Robust and autonomous docking and recharging of quadrotors

摘要

A method of docking and recharging using a base station and a station-mating frame on the multicopter. The base station includes an upward-facing camera that is used by a docking controller to detect the presence, position, and orientation of a frame, with infrared light-emitting diodes arranged in a predefined pattern. The controller of the base station acts to emit wireless signals to the multicopter to guide the multicopter with its station-mating frame to a predefined position above the base station. The controller transmits a wireless signal to the multicopter to reduce thrust, and the multicopter lowers itself onto a sloped receiving surface that may be arranged in a crown pattern to provide passive gravity-driven centering, which causes the station-mating frame to slide to a lowest vertical point of the receiving assembly. A locking mechanism engages to lock the frame in place and provide electrical contact for recharging.

主权项

1. A system for autonomous docking and charging of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:
a docking station including a vertical sidewall extending about a perimeter of an open space and having a plurality of sloped receiving surfaces arranged in a pattern of alternating peaks and valleys; and a station-mating frame affixed to the UAV comprising a first linear arm and a second linear arm, wherein the first and second linear arms are coplanar and orthogonal, wherein the first and second linear arms each have a length greater than an outer dimension of the perimeter of the open space defined by the vertical sidewall, wherein a charging contact is provided on at least one of the first and second linear arms, and wherein a charging contact, linked to an electrical power supply, is provided in at least one of the valleys of the sloped receiving surfaces, whereby the charging contacts have an electrical connection when the first and second linear arms are received in the valleys of the sloped receiving surfaces.