Versatile, modular, autonomous aircraft

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hovering unmanned aircraft, comprising a central fuselage (2) with hovering means (31) and data connection means (25) attached thereto for establishing a wireless data connection to a counterpart, in particular a data processing device such as a computer, wherein the aircraft (1) further comprises communication means (24) comprising at least communication transmitter means (24) with which information can be transmitted to a person located near the aircraft (1).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles, often referred to as drones, are used for various purposes. One of these is the transport of goods, usually valuable or time-critical, from a starting point, such as a depot, to a destination. The advantage of an aircraft in this case is that it can travel more or less directly to the destination and does not have to follow a typically much longer route on the ground, and is therefore not slowed down by traffic obstacles. Another application, and currently the most common use of drones, is taking aerial photographs, either as still images or videos. A further use is as part of a formation to create a light show in the sky.

[0003] However, drones are currently unable to communicate with people they encounter during their operation or to convey messages from the drone operator to such a person.

[0004] Furthermore, drones are also limited to one of the aforementioned purposes, meaning they are usually equipped either for transporting payloads, taking aerial photographs, or displaying light shows.

[0005] Against this background, the present invention aims to further develop a known drone so that, among other diverse applications, it also allows contact and communication with people. Furthermore, the drone should also be able to perform this contact function in different ways and / or to take on other, different operational tasks.

[0006] This problem is solved by a hovering aircraft according to claim 1, which is further developed in the dependent claims.

[0007] In a first aspect of the invention, the hovering unmanned aerial vehicle according to the invention comprises communication means that enable contact and communication with a person located nearby. For this purpose, communication transmitters are provided in every case, with which information can be transmitted to the person located nearby. Suitable communication transmitters include, for example, a display, a (digital) projector, a loudspeaker, a megaphone, or one or more gesture arms, i.e., robotic arms for performing gestures.

[0008] Furthermore, communication devices may also be present that allow the contacted person to respond. Suitable examples include a touch-sensitive display, a microphone, or a camera for recording and, in conjunction with appropriate onboard or offboard analysis, recognizing gestures or lip-reading.

[0009] The term "nearby" used above is therefore dependent on the communication means employed and describes a distance that allows the person to perceive the information displayed via the communication means without technical aids (i.e., without using, for example, binoculars or a directional microphone). If, for instance, a display integrated into the drone is used as the communication transmitter, this distance would be between ten centimeters and perhaps two meters, depending on the size of the display. When using a simple loudspeaker, even a distance of several meters would still be considered "nearby." Finally, using a megaphone and / or a projector, even people at a distance of several tens to several hundred meters could still be contacted by the drone according to the invention.

[0010] The same variable scale applies to communication in the reverse direction, i.e., from the person to the other party or its operator. With a touch-sensitive display, direct hand contact would be necessary, requiring the closest possible proximity. With a microphone, the voice of the contacted person could be recorded from several meters to several tens of meters away and transmitted to the other party, either directly in its raw form (speech signal) or, after speech analysis, in an abstracted form (text data). Gesture recording and / or recognition using a camera can even be achieved over greater distances, which, with a camera offering appropriate magnification, can range from several hundred meters to theoretically one kilometer or more, up to a limit determined by the size of the aircraft.

[0011] The communication equipment, i.e., communication transmitters and receivers, can be conveniently located in the central fuselage. This has the advantage that it can be more easily integrated into the aircraft's control electronics. However, some communication equipment, such as lighting devices like LED lights, can also be housed on or near the hovering devices attached to the fuselage.

[0012] The information issued on or via the communication transmitters is transmitted to the aircraft via the wireless data link established using the data link devices from a remote station, and thus ultimately from the operator of that remote station. The remote station can be, in particular, a data processing device such as a PC, laptop or notebook, smartphone, or tablet.

[0013] The person operating the remote control and communicating with the person located near the aircraft (as defined above) can simultaneously control or direct the aircraft's movement. However, this function can also be performed in another way, either by another person or by the aircraft itself, which can semi-autonomously or autonomously locate and approach the person to be contacted.

[0014] In a further aspect of the invention, the aircraft includes an interface for connecting modules that allow the aircraft to be configured for various operational tasks. This interface comprises mechanical components for the mechanical connection and mounting of the module, as well as electrical components for supplying the module with pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical energy and / or for establishing a (wired) data connection.

[0015] The modules that can be connected to the aircraft via the interface can include one or more communication means for contacting a person in the vicinity. This can either transform an aircraft not equipped with such communication means into an aircraft according to the first aspect, or extend the communication capabilities of an aircraft already conforming to this aspect of the invention. For example, an aircraft that only has a touch-sensitive display as a communication means, perhaps permanently integrated into the fuselage, can be enabled to communicate with people located further away by connecting a module comprising a digital projector, a loudspeaker or megaphone, a gesture arm, or a combination of these means.

[0016] Alternatively, the module can also fulfill other functionalities. For example, it could be a payload transport container in which a payload is safely protected from the elements and other adverse conditions during flight.

[0017] The invention has thus created inventive aircraft which can be equipped as needed for a variety of tasks and / or allow an operator at a remote location to make contact with persons near the aircraft.

[0018] Further advantageous developments of the present invention, which can be implemented individually or in combination, provided they do not obviously exclude each other, will be presented individually below.

[0019] The communication transmitter can include a display which is arranged on the upper side of the fuselage of the aircraft according to the invention or is attached to the end of a boom arm, preferably one that can pivot under the fuselage. The display is preferably touch-sensitive and can also be mounted in a swiveling bracket (gimbal), which makes it easier for the person being contacted to enter information.

[0020] In embodiments of the aircraft with a touch-sensitive display located on the upper fuselage and above the front of the fuselage, the aircraft's hovering means are preferably pairs of motor-propeller units arranged symmetrically about a central plane of the aircraft. One of the front pairs of motor-propeller units is located in front of a plane defined by the front of the fuselage. The motor-propeller units of this front pair preferably have a greater distance between them than the distance between the motor-propeller units of any other pair. This advantageously improves the accessibility of the fuselage-top display for the person being contacted, so that input is also possible during hovering. Without sufficiently safe accessibility of the display, the person being contacted could only make inputs on the display when the aircraft was landed and the motor-propeller units were switched off.

[0021] Other possible communication transmitters that the aircraft may include are loudspeakers, (digital) projectors, megaphones, multicolored light sources, especially LEDs and / or robotic arms for performing gestures.

[0022] The communication means preferably also include communication receiving means. These may preferably be or include input means with which the person can enter data that is transmitted to the remote station via the wireless data connection.

[0023] Communication receiving equipment may also include microphones, touch-sensitive displays (for example, a display that serves as a communication transmitting device may be a touch-sensitive display), a keyboard, a lever and / or one or more buttons.

[0024] The aircraft may also include manipulation devices, in particular one or more manipulator arms, which may also be designed as gesture arms.

[0025] In embodiments of the invention in which the aircraft comprises motor propeller units as hovering means, the noise level emitted by these units can be reduced to improve acoustic communication with the person being contacted. This noise reduction can be achieved by using propellers with a reduced noise signature. These can be, for example, propellers with curved or finger-like splayed tips, or propellers whose blades are curved to such an extent that they are connected at the tip to an adjacent blade to form a closed double blade, thus eliminating any free blade tips that would generate air vortices and associated noise. Alternatively or additionally, noise reduction can also be achieved through optimized control.Furthermore, in a technique known as noise-cancelling, the noise generated by the engines can be detected using one, preferably several, microphone(s) distributed around the fuselage of the aircraft, and one or more noise-cancelling sound signals can be emitted by means of one, preferably several, loudspeakers distributed around the fuselage of the aircraft. For the contacted person located at some distance from the aircraft, the sound waves from the engine propeller units and the canceling sound signal(s) interfere at least partially destructively, so that the overall noise level perceived by the person is advantageously reduced.

[0026] The aircraft according to the invention can further be configured to facilitate the establishment of a wireless data connection between the remote party and a mobile data processing device of the contacted person. This can be a Bluetooth or WLAN connection, or a wireless connection according to another standard, between the data processing device and the aircraft itself. The aircraft would then forward the data transmitted via this connection, either raw or processed, to the remote party via the existing wireless connection. In this case, the aircraft acts as a flying relay station. Alternatively, the wireless connection can also be established directly between the data processing device and the remote party, for example, if a mobile network is used to which both the data processing device and the remote party are connected.In this case, the aircraft merely acts as a transmitter of the communication data and would have no further involvement in the communication. It could therefore, for example, already set off for the next person or another destination.

[0027] To initiate a connection, the contacted person needs the connection details. These can be communicated to them in various ways. One possibility is for the other party or operator to communicate them audibly, for example, via a speaker or megaphone on the aircraft. A more elegant solution is to transmit the connection details visually, for instance, by displaying them on the fuselage or another part of the aircraft, such as a boom arm, in a way that is visible and readable for the contacted person. The information required for the connection, such as network name and password, URL and login data, or phone number, could be displayed in plain text. However, a barcode or matrix code, which the contacted person can scan with their device, is faster, simpler, and more secure against unauthorized reading. This allows the device to automatically establish the connection.The connection information, whether in plain text or as a code, can either be permanently printed or embossed on the aircraft. Preferably, however, it is displayed on a screen on the aircraft. This allows for display only when needed and also enables individual customization for the contacted person, for example, to easily change the connection details after a contact attempt, thus preventing a subsequent data connection by a previously contacted person.

[0028] The aircraft can have an interface for connecting modules. In preferred embodiments, at least one of the communication means and / or a manipulation means is part of a module that is detachably connected to the aircraft, typically to its fuselage, via the interface. For example, the upper and / or lower fuselage surfaces of the aircraft according to the invention can each have such a module connection interface. It is particularly preferred that the module is arranged below the fuselage.

[0029] The module may include a megaphone, a projector, one or more, in particular two paired, gesture and / or manipulator arms or a spotlight.

[0030] In preferred embodiments, the aircraft equipped for communication with a nearby person according to the first aspect of the invention comprises at least one communication means permanently installed in the fuselage. This may be a communication transmitter in the form of a display and / or a loudspeaker and / or LEDs. Furthermore, a permanently installed communication receiver may be present, for example in the form of a microphone and / or a touch-sensitive display, or a display included as a communication transmitter may be designed as a touch-sensitive display. Multiple permanently installed communication transmitters and receivers may also be present.

[0031] The aircraft according to the invention preferably has a communication control unit with a software interface for programming the aircraft, wherein this interface is at least temporarily accessible via the wireless data interface, so that applications developed by third parties, which utilize the various capabilities of the aircraft in an innovative way, can be installed. The applications can be made available to all users of the aircraft according to the invention via a platform accessible via the Internet or another wide area network ("app store"), who can then download them as needed. This communication control programming interface can be accessible at all times.However, it is advantageous and safer to make the software available via the wireless data connection only under certain circumstances, because uploading an application in flight can, in the event of software errors, lead to unexpected and potentially dangerous behavior of the aircraft, even though this is not flight control software, but only software for operating the communication receiving and transmitting equipment. Therefore, it is preferred by the invention that the programming interface is only accessible, for example, when the aircraft detects that it is currently being recharged and / or is in a hangar or depot.

[0032] The aircraft can be a multicopter with three or more, in particular four or more, preferably exactly four, six or eight propeller units as a hovering means. The propeller units can be connected to the fuselage via two or more, in particular four or more, and in particular exactly four boom arms.

[0033] The aircraft can have two pylons connected to the fuselage by means of the boom arms, into which half of the motor propeller units are integrated.

[0034] The aircraft may have at least one permanently installed 3D or depth camera on the front of the fuselage. A display may be arranged above the 3D depth camera on the upper surface of the fuselage, serving as a communication transmitter and / or receiver. It may also include a loudspeaker, which may be located, in particular, below the 3D or depth camera (21) on the front or sides of the fuselage. Further permanently installed sensors or navigation equipment may include a lidar sensor, in particular a dome lidar, and / or a receiver for satellite navigation signals (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS).

[0035] The aircraft preferably has a propeller guard, in particular in the form of one or more rings surrounding the propeller units. This serves, firstly, to protect the aircraft from damage, and, in the case of an aircraft according to the first aspect of the invention, simultaneously and perhaps even more importantly, to protect the person being contacted from injury.

[0036] The aircraft according to the invention can include a payload container. This is particularly preferably a transport box with a front-mounted flap that can be opened remotely or by the aircraft itself, and which is preferably also lockable, i.e., lockable, so that opening is only possible with a physical key and / or software key. The payload container is preferably detachably attached as a module to the fuselage of the aircraft via the module interface. The transport box is preferably designed for automated payload deployment and / or retrieval. In some embodiments, a rechargeable battery is integrated into the box, which can power the aircraft's electrical system, in particular the motor and propeller units, via the aircraft's module interface.Furthermore, the transport box can also include its own sensors, such as a camera and / or a LIDAR sensor and / or a GPS receiver, whereby the data from these sensors can be accessed both by a control unit of the transport box and, via the module interface, by the aircraft.

[0037] The aircraft is preferably equipped to map its surroundings three-dimensionally using the available sensors, such as one or more, in particular different, cameras and / or one or more lidar sensors. The resulting environmental map can then be used for its own navigation and obstacle detection and avoidance, and / or transmitted to the remote location and / or other aircraft according to the invention.

[0038] In some embodiments, the aircraft is prepared to serve as a communication relay station between the remote station and another aircraft according to the invention. One or more aircraft can be used as intermediate stations. The coordination Communication between the aircraft is implemented particularly in the form of swarm control.

[0039] The aircraft can be prepared to detect, identify and / or track people, preferably depending on whether it is a specific target person and / or the person is making a specific gesture with their arms or hands.

[0040] Embodiments of the aircraft according to the invention, which are equipped with loudspeakers and / or a megaphone, can be used as a flying music box.

[0041] The aircraft can be configured to automatically connect to a charging station and / or charging box. It can also have its own charging electronics for the onboard battery, allowing charging from a wall outlet. In this case as well, connecting is preferably done without human intervention.

[0042] Further features, advantages, and properties of the present invention will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments described below with reference to the figures. These are intended merely to illustrate the invention and in no way to limit it.

[0043] They show: Fig. 1A - E: Various views of a preferred embodiment of an aircraft according to the invention in the form of a hexacopter.

[0044] The figures show a preferred embodiment of a hexacopter-shaped aircraft equipped for communication with a nearby person.

[0045] The hexacopter 1 has a fuselage 2 and – as its name suggests – six motor-propeller units 31, which are arranged in two pylons 33. These pylons are connected to the fuselage 2 via two pairs of outrigger arms 32. Landing skids 23 and a module interface 28, through which various mission modules can be connected to the hexacopter 1, are located on the underside of the fuselage. The perspective view of the complete hexacopter 1 shows... Fig. 1A is a transport box 4 for the safe storage of payloads during flight. In the Fig. 1B - 1E, which show the hexacopter 1 partially disassembled and without motor propeller units 31 in different views, a projector 5.

[0046] An additional battery can also be connected via interface 28 to extend the range. This is useful, for example, when a longer ferry flight is planned or a patrol where only the permanently installed sensors and communication equipment are needed.

[0047] Part of the means for establishing a data connection is the antenna 25, which is attached laterally to one of the pylons 33. For redundancy reasons, two GPS receiving antennas 22 are arranged on the upper side of the fuselage 2.

[0048] A key component of the hexacopter 1 is the display 24 located on the upper fuselage 20, on which text and images can be displayed to communicate with a person. For this purpose, the hexacopter, either remotely controlled or autonomously, flies towards the person and positions itself a short distance in front of them so that they can perceive the information displayed. The depth camera 21 in the front of the fuselage, below the display 24, assists the hexacopter in this process. The display 24 can also be touch-sensitive to allow the person to input data.

[0049] The hexacopter 1, equipped with a projector, of the Fig. 1B - 1E can contact several people at once by projecting images onto a suitable surface, such as a white wall, in order to transmit advertising messages or to communicate warnings, such as storm warnings or similar. Reference symbol list 1 hexacopter 2 Hull 20 Upper fuselage 21 Depth camera 22 GPS receivers 23 landing skids 24" Display 25 Data link antenna 28 Module interface 29 openings in 2 for 21 31 Motor propeller unit 32 Boom arm 33 pylons 4 transport boxes 5 projector

Claims

Hovering unmanned aircraft, comprising: - a central fuselage (2) with hovering means (31) attached thereto and - data link means (25) for establishing a wireless data link to a counterpart, in particular a data processing device such as a computer, characterized in that the aircraft (1) further comprises communication means (24) comprising at least communication transmitter means (24) with which information can be transmitted to a person located near the aircraft (1). Aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the communication means comprise input means (24) with which the person can make data inputs which are transmitted to the counterpart via the wireless data connection. Aircraft according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication transmitter means comprise a display (24) which is arranged on a top side of the fuselage (2) or is attached to a boom arm or pivotable mount, preferably pivotable below the fuselage. Aircraft according to the preceding claim, wherein a display (24) is provided on the upper surface of the fuselage above an environmental sensing means, in particular a camera, positioned on a front of the fuselage (2), and the hovering means of the aircraft (1) are motor propeller units (31) arranged in pairs symmetrically to a central plane of the aircraft (1) and comprise a front pair of motor propeller units (31) located in front of a plane defined by the front of the fuselage, wherein a distance between the motor propeller units (31) of the front pair is greater than a distance between the motor propeller units (31) of each other pair, wherein the aircraft in particular further comprises a 360° camera and / or a lidar and / or a receiver for satellite navigation signals. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication transmitters comprise a loudspeaker, and / or a projector (5), and / or a megaphone, and / or multicolored light sources, in particular LEDs, and / or a robotic arm for performing gestures. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication means further comprise communication receiving means, in particular in the form of: - a microphone, and / or - a touch-sensitive display (24), and / or - a keyboard, and / or - a lever, and / or - one or more buttons. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising manipulation means, in particular a manipulator arm. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hovering means are motor propeller units (31) and a reduction of the noise level emitted by these is achieved, in particular by a. using propellers with a reduced noise signature, for example with curved or finger-like splayed tips or blades curved together at the tip, and / or b. the aircraft (1) is prepared to apply noise-cancelling techniques by having one or more microphones distributed around the fuselage (2) of the aircraft (1) detect the noise generated by the motor propeller units (31) and a noise-cancelling control unit, which may be a separate unit or, in particular implemented as software, part of a main control unit of the aircraft (1), calculates a cancellation sound signal which is emitted by means of one or more loudspeakers distributed around the fuselage (2). Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it is prepared to enable a direct or indirect wireless data connection between the counterpart and a mobile data processing device of the contacted person, wherein, for initiating the connection by the contacted person, the connection data, preferably in the form of a barcode or matrix code, are visible on the aircraft, either permanently printed or, preferably, individually displayed on a screen of the aircraft. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the communication means (5), and / or a manipulation means is provided as part of a module (4, 5) detachably connected to the fuselage (2) via an interface (28), wherein the module (4, 5) is arranged in particular below the fuselage (2). Aircraft according to the preceding claim, wherein the module comprises: a megaphone, or a projector, or a manipulator arm or arms, or a spotlight. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it has communication means permanently installed in the fuselage (2): - a communication transmitter in the form of a display and a loudspeaker and / or LEDs, and - furthermore, communication receiver in the form of a microphone and / or a touch-sensitive display, or a display included as a communication transmitter is designed as a touch-sensitive display. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a control of the communication means comprises a software interface for programming which is accessible at least temporarily via the wireless data interface, wherein the aircraft is preferably prepared to make the communication control programming interface available via the wireless data connection only under certain circumstances, for example when the aircraft registers that it is being charged and / or is in a hangar or depot. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the aircraft (1) is a multicopter with three or more, in particular four or more, preferably exactly four, six or eight propeller units (31) connected to the fuselage (2) via two or more, in particular four or more, in particular exactly four boom arms (32) as a hovering aircraft means, wherein the aircraft (1) in particular comprises two pylons (33) connected to the fuselage by means of the boom arms (32), into each of which half of the motor propeller units (31) are integrated. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it has a 3D or depth camera (21) as permanently installed sensors on the front of the fuselage (2), wherein in particular a display (24) is further arranged as a communication transmitting and / or communication receiving means above the 3D depth camera (21) on a top surface (20) of the fuselage (2). Aircraft according to one of the two preceding claims, comprising a loudspeaker which is arranged in particular below the 3D or depth camera (21) on the front of the fuselage or the lateral sides of the fuselage. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a propeller guard, in particular in the form of one or more rings surrounding the propeller units (31). Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a payload container, in particular a transport box (4), preferably with a front-mounted, remotely controlled opening flap, wherein the payload container (4) is preferably attachable as a module via the interface (28) to the fuselage (2). Aircraft according to the preceding claim, wherein the transport box (4) a. is prepared for automated unloading and / or retrieval of payloads, and / or b. is lockable, c. comprises an integrated rechargeable battery which can supply the aircraft's (1) electrical system via the interface (28), in particular providing propulsion energy for the hovering units, in particular motor propeller units (31), in addition to or as an alternative to a battery integrated in the fuselage, d. comprises its own integrated sensor system in the form of a camera and / or a lidar sensor and / or a GPS receiver. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a 360° camera, a lidar sensor and / or a receiver for satellite navigation signals. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, further equipped to: a. map its surroundings three-dimensionally using the available sensors, such as one or more, in particular different, cameras and / or a lidar sensor, and to use the environmental map for its own navigation and obstacle detection and / or to transmit it to the counterpart and / or other aircraft according to the invention, and / or b. be controlled by voice input or by gestures of a person detected by a camera of the aircraft (1), c. recognize and / or identify persons, and / or d. follow persons and automatically connect to a charging station or charging box for the purpose of recharging a flight battery. Aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it is prepared to serve as a communication relay station between the counterpart and another aircraft according to the invention, wherein the coordination between the aircraft is implemented in particular in the form of swarm control.

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