that the UAV effectively becomes a ground robot). GMP vehicles described herein facilitate landing and/or movement of UAVs, and have sufficient space to accommodate sensors and/or other hardware, such as a recharger interface. GMP vehicle systems described herein allow UAVs to fully exploit the plethora of methods of movement and interaction with docking stations that are already available for ground robots, as well as enabling the execution of new movements and interactions.

(18) Embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which one or more, but not all the embodiments of the invention are shown in each figure. Indeed, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be considered as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, thick arrows indicate a connection between components, and dashed arrows indicate an optional connection between components.

(19) In some of the descriptions set forth below, a VR Spark quadcopter or variations of a VR Mapper quadcopter is used as an example, however other types of UAV can be used.

(20) FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing the interaction of components in some embodiments of GMP systems 100. Each arrow represents a possible connection (e.g., a physical connection and/or a connection that is configured for data transmission). Dashed squares represent optional components of the envisioned system. As shown in FIG. 1, the GMP system 100 includes GMP propulsion mechanics 102 operably coupled to a GMP controller 104, and a power supply 106 (e.g., one or more batteries). The power supply 106 can be disposed within the GMP, within the UAV, or both. The power supply 106 can be operably coupled to an optional charger 108, which may be disposed on board the GMP vehicle itself, or external to the GMP vehicle, with the GMP vehicle being configured to make an electrical connection therewith. The GMP controller 104 is optionally coupled to a UAV electronic board 110 (e.g., a flight control system) of a UAV when the UAV is at least partially disposed on or in the GMP), for example to receive data and/or power from the UAV. The UAV electronic board 110 and/or the GMP controller 104 can be operably coupled to one or more sensors 114 onboard the GMP, the UAV, or both. The UAV (e.g., via the UAV electronic board 110), sensors 114, and/or the GMP controller 104 can be in communication with one or more remote terminals via an optional remote link, for example to send or receive data.

(21) FIG. 2 is a rendering of a UAV 230 attached to a GMP vehicle 220, according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the position of the center of gravity of the UAV, when attached, mounted, or assembled to the GMP vehicle, ensures stability during maneuvers on the ground and/or during adverse weather conditions.

(22) FIG. 3 is a rendering of a UAV 330 hovering above a GMP vehicle 320, according to an embodiment of the invention. A plugin skeleton or “frame” 323 is the central component of the GMP vehicle, and it connects a ground propulsion motor 322 and the wheels 324 together, in addition to acting as the interface/adapter onto which the UAV 330 can land/attach. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the GMP 320 is also connected to a companion computer 325 having functions such as: image and video capture, a central processing unit (CPU) for image processing, modules for communications via radio/WiFi/4G, and wireless recharging.

(23) FIG. 4 is an exploded rendering of a UAV and GMP vehicle, showing internal components thereof, according to an embodiment of the invention. The UAV includes four propeller blades 441 driven by a motor for propeller blades 443 and connected to a first portion 444 of a UAV shell, which includes a removable battery compartment cover 442. The UAV includes an inner frame 445 having an integrated electronic speed controller, a radio telemetry module 447, a GPS unit 448, a flight-control system board 449, and a central printed circuit board 446 connecting different electronic components together (e.g., 447, 448 and 449). Another portion, 450, of the UAV shell is connectable directly to the plugin skeleton 423 of the GMP vehicle. The plugin skeleton 423 connects the ground propulsion motors 422A and 422B with corresponding pairs of wheels 424A and 424B (respectively), a companion computer 455 (e.g., a smartphone) and a GMP-dedicated control board 454. The UAV shell can be defined by components 442, 444, 445 and 450 (the battery compartment cover, first shell portion, inner frame, and second shell portion, respectively).

(24) FIG. 5 is a rendering of a perspective view of a GMP vehicle, according to some embodiments. The GMP vehicle 520 includes three multidirectional wheels 524 each attached to the frame of the GMP vehicle 520 via a corresponding servo 522. The GMP vehicle 520 also includes a companion computer 554 (e.g., a mobile device such as a cell phone) mounted to its underside. The space under the frame of the GMP can also be used as compartment for a charging unit 555 (e.g., a contact or contactless charging system/unit). FIG. 6A is a rendering of a top view of the GMP vehicle 520 of FIG. 5.

(25) FIG. 6B is a partially exploded rendering of a top view of the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5. When assembled, wheels 562 and 563 are secured to a pivot 564 by a clamping block 561. The pivot 564 is mounted to a servo 565, which is attached to a mounting block 566.

(26) FIG. 7 is a rendering of a detail view of the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5.

(27) FIG. 8 is a rendering of a UAV hovering above the GMP vehicle of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment. The UAV 530 is a specific version of the VR Mapper/Wasp that is being positioned on top of the GMP embodiment 520 described above with reference to FIGS. 5-7. The relative proportions of the GMP to the UAV can vary between embodiments.

(28) FIG. 9 is a rendering of a UAV with an integrated GMP vehicle, along with an example landing location and a predetermined location to which the UAV will move after landing. In this example of landing procedure, the UAV 930, with attached GMP 920, can land in any of the region marked “L,” with variation depending, for example, on imprecise position data (e.g., GPS data) and/or adverse weather conditions, or any other lack of control. Once the UAV 930/GMP 920 has landed within the region “L,” the UAV 930/GMP 920 can move along the ground to the predefined spot “S” through propulsion by the GMP.

(29) Although the disclosed subject matter has been described and illustrated in the foregoing exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of implementation of the disclosed subject matter may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter.