Reconfigurable battery-operated vehicle system

Abstract

A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.

Description

[0001]This application is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 694,388, filed Nov. 26, 2012, which is a Continuation application of International PCT Application No. PCT / US2011 / 000953, filed May 26, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 399,168, filed Jul. 7, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 396,459, filed May 26, 2010, each of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.[0002]The present invention relates generally to an unmanned, battery-operated vehicle (e.g., a UAV) and, more particularly, to a battery-operated vehicle that can be reconfigured for a wide variety of purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Quadrotor UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are typically characterized by a center body having four arms coming out laterally in an X configuration (when viewed from above). Each arm supports one helicopter-type rotor directed upward. Typical control for a quadrotor aircraft is accomplishe...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]In various embodiments, the present invention solves some or all of the needs mentioned above, providing a battery-operable vehicle system in which batteries are not vulnerable to damage when unprotected by shipping containers, and which they may be freely usable by a multitude of vehicles and other devices as primary structural members.

[0011]Advantageously, this configuration, in which the propulsion modules and control module each connect to the battery module, provides for the battery module to be the primary structural member of the vehicle, carrying the structural loads between the propulsion modules, and supporting the (generally very light) control module and payload. Because of the robust structure of the battery module, it may be designed to meet strict transportation requirements for batteries. The use of this robust battery module as the primary vehicle structure avoids the need for using two robust structures—one for the battery (for safe transportation), and another for a separate vehicle body.

[0013]In yet another aspect of the invention, the vehicle forms a quadrotor aircraft having four propellers that each angled slightly toward a front end of the vehicle. This pitched-down configuration makes the aircraft pitch up to hover, while it allows a cruising forward flight with the battery and control modules substantially level. Advantageously, this maximizes backward viewing during hovering, while minimizing air resistance during cruise flight.

[0015]In yet another aspect of the invention, the arms connect to the battery module on opposite longitudinal ends of the body. Each arm connector is configured with an end cap affixed to its respective arm. Each body connector is configured with a groove adapted to conformingly and longitudinally receive the arm when the arm connector is connected to the body connector. The body connector groove is configured to directly bear all vertical loads from the arm connector arm without loads being carried by the arm connector end cap. As a result, the primary structural forces substantially transfer directly between the arm and the battery unit, and the end caps do not need to be as robust as the arms themselves. This saves on weight, and provides for a more reliable structure.

Problems solved by technology

Due to the risks in shipping lithium batteries, there are strict Department of Transportation requirements on shipping containers for lithium batteries and battery packs (i.e., groups of interconnected batteries).

Once the shipping is completed and the batteries are disseminated to end users, the batteries and / or battery packs may lose the protection of the robust packing container, and be subject to damage until they are installed into their respective vehicles.

Thus, the provision of batteries is susceptible to damage, and meeting shipping requirements can be challenging when a wide array of battery types must be shipped.

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