US 12,352,246 B2
Recovering wind power from remote vehicles
Soma Shekar Naganna, Bangalore (IN); Abhishek Seth, Deoband (IN); and Sarbajit K. Rakshit, Kolkata (IN)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
Filed on Nov. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/517,097.
Prior Publication US 2023/0134875 A1, May 4, 2023
Int. Cl. F03D 7/00 (2006.01); F03D 9/30 (2016.01); G05B 15/02 (2006.01); G08G 5/02 (2006.01); G08G 5/54 (2025.01)
CPC F03D 9/30 (2016.05) [F03D 7/00 (2013.01); G05B 15/02 (2013.01); G08G 5/54 (2025.01); F05B 2220/70 (2013.01); F05B 2220/706 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method (CIM) for use with a remote vehicle landing zone having a landing surface including a plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules capable of three dimensional movement, where each independently moveable landing surface module further includes a wind power generation module, the CIM comprising:
determining an air turbulence dataset corresponding to wind force(s) of air turbulence resulting from operation of a remote vehicle in vicinity of the landing zone applied to at least some of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules;
determining whether the wind force(s) are above a threshold value;
responsive to determining that the wind force(s) are above the threshold value, determining a subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules based, at least in part, on the air turbulence dataset;
for at least some of the subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules, exposing their corresponding wind power generation module to generate electrical power based on the wind force(s) of the air turbulence resulting from operation of the remote vehicle in the vicinity of the landing zone;
receiving a second dataset corresponding to the remote vehicle approaching the remote vehicle landing zone for a landing, with the second dataset including information indicative of insufficient maneuvering capabilities to make a soft landing;
in response to the second dataset, designating the at least some of the subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules for landing of the remote vehicle;
instructing the remote vehicle to approach the at least some of the subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules;
monitoring a position of the remote vehicle as it approaches the at least some of the subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules for landing of the remote vehicle;
reorienting the at least some of the subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules to face towards the remote vehicle; and
instructing the wind power generation modules of the at least some of the subset of the plurality of independently moveable landing surface modules to reverse flow to generate air turbulence directed towards the remote vehicle.