Florida Power & Light Company

Stephen S Cross

Eric Davis Schwartz

David Wendeborn

Michael Gilbertson

Kyle Bush

Bryan M Kitchener

Scott Nowicki

Seth Hill

Richard Armstrong

Michael Leslie Gilbertson

Kyle Patrick Bush

Leonard Rummel

Various embodiments are directed to a docking station for the mechanical alignment of an autonomous robotic platform. A correlator may receive the wheels of a moving autonomous robotic platform. A first set of rollers in the correlator may align the wheels, in a substantially linear direction, into a space created by a second set of rollers attached to a frame of a backstop. The second set of rollers may continue to align the wheels of the moving autonomous robotic platform until the wheels come in contact with a stopping roller coupled to the backstop. The stopping roller may be vertically oriented at a height above a wheel radius of the autonomous robotic platform. The stopping roller provides a force to prevent further forward travel. Upon being stopped by the stopping roller, the autonomous robotic platform is positioned for mating with charging contacts in the docking station.

Docking station for the mechanical alignment of an autonomous robotic platform

Various embodiments are directed to a method for docking a robotic platform. The method may include receiving a robotic platform onto a ramp of a docking station. The docking station may include the ramp, a roller assembly, a base pad, and a roller backstop assembly. The ramp may have a first side and a second side opposing the first side. The method may further include guiding, by the roller assembly, the robotic platform as the robotic platform is being driven onto ramp such that the robotic platform continues powered travel over the ramp when the robotic platform approaches the ramp within an angle range of 0 and 15 degrees with respect to either of the first and second sides of the ramp. The method may further include receiving, by the roller backstop assembly, the robotic platform from the roller assembly and then docking the robotic platform.

Method for the automated docking of robotic platforms

Docking station for a robotic platform

Unmanned monitoring devices, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), drones or rovers may inspect system components within an area of interest (AOI) such an electric power distribution system including generation, transmission, and distribution elements for autonomous detection of damage to the components. Work orders for repairing the damage are autonomously generated and resources identified within the work orders are autonomously provisioned.

Remote autonomous inspection of utility system components utilizing drones and rovers

Various embodiments are directed to a docking station for a robotic platform. The docking station may include a ramp having a first side and a second side opposing the first side, a base pad, a roller assembly, and a roller backstop assembly. The roller assembly may be coupled to the ramp and the base pad. The roller assembly may be configured to allow a robotic platform being driven towards the ramp to continue powered travel onto the ramp for docking when the robotic platform approaches the ramp within an angle range of 0 and 15 degrees with respect to either of the first and second sides of the ramp. The roller backstop assembly may be coupled to the roller assembly and the base pad. The roller backstop assembly may receive the robotic platform from the roller assembly to dock the robotic platform.

System for the automated docking of robotic platforms

Unmanned monitoring devices, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), drones or rovers may survey an area of interest (AOI) such an electric power distribution system including generation, transmission, and distribution elements to automatically determine components in the AOI to be monitored. Types, placements locations, and pathways taken by other unmanned monitoring devices to facilitate the monitoring of the components of the AOI are also automatically determined.

Growing community of inventors

North Palm Beach, FL, United States of America

Stephen S Cross