Aerial vehicle fleet maintenance systems and methods
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBen Martin Schweitzer, Jean-Guillaume Dominique Durand
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods to maintain a fleet of aerial vehicles may include a maintenance system, a charging power source, and a control system. For example, the maintenance system may include a plurality of workstations to perform maintenance tasks, a charging rail that connects the workstations with the charging power source, and a plurality of platforms that move along the charging rail. The control system may instruct a platform to receive an aerial vehicle, couple the aerial vehicle to the charging rail, move the aerial vehicle among the workstations, and charge a battery of the aerial vehicle via the charging rail during movement and/or performance of various maintenance tasks.
Claims19
An aerial vehicle maintenance system, comprising:
- a plurality of workstations;
- a charging rail connecting the plurality of workstations to a charging power source;
- a plurality of platforms configured to move among the plurality of workstations, each platform having a respective charging cable with a first end and a second end, each platform coupled to the charging rail, and each platform configured to receive a respective aerial vehicle and configured to couple the respective aerial vehicle to the charging rail via the second end of the respective charging cable;
- and
- a control system configured to at least:
- instruct coupling of respective aerial vehicles received by the plurality of platforms to the charging rail via respective first ends of respective charging cables coupled to respective platform electrical contacts that are in sliding contact with the charging rail;
- instruct movement of the plurality of platforms among the plurality of workstations;
- and
- instruct charging, via the charging rail, of respective batteries associated with respective aerial vehicles received by the plurality of platforms during movement of the plurality of platforms among the plurality of workstations.
A system, comprising:
- a plurality of workstations;
- a charging rail connecting the plurality of workstations to a charging power source;
- a charging cable having a first end that is in sliding contact with the charging rail;
- an aerial vehicle configured to move among the plurality of workstations, the aerial vehicle coupled to the charging rail via a second end of the charging cable;
- and
- a control system configured to at least:
- instruct charging, via the charging rail, of a battery associated with the aerial vehicle during movement of the aerial vehicle among the plurality of workstations.
A system comprising:
- a plurality of workstations;
- a charging rail connecting the plurality of workstations to a charging power source;
- a platform having an associated charging cable with a first end and a second end, wherein the platform is configured to move among the plurality of workstations, wherein the platform is coupled to the charging rail, and wherein the platform is configured to receive an aerial vehicle and configured to couple the aerial vehicle to the charging rail via the second end of the associated charging cable;
- and
- a control system configured to at least:
- instruct charging, via the charging rail, of a battery associated with the aerial vehicle during movement of the platform among the plurality of workstations.
A method to maintain an aerial vehicle, comprising:
- receiving an aerial vehicle at a workstation of a plurality of workstations, the plurality of workstations connected by a charging rail that is coupled to a charging power source;
- coupling a battery of the aerial vehicle to the charging rail via a charging cable;
- moving the aerial vehicle among the plurality of workstations;
- and
- charging, via the charging rail, the battery of the aerial vehicle during movement of the aerial vehicle among the plurality of workstations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.