阅读说明：本技术 具有倾斜螺旋桨的无人机以及相关系统和方法 (Unmanned aerial vehicle with inclined propellers and related systems and methods ) 是由 瞿宗耀 于 2016-06-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本文公开了具有倾斜螺旋桨的无人机以及相关的系统和方法。代表性的无人机UAV)设备包括机身(110)、由机身(110)承载的多个球形电机(120)、以及多个可旋转的螺旋桨(163),其中单独螺旋桨(163)由相应的单独球形电机(120)承载。球形电机(120)可包括相对于机身(110)由多个定子(122)支撑的球形或部分球形的转子(126)。球形电机(120)可用于使螺旋桨轴倾斜而不使无人机的机身倾斜。(Disclosed herein are drones with tilted propellers and related systems and methods. Representative unmanned aerial vehicle UAV) apparatus includes a fuselage (110), a plurality of spherical motors (120) carried by the fuselage (110), and a plurality of rotatable propellers (163), wherein individual propellers (163) are carried by respective individual spherical motors (120). The spherical motor (120) may include a spherical or partially spherical rotor (126) supported by a plurality of stators (122) relative to the airframe (110). The spherical motor (120) can be used to tilt the propeller shaft without tilting the fuselage of the drone.)

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle device comprising:

a body;

a plurality of spherical motors carried by the body;

a plurality of rotatable propellers, wherein individual propellers are carried by respective individual spherical motors; and

a controller programmed with instructions that, when executed:

receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the fuselage; and

in response to the request, directing at least one of the plurality of spherical motors to tilt the respective individual propeller without directing the fuselage to tilt,

wherein directing at least one of the plurality of spherical motors to tilt the respective propeller comprises:

directing the first propeller to tilt in a first direction; and

the second propeller is directed to tilt in a second direction, which is the same or opposite to the first direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the individual spherical electrical machines comprises a rotor and at least one stator, and wherein at least one of the rotor and the at least one stator is rotatable relative to the other about two or three intersecting axes.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the intersecting axes are orthogonal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the individual spherical motors comprises a rotor and three stators; and/or

At least one of the individual spherical motors is positioned to rotate the respective individual propeller about three intersecting axes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the individual spherical motors comprises an ultrasonic spherical motor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the ultrasonic spherical motor comprises a plurality of stators having fixed positions relative to the body, and a rotor carrying respective individual propellers, the rotor being rotatable relative to the plurality of stators; or

The ultrasonic spherical motor includes a rotor having a fixed position relative to the body, and a plurality of stators carrying respective individual propellers, the plurality of stators being rotatable relative to the rotor as a unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the rotor includes a propeller shaft having an axis and carrying respective individual propellers, and wherein rotation of the rotor about the axis rotates the propellers about the axis.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the rotor carries an electric motor having a propeller shaft carrying a respective individual propeller and rotatable about an axis, and wherein actuation of the electric motor causes the propeller shaft and the propeller to rotate about the axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the motor comprises a brushless dc motor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body comprises:

a central portion; and

at least three outer portions positioned outwardly from the central portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

each individual outer carrying a single propeller; and/or

Each individual outer portion is a leg, at least a portion of the leg being separated from an adjacent leg.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the imaging device includes a camera; and/or

Unmanned aerial vehicle equipment is still including connecting the cloud platform between fuselage and image device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

directing the at least one spherical motor includes directing the at least one spherical motor to tilt without causing the imaging device to image the body; and/or

The controller comprises a first controller carried by the body and having a first wireless communicator, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a remote second controller having a second wireless communicator configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless communicator.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the machine body comprises at least four support arms;

the plurality of spherical motors include four ultrasonic spherical motors, each ultrasonic spherical motor is borne by a corresponding support arm, wherein each spherical motor includes:

a plurality of stators having fixed positions relative to respective arms;

a rotor in contact with the stator and rotatable relative to the respective arm about at least a first axis and a second axis intersecting the first axis; and

a propeller shaft carried by the rotor and rotatable relative to the respective arms about a third axis intersecting the first and second axes; and wherein

The plurality of rotatable propellers comprises four propellers, each propeller being carried by a separate one of the propeller shafts; and wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a controller programmed with instructions that, when executed:

receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the fuselage;

in response to the request, at least one of the four ultrasonic spherical motors is directed to tilt the corresponding propeller.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an imaging device carried by the body.

16. A propulsion apparatus for a drone, comprising:

a spherical electric motor comprising:

a rotor; and

a plurality of stators configured to be in rotational contact with the rotor;

a shaft carried by the rotor or at least one stator;

a propeller carried by the shaft; and

a controller connected to the spherical motor and programmed with instructions to direct relative movement between the rotor and the plurality of stators to pitch the propeller without directing the airframe to pitch in response to an input,

wherein guiding relative motion between a rotor and a plurality of stators to pitch the propeller comprises:

directing the first propeller to tilt in a first direction; and

the second propeller is directed to tilt in a second direction that is the same as or opposite to the first direction.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

at least one of the rotor and the plurality of stators is rotatable relative to the other about two or three intersecting axes; and/or

The plurality of stators includes three stators; and/or

The spherical motor comprises an ultrasonic spherical motor; and/or

The stator has a fixed position and the rotor is rotatable relative to the stator; and/or

A shaft extending along the axis and fixed relative to the rotor, and wherein rotation of the rotor about the axis rotates the propeller about the axis; and/or

A plurality of stators carry the shaft and the propeller, the plurality of stators being rotatable relative to the rotor as a unit.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the rotor carries an electric motor, and the electric motor is connected with the shaft to rotate the shaft and the propeller about the axis.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the motor comprises a brushless dc motor.

20. An unmanned aerial vehicle control apparatus comprising:

a controller; and

a computer readable medium carried by a controller and programmed with instructions that, when executed:

receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the drone;

in response to the request, direct at least one of a plurality of spherical motors to tilt a corresponding propeller of a drone without directing a fuselage of the drone to tilt,

wherein the instructions, when executed:

directing the first propeller to tilt in a first direction; and

the second propeller is directed to tilt in a second direction, which is the same or opposite to the first direction.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein:

the instructions, when executed: directing the at least one spherical motor to tilt the respective propeller without causing the imaging device to image the fuselage; and/or

The controller is a first controller carried by the drone and having a first wireless communication device, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a second remote controller having a second wireless communication device configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless communication device.

22. A method for configuring an unmanned aerial vehicle controller, comprising:

programming a computer-readable medium with instructions that, when executed:

receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the drone;

in response to the request, direct at least one of the plurality of spherical motors to tilt a corresponding propeller of the drone without directing a fuselage of the drone to tilt,

wherein the instructions, when executed:

directing the first propeller to tilt in a first direction; and

the second propeller is directed to tilt in a second direction that is the same as or opposite to the first direction.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed:

the at least one spherical motor is directed to tilt the corresponding propeller without causing the imaging device to image the fuselage.

24. A computer-implemented method of flying a drone, comprising:

receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the drone; and

in response to the request, direct at least one of a plurality of spherical motors to tilt a corresponding propeller of a drone without directing a fuselage of the drone to tilt,

wherein the guiding comprises:

directing the first propeller to tilt in a first direction; and

the second propeller is directed to tilt in a second direction that is the same as or opposite to the first direction.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein:

directing includes directing at least one spherical motor to tilt a corresponding propeller; or

The directing includes directing at least one spherical motor to tilt a corresponding propeller without causing the imaging device to image the fuselage.

Technical Field

The present technology relates generally to drones with tilted propellers, and related systems and methods.

Background

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) may operate autonomously or under the control of an off-site human controller. Accordingly, drones may perform a wide variety of tasks that are dangerous, expensive, and/or otherwise objectionable to the performance of manned aircraft. Representative tasks include crop monitoring, real estate photography, building and other structure inspection, fire and security tasks, border patrols, and product delivery, among others. One representative task involves acquiring images with a camera or other image sensor carried by the drone. The challenge with acquiring such images with drones is that, because drones are flying in the air, it may be difficult to stabilize the images at least under certain conditions, including conditions under which the drones are performing maneuvers. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved techniques and systems for controlling drones and payloads carried by drones.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summary is provided to facilitate the reader and to show several representative embodiments of the disclosed technology.

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) apparatus in accordance with a representative embodiment includes a fuselage, a plurality of spherical motors carried by the fuselage, and a plurality of rotatable propellers, wherein individual propellers are carried by respective individual spherical motors. In particular embodiments, at least one of the individual spherical electrical machines may comprise a rotor and at least one stator, wherein at least one of the rotor and the at least one stator is rotatable relative to the other about two or three intersecting axes. In particular embodiments, the intersecting axes may be orthogonal. In any of the foregoing embodiments, the single spherical motor may include a rotor and three stators, and/or may include an ultrasonic spherical motor. In any of the foregoing embodiments, the spherical motor may include a plurality of stators having fixed positions relative to the fuselage, and a rotor carrying a respective individual propeller and rotatable relative to the plurality of stators. The rotor may comprise a propeller shaft having an axis and carrying a respective individual propeller, and rotation of the rotor about the axis rotates the propeller about the axis. In any of the foregoing embodiments, the rotor may carry an electric motor having a propeller shaft carrying a respective individual propeller, wherein activation of the electric motor rotates the propeller shaft and the propeller about the axis. For example, the motor may comprise a brushless dc motor. In another exemplary embodiment, the rotor may have a fixed position relative to the fuselage and the stator may carry a separate propeller and may rotate as a unit relative to the rotor.

In any of the foregoing embodiments, the fuselage may include a central portion and at least three outer portions positioned outwardly from the central portion. For example, each individual outer portion may carry a single propeller, and in particular embodiments, each outer portion may include an arm, at least a portion of which is separate from an adjacent arm. In any of the foregoing embodiments, the apparatus may further include an imaging device carried by the body. The imaging device may include a camera, and in particular embodiments, the apparatus may further include a pan and tilt head coupled between the body and the imaging device.

In any of the foregoing embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise a controller programmed with instructions for controlling the drone. For example, representative instructions, when executed, receive a request to change a direction of travel of the airframe and, in response to the request, direct at least one of the plurality of spherical motors to tilt the respective individual propeller. In any of the foregoing embodiments, the instructions when executed may direct the at least one spherical motor to pitch the respective individual propeller without directing the fuselage to pitch. In certain embodiments, the instructions may direct the first propeller to tilt in a first direction and direct the second propeller to tilt in a second direction opposite the first direction. In still other embodiments, the instructions, when executed, may direct the at least one spherical motor to tilt the corresponding individual propeller without changing an orientation of an imaging device carried by the drone. In yet another particular embodiment, the instructions may direct the at least one spherical motor to tilt without causing the imaging device to image (e.g., capture an image) the body. The instructions may direct the at least one spherical motor to tilt the thrust axis of the respective propeller outwardly away from the airframe, for example, to avoid or reduce the extent to which air driven by the propeller strikes the airframe.

In any of the preceding embodiments, the controller may comprise a first controller carried by the body and having a first wireless communicator, and the apparatus may further comprise a remote second controller having a second wireless communicator configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless communicator.

In other embodiments, a propulsion apparatus for a drone includes a spherical motor having a rotor and a plurality of stators shaped to be in rotational contact with the rotor. The shaft is carried by the rotor or at least one stator, and the propeller is carried by the shaft. The arrangement of the rotor, stator and propeller may have any of the configurations described above.

In still other embodiments, the drone controlling device may include a controller and a computer readable medium carried by the controller and programmed with instructions that, when executed, receive a request to change a direction of travel of the drone and, in response to the request, direct at least one of the plurality of spherical motors to tilt a corresponding propeller of the drone. The instructions, when executed, may direct the ball motor to operate in any of the manners described above.

Yet another embodiment includes a method for configuring a drone controller, comprising programming a computer-readable medium with instructions that, when executed, receive a request to change a direction of travel of a drone, and in response to the request, direct at least one of a plurality of spherical motors to tilt a corresponding propeller of the drone. The instructions may direct the ball motor to operate in any of the above-described manners.

Yet another embodiment includes a computer-implemented method of flying a drone, including receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the drone, and in response to the request, directing at least one of a plurality of spherical motors to tilt a corresponding propeller of the drone. The computer-implemented method may direct the spherical motor to operate in any of the above-described manners.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a partially schematic isometric illustration of a drone having a spherical motor positioned to control a plurality of propellers in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present technique.

Fig. 2 is a partially schematic enlarged view of a representative spherical motor configured to rotate a propeller about multiple axes in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present technique.

Fig. 3A is a partially schematic side view of a drone carrying multiple spherical motors in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

Fig. 3B is a partially schematic illustration of a controller carried on a drone and configured to control the drone in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present technology.

Fig. 4 is a partial schematic view of the drone shown in fig. 3A with multiple propellers tilted in the same direction in accordance with one embodiment of the present technology.

Fig. 5 is a partial schematic view of the drone shown in fig. 3A with a plurality of propellers tilted in opposite directions in accordance with one embodiment of the present technology.

Figure 6 is a partially schematic isometric illustration of a drone carrying a spherical motor with a stationary rotor and a rotatable stator in accordance with one embodiment of the present technology.

Fig. 7 is a partially schematic isometric illustration of a spherical motor carrying an electric propeller motor in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process for controlling a drone, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present technology.

Detailed Description

1. Overview

The present technology relates generally to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) having inclined propellers, and related systems and methods. In a particular embodiment, the drone includes a spherical motor supporting one or more rotating propellers. The spherical motor may be used to tilt the propeller shaft without tilting the fuselage of the drone. The propeller shaft itself may be driven by a spherical motor, or by an additional propeller motor carried by one or more components of the spherical motor. This arrangement is expected to provide several advantages over conventional drone propulsion systems, as will be further described below.

For clarity, the following description does not set forth several details describing structures or processes that are well known and often associated with drones and corresponding systems and subsystems, but may unnecessarily obscure some important aspects of the disclosed technology. Moreover, while the following disclosure sets forth several embodiments of different aspects of the technology, several other embodiments may have different configurations or different components than those described in this section. Accordingly, the techniques may have other embodiments with additional elements and/or without several elements described below with reference to fig. 1-8.

Fig. 1-8 are provided to illustrate representative embodiments of the disclosed technology. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present application unless otherwise specified.

Many embodiments of the techniques described below may take the form of computer-executable or controller-executable instructions, including routines executed by a programmable computer or controller. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the techniques can be performed on computer or controller systems other than those shown and described below. The techniques may be embodied in a special purpose computer or data processor that is specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform one or more of the computer-executable instructions described below. Accordingly, the terms "computer" and "controller" are used generically herein to refer to any data processor, and may include internet appliances and handheld devices (including palm-top computers, wearable computers, cellular or mobile telephones, multi-processor systems, processor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network computers, minicomputers, and the like). The information processed by these computers and controllers may be presented on any suitable display medium, including a CRT display or LCD. The instructions for performing computer-executable or controller-executable tasks may be stored on or in any suitable computer-readable medium including hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and firmware. The instructions may be contained in any suitable memory device, including, for example, a flash drive, a USB device, and/or other suitable medium.

2. Representative examples

Fig. 1 is a partially schematic isometric illustration of a representative drone 100 configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. The drone 100 may include a fuselage 110, which fuselage 110 may in turn include a central portion 111 and one or more outer portions 112. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the fuselage 110 includes four outer portions 112 (e.g., arms 113) that are spaced apart from each other as they extend away from the center portion 111. In other embodiments, the fuselage 110 may include other numbers of exterior portions 112. In any of these embodiments, the separate outer portion 112 may support components of a propulsion system 169 that drives the drone 100. For example, the individual arms 113 may support respective individual propellers 163. As will be described further later with reference to fig. 2-8, the propeller 163 may in turn be driven by a spherical motor 120 that allows the propeller to tilt relative to the fuselage 110.

The body 110 may carry a payload 130, such as an imaging device 131. In particular embodiments, imaging device 131 may include a camera, such as a video camera and/or a still camera. The camera may be sensitive to wavelengths in any of a variety of suitable bands, including visual, ultraviolet, infrared, and/or other bands. In still other embodiments, payload 130 may include other types of sensors and/or other types of cargo (e.g., parcels or other deliverables). In many of these embodiments, payload 130 is supported relative to fuselage 110 by a pan/tilt head 115, pan/tilt head 115 allowing independent positioning of payload 130 relative to fuselage 110. Accordingly, for example, when payload 130 includes imaging device 131, imaging device 131 may be moved relative to body 110 to track a target. As shown in fig. 1, the landing gear 114 may support the drone 100 in a position to protect the payload 130 when the drone 100 is not in flight.

In the representative embodiment, the drone 100 includes a control system 140, the control system 140 having some components carried on the drone 100 and some components located outside of the drone 100. For example, the control system 140 may include a first controller 141 carried by the drone 100, and a second controller 142 (e.g., a manually operated ground-based controller) located remotely from the drone 100 and connected via a communication link 152 (e.g., a wireless link). The first controller 141 may include a computer readable medium 143 that executes instructions that direct the actions of the drone 100, including but not limited to the operation of the propulsion system 169 and the imaging device 131. The second controller 142 may include one or more input/output devices 148, such as a display 144 and a control device 145. The operator manipulates control devices 145 to remotely control the drone 100 and receives feedback from the drone 100 via the display 144 and/or other devices. In other representative embodiments, the drone 100 may operate autonomously, in which case the second controller 142 may be eliminated, or may be used only for operator override functions. In any of these embodiments, the control system 140 directs the operation of the ball motor 120, as will be described in further detail below.

Fig. 2 is a partially schematic isometric view of a portion of the airframe 110 shown in fig. 1, illustrating a representative spherical motor 120 configured in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present technique. In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the spherical motor 120 can comprise an ultrasonic motor having three degrees of freedom. A representative motor is available from OK Robotics (www.ok-Robotics. The general operation of an Ultrasonic spherical Motor is described in an article entitled "Design and Implementation of a spherical Ultrasonic Motor (Design and Implementation 0 of a spherical Ultrasonic Motor)" (Mashimo et al, IEEE Transactions 0n ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, v0l.56, No.11 (11 months 2009)), which is incorporated herein by reference.

The spherical motor 120 may include a spherical or partially spherical rotor 126 supported by a plurality of stators 122 relative to the body 110. For example, fig. 2 shows three stators 122 in contact with a rotor 126. Each stator 122 may include a piezoelectric element 123 contacting the rotor 126, an electrode 124 providing an electrical signal to the piezoelectric element 123, and a stator support 125 carrying the electrode 124 and the piezoelectric element 123. Each stator bracket 125 may be carried by a mounting element 121, which mounting element 121 is in turn attached to the fuselage 110.

When the stator 122 (and in particular the piezoelectric element 123) is actuated, the rotor 126 may be directed to rotate about any of the x, y or z axes shown in fig. 2. The intersecting x, y, and z axes may be orthogonal (as shown in fig. 2) or may have other relative orientations in other embodiments. The rotor 126 may be tilted with respect to the x-axis as indicated by arrow a, the y-axis as indicated by arrow B, and the z-axis as indicated by arrow C. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotor 126 carries a propeller motor 160, which propeller motor 160 in turn drives a propeller shaft 161 for rotation about an axis 162. As shown in fig. 2, axis 162 coincides with the z-axis. The propeller shafts 161 carry respective propellers 163 (shown in fig. 1). Accordingly, when the propeller motor 160 rotates the propeller shaft 161 about the axis 162, the stator 122 may be selectively activated to tilt the propeller shaft 161 relative to the x-axis and the y-axis. Further details of representative propeller motor 160 are described subsequently with reference to fig. 8. In another embodiment, the propeller shaft 161 may be directly connected to the rotor 126 without the propeller motor 160. Accordingly, in addition to tilting the propeller shaft 161 about the x-axis and the y-axis, the stator 122 may be selectively activated to rotate the propeller shaft 161 about the axis 162.

Fig. 3A-5 schematically illustrate the drone 100 in various operations in accordance with the present technology. Fig. 3A shows the drone 100 with two representative spherical motors 120a, 120b and respective propellers 163A, 163b visible. In typical embodiments, as described above, the drone 100 will include more than two spherical motors 120 and corresponding propellers 163, for example three or four spherical motors. The first controller 141 positions the propeller 163a, 163b for hovering under the direction of the second controller 142. In particular, both propellers 163a, 163b are positioned facing directly upwards.

Fig. 3B is a schematic diagram of the first controller 141, and the first controller 141 may include a processor 146, a memory 147, and an input/output device 148. The memory 147 may be removable from the first controller 141, such as being separable from the input/output device 148. The control unit 151 directs the operation of the ball motor described above, and the computer readable medium 143 (which may be housed in and/or include components of any of the aforementioned components) contains instructions that, when executed, direct the behaviour of the ball motor. The first communication device 150a is configured to provide wireless communication with a corresponding second communication device 150b carried by the second controller 142 via a communication link 152.

In fig. 4, the first spherical motor 120a has been tilted with respect to the fuselage 110 such that the respective first propeller 163A and the respective first thrust axis Ta are tilted with respect to the orientation shown in fig. 3A. The second spherical motor 120b tilts the second propeller 163b in the same direction to generate a tilted second thrust axis Tb. As both spherical motors 120a, 120b tilt as shown in fig. 4, the drone 100 travels from left to right as shown by arrow D. To achieve this movement, the body 110 itself is not tilted. Accordingly, payload 130 (e.g., imaging device 131) need not be tilted or otherwise reoriented to accommodate changes in the orientation of fuselage 110. This is in contrast to the operation of conventional drones, which are typically tilted to change the axis along which they fly, thereby requiring the imaging device 131 to be tilted in the opposite direction to maintain the orientation of the images they capture.

In fig. 5, the first and second spherical motors 120a, 120b have been tilted in opposite directions such that the respective thrust axes Ta, Tb are directed away from the central portion 111. The horizontal components Th of each thrust vector Ta, Tb cancel each other out and the vertical components Tv add up, resulting in travel in the vertical direction (as indicated by arrow D). Since the thrust axes Ta, Tb are directed outwardly from the fuselage 110, the airflow propelled by the respective propellers 163a, 163b does not impinge on the fuselage 110, or impinges less than in conventional arrangements. Accordingly, the body 110 is expected to be more stable than the conventional body, thereby improving the quality of the image generated by the imaging device 131.

In the above-described embodiment with reference to fig. 2, the stator 122 has a fixed position with respect to the body 110, and the rotor 126 rotates with respect to the stator 122. In another embodiment shown in fig. 6, these components may have the opposite configuration. For example, the rotor 126 may be attached to the exterior 112 of the body 110 via mounting elements 621 so as to have a fixed position relative to the body 110. The stator 122 carries a propeller motor 660 and, when the stator 122 is activated, rotates relative to the fixed rotor 126 to tilt the propeller shaft 121 as indicated by arrows a and B. The propeller motor 660 may rotate the propeller shaft 121 as indicated by arrow C. In this embodiment, a signal/power link (e.g., a flexible cable) 627 provides power to the stator 122 and the propeller motor 660. A similar arrangement may be used to provide power to the propeller motor 160 shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a partial schematic view of a spherical motor 720 carrying a respective propeller motor 760, the propeller motor 760 being at least partially integrated with a respective rotor 726. The rotors 726 are supported and rotated by respective stators 722, two of which are visible in FIG. 7. Propeller motor 760 includes a plurality of propeller motor stators 764 positioned about respective propeller motor rotors 765 to rotate respective propeller shafts 761. Power for propeller motor stator 764 is provided by signal/power link 727, which signal/power link 727 is connected to rotor 726 and is flexible enough to allow rotor 726 to freely tilt propeller shaft 761 during normal operation. In particular embodiments, signal/communication link 727 may include a cable having sufficient flexibility and strain relief characteristics. In another embodiment, the signal/communication link 727 may include an arrangement of slip rings to allow unrestricted movement of the rotor 726 relative to the stator 722.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a representative process 880 for controlling the flight of a drone, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present technology. The process may include receiving a request to change a direction of travel of the drone (block 881). In response to the request, the process may further include directing at least one of the plurality of spherical motors to tilt the respective propeller (block 882). This process may in turn include directing the propeller pitch without performing one or more of the following functions: (a) direct the body to tilt (block 883), (b) change the orientation of the imaging device (block 884), or (c) cause the imaging device to image (e.g., capture an image) the body 885. Depending on the nature of the change direction of travel request, the two propellers may be tilted in opposite directions (block 886), e.g., for lateral movement, or the two propellers may be tilted in the same direction (block 887), e.g., for vertical movement. In any of these embodiments, the thrust axis may be tilted away from the fuselage (box 888) to reduce the degree to which the propeller "washes" against the fuselage.

One feature of several of the embodiments described above is that the spherical motors can tilt the respective propellers they carry relative to the fuselage. The advantage of this arrangement is that the fuselage itself does not need to be tilted to change direction. Thus, there is no need to change the orientation of an imaging device or other sensor carried by the body to compensate for changes in the orientation of the body. This is expected to in turn yield more consistent and stable data from the imaging device or other sensor.

Another expected advantage of at least some of the foregoing embodiments is that the tilted propellers are less likely to direct air against the fuselage. Accordingly, the position of the fuselage in space is expected to be more stable than conventional arrangements, thereby producing more stable and consistent data from the imaging device or other sensors.

Yet another expected advantage of at least some of the foregoing embodiments is: the functionality provided by the spherical motor may reduce or eliminate the need for functionality provided by the pan and tilt head 115 (fig. 1). In particular, the pan/tilt head need not accommodate the tilting motion of the fuselage (typical of conventional drones) and can therefore be made lighter, less responsive, or both. The pan and tilt head may still be present as part of the drone 100, for example to allow the imaging device 131 to pan or otherwise scan the environment it is imaging. In addition to or in lieu of the above-described advantages, the reduced impact of propeller wash down on fuselage 110 may reduce the need for the pan head to counteract the jerky or other movements that may result from such wash down. This in turn may reduce the design requirements placed on the head, and may correspondingly reduce the cost of the head, increase the life of the head, or both.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the technology. For example, a representative spherical motor is described above in the context of an ultrasonic motor. In other embodiments, other types of spherical motors may be used instead. In representative embodiments, the propeller motor may comprise a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor, and other embodiments may comprise other suitable motors. While in some embodiments the payload carried by the drone includes a camera, in other embodiments the payload may include other sensors or other suitable devices. In the above representative embodiment, a single spherical motor rotor carries a single propeller shaft. In other embodiments, the spherical electric motor rotor may carry a plurality of (e.g., counter-rotating) propeller shafts and propellers.

Certain aspects of the techniques described in the context of particular embodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. For example, one or more spherical motors and corresponding propellers as shown in fig. 1 may be eliminated in other embodiments. Not all of the propellers carried by the drone need be controlled by spherical motors. In some embodiments, one or more propellers may have a fixed axis of rotation, or may be controlled by means other than a spherical motor. In still other embodiments, the propeller motor may be eliminated, for example, where the propeller shaft is directly connected to the spherical motor rotor. Moreover, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the present disclosure and related techniques may encompass other embodiments not explicitly shown or described herein.

To the extent that any material incorporated herein conflicts with the present disclosure, it is governed by the present disclosure.

At least a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the patent and trademark office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.