Abstract:
A peripheral mounting system for a drone has a cylindrical receptacle configured to be mounted to the bottom of a drone, an attachment for engaging with the receptacle, the attachment having a dome-shaped capsule configured to retain a peripheral, the edge of the capsule defining a base and a fastener at the base of the capsule, for sealingly engaging with the receptacle to form a watertight seal. The receptacle may be a threaded collar affixed to the bottom of the drone, wherein the fastener is threaded into the receptacle. In an embodiment, the peripheral is a sonar unit to locate fish and a wireless unit is configured to transmit fish location to a remote user. In another embodiment the peripheral comprises a grip configured to carry a fishing line to a remote location.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a system for attachment of peripherals to a drone or radio-controlled vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Drones are becoming commonplace for their ability to deliver things and make observations in remote or hostile environments. Drones are used for remote sensing, carrying sensors into areas that are difficult or dangerous for a human to enter. Drones also carry payloads into remote locations, and can deliver or pick up remotely, without the presence of a human being. 
         [0003]    A single drone may be used for a number of different purposes, depending on the tools or sensors that are attached thereto. Therefore, it is beneficial to have a means of securing and interchanging the peripherals attached to a drone, so a drone may serve a number of different purposes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention overcomes these and other deficiencies of the prior art by providing a means of securely and interchangeably mounting peripherals to drones to permit the drone to be used with a variety of peripherals to complete a variety of tasks. 
         [0005]    A peripheral mounting system for a drone has a cylindrical receptacle configured to be mounted to the bottom of a drone, an attachment for engaging with the receptacle, the attachment having a dome-shaped capsule configured to retain a peripheral, the edge of the capsule defining a base and a fastener at the base of the capsule, for sealingly engaging with the receptacle to form a watertight seal. 
         [0006]    In an embodiment the wires from a peripheral pass through an opening in the capsule to protrude from the capsule, wherein the wires and configured to connect with wires from the drone, and wherein the opening in the capsule is sealed with a sealant. Further, the receptacle may comprise a threaded bolt protruding from the bottom of the drone, wherein the fastener is threaded onto the receptacle. 
         [0007]    The receptacle may be a threaded collar affixed to the bottom of the drone, wherein the fastener is threaded into the receptacle. The system may also have a gasket between the receptacle and the fastener. In an embodiment, the peripheral is a sonar unit to locate fish and a wireless unit is configured to transmit fish location to a remote user. In another embodiment the peripheral comprises a grip configured to carry a fishing line to a remote location and an actuator for actuating the grip to release the line at the remote location. 
         [0008]    An access cap for a drone has a dome-shaped cap configured to fit within a drone access port, wherein the cap comprises a hollow dome made of a single piece of plastic, an opening of the dome and a port-engagement surface around the edge of the dome, and a gasket configured to fit between the drone access opening and the cap, and is configured to form a waterproof seal therebetween. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is top perspective view of the drone, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is bottom perspective view of the drone with peripheral attached, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is bottom perspective view of the drone without peripheral attached, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is side elevation view of the drone, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is exploded side elevation view of the drone, according to one embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a detail perspective view of the pitch pocket, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , the drone  2  comprises a quadcopter or other remote control unmanned vehicle. The quadcopter typically has radio-frequency signals for controlling the drone and for transmitting data, including photographs or other data, back to the control handset or a computer. In the embodiment of a quadcopter, the drone  2  has four motorized rotors  6  attached to arms  10  to provide lift. In one embodiment, on the underside of the rotors are landing pads  8 . The drone has a weather-resistant body  14  formed of an upper half  12  and a lower half  13  molded from plastic and fastened together such as by screws. The body  14  has a central access port  16  through which the electronics (not shown) within the drone  2  may be accessed. In an embodiment, the central access port  16  has a dome-shaped cover  18  that engages with the port  16  to form a water-tight closure by snapping in, having a friction fit or screwing in. A rubber or plastic gasket  19  may be present between the cover  18  and the port  16 . The dome-shaped cover  18  provides greater space for the interior of the drone  2  and sheds water easily due to its dome shape. Also, should the drone  2  flip in the water, the cover  18  prevents the entry of water. As removing and replacing the cover  18  may admit liquid to the interior, the electronics and wired connections therein are preferably waterproofed, either by being coated in plastic or by a water tray for diverting water from the electronics. On the lower half  13  of the body is a receptacle  23  for holding an attachment  20 , and in an embodiment, the landing pads  8  are longer than the protrusion of the attachment  20 , enough to prevent the attachment from touching the ground and being scratched or breaking when the landing pads  8  are supporting the body  14 . 
         [0017]    In an embodiment, with reference to  FIG. 6 , where wires (not shown) pass through the body  14 , the wiring passes through a pitch pocket or step trough  7   a  that is recessed from the body  14  surface, wherein the wire passes through an opening  7   b  in the trough  7   a  into the body, and the trough  7   a  may be filled with a self-leveling sealant such as silicone, which forms a watertight seal between the trough  7   a  and the wiring, and forms a flush or smooth line with the surface of the body  14 . The wires within the opening  7   b  form gaps that are too small for the sealant to flow through, so the sealant dries within the trough  7   a  and seals around the wires (not shown). 
         [0018]    With reference to  FIG. 5 , the cover  18  is shown. In an embodiment, the cover  18  has a plurality of reinforcing fastener apertures  19   a  that mate with corresponding supports (not shown) extending from within the body  14  of the drone, or from the sides of the port  16 . The drone antenna (not shown) may extend upwardly from the cover  18 , to facilitate signal transmission between the drone  2  and its controller (not shown). 
         [0019]    With further reference to  FIGS. 2-3 , fastened or molded into the lower half  13  of the drone  2  is a receptacle (not shown) for engaging with and retaining an attachment  20 . The receptacle may be molded within the lower half  13 , wherein the lower half is sealed and there is no access to the interior of the drone  2 , or may have an aperture within the lower half to have access to the interior of the drone. In an embodiment, the receptacle  23  and attachment  20  are threaded for engagement with one another, wherein a receptacle cover  22  may be inserted into the receptacle  23  to keep the threading clean. In other embodiments the attachment  20  is removably affixed to the drone by an adhesive or by one or more bolts. The attachment  20  contains one or more peripherals within a watertight capsule. The attachment  20  may be sealed or may have a removable rear cover, or may be open to the interior of the drone  2 . Preferably, the capsule is dome-shaped and molded in a single piece for water-resistance. 
         [0020]    In one embodiment, the receptacle  23  comprises a collar  24  protruding from the lower half  13  of the drone  2 . The attachment engages within the collar  24 . The attachment engages with the receptacle  23  by snapping in, wherein the attachment  20  has a lip (not shown) on its upper portion for engaging within a corresponding groove (not shown) within the receptacle  23 , or screwing in, wherein both the receptacle  23  and the attachment  20  have complementary threading. 
         [0021]    In another embodiment, the receptacle comprises a bolt  26  protruding from the lower half  13  of the drone  2 . The attachment has a collar that engages onto the bolt. The attachment engages with the receptacle by snapping over it, wherein the bolt has a lip on its upper portion for engaging within a corresponding groove within the attachment, or screwing in, wherein both the receptacle and the attachment have complementary threading. 
         [0022]    The attachment  20  has an electrical connection with the drone  2  either through an external connection or a connection internal to the attachment  20  and the receptacle  23 . For an external connection, a wire  11  having a fitting  16  protrudes from the attachment through an aperture in the attachment capsule  21 , wherein the attachment wire aperture  13  is sealed around the wire. A corresponding wire  8  protrudes from the body  14  through a body wire aperture  9  wherein the aperture is sealed. For an internal connection, wherein the body  14  is open to the interior of the attachment  20 , the wires may be connected before the attachment sealingly engages the receptacle  23 . The wires may comprise power, antenna and/or data connections to provide power and data connectivity for the peripheral within the attachment  20 . The wires may be connected through a number of watertight fittings  16  known in the art, for example, rubber-sealing fittings and other rubberized sealing fittings such as Molex™ connectors. For an internal connection, the wire connects the peripheral within the capsule  21  with the interior of the drone  2 . 
         [0023]    With reference to  FIG. 5 , in an embodiment, the attachment  20  is sealed and watertight on its own, and contains a battery for power, yet requires an antenna connection to transmit data. This is especially useful in the case of a fish finder or surveillance equipment, where real-time information is transmitted to the controller (not shown). Despite the attachment  20  being sealed, the antenna connection must connect to transmit a signal through the drone&#39;s antenna, above the cover  18 , and does so by a rotatable plug  29  (similar to a headphone plug) that projects from the underside of the attachment, where it mates with the receptacle. The plug  29  meets a female jack  30  on the underside of the drone  2  in the center of the receptacle  23 , such that the plug  29  is aligned and always in connection with the jack  30  as the attachment  20  is turned in engagement with the receptacle  23 . 
         [0024]    The attachment  20  may contain one or more of a number of peripherals  31 . The peripheral  31  may comprise a still camera or movie camera that may be mounted within the attachment  20 . In an embodiment, the attachment capsule  21  is transparent, such that the camera (not shown) is safely located within the watertight capsule  21  but may shoot images through the capsule. 
         [0025]    A peripheral  31  may comprise a fish finder may be positioned within the attachment  20 . The fish finder comprises a sonar device  31  a and is adapted to determine the location of fish within water nearby the drone. The drone lands into the water, and the attachment is submerged within the water. In an embodiment, the sonar device  31  a is in contact with the attachment so there is no air between the sonar device  31  and the capsule  21  of the attachment. The sonar works by sending out a short sound wave that may be reflected from an object such as a fish. A sonar unit may use a number of cone angles and multiple sonar beams, as may be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The fish finder may provide wireless data about the fish location through a wireless transmission from a top-mounted antenna  32  mounted on or near the receptacle cover  22 . 
         [0026]    Also for fishing, the attachment  20  may have a line catcher comprising an actuated grip  33  for holding a fishing line and delivering the line offshore, without the need for the person to enter the water. The grip  33  is remotely actuated and may drop the line when sufficiently remote from the shore, to provide the person with access to deeper waters than may be accessible from the shore. The actuated grip may be located on the bottom or the side of the sonar attachment  20 . In an embodiment the grip  33  comprises a clothes&#39; pin-type mechanism that has a spring-loaded closure, wherein the arms clamp around or below the line. A servo actuator  34  opens the arms to release the line into water below the drone. In this manner, the drone can carry lines out to 350 feet or more into the water, permitting fishermen to access deeper water without the need for a boat. 
         [0027]    The attachment  20  may be useful for estimating or surveying in the case of construction. The drone can view inaccessible parts of a building using a camera or other observation equipment such as a heat sensor, and provide reports on damaged parts or heat loss, as the case may be. The attachment  20  may transmit data in real time and interface with a software program such as Eagleview™ aerial estimation software to improve the accuracy of estimates for contracting. 
         [0028]    The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims.