Autonomous aerial vehicle system
12266270 ยท 2025-04-01
Inventors
Cpc classification
B64U2201/10
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
G05D1/0027
PHYSICS
B64U30/29
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B64U10/20
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B64U2201/104
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B64U2101/30
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B64U50/35
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
G08G5/26
PHYSICS
B64C39/024
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
The present invention discloses an autonomous aerial vehicle system to provide a plurality of autonomous delivery vehicle, such as drone with a weight carrying capacity. The components of drone are disposed in the frisbee like shell which facilitates to take flight in the same manner and capacity as of a frisbee. The drone provides 360-degree rotation and the pioneering velocity driven movement capabilities. The system further includes a management server in communication with the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicle via a wireless network to schedule a flight plan for the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicle. Each autonomous aerial vehicle includes a control module in communication with the management server is configured to operates the autonomous aerial vehicle according to the flight plan data. The control module receives data includes position data, battery status data, location data of the aerial vehicle to aid the autonomous vehicle to execute the flight plan.
Claims
1. An autonomous aerial vehicle system, comprising: a plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles, each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles comprising at least two propellers configured to rotate in 360-degree; a management server in communication with the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles via a wireless network, including: a memory for storing data of each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles, and a processor coupled to the memory, configured to: schedule a flight plan for the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles; communicate flight plan data of the flight plan to the autonomous aerial vehicles, receive notification from each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles on successful communication of the flight plan data; wherein each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles comprises: a control module in communication with the management server configured to receive the flight plan data, a memory module in communication with the control module configured to store the flight plan data, a plurality of sensors in communication with the control module configured to receive position data of the respective autonomous aerial vehicle, a power module comprising a battery assembly configured to check a battery status and send the status to the control module, wherein the battery assembly has high battery capacity and is configured to act as a mobile charging station, wherein at least one different one of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles is configured to magnetically couple with the mobile charging station for charging batteries, and wherein the battery assembly is configured to wirelessly charge in a stationary charging station, wherein when the battery status is battery depleted, the control module is configured to control the respective autonomous aerial vehicle to detect one of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles in close proximity to charge the battery assembly, and to communicate with the management server to detect if the stationary charging station is in a closer proximity than the one of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles to charge the battery assembly, and a camera module in communication with the control module configured to rotate in 360 degrees and capture aerial photographs; wherein the control module of each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles is configured to: awake the respective autonomous aerial vehicle from a low power mode, communicate with at least one other one of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles to check for updates of the flight plan data, store the flight plan data in the memory module of the respective autonomous aerial vehicle, and operates the respective autonomous aerial vehicle according to the flight plan data.
2. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles comprises a unique ID.
3. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two propellers comprises a propeller motor controlled by motor controller.
4. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the at least two propellers of each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles rotates in opposite directions to one another to provide stability to the autonomous aerial vehicle.
5. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two propellers comprises a frisbee like structure.
6. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles are in communication to one another via the wireless network.
7. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles comprises a real time clock module.
8. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to: check position data of each of the plurality of the autonomous aerial vehicles through the plurality of sensors, and send instructions to position the at least two propellers in a horizontal position to operate the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles according to the flight plan data.
9. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles further comprises a GPS module in communication with the control module, which is configured to determine the location of the autonomous aerial vehicle.
10. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to: monitor location data and position data of the autonomous aerial vehicle till completion of the flight plan.
11. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, further comprises at least one stationary charging station.
12. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles supports encryption communication to prevent tampering of the respective aerial vehicle.
13. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the flight plan data comprises a flight schedule with precise direction and timestamp.
14. The autonomous aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises gyroscope and accelerometer sensor.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
(23) A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be given. It is expected that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
(24) The present invention provides an autonomous aerial vehicle system to provide a fully autonomous, highly agile delivery drone with a carrying weight capacity. The system comprises a plurality of autonomous aerial vehicle, which is configured to rotate in 360-degree. Each autonomous aerial vehicle comprises at least two propellers. In one embodiment, each autonomous aerial vehicle comprises at least one propeller. Each propeller comprises a propeller motor controlled by motor controller. The at least two main propellers are positioned centrally on the aerial vehicle and rotates in opposite direction to provide stability to the flight of the autonomous aerial vehicle.
(25) Referring to
(26) In an embodiment, the drone 100 comprises a shell enclosing the functional components of the drone 100. In an embodiment, the shell may comprise a frisbee 114 like structure operated by the motor 102 and turbine assembly 106 in a balanceable center of gravity manner, as shown in
(27) Referring to
(28) In one embodiment, the utilization of a three-pronged component comprising at least two motors 102 and turbine assembly 106 offers effective durability and versatility in the design concept. In an embodiment, the drone 100 may comprises a camera assembly to capture aerial photographs. In an embodiment, the drone 100 comprises an interconnectable region at the side of the drone 100 that offers to connect different strains of cameras based on the specific requirements. In an embodiment, the drone 100 is configured to offer connection of different types of cameras.
(29) Referring to
(30) In an embodiment, the internal twisting mechanism provides 360 vertical maneuverability of the motors 102, as shown in
(31) Referring to
(32) Referring to
(33) According to the present invention, the autonomous aerial vehicle system further comprises a management server in communication with the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) or autonomous drone (AD) via a wireless network.
(34) In one embodiment, each autonomous aerial vehicle comprises a control module in communication with the management server and a wireless network module in communication with control module. The management server is configured to connect with the control module via the wireless network module. In an embodiment, each wireless network module comprises GSM and/or LoRa module to wirelessly connect with at least one aerial vehicle in relative proximity.
(35) In an embodiment, the management server comprises a memory for storing data of each drone, and a processor coupled to the memory is configured to schedule a flight plan for the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicle and communicate the flight plan data to the plurality of autonomous aerial vehicle via a wireless network. In one embodiment, the management server could be accessed by system administrator or a user who have authority for access. In one embodiment, the flight plan data could be scheduled by the user. In one embodiment, the flight plan data comprises a flight schedule with precise direction and timestamp. in one embodiment, the flight plan data and information relating to the plurality of aerial vehicle is stored in the memory of the server.
(36) In one embodiment, the autonomous aerial vehicle further comprises a memory module in communication with the control module is configured to store the received flight plan data. The management server is configured to receive notification from each drone on receiving the flight plan data.
(37) In one embodiment, the working of the AAV is explained as follows. In one embodiment, the autonomous aerial vehicle is configured to be in low-power mode under non-operating mode. In one embodiment, the autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) further comprises a real time clock (RTC) module in communication with the control module. The aerial vehicle is woken up at fixed time intervals and wirelessly connect with the control module of the at least one nearest AAV and check if a new data packet or flight plan data, designated to it, has been uploaded. The RTC module sends a signal to wake it up from the low power mode, at a designated time that is based on the configured time stamped event. Each control module will scan for all nearby Ads or AAVs and successively will pair with each one transmitting it specific data over the dedicated communication channel. In one embodiment, each AAVs comprises a unique ID.
(38) The control module would request for the aerial vehicle to authenticate itself and send its local coordinates and the AAV will respond appropriately. The AAV checks the battery status and sends a notification regarding the battery status to the gateway control module. In one embodiment, the battery status could be fully charged, depleted or charged to a certain extent. After receiving the battery status, the control module sends several data packets for execution by the drone. The data packets from the control module are stored in the memory module and executes the information in the data packet. In one embodiment, the control module or controller board 200 hardware components are detailly explained in
(39) Referring to
(40) In one embodiment, the controller board 200 comprises at least eight connectors (240, 242, 244, 246, 248, 250, 252, 254) or connectors or 8-pin connector. At least two connectors are dedicated to the two main propellers, and at least six connectors are dedicated to the motors for the unique rotational mechanics. The main functionality of the connectors is to provide the control board 200, a flexibility to control all motors individually and with ease via a simple cable connection from these connectors to each motor board 300, shown in
(41) In one embodiment, at least two connectors are configured to provide power to each motor board module 300. In one embodiment, at least two connectors are configured to transfer data from the master controller CPU 206 to each module of the AAV. In one embodiment, controller area network (CAN) interface is used to transfer data for its relative simplicity and reliability. The CAN interface used with the master controller CPU 206 for sending/receiving data packets of predefined format and size, including start bit, identification information, core data, CRC and end bit.
(42) The end connection of the 8-pin connector (pin 8) is referred as ChX. This pin is connected separately for every connector to the controller board CPU 206. Upon initial power-up the connector performs the same purpose as of the at least eight connectors (240, 242, 244, 246, 248, 250, 252, 254) of the controller module 200. During normal operation, ChX triggers (poll or interrupt) each motor board 300 and request additional action. ChX is used to interrupt the operation of one of the motor modules and trigger the proper interrupt software procedure on the motor module's side. During this procedure the master CPU 206 will request from the Motor board 300 identification data to be sent over the communication channel, describing parameters such as unique ID, motor type and etc. The CPU 206 collects all information necessary for operation of the AAV by checking the status of the all motor modules, wherein the information comprises if all motors are fully operational, if a fault has been detected and at what board is it present on, basic diagnostics and etc. CPU 206 gathers all the essential to provide driving commands to each motor. If an issue has been detected, the main CPU 206 has the authority to stop the AAV from taking off and take further actions, e.g., send status messages to the drone controller module.
(43) In one embodiment, the regulated power supply module 204 is configured to supply regulated power to all of the controller board's ICs. In one embodiment, the GPS module comprises GPS 208 and antenna 222 configured to provide location position to the AAV. In one embodiment, the LoRa module comprising LoRa 210 and antenna 224 for achieving a long distance, wireless, non-cellular communication with any nearby LoRa gateway-based drone controller module. In one embodiment, all configuration information essential for the specific drone will be stored in the EPROM 212. In one embodiment, all information concerning flight destinations, current timeline schedule etc. will be stored and read from the FLASH 214 memory. In one embodiment, external RAM 216 is provided for use with the internal master controller CPU 208.
(44) In one embodiment, the RTC module 218 is provided with the CPU with the real local time. In one embodiment, RTC backup battery 220 is configured to provide power to the RTC 218 even when the drone has been turned off. In one embodiment, the GSM 226 module comprises GSM antenna 228 for achieving a long distance, wireless, cellular communication with any nearby GSM based drone controller module. In one embodiment, the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module or SoC comprises Bluetooth 234 and antenna 236 allow certain users (system supporting users), who have an installed Android or iOS based mobile APP to connect to the drone.
(45) In one embodiment, the AAV comprises accelerometer and gyroscope 238 to detect acceleration in either axis and stability of the autonomous aerial vehicle. In an embodiment, the controller board 200 is powered from an external DC source. The controller board 200 connect with the management server and acts an intermediate between the server and the plurality of AAV.
(46) Referring to
(47) Referring to
(48) In one embodiment, the camera is a fish eye type camera being constructed with several smaller cameras with smaller overlapping viewing angles. Further, using specialized image processing software, the data output stream of each camera could be combined and reconstructed into a larger image out of each individual camera's footage, taking into account the overall overlapping of each taken image. This way it is possible to construct a camera module 408 with a very high viewing angle of up to 180 degrees.
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(50) In one embodiment, the battery management system (BMS) 510 supports active or passive battery cell balancing. It is added to the power board 500 due to the necessity of balancing the stored energy within all internal battery assembly 514, thereby, prolongs the life, avoids thermal instability within the battery assembly 514 and prevents degradation of the operation. In one embodiment, the regulated power supply 508 converts the inputted power and transfers it to the BMS 510. In an embodiment, the regulated power supply 508 receives power from DC jack 502, solar panel 504 and wireless charger 506.
(51) Referring to
(52) At step 616, the stability of the drone is checked. At step 618, if the drone is not stable, propeller positions are changed to provide stability. At step 620, once the drone is stable, the drone operates normally and perform mid-flight maneuvers. At step 622, the CPU 202 of the drone controller board 200 checks accelerometer and gyroscope data. At step 624, the drone is configured to check, if the final destination is reached. If the drone does not reach its final reach, stability and propeller position of the drone is checked to perform mid-flight maneuvers. At step 626, on reaching the final destination, the CPU checks input data of accelerometer and gyroscope 206. At step 628, the drone is checked for its stability. At step 630, if the drone is not stable, propeller position of the drone is changed. At step 632, if the drone is stable, landing procedure for drone is initiated. At step 634, the drone lands and enters low-power mode.
(53) Referring to
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(55) In one embodiment, the cyclical ring arrangement 700 comprises at least two cyclical rings. The at least two cyclical rings are an inner cyclical ring and an outer cyclical ring. The at least two cyclical rings adjoins to form a cyclical shell structure. The cyclical rings are connected each other via a plurality of blades 702. In one embodiment, the at least two cyclical rings could be adjoined by any other means. A multiplicity of batteries is disposed on the outer cyclical ring. In one embodiment, at least one motor could be coupled to the cyclical rings 700. In one embodiment, the outer structure of the air vehicle 704 could be joined to the at least 1 external motor of the cyclical rings 700. In another embodiment, the outer structure of the air vehicle 704 could be joined to at least two external motors, which will rotate the air vehicle 704 around the circumference of the cyclical rings 700 and enables an instantaneous rotation or maneuverability of the air vehicle 704.
(56) Referring to
(57) In one embodiment, the configuration of the helicopter enables to complete the maneuver in a shorter time. In one embodiment, the helicopter with the cyclical rings 700 could attain the rotation of 360 instantaneously in horizontal direction. The configuration of the helicopter is capable of attaining greater load factors when flying a pullup-pushover maneuver. The entire structure of the helicopter could rotate around the circumference of the cyclical rings 700. This configuration of the helicopter 106 could maneuver 360 horizontal rotation with optimal efficiency while in the mid-air. In one embodiment, the cyclical rings 700 are a light weight structure. The spokes that are attached to the respective motors encased within the cyclical rings 700 to be entirely stress-free of the total weight of the helicopter 106. The arrangement of the cyclical rings 700 is non-stationary and has gained lift off from the ground.
(58) In one embodiment, the body of the respective air vehicle (shown in
(59) According to the present invention, LoRa technology comprises a following advantages: covers distance of 15 km surpassing almost all conventional non-cellular based wireless technologies; low power consumption; comprises high-capacity connection that is up to 1 million node devices for controlling multiple devices simultaneously; reduced synchronization overhead and without hops in the mesh network; secured and efficient network; and high immunity to interference.
(60) According to the present invention, the system comprises a mobile service app. The mobile service application enables the user to unlock and lock each drone. The mobile service app is provided to users with supervisory/support rights or system supporting user (SSU). The mobile service app connects via the Bluetooth channel to controller board 200 of each AAV. The software unlocking procedure could be accessed by SSUs who have authority to change internal hardware, reprogram (update internal software) and enable drone device. Any other user who tries to implement changes into the hardware or embedded software, without having the proper authority, would be unable to start up the device. The system will additionally support encryption, secure communication and special software procedures, with which the device internally checks the changed hardware parts or software and would check their origin, to prevent an SSU from attaching unlisted (replica) parts onto the device.
(61) In one embodiment, the system comprises a mobile charging station and a stationary charging station. A drone with high battery capacity is configured to acts a mobile charging station. When a battery depleted AAV detects that a mobile charging drone is in close proximity, it couples magnetically with the mobile charging station and turns off all large power consuming processes and charges the battery either wirelessly or physically via a plug-in type power connector. In one embodiment, the battery depleted AAV detects the mobile charging station by communicating with the nearest gateway to determine a local position of the nearest charging station. In one embodiment, stationary charging stations would be located in certain places, where each drone could land there safely and be charged wirelessly for a certain duration of time.
(62) Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the above detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment developed herein, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
(63) The foregoing description comprises illustrative embodiments of the present invention. Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary only, and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications could be made within the scope of the present invention. Merely listing or numbering the steps of a method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of that method. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions. Although specific terms could be employed herein, they are used only in generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated herein.