US 11,679,875 B2
Mechanism for docking a magnetic crawler into a UAV
Fadl Abdellatif, Thuwal (SA); Ahmed Al Brahim, Thuwal (SA); Hesham A. Jifri, Thuwal (SA); Sahejad Patel, Thuwal (SA); Amjad Felemban, Thuwal (SA); Ali J. Alrasheed, Thuwal (SA); and Jeff S. Shamma, Thuwal (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA); and King Abdullah University Of Science and Technology, Thuwal (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA); and KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Thuwal (SA)
Filed on Dec. 3, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/111,297.
Prior Publication US 2022/0177125 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64D 9/00 (2006.01); G01B 17/02 (2006.01); H01F 7/20 (2006.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 101/00 (2023.01)
CPC B64C 39/024 (2013.01) [B64D 9/00 (2013.01); G01B 17/02 (2013.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 2101/00 (2023.01); H01F 7/206 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
a body; and
a docking mechanism coupled to the body and configured to secure a magnetic crawler to the body during flight of the UAV and during landing of the UAV on a ferromagnetic cylindrical surface after the flight, the docking mechanism comprising:
a docking hook configured to couple to the magnetic crawler, the docking hook comprising spring-loaded passive latches configured to passively:
release the magnetic crawler from the docking hook after the landing in order to deploy the magnetic crawler on the cylindrical surface;
receive the magnetic crawler into the docking hook after the deployment in order to retrieve the magnetic crawler from the cylindrical surface; and
secure the magnetic crawler to the body during the flight, during the landing, and during takeoff of the UAV from the cylindrical surface after the retrieval; and
a linear actuator coupling the docking hook to the body and configured to lower the docking hook and coupled magnetic crawler from the body to the cylindrical surface as part of the deployment, and to raise the docking hook and received magnetic crawler from the cylindrical surface to the body as part of the retrieval.