SKY TREE AND SKY FOREST FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

Abstract

A sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles includes a trunk, a flight platform, an elevator, a parking room, a command center, and a supply station. The sky tree is arranged in a geographic region to provide the unmanned aerial vehicles in the region for certain application field with logistics support integrating command dispatching, application monitoring, communication relay, and replenishment. A sky forest for unmanned aerial vehicles includes a plurality of sky trees for unmanned aerial vehicles arranged in a geographic region, and a control center. The sky forest becomes part of the public property in the geographic region, provides logistics support for all unmanned aerial vehicles in the region, and controls flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles in an orderly manner.

Claims

1. A sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles, comprising: a trunk extending from a lower portion to a high altitude, an inner portion of the trunk having a hollow structure; a flight platform located at a top end of the trunk for take-off and landing of the unmanned aerial vehicles; an elevator provided inside the trunk for carrying the unmanned aerial vehicles up or down between the lower portion and the flight platform; parking rooms for parking of the unmanned aerial vehicles; and a command center to control flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles using radio communication.

2. The sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising a supply station to recharge or refuel the unmanned aerial vehicles.

3. The sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the command center uses 2G, 3G or 4G mobile communication, global positioning system (GPS) communication, or specific channel radio communication.

4. The sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles is in an overall shape of a tower, and the parking rooms are provided on the trunk to form a multi-layer branching structure.

5. The sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles is in an overall shape of a pillar, and the parking rooms are provided on a side of the trunk.

6. The sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles is provided on a ground, or fixed on a building, or provided on a car or a ship.

7. The sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 6, wherein the trunk has an extendable multi-layer tubular structure.

8. A sky forest for unmanned aerial vehicles, comprising a plurality of sky trees each being the sky tree as claimed in claim 1 provided within a geographic region; and a control center for registering and controlling all of the sky trees, flight routes and timetables of the unmanned aerial vehicles within the geographic region.

9. The sky forest for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 8, wherein the control center is provided with public radio channels for identification and communication of different unmanned aerial vehicles approaching on the flight routes thereof, and the control center sets priority of routes so that when the unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the sky trees from different geographical regions are getting closer to each other, the unmanned aerial vehicles of higher priority advance, while the unmanned aerial vehicles of lower priority hover and wait.

10. The sky forest for unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 8, wherein control signals from the control center are transmitted to each sky tree, and each sky tree emits the control signals to the unmanned aerial vehicles belonging thereto.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the first embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the flight route of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the first embodiment.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the second embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the flight route of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the second embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the third embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the flight route of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the third embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the fourth embodiment.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the flight route of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles of the fourth embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the status of the sky forest in a region of Shenzhen, China at 8:00 in the morning of the fifth embodiment.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the status of the sky forest in a region of Shenzhen, China at 14:00 in the afternoon of the fifth embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the status of the sky forest in a region of Shenzhen, China at 18:00 at dusk of the fifth embodiment.

[0048] In the figures: 1sky tree, 2control center, 3communication base station, 4specific channel antennas, 11trunk, 12flight platform, 13elevator, 14parking room, 15command center, 16supply station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The following embodiments are the preferred modes of embodying of the present disclosure, and any other embodiments where their principle and basic structure are identical or similar to these embodiments are also within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0050] The present disclosure can be further understood by the embodiments of the present disclosure provided below. However, these embodiments are not a limitation to the present disclosure. Those features of the specific embodiments that are not described in detail can be obtained by using existing technology, public knowledge and industry standards.

Embodiment 1Sky Tree for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Light Freight

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a tower-shaped sky tree 1 can be set up on the top floor of a science and technology building in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China. The overall sky tree may be in the shape of a tower. The sky tree may include:

[0052] a trunk 11 which may have a height of 3 meters and may extend from the top of the building to a high altitude, an inner portion of the trunk 11 may be having a hollow structure;

[0053] a flight platform 12 which may be provided at a top end of the trunk 11 for take-off and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles, and may hold an unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0054] an elevator 13 which may be provided inside the trunk 11 for carrying unmanned aerial vehicles up or down between the lower portion and the flight platform 12, and can move any unmanned aerial vehicle to the flight platform at any time;

[0055] a parking room 14 which may be provided on the trunk 11, and may form a multilayer branching structure for the parking of several unmanned aerial vehicles;

[0056] a command center 15 which may act as a radio relay station to dispatch and control the flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles using radio communication; and

[0057] a supply station 16 which may be used to recharge or refuel the unmanned aerial vehicles so as to increase the flight time of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0058] The sky tree can be used for express delivery of freight. Unmanned aerial vehicles can collect light, high urgency goods in Nanshan district, and directly fly to Baoan district. Hourly departure flights can be scheduled. The flight distance may be within 20 kilometers, and the flight time may be within 30 minutes.

[0059] The sky tree can be used to communicate in the following ways to control the flight route of the light freight unmanned aerial vehicles:

[0060] 1. When a mobile phone number is provided, use the mobile communication base station 3 along the flight to communicate via 2G/3G/4G so that the signal is not easily interfered. One can refer to Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN102637023A which discloses a remote unmanned aerial vehicles cluster control method based on 3G (3rd Generation), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) mobile communication. In a city, this kind of mobile phone communication method is the main communication method.

[0061] 2. When GPS (Global Positioning System) is provided, flight is carried out according to the latitude and longitude coordinates on a map. One can refer to Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN102637023A which discloses a remote unmanned aerial vehicles cluster control method based on 3G, GPRS mobile communication, and Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN103532613A which discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle remote task uploading system and method based on Beidou communication.

[0062] 3. The unmanned aerial vehicles can also fly within a two-point intersection range according to a specific channel, e.g. 1 of the 2.4G/channel.

[0063] The tower-shaped sky tree itself, formed by a trunk and branches, is a large radio antenna, which can act as a communication relay system for the unmanned aerial vehicles, and can facilitate communication of the unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, the parking room can park or store many unmanned aerial vehicles at the same time.

Embodiment 2Sky Tree for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Border Security

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a pillar-shaped sky tree 1 can be set up at the border between Yunnan, China and Burma. The overall pillar-shaped sky tree may include:

[0065] a trunk 11 which may have a height of 5 meters and may extend from the ground to a high altitude, an inner portion of the trunk 11 may be having a hollow structure;

[0066] a flight platform 12 which may be provided at a top end of the trunk 11 for take-off and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles, and may hold an unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0067] an elevator 13 which may be provided inside the trunk 11 for carrying unmanned aerial vehicles up or down between the ground and the flight platform 12, and can move any unmanned aerial vehicle to the flight platform at any time;

[0068] a parking room 14 for the parking of several unmanned aerial vehicles;

[0069] a command center 15 which may act as a radio relay station to dispatch and control the flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles using radio communication; and

[0070] a supply station 16 which may be used to recharge or refuel the unmanned aerial vehicles so as to increase the flight time of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0071] The sky tree can be used for border security inspection. Hourly departure flights can be scheduled. The flight distance may be within 20 kilometers, and the flight time may be within 30 minutes. It can carry high-resolution photo/video taking equipment to monitor illegal entry and smuggling.

[0072] The sky tree can be used to communicate in the following ways to control the flight routes of the border security unmanned aerial vehicles:

[0073] 1. When GPS (Global Positioning System) is provided, flight is carried out according to the latitude and longitude coordinates on a map. One can refer to Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN102637023A which discloses a remote unmanned aerial vehicles cluster control method based on 3G, GPRS mobile communication, and Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN103532613A which discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle remote task uploading system and method based on Beidou communication.

[0074] 2. The unmanned aerial vehicles can also fly within a two-point intersection range according to a specific channel having a long wavelength, e.g. 450 MHz/channel, as this channel can transmit long distance according to the specific channel.

[0075] 3. When a mobile phone number is provided, use the mobile communication base station 3 along the flight to communicate via 2G/3G/4G so that the signal is not easily interfered. In view of the remoteness of the border and the number of mobile communication base stations is small, this is a secondary communication method.

Embodiment 3Sky Tree for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Public Power

[0076] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, tower-shaped sky tree 1 can be set up at the heart of the capital of Beijing, China. The overall tower-shaped sky tree may include:

[0077] a trunk 11 which may have a height of 5 meters and may extend from the ground to a high altitude, an inner portion of the trunk 11 may be having a hollow structure;

[0078] a flight platform 12 which may be provided at a top end of the trunk 11 for take-off and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles, and may hold an unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0079] an elevator 13 which may be provided inside the trunk 11 for carrying unmanned aerial vehicles up or down between the ground and the flight platform 12, and can move any unmanned aerial vehicle to the flight platform at any time;

[0080] a parking room 14 for the parking of several unmanned aerial vehicles;

[0081] a command center 15 which may act as a radio relay station to dispatch and control the flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles using radio communication; and

[0082] a supply station 16 which may be used to recharge or refuel the unmanned aerial vehicles so as to increase the flight time of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0083] A specific channel antenna 4 may be set on the flight platform for the receiving and feedback of radio signals for a particular channel.

[0084] The function of the public power sky tree is to dispatch unmanned aerial vehicles with extra large radio power in order to suppress and disturb other illegal unmanned aerial vehicle remote system and prevent them from entering the capital center for illegal reconnaissance.

[0085] The public power sky tree can control the flight routes of unmanned aerial vehicles according to specific channel communication, e.g. a licensed channel to prevent any interference.

Embodiment 4Ship-Borne Sky Tree for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

[0086] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a pillar-shaped ship-borne sky tree can be set up in the South China Sea region of the Guangdong province. After sailing to a fixed point, a ship-borne sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles 1 can be set up based on investigation requirement and lifting height. The overall pillar-shaped sky tree may include:

[0087] a trunk 11 which may have a height of 5 meters and may extend from the ship to a high altitude, an inner portion of the trunk 11 may be having a hollow structure;

[0088] a flight platform 12 which may be provided at a top end of the trunk 11 for take-off and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles, and may hold an unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0089] an elevator 13 which may be provided inside the trunk 11 for carrying unmanned aerial vehicles up or down between the lower portion and the flight platform 12, and can move any unmanned aerial vehicle to the flight platform at any time;

[0090] a parking room 14 for the parking of several unmanned aerial vehicles;

[0091] a command center 15 which may act as a radio relay station to dispatch and control the flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles using radio communication; and

[0092] a supply station 16 which may be used to recharge or refuel the unmanned aerial vehicles so as to increase the flight time of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0093] The trunk 11 may have an extendable multi-layer tubular structure which can reduce or extend the length of the trunk so as to change the size of the sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles. This can facilitate the placing of sky tree on a ship or on a car.

[0094] The sky tree can be used as a long-range, low altitude sea reconnaissance, and marine scientific research. The unmanned aerial vehicles may carry equipment for high-resolution photo/video taking.

[0095] The sky tree can control the flight routes of unmanned aerial vehicles according to specific channel communication, e.g. a licensed channel to prevent any interference.

Embodiment 5Sky Forest for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Shenzhen Area

[0096] In 2025, the Shenzhen area has set up 150 sky trees 1 and formed a sky forest. This sky forest may have a control center 2 that may control five types of sky tree. These five types of sky tree may be: 1 light freight, 2 security monitoring, 3 disaster relief, 4 news, 5 public power. They may be painted in different colors, such as 1 green, 2 white, 3 yellow, 4 blue, 5 red. Each unmanned aerial vehicle in Shenzhen district may be assigned a number with SH as a prefix.

[0097] At 8:00 in the morning on the 10.sup.th of March 2025, Shenzhen is busy in the sky. Referring to FIG. 9, green unmanned aerial vehicles from Nanshan district, Futian district and Longhua new district begin to fly to Baoan district for freight delivery, while the blue unmanned aerial vehicles also begin to fly over a highway to obverse and report road condition.

[0098] At 14:00 in the afternoon, a fire breaks out in a residence home in Futian district, Shenzhen. Referring to FIG. 10, yellow disaster relief unmanned aerial vehicles of Nanshan district and Futian district begin to be dispatched to the scene for inspection, and blue unmanned aerial vehicles begin to fly to Futian district for news coverage.

[0099] At 18:00 in the evening, the situation of the sky forest in Shenzhen district. Referring to FIG. 11, the green unmanned aerial vehicles from Baoan district begin to return to Nanshan district, Futian district and Longhua new district for freight delivery. The sky forest control center sends out public power unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out routine flights. White surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles from various districts of the Shenzhen city also begin to cruise the security situation in various districts.

[0100] In order to solve the problem of unmanned aerial vehicle management in Shenzhen area and make it operates in an orderly manner, the control center of the sky forest for unmanned aerial vehicles in Shenzhen area may have public radio channels for identification and communication of different unmanned aerial vehicles approaching on their flight routes, and the control center sets priority of routes so that when the unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the sky trees from different geographical regions are getting closer to each other, the unmanned aerial vehicles of higher priority advance, while the unmanned aerial vehicles of lower priority hover and wait.

[0101] The control center may also use radio channel tiered control, i.e., control signals from the control center are transmitted to each sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles, and each sky tree for unmanned aerial vehicles emits the control signals to unmanned aerial vehicles belonging thereto.

[0102] The above disclosed is only the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, it cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, any equivalent modifications made according to the scope of the claims are still within the scope covered by the present disclosure.