DRONE-BASED PAINTING SYSTEM

Number: 20190127064
Published: 2019-05-02
Filed: 2017-10-31
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: BEARDSLEY; PAUL A., KAMEL; MINA SAMIR FEKRY, STILINOVIC; NIKOLA, VEMPATI; ANURAG SAI
CPC: B05B12/122; B05B13/005; B05B13/0278; B05B13/04; B05B13/0431; B05B15/652; B05B9/0426; B64U10/13; G05D1/0094; G05D1/085; G05D1/0866
Verdict: High Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Drone-based painting system (physical robotics).

Abstract

A painting system that makes use of drones such as modified quadrotors. The drone includes a support arm that carries a paint nozzle configured for pan and tilt motion. A power supply line is connected from an external power supply to the drone to allow extended flight time. A paint supply line is also connected from an external paint supply to the drone to allow extended painting time and/or surface coverage with each flight. The drone has an onboard controller so painting is autonomous with no human input being required. The drone stores a 3D model of the target structure annotated with the drone trajectory plus commands to control the pan-tilt paint nozzle to perform the painting. At runtime, the controller uses a sensor to view the target structure and localizes itself. The drone then traverses the stored trajectory and implements the painting commands to paint the 3D structure's surfaces.

Background

BACKGROUND1. Field of the Description

The present invention relates, in general, to methods and devices for use in painting structures such as multicolor designs/textures (including signs with text), and, more particularly, to a painting system with a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (with these terms used interchangeably herein) that is adapted for unpiloted and automated painting of surfaces such as such as themed surfaces found in amusement parks and the like and surfaces that may have a multicolored design and/or texture and be three dimensional (3D) rather than merely planar surfaces.2. Relevant Background

Painting remains a costly and time consuming maintenance task for owners and operators of many facilities as these facilities may include many large structures. Surfaces of many structures have to be periodically repainted as part of an ongoing and routine maintenance of the facilities. These surfaces may be quite large in size, may be irregular in configuration (e.g., not always be smooth and/or planar) and may be difficult to access such as due to their significant elevation, requiring scaffolding or a painter's cradle. As a result, painting can be relatively expensive due not only to costs associated with the paint used for the work but also due to labor costs and costs of equipment used to access these surfaces.

Painting, including painting of large structures such as scenery and ride component in amusement parks, generally remains a task pe

Claims

1. An autonomous painting system for painting a target surface of a structure, comprising: a drone including a drive system and a body supporting an onboard controller; a support arm extending outward from an exterior surface of the body of the drone; a spray paint nozzle mounted on the support arm; a paint supply fluidically connected to the spray paint nozzle with a paint supply line, wherein the controller operates the drive system to position the spray paint nozzle relative to the target surface and operates the spray paint nozzle to spray paint supplied by the paint supply via the paint supply line onto the target surface; and a tilt motor and a pan motor supported on the support arm and imparting tilt and pan motions, respectively, to the spray nozzle in response to control signals from the controller. 10. An autonomous painting system for painting a target surface of a structure, comprising: an ummanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a drive system with one or more rotors and a body enclosing an onboard controller; a support arm extending outward from an exterior surface of the body of the UAV; a spray paint nozzle mounted on the support arm; a paint supply positioned external to the body of the UAV and coupled to the spray paint nozzle via a paint supply line, wherein the controller operates the drive system to position the spray paint nozzle relative to the target surface and operates the spray paint nozzle to spray paint supplied by the paint supply via the paint supply line onto the target surface; and a tilt motor and a pan motor on the support arm operating to impart tilt and pan motions, respectively, to the spray nozzle in response to control signals from the controller. 16. An autonomous painting system for painting a target surface of a structure, comprising: an ummanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a drive system with one or more rotors and a body enclosing an onboard controller; a support arm extending outward from an exterior surface of the body of the UAV; a spray paint nozzle mounted on the support arm, wherein the controller operates the drive system to position the spray paint nozzle relative to the target surface and operates the spray paint nozzle to spray paint supplied by the paint supply via the paint supply line onto the target surface; a tilt motor and a pan motor on the support arm operating to impart tilt and pan motions, respectively, to the spray nozzle in response to control signals from the controller; and memory on the body of the drone accessible by the controller, wherein the memory stores a 3D model of the target surface annotated with a trajectory for the drone to follow during painting of the target surface and with a set of paint commands associated defining operations of the spray paint nozzle at locations along the trajectory.