Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system including field-portable housing with internal chambers and related methods
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system may include UAVs. Each UAV may include a body and at least one deployable blade coupled thereto. The UAV system may also include a field-portable housing having internal chambers receiving respective UAVs therein, and elevators carried by the field-portable housing and associated with respective internal chambers. Each elevator may be configured to move a respective UAV between lowered and raised positions.
1 . An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system comprising:
a plurality of UAVs, each UAV comprising a body and at least one deployable propulsion blade coupled to the body to define a vertically-profiled UAV;
a field-portable housing having a plurality of internal chambers receiving respective UAVs in the plurality of internal chambers;
a plurality of tubular silos carried by the field-portable housing and defining the plurality of internal chambers, each tubular silo sized to receive a corresponding vertically-profiled UAV therein with the at least one deployable propulsion blade retracted; and
a plurality of elevators each carried within a corresponding one of the plurality of tubular silos and each elevator configured to move a respective vertically-profiled UAV between lowered and raised positions within the corresponding tubular silo with the at least one deployable propulsion blade retracted.
2 . The UAV system of claim 1 comprising a controller carried by the field-portable housing to selectively operate the plurality of elevators for vertically-profiled UAV launching and recovery.
3 . The UAV system of claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to communicate a desired tubular silo to a respective vertically-profiled UAV during vertically-profiled UAV recovery.
4 . The UAV system of claim 2 comprising a wireless transceiver; wherein the controller is configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver for remote wireless communication.
5 . The UAV system of claim 1 comprising an electrical charging arrangement carried by the field-portable housing for charging the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs.
6 . The UAV system of claim 1 comprising a cooling arrangement carried by the field-portable housing for cooling the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs.
7 . The UAV system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of vertically-profiled UAV presence detectors, each associated with a respective tubular silo.
8 . The UAV system of claim 1 wherein each elevator comprises:
a rail;
a capture cup movable along the rail and for receiving a respective vertically-profiled UAV; and
an actuator for moving the capture cup along the rail.
9 . An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system comprising:
a field-portable housing having a plurality of internal chambers receiving respective ones of a plurality of UAVs in the plurality of internal chambers, each UAV comprising a body and at least one deployable propulsion blade coupled to the body to define a vertically-profiled UAV;
a plurality of tubular silos carried by the field-portable housing and defining the plurality of internal chambers, each tubular silo sized to receive a corresponding vertically-profiled UAV therein with the at least one deployable propulsion blade retracted; and
a plurality of elevators carried within a corresponding one of the plurality of tubular silos and each elevator configured to move a respective vertically-profiled UAV between lowered and raised positions within the corresponding tubular silo with the at least one deployable propulsion blade retracted.
10 . The UAV system of claim 9 comprising a controller carried by the field-portable housing to selectively operate the plurality of elevators for vertically-profiled UAV launching and recovery.
11 . The UAV system of claim 9 comprising an electrical charging arrangement carried by the field-portable housing for charging the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs.
12 . The UAV system of claim 9 comprising a cooling arrangement carried by the field-portable housing for cooling the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs.
13 . The UAV system of claim 9 comprising a plurality of vertically-profiled UAV presence detectors, each associated with a respective tubular silo.
14 . The UAV system of claim 9 wherein each elevator comprises:
a rail;
a capture cup movable along the rail and for receiving a respective vertically-profiled UAV; and
an actuator for moving the capture cup along the rail.
15 . A method of operating a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), each UAV comprising a body and at least one deployable propulsion blade coupled to the body to define a vertically-profiled UAV, the method comprising:
storing the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs in a plurality of tubular silos carried by a field-portable housing having a plurality of internal chambers defined by the plurality of tubular silos and receiving respective ones of a plurality of UAVs in the plurality of internal chambers, each tubular silo sized to receive a corresponding vertically-profiled UAV therein with the at least one deployable propulsion blade retracted; and
operating a plurality of elevators each associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of tubular silos to move respective vertically-profiled UAVs between lowered and raised positions within the corresponding tubular silo with the at least one deployable propulsion blade retracted.
16 . The method of claim 15 comprising using a controller carried by the field-portable housing to selectively operate the plurality of elevators for vertically-profiled UAV launching and recovery.
17 . The method of claim 16 wherein using the controller comprises using the controller to communicate a desired tubular silo to a respective vertically-profiled UAV during vertically-profiled UAV recovery.
18 . The method of claim 16 comprising using a wireless transceiver cooperating with the controller for remote wireless communication.
19 . The method of claim 15 comprising using an electrical charging arrangement carried by the field-portable housing for charging the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs.
20 . The method of claim 15 comprising using a cooling arrangement carried by the field-portable housing for cooling the plurality of vertically-profiled UAVs.