# US 10,369,975 B2 · Unmanned aerial vehicle base station system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,369,975 B2 - Document ID: US10369975B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/414,101 - Filed: 2017-01-24 - Published: 2017-05-11 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-31 - Assignees: Sz Dji Technology Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Sz Dji Technology Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Mingxi Wang; Yuan Lin; Hongju Li - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369975B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/80: Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries - B64U 50/39: Battery swapping - B64U 80/70: in containers (B64U80/60 takes precedence) - H02J 7/751: {concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries} - B64U 10/14: with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters - B64U 30/20: Rotors; Rotor supports - B64U 70/30: for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net - B64U 70/90: Launching from or landing on platforms - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) base station for automated battery pack exchange and methods for manufacturing and using the same. The UAV base station includes a battery-exchange system disposed within a housing having a top-plate. The housing contains a battery array having a plurality of UAV battery packs and a mechanical mechanism for automatically removing an expended battery pack from a UAV that lands on the top-plate and replacing the expended battery pack with a charged battery pack. Thereby, the UAV base station system advantageously enables extended and autonomous operation of the UAV without the need for user intervention for exchanging UAV battery packs. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) base station comprising: a landing surface for enabling a UAV having a UAV battery pack to land on the landing surface; a battery-exchange system comprising: a battery-matrix comprising a plurality of battery-slots, each configured to removably hold a UAV battery pack; and a mechanical mechanism configured to move along at least two axes to interact with a selected UAV battery pack of the battery-exchange system and the UAV battery pack of the UAV; wherein the battery-exchange system is disposed within a housing cavity defined by a housing that at least comprises a top-plate configured for the UAV to land on the top-plate, the top-plate comprising: a hatch, the mechanical mechanism being operable to extend a battery pack through the hatch from within the housing cavity to a battery-swapping position above the top-plate; and at least one hatch-door operable to cover the hatch when the mechanical mechanism is not extended through the hatch; and a UAV fixation system operable to direct the UAV present on the top-plate to a battery-exchange zone of the top-plate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 1, wherein the mechanical mechanism is configured to: move along an X-axis and Y-axis to the selected UAV battery pack disposed in a selected battery-slot; extend a battery-carriage along a Z-axis and grasp the selected UAV battery pack; retract the battery carriage along the Z-axis to remove the selected UAV battery pack from the battery-slot; and move the selected UAV battery pack proximate to the UAV and insert the selected UAV battery pack into a UAV battery-slot disposed on the UAV and decouple from the selected UAV battery pack. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery-slots are arranged in a two-dimensional array having a plurality of rows and columns. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a top-plate cover configured to removably cover the top-plate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 4, wherein the housing further comprises a draw bar and wheels. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle se station of claim 1, wherein the UAV fixation system comprises a first fixation arm and second fixation arm configured to respectively translate along respective perpendicular axes, wherein the UAV fixation system is configured to operate automatically without user interaction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 6, wherein the first and second fixation arms extend substantially perpendicularly to their respective translation axes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 6, wherein the first and second fixation arms are actuated by respective fixation-arm-actuation systems disposed within the housing cavity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 1, wherein the mechanical mechanism is further configured to: move proximate to the UAV having the UAV battery pack disposed in a UAV battery-slot of UAV; grasp the UAV battery pack disposed in the UAV battery-slot; retractably remove the UAV battery pack from the UAV battery-slot; move along a X-axis and Y-axis to a selected UAV battery-slot; and extend a battery-carriage along a Z-axis to insert the UAV battery pack in the selected UAV battery-slot. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 1, wherein the mechanical mechanism system comprises a base-cart configured to translate linearly along an X-axis on at least one base-rail. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The unmanned aerial vehicle base station of claim 10, wherein the mechanical mechanism system comprises: an elevator-carriage configured to translate linearly along a Y-axis on at least one elevator-rail that extends from the base-cart; and a battery-carriage coupled with the elevator-carriage.