Autonomous UAV Base Stations for Recharging and Range Extension
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rely on human intervention for power recharging and control, limiting their mission endurance and operational range.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous base station system that includes a power transfer bus for UAVs, networking modules, and data processing means to enable self-sustaining operation and control, allowing UAVs to communicate environmental data and receive tasking instructions without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If human-operated remote control devices are used for UAV control, then real-time control is achieved, but operational range is limited to data communication range
Solution Approach 1:
The base station enables UAVs to autonomously perform power recharging by docking with the power transfer bus, and automatically receives tasking instructions and transmits data without human intervention. This self-service mechanism extends operational range while maintaining reliability through automated decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The base station acts as an intermediary between the UAV and the ultimate control objective. It receives sensor data from UAVs, processes information locally, and autonomously generates tasking instructions, thereby extending control capability beyond direct human-operated communication ranges while maintaining system reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If shorter-range UAVs with STOL/VTOL capacity are used, then ad hoc deployment is facilitated, but operational endurance is limited to minutes or an hour
Solution Approach 1:
The base station performs preliminary power recharging actions before UAVs need to return to base. Multiple UAVs can be pre-charged in sequence, ensuring continuous operational readiness. This preliminary action extends mission endurance significantly beyond single-battery limitations while maintaining ad hoc deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The base station enables continuous operation by providing uninterrupted power recharging cycles. While one UAV is mission-active, another can be recharging, and a third can be prepared, creating continuous useful action across the fleet without requiring human intervention for battery swaps.
3Length of moving object
If larger military UAVs with global operational range are used, then operational range is extended, but infrastructure requirements like airstrips increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the long-range operation into multiple shorter hops between distributed base stations. Instead of requiring a single UAV to fly globally, smaller UAVs can autonomously navigate between multiple base stations for refueling/recharging, achieving global coverage through coordinated segments rather than individual long-range flights.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds the spatial dimension of distributed base station networks to extend operational range. Rather than increasing individual UAV range, the system creates a multi-node infrastructure where UAVs can access multiple base stations across different locations, effectively extending operational envelope through network geometry rather than vehicle capability.
4Extent of automation
If autonomous base stations with power transfer buses are deployed, then UAV autonomy is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base station is designed as a multi-functional platform that simultaneously provides power recharging through the power transfer bus, data reception from multiple UAVs, local processing of sensor information, and autonomous generation of tasking instructions. This universality consolidates multiple functions into a single system, managing complexity through integration rather than proliferation of separate components.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An autonomous base station for unmanned aerial vehicles ('UAVs') is disclosed, which includes a landing surface for a UAV, configured with at least one power transfer bus for supplying power to a power source of a UAV thereon. The base station further includes a networking module and data processing means operably connected to, and configured to control, the power transfer bus and the networking module. The data processing means is operably connected to the UAV through the networking module, and further configured to receive, store and process data from the UAV or another. The base station further includes a power supply operably connected to the or each power transfer bus, the or each networking module and the data processing means. A network of at least two such base stations is also disclosed, for sensing, modelling and monitoring an environment with UAVs.