Wireless charging method, device and system for urban air vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a wireless charging method of an urban air vehicle, and a device and a system thereof. The invention discloses a wireless charging device of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method thereof. The wireless charging device includes: a power transmission coil for transmitting power to the unmanned aerial vehicle; the antenna is used for outputting a signal for guiding the unmanned aerial vehicle to land; and a controller for: controlling the power transfer coil, the antenna, or a combination thereof; detecting whether the unmanned aerial vehicle moves to a wireless charging area; a signal for guiding the unmanned aerial vehicle to land for wireless charging is generated; and outputting the generated signal. The generated signal includes at least one of a beamformed frequency signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to wireless charging techniques for urban air mobility (UAM), and more particularly to techniques for aligning a wireless power transceiver at a preset position for wireless charging of an urban air mobility (UAM). Background Art

[0002] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) first defined the concept of urban air mobility (UAM) as "providing safe and efficient air traffic operations for manned and unmanned aerial vehicle systems in urban areas." In recent years, the increasing attention of governments, enterprises, and research institutions to UAM has led to the rapid popularization of this new concept.

[0003] According to a market report by GlobalInfo, the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market size is expected to grow from USD 2.6 billion in 2020 to USD 9.1 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5%. Factors such as improved efficiency, enhanced human safety, and increased investment demand are expected to drive market growth.

[0004] Urban air mobility (UAM) is expected to revolutionize traditional modes of transportation, including roads, railways, aviation and waterways. A 2018 Morgan Stanley blue paper predicted that by 2040, the global market size of urban air mobility will reach $1.5 trillion.

[0005] The UAM concept can be further extended to applications in rural areas where conventional ground transportation infrastructure is insufficient. In particular, in addition to the transportation sector, UAM vehicles are expected to be applied in specific scenarios such as tourism, industry, emergency medical services, and fire control.

[0006] In the future, smart UAM vehicles may be equipped with autonomous driving capabilities and remote control capabilities to eliminate the need for onboard pilots. This would not only eliminate the need for onboard pilots and the associated costs, but also avoid the risk of safety incidents caused by human error and make it easier and safer to control the vehicle from the ground.

[0007] UAM vehicles are flying vehicles that transport passengers or cargo along specific point-to-point routes within urban areas. Due to the limitations of buildings, factories, road traffic and urban crowds, unlike aircraft using conventional runways, the ideal vehicle model should be autonomous, compact, efficient, agile and maneuverable, with vertical take-off and landing capabilities.

[0008] In addition, considering the atmospheric environment issues, electric-driven UAM vehicles are environmentally friendly and have the advantage of using environmentally friendly energy (such as solar energy, electric energy, hydrogen fuel, etc.) instead of conventional fossil fuels without exhaust gas.

[0009] UAM vehicles have the advantage of being faster and more efficient than traditional ground transportation because individuals and cargo can be moved from city to city along straight aerial routes.

[0010] Centralized UAM platforms provide convenient networking, eliminating the need for individuals to own their own UAM vehicles. This can not only increase asset utilization but also reduce waste of resources.

[0011] Furthermore, a centralized UAM platform could eliminate the parking issues that dominate many parts of urban life today and enable a true sharing economy compared to conventional delivery vehicles.

[0012] UAM can provide short-distance (3km-100km) aerial services and can be designed for urban residents to effectively solve the "last 50km" problem that airlines cannot currently provide.

[0013] In order to effectively operate electrically powered UAM vehicles, safe and efficient charging solutions are required.

[0014] In particular, in the case of unmanned UAM vehicles (hereinafter, "unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)"), wireless charging schemes may be applied. For this, proper alignment between a wireless power receiver installed in the UAV and a wireless power transmitter installed in the charging infrastructure is very important for improving wireless charging efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0015] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0016] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a wireless charging method for an unmanned aerial vehicle and a device and system thereof.

[0017] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of aligning a wireless power transceiver to effectively wirelessly charge a UAV, and a device and system thereof.

[0018] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for aligning a wireless power transceiver (or transceiver coil) using antenna beamforming.

[0019] The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned technical solutions. It should be pointed out that other technical subjects not described above can be understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the present disclosure.

[0020] In a general aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless charging device for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes: a power transmission coil configured to transmit power to the UAV; a plurality of antennas configured to output signals to guide the UAV to land; and a controller configured to: control the power transmission coil, the antennas, or a combination thereof; detect whether the UAV moves to a wireless charging area; generate a signal to guide the UAV to land for wireless charging; and output the generated signal, wherein the generated signal includes at least one of a beamforming frequency signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

[0021] The controller may also be configured to: generate a plurality of frequency signals or wavelength signals; perform beamforming processing on the generated frequency signals or wavelength signals; and output a plurality of beamformed signals using a plurality of antennas.

[0022] The wireless charging device may further include: a sensor configured to detect whether the unmanned aerial vehicle has completed landing.

[0023] The controller may be further configured to stop outputting the plurality of beamforming signals in response to detecting completion of landing of the UAV.

[0024] The controller can be further configured to initiate wireless charging of the UAV in response to detecting that landing of the UAV is complete.

[0025] The UAV may include one or more batteries, the one or more batteries configured to be charged by power received from the power transmission coil, and the one or more batteries may provide power to the UAV.

[0026] UAVs may include advanced air vehicles (AAMs), urban air vehicles (UAMs), or regional air vehicles (RAMs).

[0027] In another general aspect of the present disclosure, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes: a power receiving coil configured to receive power from a wireless power transmitter; an antenna configured to receive a signal to guide the landing of the UAV; and a controller configured to: control the power receiving coil, the antenna, or a combination thereof; detect whether the UAV moves to a wireless charging area; receive a beamforming signal to guide the landing of the UAV for wireless charging; and control the landing posture of the UAV based on the received beamforming signal, wherein the beamforming signal includes at least one of a frequency control signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

[0028] The UAV may also include one or more batteries configured to be charged by power received from the power transfer coil, wherein the one or more batteries provide power for the UAV.

[0029] UAVs may include advanced air vehicles (AAMs), urban air vehicles (UAMs), or regional air vehicles (RAMs).

[0030] In another general aspect of the present disclosure, a control method for wirelessly charging an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) via a wireless charging device, the wireless charging device comprising a power transmission coil for transmitting power to the UAV, a plurality of antennas for outputting a signal for guiding the UAV to land, and a controller for controlling the power transmission coil, the antennas, or a combination thereof, the control method comprising: detecting whether the UAV moves to a wireless charging area; generating a signal for guiding the UAV to land for wireless charging; and outputting the generated signal, wherein the generated signal comprises at least one of a beamforming frequency signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

[0031] The control method may further include: generating at least one of a plurality of frequency signals, a plurality of wavelength signals, or a combination thereof; performing beamforming on at least the generated frequency signals, the generated wavelength signals, or a combination thereof; and outputting a plurality of beamforming signals using a plurality of antennas.

[0032] The control method may further include: in response to detecting that the landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle is completed, stopping outputting the plurality of beamforming signals.

[0033] In another general aspect of the present disclosure, a control method for performing wireless charging on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the UAV comprising a power receiving coil configured to receive power from a wireless power transmitter, an antenna configured to receive a signal for guiding the UAV to land, and a controller configured to control the power receiving coil, the antenna, or a combination thereof, the control method comprising: detecting whether the UAV has moved to a wireless charging area; receiving a beamforming signal to guide the UAV to land for wireless charging; and controlling the landing posture of the UAV based on the received beamforming signal, wherein the beamforming signal comprises at least one of a frequency control signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

[0034] The control method may further include aligning the power receiving coil of the UAV with the power transmitting coil of the wireless power transmitter by the UAV by adjusting the landing posture of the UAV.

[0035] The UAV may be configured to land on a vertical take-off and landing airport by aligning the power transmission coil of the wireless power transmitter with the power receiving coil of the UAV.

[0036] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present disclosure are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure.

[0038] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of a wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed structure of a wireless charging system for an urban air mobility (UAM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a wireless charging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a wireless power receiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a wireless power transmitter according to the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a wireless power transmitter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating a wireless power receiver and a UAV equipped with the wireless power receiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figures 8 to 15 1 is a simplified diagram showing various examples of a transmission coil and a transmission antenna of a wireless power transmitter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the accompanying drawings, parts not related to the description of the present disclosure are omitted to clearly explain the present disclosure, and throughout this specification, similar reference numerals will be used to refer to similar parts.

[0047] In the present specification, when a part “includes” an element, unless otherwise specified, it means that the part may further include another element rather than excluding the other element.

[0048] Furthermore, in the specification, “rider,” “passenger,” “driver,” “user,” and the like are mentioned for describing the present disclosure and may be used interchangeably therewith.

[0049] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overall structure of a wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment.

[0050] See also Figure 1 The wireless power transmission system 100 may include a power supply device 10 and a charging device 20 .

[0051] The power supply device 10 may convert the AC (or DC) power supplied from the power supply network 30 into the AC power required by the charging device 20, and then transmit the converted AC power to the charging device 20 using a predetermined wireless energy transmission method. Here, the wireless energy transmission method may include electromagnetic induction, electromagnetic resonance (or magnetic resonance), microwave, and radio frequency (RF) wireless power transmission. Electromagnetic induction is a method of transmitting energy between a primary coil provided in the power supply device 10 and a secondary coil provided in the charging device 20 using an induced electromotive force generated by magnetic induction of AC power. On the other hand, in the electromagnetic resonance method, when a magnetic field vibrating at a specific resonant frequency is generated by a primary coil provided in the power supply device 10, the charging device 20 induces a magnetic field in a secondary coil having the same resonant frequency to transmit energy. RF wireless power transmission is a method of transmitting an RF wireless power signal to a receiver through beamforming using a phased array antenna system of a transmitter. Compared with conventional electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic resonance, this method can allow remote wireless charging up to a radius of several meters.

[0052] The power supply device 10 and the charging device 20 may be interconnected through short-range wireless communication to exchange various information for wireless power transmission.

[0053] The charging device 20 may rectify the wireless power received from the power supply device 10 and then provide the rectified power to an in-device (ie, on-board) rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) or a high voltage (HV) battery.

[0054] The power supply device 10 according to the embodiment may be installed in a building, road, parking lot, charging center, or vertical take-off and landing airport, which is an infrastructure for take-off and landing of urban air vehicles located on land, air, water, or on the roof of a building. When the wireless power transmission pad for wireless power transmission is installed on the charging device 20, the charging device 20 can perform the function as a power supply device. Thus, wireless charging can be performed between the charging devices 20.

[0055] For example, when the charging device 20 is equipped with a plurality of wireless power receiving pads, the charging device 20 may simultaneously receive wireless power from other plurality of charging devices 20 equipped with wireless power transmitting pads to charge the battery.

[0056] As another embodiment, when the charging device 20 is equipped with a plurality of wireless power transmission pads, the charging device 20 may transmit wireless power to other plurality of charging devices 20 equipped with wireless power receiving pads to simultaneously charge the plurality of charging devices 20. That is, when the charging device 20 cannot be moved to the power supply device 10 due to the current battery charge amount, the charging device 20 may be operably connected to another nearby charging device 20 to perform charging between the charging devices 20. As an embodiment, the charging device for supplying wireless power and the charging device for receiving wireless power may be dynamically determined based on the current battery charge amount of the charging device 20.

[0057] The charging device 20 according to the embodiment can be installed on various transportation vehicles. As an example, the charging device 20 can be applied to electric vehicles, unmanned drones, urban air vehicles, multimodal mobility (or hybrid air traffic) operating on land and air or on land and sea.

[0058] In the following embodiment, description will be given by taking an example in which the charging device 20 is installed on an urban air vehicle.

[0059] The charging device 20 according to the embodiment can be installed at one side of the lower part of the urban air vehicle, but this is only one embodiment. According to the design of those skilled in the art, the charging device 20 can be installed on one side of the upper part, one side of the front part, one side of the rear part, and one side of the left / right part of the urban air vehicle.

[0060] The power supply device 10 according to the embodiment may be operably connected to other power supply devices through a wired or wireless communication system.

[0061] The charging device 20 according to the embodiment may be associated with another charging device 20 via a wireless communication system. To this end, the charging device 20 may be connected to a communication terminal (not shown) arranged in the urban air vehicle via a communication network inside the urban air vehicle to exchange signals and information.

[0062] For example, a wireless communication system may be a multiple-access system that supports communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmission power, etc.) Examples of multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and multi-carrier frequency division multiple access (MC-FDMA) systems.

[0063] The charging device 20 according to this embodiment can be connected to another power supply device through wireless communication. For example, the charging device 20 can be connected to multiple power supply devices 10. In this case, the charging device 20 can receive wireless power from the power supply device 10 at the same time. Based on the wireless charging efficiency between the charging device 20 and the power supply device 10, the charging device 20 can dynamically determine at least one power supply device 10 to receive power. Based on the wireless charging efficiency between the charging device 20 and the power supply device 10, the power supply device 10 can dynamically determine at least one charging device 20 to transmit power.

[0064] In the above-mentioned embodiment, it has been described that the power supply device 10 and the charging device 20 that perform wireless charging are dynamically determined based on the wireless charging efficiency. However, this is only one embodiment. The power supply device 10 and the charging device 20 that perform wireless charging may be dynamically determined by further considering the type and capability of the power supply device 10, the type and capability of the charging device 20, and the like. As an example, the type and capability of the charging device 20 may depend on the type of transportation vehicle on which the charging device 20 is mounted. Therefore, the type and capability of the power supply device 10 that matches the charging device 20 may depend on the charging device 20.

[0065] The charging device 20 according to the embodiment may perform a function as a wireless power transmission repeater (hereinafter, for the convenience of description, referred to as a repeater or a relay node), which transmits the power received from the power supply device 10 to another charging device. In this case, the charging device 20 may include both a wireless power receiver (or a wireless power receiving pad) for receiving wireless power and a wireless power transmitter (wireless power transmission pad) for transmitting wireless power. In one embodiment, the positions at which the wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter are installed on one urban air vehicle may be different from each other, but this is only one embodiment. The wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter may be configured as one module and installed at a specific position. As an example, the wireless power receiving pad for receiving power from the power supply device 10 may be installed on one side of the lower part of the urban air vehicle, and the wireless power transmission / reception pad for receiving wireless power from another urban air vehicle or transmitting wireless power to another urban air vehicle may be installed on one side of the upper part of the urban air vehicle.

[0066] Through the above-mentioned embodiments, an urban air vehicle equipped with the charging device 20 according to the present disclosure can not only receive wireless power from the power supply device 10 to charge its battery, but also transmit and receive wireless power via cooperation with another urban air vehicle that is stopped (or in flight). For example, when the battery charging level during flight is not enough to fly to the nearest power supply device 10 or when an urban air vehicle deviates from the route due to abnormal weather, etc., the corresponding urban air vehicle can request emergency air charging from another nearby urban air vehicle (or a central control center).

[0067] As an example, when another nearby urban air vehicle that has received an emergency aerial charging request is capable of emergency aerial charging based on its battery state of charge, the other nearby urban air vehicle may move toward the urban air vehicle that has requested emergency aerial charging and supply wireless power via wireless charging during flight.

[0068] As another embodiment, the central control center (or the urban air traffic operator (UAM air operator)) that has received the emergency aerial charging request may search for another urban air traffic around the urban air traffic that has requested the emergency aerial charging, and determine a target to participate in the emergency aerial charging based on the current battery charge state of the searched other urban air traffic. When the target to participate in the emergency aerial charging is determined, after sending a predetermined control signal to the nearby urban air traffic determined as the target to participate in the emergency aerial charging to guide the nearby urban air traffic to the location of the urban air traffic that has requested the emergency aerial charging, the central control center may control the nearby urban air traffic to perform wireless charging during flight.

[0069] The charging device 20 controls at least one switch provided in the wireless power transmission pad and the wireless power reception pad to activate / deactivate (turn on / off) the operation of the corresponding wireless power transmission pad and / or the wireless power reception pad.

[0070] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the charging device 20 receives wireless power from one power supply device 10, but this is only one example. The charging device 20 may include a plurality of wireless power receiving pads to simultaneously receive wireless power from a plurality of power supply devices 10 to perform fast charging.

[0071] In another embodiment, the charging device 20 may further include a wired charging component and a wireless charging component. In this case, at least one of the wireless charging component and the wired charging component may be used to perform fast charging.

[0072] The charging device 20 of the first city air vehicle according to the embodiment can distribute the wireless power received from the power supply device 10 by negotiating with the charging device 20 equipped in the second city air vehicle, and send the distributed wireless power to the second city air vehicle. As an embodiment, the amount of power charged by the first city air vehicle and the second city air vehicle can be dynamically determined based on the corresponding battery charge state of the city air vehicle. As another embodiment, the amount of power charged by the first city air vehicle and the second city air vehicle can be dynamically determined based on the corresponding flight reservation status of the first city air vehicle and the second city air vehicle and the corresponding battery charge state. That is, the longer the scheduled flight distance corresponding to each city air vehicle, the more power consumption is expected. Therefore, the flight plan, flight distance, etc. need to be further considered for power allocation.

[0073] The charging device 20 according to the embodiment may determine whether to be used as a power relay for another urban air vehicle based on the battery charge state of its RESS 40. As an embodiment, when the battery charge level (or battery output voltage) of the first urban air vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value, the charging device 20 of the first urban air vehicle may transmit the power received from the power supply device 10 to the charging device 20 of the second urban air vehicle. On the other hand, when the battery charge level (or battery output voltage) of the first urban air vehicle is lower than the predetermined reference value, the charging device 20 of the first urban air vehicle may be controlled so that the power received from the power supply device 10 is not relayed to the charging device 20 of the second urban air vehicle and is only used to charge its RESS 40.

[0074] The communication terminal mounted on the urban air vehicle can be connected to the power supply device 10, another urban air vehicle, a central control center, etc. via V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication supported by 4G LTE / 5G NR communication to exchange various information.

[0075] The urban air vehicle may be equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) receiver to receive and decode GPS satellite signals. The urban air vehicle may obtain current GPS coordinate information from the GPS satellite signal and provide the GPS satellite signal to the power supply device 10 and / or another urban air vehicle via a communication terminal. In one embodiment, the communication terminal installed on the urban air vehicle may obtain GPS coordinate information of the power supply device 10 and / or another urban air vehicle.

[0076] V2X refers to communication technology used to exchange information with other vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure objects through wired / wireless communication. V2X can be divided into four types: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) for vehicle-to-vehicle communication; vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) for communication between vehicle and infrastructure; vehicle-to-network (V2N) for communication between vehicle and communication network; and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) for communication between vehicle and pedestrian. V2X communication can be provided via PC5 interface and / or Uu interface (i.e., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) air interface).

[0077] Sidelink (SL) is a communication scheme that establishes a direct wireless link between UAMs to enable direct exchange of information between vehicle terminals without the intervention of a base station (BS) or infrastructure (e.g., RSU). SL is considered to be a way to reduce the burden on the BS in accordance with the rapidly increasing amount of data traffic and to minimize transmission delays in UAM-to-UAM communications.

[0078] Figure 2 is a diagram for illustrating a detailed structure of a wireless charging system for an urban air vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0079] See also Figure 2 The wireless charging system 200 for an urban air vehicle may mainly include a power supply device 10 , a power supply network 30 and a first urban air vehicle 201 .

[0080] exist Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, wireless charging for one urban air vehicle 201 is described as an example, but this is only one embodiment. The number of urban air vehicles 201 that can be simultaneously charged by the power supply device 10 may be equal to or greater than two. The maximum number of urban air vehicles 201 that can be simultaneously charged corresponding to one power supply device 10 may be dynamically determined by the maximum supplyable power of the power supply device 10, the required power of the urban air vehicle 201 to be charged, and the like.

[0081] The power supply device 10 may include a wireless power transmission pad 11 (eg, a wireless power transmission pad), a power conversion system 12, and a control communication device 13, but may not be limited thereto, and may further include a GPS receiver (not shown), an ultrasonic sensor (not shown), and the like.

[0082] The control communication device 13 may control the overall operation and input / output of the power supply device 10. In addition, the control communication device 13 may control the power conversion system 12 to convert the power provided from the power supply network 30 into the power required for charging the urban air vehicle 201. In this regard, the AC power signal converted by the power conversion system 12 may be wirelessly transmitted via the transmission coil of the wireless power transmission pad 11. The wireless power transmitted via the wireless power transmission pad 11 may be transmitted to the wireless power receiving pad 213 via an electromagnetic induction phenomenon (or an electromagnetic resonance phenomenon).

[0083] In one embodiment, a plurality of wireless power transmission pads 11 may be provided in the power supply device 10 or one wireless power transmission pad 11 may have a plurality of transmission coils for charging a plurality of urban air vehicles 201 at the same time.

[0084] The power supply device 10 according to the embodiment may further include a GPS receiver (not shown) and an ultrasonic sensor. The power supply device 10 may provide its GPS coordinate information to the urban air vehicle 201. In addition, the power supply device 10 may receive sensor status information of the urban air vehicle 201, and may drive the ultrasonic sensor based on the sensor status information of the urban air vehicle 201. In this case, the urban air vehicle 201 may sense the ultrasonic signal transmitted by the power supply device 10 to identify the position of the power supply device 10, and may move to the identified position and align with the wireless power transmission / reception pad, and then, perform wireless charging.

[0085] See also Figure 2 , the urban air vehicle 201 may include at least one of a charging device 210, a communication terminal 220, a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) 230 (e.g., a power storage system), a sensor 240, and a GPS receiver 250. In this regard, the sensor 240 may include at least one of a camera 241, an ultrasonic sensor 242, a radar 243, and a light detection and ranging sensor (LiDAR) 244. For example, the camera 241 may include at least one of a front camera, a rear camera, a left / right camera, an upper camera, and a lower camera. For example, the camera 241 may include at least one of a surround view monitor (SVM) camera, an RGB camera, and an infrared camera.

[0086] The charging device 210 may include a control communication device 211 , a power converter 212 , and a wireless power receiving pad 213 .

[0087] The control communication device 211 (eg, a controller combined with a transceiver) may control input / output and overall operation of the charging device, and may perform communication with an external device.

[0088] The control communication device 211 may communicate with various electronic control units (ECUs) via an internal communication network of the urban air vehicle 201. In this regard, the ECU may include a steering system for steering control, a braking system for controlling stopping and parking, a drive system for controlling the driving of a motor for flight, etc., but the present disclosure may not be limited thereto. The internal communication network of the urban air vehicle 201 may include a controller area network (CAN), a local interconnect network (LIN), FlexRay, a media oriented system transport (MOST) communication network, etc., but the present disclosure may not be limited thereto.

[0089] In addition, the control communication device 211 may exchange various control signals and status information with the control communication device 13 of the power supply device 10 via in-band (or out-of-band) communication for receiving wireless power. In this regard, in-band communication refers to a communication scheme that uses the same frequency band as the frequency band used to transmit wireless power. For example, IEEE 802.11p communication, 4G LTE communication, 5G NR (New Radio) millimeter wave (mmWave) communication, etc. may be used as out-of-band communication, but the present disclosure may not be limited thereto. Based on the design of those skilled in the art, Bluetooth communication, RFID communication, near field communication (NFC), infrared short-range wireless communication (IR-DSRC), optical wireless communication (OWC), etc. may be applied.

[0090] Furthermore, the control communication device 211 may exchange information with another urban air vehicle via the communication terminal 220 .

[0091] In addition, a communication terminal (not shown) may also be installed on the power supply device 10 . In this case, the control communication device 211 may exchange various control signals and status information with the power supply device 10 via the communication terminal 220 .

[0092] In addition, the control communication device 211 may exchange various control signals and status information with a user device (including, for example, a smart phone, a smart key, etc.) via the communication terminal 220. To this end, the communication terminal 220 may have a Bluetooth communication function for communicating with a smart phone and a frequency communication function for communicating with a smart key. In this regard, the frequency communication function may include a function of receiving a radio frequency (RF) radio wave of a frequency of 433.92 MHz from the smart key and a function of transmitting a low frequency (LF) radio wave of a frequency of 125 kHz to the smart key.

[0093] The transmitter status information sent from the power supply device 10 to the charging device 210 of the urban air vehicle 201 may include transmitter identification information, information about the maximum transmittable power, information about the supported power categories, information about the maximum number of devices that can be charged simultaneously, information about the types of supported charging devices, software version information, firmware version information, communication protocol version information, IP address information, MAC address information, port number information, authentication and security information, etc.

[0094] The receiver status information sent from the charging device 210 of the urban air vehicle 201 to the power supply device 10 may include receiver identification information, information about required power, information about maximum receivable power / voltage / current, information about battery charge state, information about battery output voltage, software version information, firmware version information, communication protocol version information, IP address information, MACK address information, port number information, authentication and security information, but the present disclosure may not be limited thereto. In an embodiment, the information about the battery charge state and the information about the battery output voltage may be exchanged between the urban air vehicles 201 via communication between their communication terminals.

[0095] The control communication device 211 may acquire information on the location and capability information of the power supply device 10 via the communication terminal 220 .

[0096] Furthermore, the control communication device 211 may acquire information about the location and capability information of another nearby urban air vehicle 201 via the communication terminal 220 .

[0097] As an embodiment, the capability information exchanged between urban air traffic may include information about whether the corresponding urban air traffic vehicles are capable of performing wireless charging and information about whether wireless charging is available between urban air traffic vehicles, information about the installation location of the wireless power transmission / reception pad installed on the corresponding urban air traffic vehicles, information about the battery charge state, information about whether the corresponding urban air traffic vehicles are performing a mission, etc., but the present disclosure may not be limited to this.

[0098] When the wireless power receiving pad 213 of the charging device 210 is aligned with the wireless power transmitting pad 11 of the power supply device, the control communication device 13 of the power supply device 10 can control the power conversion system 12 to convert the power supplied from the power supply network 30 into the power required by the urban air vehicle 201. Thereafter, the converted power can be transmitted to the wireless power receiving pad 213 of the urban air vehicle 201 via the wireless power transmitting pad 11 via electromagnetic induction.

[0099] When the urban air vehicle 201 approaches the power supply device 10 to be within a certain distance associated with the sensor 240 , the control communication device 211 may perform precise alignment with the transmission / reception pad associated with the user device.

[0100] In the following description, a method, an apparatus, and a system for wireless charging of an urban air mobility (UAM) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0101] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a wireless charging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0102] See also Figure 3 , the wireless charging system may include an urban air vehicle (UAM) (hereinafter referred to as "unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)") 201, which broadly includes a wireless power transmitter 10 and at least one power receiving coil 2130 for wirelessly receiving power. UAVs may also include advanced air vehicles (AAM) and regional air vehicles (RAM).

[0103] The wireless power transmitter 10 according to the present embodiment may be installed at one side of a vertical take-off and landing airport for take-off and landing of the UAV 201 .

[0104] The wireless power transmitter 10 may convert power received from the power source 120 into a wireless power signal through magnetic induction or magnetic resonance via a transmission coil 110 disposed on one side of a transmission pad 11 , and thus may provide the wireless power signal to at least one power receiving coil 2130 of the UAV 201 .

[0105] At least one transmission antenna 140 may be provided at one side of the transmission pad 11 of the wireless power transmitter 10 , and the transmission antenna 140 outputs a light beam for guiding a landing position of the UAV 201 for wireless charging.

[0106] The control communication unit 13 provided in the wireless power transmitter 10 may generate a signal for guiding the landing position of the UAV 201, and may provide the generated signal to at least one transmission antenna 140. Here, the radio frequency (RF) signal output by the transmission antenna 140 may be beamformed and transmitted in the vertical direction of the transmission pad 11.

[0107] The wireless power transmitter 10 according to the embodiment may generate different frequency signals or RF signals of different wavelengths for each transmission antenna 140 .

[0108] At least one receiving antenna 270 configured to receive the radio frequency signal output by the transmitting antenna 140 may be provided at one side of the UAV 20. For example, when the UAV 201 is equipped with a plurality of receiving antennas 270, the receivable frequency or wavelength of each receiving antenna may be different.

[0109] The UAV 201 may include a battery (not shown) that is charged using power received from the wireless power transmitter 10 .

[0110] UAV 201 may adjust its landing attitude based on the signal received via receiving antenna 270 .

[0111] That is, the UAV 201 can align the power transmission coil 110 and the power receiving coil 2130 through landing posture adjustment, and can land on the vertical take-off and landing airport in a manner that the power transmission coil 110 and the power receiving coil 2130 are aligned. In some embodiments, a detection sensor 150 that can sense the landing gear 220 of the UAV 201 can be set on one side of the transmission pad 11.

[0112] When the landing of the UAV 20 is detected by the detection sensor 150 , the wireless power transmitter 10 may terminate the RF signal transmission through the transmission antenna 140 .

[0113] In some embodiments, the detection sensor 150 may be implemented as a plurality of detection sensors 150 , and may include at least one of an optical sensor (eg, an infrared sensor or a laser sensor), a pressure sensor for sensing a pressure change, and a Hall sensor.

[0114] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a wireless power receiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] See also Figure 4 , the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 201 may be implemented as any one of a fixed-wing aircraft and a rotary-wing aircraft.

[0116] The unmanned aerial vehicle 201 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented as a multi-wing unmanned aerial vehicle 201 having a plurality of rotors 250 located outside a main body 240 , which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0117] UAV 201 may include: multiple inverter / motors (not shown) configured to drive one or more power receiving coils 2130 and multiple rotors 250; and at least one battery pack 280 configured to provide the power required to drive each inverter / motor.

[0118] The rotor 250 may be disposed on the other side of the guide body 260 , one side of the guide body 260 is connected to the main body 240 , and a battery pack corresponding to each rotor 250 may be placed on one side of the guide body 260 .

[0119] UAV 201 may be a rotorcraft that can perform take-off flight, ascent flight, descent flight, forward flight, backward flight, left turn flight, right turn flight, and landing flight by adjusting the rotation direction and rotation speed of multiple rotors 250 .

[0120] The UAV 201 may be equipped with at least one receiving antenna 270 that receives the RF signal for wireless charging alignment for aligning the transmitting coil 110 and the receiving coil 2130. As an example, the receiving antenna 270 may be arranged at a position such as Figure 4 The receiving antenna 270 is shown on one side of the landing gear 220, but this is only an example. The receiving antenna 270 can also be installed in different positions according to the shape of the UAV 201 and the arrangement shape of the receiving coil 2130.

[0121] In some implementations, the receiving coil 2130 and the transmitting coil 110 may be configured to transfer power through magnetic induction using the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) Qi standard or the Power Matter Alliance (PMA) standard.

[0122] That is, since the WPC standard and the PMA standard have different power frequencies, the receiving coil 2130 and the transmitting coil 110 may be configured to have a form applicable to the corresponding standard method. In order to use the WPC standard and the PMA standard at the same time, the receiving coil 2130 and the transmitting coil 110 may use a dual-mode coil.

[0123] In another embodiment, the receiving coil 2130 and the transmitting coil 110 may use a self-resonance standard to wirelessly transmit and receive power.

[0124] In addition, the UAV 201 may include a rectifier (not shown) for converting AC power into DC power through the receiving coil 2130 by connecting to the receiving coil 2130. Thereafter, the DC power from the rectifier may be converted into power required by the battery pack 280 through a DC / DC converter (not shown).

[0125] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating and controlling a wireless power transmitter according to the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0126] See also Figure 5 , the wireless power transmitter 10 may detect that the UAV has entered the space for wireless charging (S510). The UAV includes a wireless power receiver or a wireless power receiving coil.

[0127] The wireless power transmitter 10 may output or transmit a beam for inducing or guiding the landing position of the UAV (S520). The UAV may detect the beam and, for example, may detect a position or direction in which the received beam has a maximum size (or amplitude). Therefore, the UAV may determine the landing position and may control the body of the UAV to move to the determined landing position.

[0128] The wireless power transmitter 10 may determine whether the landing of the UAV has been completed ( S530 ).

[0129] Based on the determination that the UAV has landed, the wireless power transmitter 10 may initiate wireless charging of the wireless power receiver or power receiving coil of the UAV ( S540 ).

[0130] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating and controlling a wireless power transmitter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0131] refer to Figure 6 , the wireless power transmitter 10 may generate a plurality of frequency signals or a plurality of wavelength signals for a beam to induce or guide a landing position of the UAV ( S610 ).

[0132] The wireless power transmitter 10 may perform beamforming on a plurality of frequency signals or wavelength signals (S620). Beamforming refers to a technique of generating an antenna beam in a specific direction by changing the amplitude and phase of a signal supplied to each antenna in a state where a plurality of antennas are arranged at regular intervals, and then transmitting and receiving signals in a specific direction, and such beamforming may be applied to a transmission antenna and / or a reception antenna. Since beamforming itself is well known in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

[0133] The wireless power transmitter 10 may transmit a plurality of beamformed frequency signals or a plurality of beamformed wavelength signals using a plurality of antennas ( S630 ).

[0134] Such beamforming signals may be directional. To optimize wireless power charging efficiency, the wireless power transmitter 10 may guide or direct the UAV or wireless power receiver to a preset alignment position so that the wireless power transmitter 10 may be well aligned with the UAV or wireless power receiver (or receiving coil).

[0135] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating a wireless power receiver and a UAV equipped with the wireless power receiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0136] See also Figure 7 , the wireless power receiver or the UAV 201 may determine whether the wireless power receiver or the UAV 201 has entered the wireless charging area ( S710 ).

[0137] The UAV 201 may receive the beamformed signal received from the wireless power transmitter 10 (S720), and may control the landing posture for wireless charging based on the received beamformed signal (S730). The beamformed signal received from the transmission antenna 140 of the wireless power transmitter 10 is used to guide the landing position for wireless charging.

[0138] The UAV 201 may determine whether its landing is complete ( S740 ).

[0139] Once landing is complete, the UAV 201 may initiate wireless charging using the wireless power transmitter 10 ( S750 ).

[0140] Figures 8 to 15 1 is a simplified diagram showing various embodiments of a transmission coil and a transmission antenna of a wireless power transmitter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 8 to 15 The number of transmission antennas 140 is shown as four, but the scope or spirit of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0141] exist Figures 8 to 9 In the embodiment, the transmission coil 110 is formed in a circular shape, and each transmission antenna 140 (ie, port) may output a frequency or wavelength controlled transmission signal that guides a landing position.

[0142] exist Fig.10 and Fig.11 , the transmission coil 110 is formed in a circular shape to surround the transmission antenna 140. Each transmission antenna 140 (or port) may output a transmission signal for frequency or wavelength control for guiding a landing position.

[0143] See also Figure 12 to Figure 13 , when formed in the arrangement of the transmission antenna, the transmission coil 110 is formed in a rectangular shape. The transmission antenna 140 (or port) may output a transmission signal for frequency or wavelength control for guiding a landing position.

[0144] See also Figure 14 to Figure 15 , the transmission coil 110 is formed in a rectangular shape to surround each transmission antenna 140. Each transmission antenna 140 (or port) may output a transmission signal for frequency or wavelength control for guiding a landing position.

[0145] exist Figures 8 to 15 In the embodiment, frequencies or wavelengths are numbered, and it can be understood that signals of different frequencies or wavelengths are output from the four transmission antennas, but at least two signals output from the four transmission antennas have the same frequency or wavelength. In addition, Figures 8 to 15 The number of transmission antennas and the number of transmission coils in are merely examples, and the present disclosure includes wireless power transmitters having various numbers of transmission antennas or transmission coils.

[0146] Although the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure have disclosed that an apparatus (or device) for controlling a user interface (UI) and components included therein perform such control for the convenience of description, the apparatus (or device) and components belonging thereto are merely names, and the scope of authority does not depend thereon.

[0147] In other words, the proposed technology of the present disclosure can be performed by a device with a name other than a control device. In addition, the above methods, schemes, etc. can be performed by software or codes readable by a computer or other machine or device for vehicle control.

[0148] In addition, as another aspect of the present disclosure, the operation of the technology proposed above may be provided as a code that can be implemented, realized or executed by a "computer" (including a general concept of a system on a chip (SoC) or (microprocessor) or a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product storing or containing the code, etc.). The scope of the present disclosure may be extended to a code or a computer-readable storage medium or a computer program product storing or containing the code.

[0149] The detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed as above has been provided so that those skilled in the art can implement and realize the present disclosure.

[0150] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

[0151] Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0152] From the above description, it can be seen that the unmanned aerial vehicle wireless charging method, device and system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects.

[0153] The embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a method, device and system for wireless charging of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0154] Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide methods for aligning a wireless power transceiver for efficient wireless charging of a UAV, as well as devices and systems for the method.

[0155] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure as long as these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wireless charging device for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the wireless charging device comprising: a power transmission coil configured to transmit power to the UAV; a plurality of antennas configured to output signals for guiding the UAV to land; as well as A controller, the controller being configured to: controlling the power transmission coil, the antenna, or a combination thereof; Detecting whether the unmanned aerial vehicle moves to a wireless charging area; generating a signal for guiding the UAV to land for wireless charging; and Output the generated signal, The generated signal includes at least one of a beamforming frequency signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

2. The wireless charging device according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is further configured to: generating multiple frequency signals or wavelength signals; performing beamforming processing on the generated frequency signal or wavelength signal; and A plurality of beamformed signals are output using the plurality of antennas.

3. The wireless charging device according to claim 1, further comprising: A sensor is configured to detect whether the unmanned aerial vehicle has completed landing.

4. The wireless charging device according to claim 2, wherein: The controller is further configured to: In response to detecting that the landing of the UAV is completed, outputting the plurality of beamforming signals is stopped.

5. The wireless charging device according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is further configured to: In response to the completion of the landing of the UAV, wireless charging of the UAV begins.

6. The wireless charging device according to claim 1, in, The UAV includes one or more batteries configured to be charged by power received from the power transfer coil, and Wherein, the one or more batteries provide power for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

7. The wireless charging device according to claim 1, wherein: The unmanned aerial vehicle includes an advanced air vehicle (AAM), an urban air vehicle (UAM), or a regional air vehicle (RAM).

8. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a power receiving coil configured to receive power from the wireless power transmitter; an antenna configured to receive a signal for guiding the UAV to land; as well as A controller, the controller being configured to: controlling the power receiving coil, the antenna, or a combination thereof; Detecting whether the unmanned aerial vehicle moves to a wireless charging area; receiving a beamforming signal for guiding the UAV to land for wireless charging; as well as controlling the landing posture of the UAV based on the received beamforming signal, The beamforming signal includes at least one of a frequency control signal, a wavelength control signal or a combination thereof.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising: one or more batteries configured to be charged by power received from the power transmission coil of the wireless power transmitter, Wherein, the one or more batteries provide power for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. A control method for wirelessly charging an unmanned aerial vehicle by a wireless charging device, the wireless charging device comprising a power transmission coil configured to transmit power to the unmanned aerial vehicle, a plurality of antennas configured to output a signal for guiding the unmanned aerial vehicle to land, and a controller configured to control the power transmission coil, the antennas or a combination thereof, the control method comprising: Detecting whether the unmanned aerial vehicle moves to a wireless charging area; generating a signal for guiding the UAV to land for wireless charging; as well as Output the generated signal, The generated signal includes at least one of a beamforming frequency signal, a wavelength control signal, or a combination thereof.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising: generating at least one of a plurality of frequency signals, a plurality of wavelength signals, or a combination thereof; performing beamforming on at least the generated frequency signal, the generated wavelength signal, or a combination thereof; and A plurality of beamformed signals are output using the plurality of antennas.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: In response to detecting that the landing of the UAV is completed, the output of the plurality of beamforming signals is stopped.

13. A control method for performing wireless charging of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a power receiving coil configured to receive power from a wireless power transmitter, an antenna configured to receive a signal for guiding the unmanned aerial vehicle to land, and a controller configured to control the power receiving coil, the antenna, or a combination thereof, the control method comprising: Detecting whether the unmanned aerial vehicle moves to a wireless charging area; receiving a beamforming signal for guiding the UAV to land for wireless charging; as well as controlling the landing posture of the UAV based on the received beamforming signal, The beamforming signal includes at least one of a frequency control signal, a wavelength control signal or a combination thereof.

14. The control method according to claim 13, further comprising: The landing posture of the UAV is adjusted by the UAV to align the power receiving coil of the UAV with the power transmitting coil of the wireless power transmitter.

15. The control method according to claim 13, wherein: The UAV is configured to land on a vertical take-off and landing airport by aligning the power transmission coil of the wireless power transmitter with the power receiving coil of the UAV.

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