Claims:
1.An autonomous battery swapping and recharging system comprising:
an aerial vehicle operating independently in an area, said aerial vehicle including a battery that has a condition requiring optimization;
at least one platform for receiving the aerial vehicle, said at least one platform operative to receive and charge discharged battery of the aerial vehicle; and
a computing device communicably coupled to the aerial vehicle and the at least one platform, said computing device operative to monitor condition of the battery of the aerial vehicle, and assigns the aerial vehicle to the at least one platform based on the monitoring such that the aerial vehicle autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform,
wherein, when the aerial vehicle reaches the at least one platform, the platform engages in an interaction with the battery of the aerial vehicle, said interaction comprising a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform through a robotic arm, the battery swapping assembly being configured to swap the discharged battery of the aerial vehicle with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein based on the monitoring the computing device identifies the aerial vehicle requiring the battery optimization.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computing device provides location information of the at least one platform to the aerial vehicle.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein location information comprises GPS coordinates.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interaction is any or a combination of re-charging or replacing the battery.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assigned platform establishes wireless connectivity with the approaching aerial vehicle based upon entry of the aerial vehicle in a predefined wireless connectivity range of the platform.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the platform includes:
a box shaped structure defined by a top surface having a plurality of selectively controlled openings, a bottom surface, and a plurality of walls adjoining the top surface and the bottom surface, the top surface being configured for landing of the aerial vehicle,
a plurality of sensors configured to collect data associated with the aerial vehicle,
a control unit operatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and the plurality of selectively controlled openings, wherein the control unit is configured to gather data from the plurality of sensors, and selectively open and close a shutter associated with the plurality of selectively controlled openings, and
a conveyor belt with a plurality of charging sockets provided within the box shaped structure, the plurality of charging sockets being configured for receiving and charging the discharged battery of the aerial vehicle.
8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured to directly control a flight of the aerial vehicle based upon the established wireless connectivity and the data gathered from the plurality of sensors.
9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the flight of the aerial vehicle to make it land accurately on the top surface of the platform to initiate the optimize operation of the battery at the aerial vehicle.
10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computing device includes:
a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to enable autonomous battery swapping and recharging; and
one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to:
monitor a condition of the battery of the aerial vehicle to identify the battery requiring optimization,
assign the aerial vehicle requiring battery optimization to the at least one platform based upon the monitoring, and
provide location information of the assigned at least one platform to the aerial vehicle requiring battery optimization, such that the aerial vehicle autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform.
11. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
a plurality of electro-mechanical components receiving power from a battery; and
a socket containing the battery,
wherein, the UAV is configured to operate in an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system, said system includes:
at least one platform for receiving the UAV, said at least one platform operative to receive and charge discharged battery of the UAV; and
a computing device communicably coupled to the UAV and the at least one platform, said computing device operative to monitor condition of the battery of the UAV, and assigns the UAV to the at least one platform based on the monitoring such that the UAV autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform,
wherein, when the UAV reaches the at least one platform, the platform engages in an interaction with the socket of the UAV containing the battery, said interaction comprising a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform through a robotic arm, the battery swapping assembly being configured to swap the discharged battery from the socket with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself.
, Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and more particularly, relates to autonomous battery replenishment for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
[002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (or UAVs) or drones are utilized in field including but not limited to surveillance, monitoring or delivery applications. Many such aerial vehicles use electrical components such as motors, control surfaces, cameras, sensors, etc. that are powered by batteries or other direct current (DC) power cells when engaged in flight. Such batteries get discharged in normal course of time of the UAV being in operation, and such batteries must, like all batteries, be replenished from time to time. Replenishment includes physically swapping a charged battery for the discharged battery, or re-charging the discharged battery.
[003] For this reason, batteries having low or insufficient power levels of charge are typically removed and replaced while a UAV is grounded. Once a battery has been replaced, the UAV may take off and complete its current mission, or embark upon a new mission. However, conventional solutions of such a battery replacement involve undesirable human intervention, or most of the time the UAV has to return to its base station for battery replenishment. Such conventional techniques are highly inefficient and cost inclusive as a result of downtime incurred while the autonomous vehicle travels to the site for replenishment, as such downtimes makes the UAV’s non-operable leading to dissatisfaction during project optimization.
[004] Chinese Patent publication CN106586017A discloses battery exchanging and storing equipment and a base station of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The battery exchanging and storing equipment comprises a rotating shaft and a rotating device, wherein the rotating device is connected with the rotating shaft; one end of the rotating shaft is connected with a transmission mechanism, and the other end of the rotating shaft is connected with the rotating device; the rotating shaft is driven by the transmission mechanism to rotate, so that the rotating device is driven to rotate; and two or more battery compartments for containing batteries are arranged on the rotating device, can rotate along with the rotating device, and can move relative to the rotating device. The base station of the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises the battery exchanging and storing equipment and an aerial vehicle parking platform, wherein the battery exchanging and storing equipment is arranged on one side of the aerial vehicle parking platform. Through the adoption of the battery exchanging and storing equipment disclosed by the invention, automatically exchanging the batteries can be realized, and the battery exchanging and storing equipment has the advantages of being safe, time-saving and effortless.
[005] United States Patent Publication US9551989B2 provides a method of extending the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed. The method comprises detecting that an energy storage device on board the UAV is depleted below a threshold level, landing the UAV at a base station, and initiating operation of the base station to cause a replacement mechanism thereof to remove the energy storage device on board the UAV from the UAV and to replace this with another energy storage device.
[006] United States Patent Publication US20170174091A1 provides systems and methods for removing and replacing a battery from within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In particular, systems and methods described herein enable a battery arm within a UAV ground station (UAVGS) to engage the UAV and a battery assembly within the UAV to unlock the battery assembly and remove the battery assembly from within the UAV. For example, the battery arm can include a latch engagement assembly that engages one or more latches on the UAV to unlock the battery assembly. Additionally, the battery arm can include a battery gripping assembly that grips an outer end of the battery assembly while retracting and removing the battery assembly from within the UAV.
[007] However, the assembly, shape, design, components, operation, and location of the parts mentioned in the prior art are not similar to the present disclosure.
[008] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
[009] In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[0010] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0011] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[0012] The principal objective of the present invention is to provide an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
[0013] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a platform for landing of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the UAVs autonomously navigate to the platform.
[0014] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform for achieving autonomous battery swapping and recharging for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
[0015] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to operate in an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system.
[0016] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a simple, cost effective, and efficiently designed autonomous battery swapping and recharging system that is distinct from all conventional designs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0017] In an aspect, the present invention relates to an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system. The system includes an aerial vehicle operating independently in an area, said aerial vehicles including a battery that has a condition requiring optimization; at least one platform for receiving the aerial vehicle, said at least one platform operative to receive and charge discharged battery of the aerial vehicle; and a computing device communicably coupled to the aerial vehicle and the at least one platform, said computing device operative to monitor condition of the battery of the aerial vehicle, and assigns the aerial vehicle to the at least one platform based on the monitoring such that the aerial vehicle autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform, wherein, when the aerial vehicle reaches the at least one platform, the platform engages in an interaction with the battery of the aerial vehicle, said interaction comprising a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform through a robotic arm, the battery swapping assembly being configured to swap the discharged battery of the aerial vehicle with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself.
[0018] In another aspect, the present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV includes a plurality of electro-mechanical components receiving power from a battery; and a socket containing the battery, wherein, the UAV is configured to operate in an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system, said system includes at least one platform for receiving the UAV, said at least one platform operative to receive and charge discharged battery of the UAV; and a computing device communicably coupled to the UAV and the at least one platform, said computing device operative to monitor condition of the battery of the UAV, and assigns the UAV to the at least one platform based on the monitoring such that the UAV autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform, wherein, when the UAV reaches the at least one platform, the platform engages in an interaction with the socket of the UAV containing the battery, said interaction comprising a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform through a robotic arm, the battery swapping assembly being configured to swap the discharged battery from the socket with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself.
[0019] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0021] In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
[0022] FIG. 1A illustrates an environment associated with an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system for a plurality of aerial vehicles in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 1B illustrates a schematic corresponding to the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system of FIG. 1A in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of a platform of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 2B illustrates an exploded view of the platform of FIG. 2A in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a battery swapping assembly of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic associated with the battery swapping assembly of FIG. 3A depicting various components;
[0028] FIG. 4A illustrates a charging socket of the platform of FIGS. 2A-2B in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 4B illustrates a battery “B” provided with an exoskeleton; and
[0030] FIGS. 5A-5C illustrates operation of the battery swapping assembly of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system of FIG. 1.
[0031] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] The present disclosure presents embodiments for an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system. The system includes an aerial vehicle operating independently in an area, said aerial vehicles including a battery that a condition requiring optimization; at least one platform for receiving the aerial vehicle, said at least one platform operative to receive and charge discharged battery of the aerial vehicle; and a computing device communicably coupled to the aerial vehicle and the at least one platform, said computing device operative to monitor condition of the battery of the aerial vehicle, and assigns the aerial vehicle to the at least one platform based on the monitoring such that the aerial vehicle autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform, wherein, when the aerial vehicle reaches the at least one platform, the platform engages in an interaction with the battery of the aerial vehicle, said interaction comprising a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform through a robotic arm, the battery swapping assembly being configured to swap the discharged battery of the aerial vehicle with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself.
[0033] The present disclosure also presents embodiments for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV includes a plurality of electro-mechanical components receiving power from a battery; and a socket containing the battery, wherein, the UAV is configured to operate in an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system, said system includes at least one platform for receiving the UAV, said at least one platform operative to receive and charge discharged battery of the UAV; and a computing device communicably coupled to the UAV and the at least one platform, said computing device operative to monitor condition of the battery of the UAV, and assigns the UAV to the at least one platform based on the monitoring such that the UAV autonomously navigates to the assigned at least one platform, wherein, when the UAV reaches the at least one platform, the platform engages in an interaction with the socket of the UAV containing the battery, said interaction comprising a battery swapping assembly operatively coupled with the platform through a robotic arm, the battery swapping assembly being configured to swap the discharged battery from the socket with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself.
[0034] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0035] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0036] Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the "invention" may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.
[0037] Embodiments of the present invention may be provided with a computer program product, which may include a machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, PROMs, random access memories (RAMs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions (e.g., computer programming code, such as software or firmware).
[0038] Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present invention may involve one or more computers (or one or more processors within a single computer) and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the invention could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
[0039] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.
[0040] FIG. 1A illustrates an environment associated with an autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) for a plurality of aerial vehicles (102) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) includes a plurality of platforms (104) for receiving the plurality of aerial vehicles (102) operating independently in an area, the plurality of aerial vehicles (102) includes a plurality of electro-mechanical components being powered by a battery. In an example, the aerial vehicle (102) includes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s), drones, or the like. In an embodiment, a platform (104) of the plurality of platforms (104) is configured for receiving and charging of a discharged battery of the plurality of aerial vehicles (102). In an example, the plurality of platforms (104) is depicted as being provided with street lights. Alternatively, the plurality of platforms (104) may be a standalone structure, or may be provided on any other erect structure like towers, buildings, etc.
[0041] FIG. 1B illustrates a schematic corresponding to the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) of FIG. 1A in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Further in an embodiment, the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) includes a computing device (106) communicably coupled to the plurality of aerial vehicles (102) and the plurality of platforms (104) over a network (108). In an example, the computing device (106) may be remotely situated from the plurality of platforms (104); the network (108) may be a wired or wireless network as known to a person skilled in the art.
[0042] In an embodiment, the computing device (106) may comprise one or more processor(s) (110). The one or more processor(s) (110) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) (110) are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (114) of the computing device (106). The memory (114) may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory (114) may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
[0043] The computing device (106) may also comprise an interface(s) (112). The interface(s) (112) may comprise a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) (112) may facilitate communication of computing device (106) with various devices coupled to the computing device (106) such as the aerial vehicle (102) and the platform (104). The interface(s) (112) may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the computing device (106). Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) (116) and data (124).
[0044] The processing engine(s) (116) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) (116). In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) (116) may be processor executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing engine(s) (116) may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) (116). In such examples, the computing device (106) may comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to computing device (106) and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) (116) may be implemented by electronic circuitry.
[0045] The data (124) may comprise data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processing engine(s) (116).
[0001] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) (116) may comprise a monitoring module (118), a tracking module (120), and an assignment module (122).
[0046] It would be appreciated that modules being described are only exemplary modules and any other module or sub-module may be included as part of the system 100 or the computing device (106). These modules too may be merged or divided into super-modules or sub-modules as may be configured.
[0047] In an embodiment, the computing device (106) is configured to monitor, through the monitoring module (118), a condition of the battery of the plurality of aerial vehicles (102), and subsequently assigns, through the assignment module (122) an aerial vehicle (102) of the plurality of aerial vehicles (102) to a platform (104) of the plurality of platforms (104) based upon inputs from the monitoring module (118). In an example, the monitoring module (118) identifies a charge level associated with the battery of the aerial vehicle (102) and classifies the battery as optimized i.e., having sufficient charge level, or non-optimized i.e., having insufficient charge level. Further, assignment module (122) assigns the aerial vehicle (102) with the non-optimized battery to the platform (104).
[0048] Further, the computing device (106), through the tracking module (120), provides geographic information of the assigned platform (104) to the aerial vehicle (102) requiring battery optimization. In an example, the geographic information includes GPS coordinates of the assigned platform (104). Provision of the GPS coordinates to the aerial vehicle (102) allows the aerial vehicle (102) to autonomously navigate to the assigned platform (104).
[0049] FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of the platform (104) of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2B illustrates an exploded view of the platform (104) of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0050] Referring to FIGS. 2A-2B, the platform (104) includes a box shaped structure defined by a top surface (202) having a plurality of selectively controlled openings (204), a bottom surface (206), and a plurality of walls (208) adjoining the top surface (202) and the bottom surface (206). In an embodiment, the top surface (202) of the platform (104) is configured for landing of the plurality of aerial vehicles (102). The platform (104) further includes a plurality of sensors (210) configured to communicate with, monitor, control, etc. the plurality of aerial vehicles (102). In an example, the plurality of sensors (210) may include cameras or the like imaging sensors, proximity sensors, etc. In an embodiment, the platform (104) further includes a control unit (212) operatively coupled to the plurality of sensors (210) and the plurality of selectively controlled openings (204), wherein the control unit (212) is configured to gather data from the plurality of sensors (210), and selectively open and close a shutter (214) associated with the plurality of selectively controlled openings (204).
[0051] In an embodiment, the platform (104) further includes a conveyor belt (216) with a plurality of charging sockets (218) provided within the box shaped structure. In an example, the plurality of charging sockets (218) is configured for receiving and charging of a discharged battery of the aerial vehicle (102). In operation, upon assignment of the platform (104) to the aerial vehicle (102), requiring a battery replacement / optimization, by the computing device (106), the aerial vehicle (102) autonomously approaches the GPS coordinates assigned to it until it gets in a predefined wireless connectivity range (126) of the platform (104). Once the aerial vehicle (102) enters the predefined wireless connectivity range (126), the platform (104) establishes wireless connectivity with the aerial vehicle (102) to directly control, through the control unit (212), its flight based upon the established wireless connectivity and the data gathered from the plurality of sensors (210).
[0052] In an example, live data pertaining to the aerial vehicle (102) is gathered by the plurality of sensors (210) and is provided to the control unit (212). In an example, the control unit (212) determines a position, altitude, speed, orientation, etc. associated with the aerial vehicle (102) approaching the platform (104). In an example, the plurality of sensors (210) may be provided with actuators that assist in gathering accurate live data associated with the approaching aerial vehicle (102). In an embodiment, the control unit (212) guides the aerial vehicle (102) approaching the platform (104), so that the aerial vehicle (102) lands on the platform (104) in a conducive orientation making the battery replacement process effective and efficient. In an embodiment, the control unit (212) controls the flight of the aerial vehicle (102) to make it accurately land on the top surface (202) of the platform (104) to initiate an optimize operation of the battery at the aerial vehicle (102). Further, the platform (104) engages in an interaction with the battery of the aerial vehicle (102), the interaction being effective to optimize operation of the battery at the aerial vehicle (102). In an example, the interaction is re-charging or replacing the battery.
[0053] In an embodiment, the optimize operation of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) is configured with a battery swapping assembly (300) operatively coupled with the platform (104) through a robotic arm (302) disposed on the platform (104). FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of the battery swapping assembly (300) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the battery swapping assembly (300) is configured to swap the discharged battery of the plurality of aerial vehicles (102) subsequent to receiving a charged battery received from the platform (1040, i.e. the battery swapping assembly (300) is provided with a preloaded charged battery, wherein the battery swapping assembly (300) swaps the discharged battery with the charged battery without repositioning itself. In an example, the robotic arm (302) is configured to move the battery swapping assembly (300) in a plurality of positions relative to the platform (104) and the aerial vehicle (102) for achieving battery swapping. Alternatively, the robotic arm (302) may be any actuator or linkage configured for a similar kind of operation.
[0054] FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic associated with the battery swapping assembly (300) depicting various components. In an embodiment, the battery swapping assembly (300) includes a chassis (304) coupled to the robotic arm (302). The chassis (304) includes a main body (306) with an electro-mechanical gearing arrangement (308), a platform (310) extending from a bottom of the main body (306), an axle (312) extending from the platform (310), a screw (314) extending from a top of the main body (306), the screw (314) and the axle (312) are operatively coupled to the electro-mechanical gearing arrangement (308). In an example, the electro-mechanical gearing arrangement (308) is a motor.
[0055] Further in an embodiment, the battery swapping assembly (300) includes a trolley (316) coupled to the screw (314) and accommodated on the platform (310). In an embodiment, the trolley (316) is configured for a linear to and fro motion based on a clockwise or counter clockwise rotation of the screw (314). In an embodiment, the trolley (316) includes a camera (318) and a rotatable minus (320), the rotatable minus (320) is configured to be operate through the electro-mechanical gearing arrangement (308). Further in an embodiment, the battery swapping assembly (300) includes a locking block (322) provided at a distal end of the axle (312).
[0056] Further in an embodiment, the battery swapping assembly (300) includes a battery holding part (324) intermediately positioned between the main body (306) and the locking block (322), the battery holding part (324) being configured to receive a plurality of batteries. In an embodiment, the battery holding part (324) is defined by a battery holder (326) having a first battery receiving portion (328) and a second battery receiving portion (330), the battery holder (326) being rotatably coupled with the axle (312). The battery holding part (324) further includes a plurality of side rails (332) provided along a length of the battery holder (326), and extending from the first battery receiving portion (328) and the second battery receiving portion (330).
[0057] FIG. 4A illustrates the charging socket (218) of the platform (104) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The charging socket (218) includes a first frame (402), a second frame (404), and a plurality of rails (406) coupling the first frame (402) and the second frame (406). FIG. 4B illustrates a battery “B” provided with an exoskeleton (408). Alternatively, the battery “B” may be provided with a rigid skeleton. In an example, the charging socket (218) is sized to accommodate the battery “B” enclosed in the exoskeleton (408) or the rigid skeleton. In an embodiment, the exoskeleton (408) or the rigid skeleton defines a cuboid profile with a minus receiving portion (410) configured to engage with the rotatable minus (320) of the trolley 316), and a battery lock receiving portion (412) configured to receive a battery locking mechanism (502) [Refer FIGS. 5A-5C]. In an embodiment, constructional details of a socket of the aerial vehicle (102) are similar to that of the charging socket (218) of the platform (104), and the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) is configured to receive similar kind of the exoskeleton (408) or the rigid skeleton containing the battery “B”.
[0058] Operation of the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) will now be described with respect to the aforementioned and foregoing description. As mentioned earlier, the plurality of charging sockets (218) is configured for receiving and charging of a discharged battery of the aerial vehicle (102). In an example, the discharged battery of the aerial vehicle (102) is swapped with a charged battery of another aerial vehicle (102) deposited with the platform (104). The conveyor belt (216) moves inside the platform (104) to position the charging socket (218) proximally to the plurality of selectively controlled openings (204), such that the charging socket (218) is configured to receive the discharged battery from the battery swapping assembly (300), recovered from the aerial vehicle (102), through the opening (204), and the battery swapping assembly (300) receives the charged battery, for installing in the aerial vehicle (102), through the opening (204). For achieving the mentioned desired operation, the control unit (212) operates the shutter (214) to make the opening (204) accessible to the battery swapping assembly (300).
[0059] As shown in FIG. 5A, the battery swapping assembly (300) is configured for aligning the battery holding part (324) with the charging socket (218) of the platform (104) through the locking block (322). In an example, the aligning of the battery holding part (324) is based upon feedback from the camera (318) provided on the trolley (316). The alignment of the battery holding part (324) with the charging socket (218) is such that the plurality of side rails (332) of the battery holding part (324) aligns with the plurality of rails (406) of the charging socket (218).
[0060] The battery swapping assembly (300) is further configured to receive the charged battery from the charging socket (218) on the first battery receiving portion (328). The battery swapping assembly (300) is further configured to align the battery holding part (324) with the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) through the locking block (322). The aligning with the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) is similar to the aligning with the charging socket (218) described above. The battery swapping assembly (300) is further configured for receiving the discharged battery from the aerial vehicle (102) on the second battery receiving portion (330). In an embodiment, the battery swapping assembly (300) rotates the battery holder (326) without repositioning itself. As shown in FIG. 5B, the battery swapping assembly (300) further realigns the battery holding part (326) with the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) through the locking block (322) to provide the charged battery to the aerial vehicle (102). As shown in FIG. 5C, the battery swapping assembly (300) is configured for locking the charged battery in the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) through the battery locking mechanism (502) received in the battery lock receiving portion (412) of the exoskeleton (408). In an example, actuation of the battery locking mechanism (502) may be automatic, semi-automatic, or manual.
[0061] In an embodiment, as described above, the receiving of the charged battery from the charging socket (218), receiving the discharged battery from the aerial vehicle (102), and providing the charged battery to the aerial vehicle (102) is based upon a linear to and fro motion of the trolley (316) across the battery holding part (326) based on the clockwise or counter clockwise rotation of the screw (314). As the trolley (316) moves towards the exoskeleton (408) containing the battery “B”, the rotatable minus (320) is received by the minus receiving portion (410), and upon rotation of the rotatable minus (320) within the minus receiving portion (410), the trolley (316) engages and fastens with the exoskeleton (408). Further, the trolley (316) being engaged with the exoskeleton (408) or the rigid skeleton of the battery ‘B” is configured to uninstall the discharged battery from the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) based upon a pull; install the discharged battery in the charging socket (218) of the platform (104) based upon a push; uninstall the charged battery from the charging socket (218) of the platform (104) based upon a pull; install the charged battery in the socket of the aerial vehicle (102) based upon a push.
[0062] Hence, replenishment of the discharge battery of the aerial vehicle (102) is done with the charged battery from the platform (104) based on an autonomous navigation of the aerial vehicle (102), without a repositioning of the battery swapping assembly (300), thereby, making the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) as described with respect to the present disclosure is highly effective and efficient in comparison to the conventional or state of the art UAV’s battery replenishment techniques. Further, once the charged battery is provided with the aerial vehicle (102), the aerial vehicle (102) takes off from the platform (104) to clear from the predefined wireless connectivity range (126), and acquires further instructions from the computing device (106). In an example, the autonomous battery swapping and recharging system (100) as described with respect to the present disclosure may be implemented with multiple platforms (104) working in sync with the computing device (106) to enable a fleet of the aerial vehicles (102) to operate independently in an area indefinitely.
[0063] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow. The present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present disclosure when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.