Damage avoidance system for unmanned aerial vehicle using stored energy from descent

• Main Authors: Lindskog, Jon Lewis, LeGrand, III, Louis LeRoi, Welsh, Ricky Dean, Ananthabhotla, Ishwarya, Wilcox, Scott Michael, Buchmueller, Daniel, Park, Samuel, Maynor, Christopher Aden, Hensel, Fabian
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.10.2018
• Subjects: AEROPLANES; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; COSMONAUTICS; DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES; ELECTRICITY; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; GENERATION; HELICOPTERS; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SIGNALLING; TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS; TRANSPORTING

This disclosure describes an unmanned aerial vehicle ("UAV") and system that may perform one or more techniques for protecting objects from damage resulting from an unintended or uncontrolled impact by a UAV. As described herein, various implementations utilize a damage avoidance system that detects a risk of damage to an object caused by an impact from a UAV that has lost control and takes steps to reduce or eliminate that risk. For example, the damage avoidance system may detect that the UAV has lost power and/or is falling at a rapid rate of descent such that, upon impact, there is a risk of damage to an object with which the UAV may collide. Upon detecting the risk of damage and prior to impact, the damage avoidance system activates a damage avoidance system having one or more protection elements that work in concert to reduce or prevent damage to the object upon impact by the UAV.