DE102021100624A1 - Arrangement for supplying drones of a drone swarm - Google Patents

Abstract

An arrangement for supplying drones (10) in a swarm of drones with energy and/or consumables, at least some of the energy or consumables being in packet form; a store (18) is provided for providing a large number of packages (16) with energy and/or consumables; and a package changing station (36) for exchanging unloaded and/or used packages (16) for packages (16) from the store (18) is provided, is characterized by a landing pad (22) for the drones (10) of the drone swarm and conveying means (62) for transporting the landed drones (10) to a station (36).

Description

technical field

1. (a) zumindest ein Teil der Energie oder der Verbrauchsmaterialien Paketform hat;
2. (b) ein Speicher zur Bereitsstellung einer Vielzahl von Paketen mit Energie und/oder Verbrauchsmaterialien vorgesehen ist; und
3. (c) eine Paketwechselstation zum Austausch von entladenen und/oder verbauchten Paketen gegen Pakete aus dem Speicher vorgesehen ist.

The invention relates to an arrangement for supplying drones in a swarm of drones with energy and/or consumables

1. (a) at least some of the energy or consumables are in packet form;
2. (b) a store is provided for the provision of a multiplicity of packages with energy and/or consumables; and
3. (c) a packet exchange station is provided for exchanging unloaded and/or used packets for packets from the store.

A drone is an unmanned flying object that can be controlled from a control center, for example. There are also swarms of drones. Such drone swarms consist of a large number of drones that are controlled from the same control center. Drones in drone swarms are not controlled individually, but always in cooperation with others. For example, shared control prevents the drones from colliding, obstructing the field of view of cameras on other drones in the flock, or duplicating a task in an unnecessary and/or undesired manner.

State of the art

EP 3 587 265 A1 discloses a drone for cleaning purposes, with which high-pressure water can be sprayed onto an object. WO 2017/062051 A1 discloses a drone used to fight fires. The drone recognizes the source of the fire or its surroundings and can drop the extinguishing agent in a targeted manner. These drones are not used in swarms, but individually. Loading a sufficient amount of water or other extinguishing agent is time-consuming. Using only one drone with a heavy load requires a correspondingly large, expensive drone.

EP 2 511 888 B1 discloses a control system for a swarm of dissimilar aircraft and firefighting vehicles.

U.S. 2020/0140087 A1 reveals a swarm of drones fighting fires. The drones of the drone swarm have batteries on their top that can be swapped out at a station during the flight. For the exchange, the drone flies to the station from below. Spent batteries are picked up from the bottom at the bottom of the station and charged batteries at the top of the drone. For the change, the drone must have a very precise approach to the station. A gust of wind can disrupt this approach and require a new attempt. That takes time. Changing the battery in flight requires at least two battery modules. When the station flies itself, the capacity for fresh batteries is limited. In addition, the station also has a limited flight duration. A water tank is attached to the bottom of the drone. To fill up, the drone flies to a water source, such as a lake. Flaps on the bottom of the tank are opened with a dedicated motor and the water from the water source is allowed to enter the water tank. This is also time consuming. The tank and the motor have their own weight, which puts additional strain on the drone.

WO 2017/208 272 A1 reveals a swarm of drones for firefighting, in which drones land on a container, are fitted with a new battery and extinguishing water there and then start again. The landing pad is only released for the next drone after the drone has been fully supplied.

Disclosure of Invention

It is the object of the invention to reduce the costs when deploying consumables with an arrangement of the type mentioned at the outset.

• (d) einen Landeplatz für die Drohnen des Drohnenschwarms; und
• (e) Fördermittel zur Beförderung der gelandeten Drohnen zu einer Station;

According to the invention, the object is achieved with an arrangement of the type mentioned, containing:

• (d) a landing pad for the drones of the drone swarm; and
• (e) funding to transport the landed drones to a station;

The invention is based on the knowledge that costs can be reduced if the drones are supplied with consumables and/or energy more quickly. In the solution according to the invention, a fixed landing pad is provided for the drones. The drones do not need high landing accuracy, but are positioned to the target position with the positioning means and conveyed to a station at a different location by means of funding. The positioning means can be provided in front of the conveyor means and/or at the station. The landing pad is typically less expensive than a station. Multiple landing pads can also be provided for each station.

When using a separate landing pad, the drones can fly independently of, for example, weather conditions with a high landing frequency land quickly. Due to the fact that the landing field and station are separate, subsequent drones can already land while the drones are still being supplied at the station. The following drones do not have to wait until the supply of a drone has been completed and the station is free before landing. This allows a higher throughput speed for the drones to be achieved. The drones are ready for use again more quickly. Fewer drones and fewer supply arrangements are needed for the same task.

With the arrangements according to the invention, more drones can be supplied at the same time. This allows a higher amount of consumables to be flown to the scene. This in turn enables the use of smaller, more cost-effective drones with a low dead weight and lower energy requirements. The failure of a drone is associated with a significantly lower risk than with large cargo drones or helicopters. Even if one drone in the drone swarm fails, the other drones continue to provide support. The economic damage is significantly less. Smaller drones are also easier to transport, store and replace.

Since the drones are comparatively inexpensive and unmanned, they can be used around the clock, including at night and when visibility is poor. In the event of a fire, for example, considerably fewer emergency services are required. More consumables can be deployed per 24 hours. The drones can fly lower over risk areas, such as fires in areas with a risk of explosion. This improves the throwing accuracy.

Unlike using a single helicopter or cargo drone, swarms of drones allow consumables to be deployed not just at one point, but at a desired area. In this way, preventive wetting or irrigation can take place, or certain areas can be heavily wetted and other areas less wetted.

Both the supply of consumables and the energy supply can be in the form of packages. The energy can be supplied by exchanging a tank filled with combustible material. However, it is preferably provided that the packs include electrical accumulators or batteries. Accumulators can be charged with energy generated in a climate-neutral manner. The accumulators can be charged at any desired location. Advantageously, however, it is provided that the store has a charging device for recharging the accumulators on site. The arrangement can then remain at the place of use for as long as is desired. No accumulators have to be moved between the place of use and the charging device.

Another embodiment provides that at least two stores are provided to provide a large number of packages, and the package changing station is designed in such a way that a package is unloaded from the drone into a first store and an unused package is loaded into the drone from a second store will. In particular, it can be provided that the memories alternately receive a used packet and provide a new, unused packet. This avoids empty runs or empty movements of grippers or lifters at the package changing station.

This is particularly advantageous if the drone allows access to the package from two sides. A package can then be pushed in from one side while the other package is still being unloaded. The use of two stores can further reduce throughput times.

In one embodiment of the invention, at least one charging station is provided for charging water, fire extinguishing agents, liquids for spreading on agricultural land, or other consumables. These consumables are loaded into the drone in addition to the power supply.

The consumables can also be in packages. However, it is also possible that the consumable at the charging station is gaseous or liquid and can be filled into a tank provided in a drone by means of pressure charging—similar to pressure refueling in air traffic. This avoids additional weight in the form of an additional container and associated fastening means. Pressure loading enables particularly fast loading and high throughput speeds. A further shortening of the loading time is achieved by using two or more loading nozzles. Filling the pressurized tank may be slower from a nearby consumable source. For example, water from lakes, rivers, vehicle-mounted water tanks or hydrants can be used to fill the pressurized tank.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, several spatially separate package changing and / or charging stations and funding for transporting the drones provided station to station. This allows the separation of, for example, current-carrying components such as accumulators from consumables such as water. Separating the stations avoids mutual interference, such as contamination or short circuits.

It is preferably provided that positioning means are provided for positioning the drone in a target position and the landing site for the drones of the drone swarm and the target position are ground-based. This ensures high stability and availability.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the landing pad can be dismantled and/or folded up, plugged together, pushed together or reduced to smaller dimensions in some other way. This facilitates transport and storage when not in use. However, the landing area can still be dimensioned sufficiently large.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the store can be air-conditioned to provide a large number of packages. The performance of accumulators can be impaired if the temperatures are too low or too high. Consumables can also make air conditioning necessary. Especially when fighting fires in summer, very high temperatures can occur, which can be harmful to the accumulators.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, conveying means are provided for transporting packages between a storage location in the store and the package changing station. Such funding can include, for example, a rail car with a lifter, gripper or the like. The lifter lifts a package from a storage location and drives the cart to the package exchange station where the package is placed in or on the drone.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the arrangement consists of a modular design of one or more separate modules, each of which can be transported on a vehicle approved for public road traffic. If each of the containers is transported on the chassis of a truck, no additional trailer is required, which means that drivers without a trailer license can also move the containers.

1. (a) ein erstes Modul mit einem Container mit dem Speicher zur Bereitsstellung einer Vielzahl von Paketen; und
2. (b) ein zweites Modul mit einem Landeplatz und Fördermitteln zum Befördern von Drohnen.

The arrangement can have

1. (a) a first module having a container with the storage for providing a plurality of packages; and
2. (b) a second module with a landing pad and funding to carry drones.

For example, two stores can also be provided in the form of two commercially available containers and a chassis or container with which the landing pad, positioning means and funding means can be transported. Then the entire infrastructure for supplying the drones with three containers, for example on trucks provided for this purpose, can be brought to a safe place near the deployment site.

Advantageously, a controller is provided, which is acted upon by signals from the drones of the drone swarm. Then not every drone is controlled individually, but all drones together from a control center. Conversely, the drones provide signals such as altitude, geographic location, orientation, flight speed, status of energy supply and consumables and the like.

In particular, each of the drones in the swarm of drones can have a camera and a transceiver, and the controller can be acted upon by the images recorded by the camera. These images and the results of their evaluation can be taken into account when controlling subsequent drones.

Provision is advantageously made for each of the drones to have a GPS receiver or other position-determining means for determining the geographic position, and for the central controller to be supplied with the signals from the position-determining means.

The controller preferably has data processing means with which flight paths and dropping locations and/or times for dropping consumables can be determined from signals from an infrared camera, a pyrometer and/or other signals from the drones of the drone swarm. The large number of drones not only enables the more targeted dropping of extinguishing agents and, for example, more targeted firefighting, for example from temperature profiles, but also the determination of the condition of the operation site and the success of measures - not just measures taken by the drone swarm. With the help of the data processing means, the operations of the subsequent drones can be adjusted and optimized if necessary.

Advantageously, the controller has storage means for storing potential obstacles or sources of danger in the trajectories of the Drones, which can be taken into account when controlling the drones. Such obstacles can be buildings, power and/or water lines or other man-made or natural installations, which may necessitate an adjustment of the flight path. The drones can avoid these and, for example, fly over or around them. The obstacles, for example towers or the like, can be used as markers when comparing the trajectory with a target trajectory

The controller can have data processing means and storage means for the implementation of predetermined flight scenarios when controlling the drones of the drone swarm. In particular, the specified flight scenarios can include preventive measures. An example of such a flight scene is wetting the area surrounding a settlement or building complex to prevent a fire from spreading to this area. This scene can be stored in advance and implemented as a preventive measure. If the swarm of drones is to apply an insecticide or crop protection product, such a flight scene can, for example, exclude protected areas from application. Flights in areas that are particularly dangerous due to ammunition loads can also be excluded from a flight scene.

The controller can include a learning system for adapting the flight scenarios to the reality on which a given task is based, which reality was recorded with cameras and/or sensors or previously transmitted from a memory. Such a learning system (artificial intelligence) can, for example, take into account the effectiveness of measures.

Provision is preferably made for the controller to be designed as a central controller on the ground and/or to be located on one or more drones. Provision can also be made for the controller to be supplied with the signals from an observation drone with a high-resolution camera. High-resolution cameras are expensive. It is not necessary to equip each of the drones with such a camera. Rather, if an additional observation drone is used, the entire site can be observed. This can be equipped with more energy instead of consumables, so that the supply arrangement does not have to fly to it as often.

The drone swarm can be used to extinguish forest fires or other fires. However, it can also be used to apply consumables such as pesticides, water, fertilizer and/or seed in agriculture. Finally, the swarm of drones can also be used to transport food, drinks, blood supplies or rescue material, for example for sea emergencies or other locations that are difficult or impossible to reach.

1. (a) Versorgung von Drohnen eines Drohnenschwarms mit Energie und/oder Verbrauchsmaterialien in Paketform an einer Versorgungsanordnung mit einem Speicher zur Bereitsstellung einer Vielzahl von Paketen mit Energie und/oder Verbrauchsmaterialien;
2. (b) Fliegen einer Drohne entlang einer ausgewählten Flugbahn, wobei die Drohne ein Verbrauchsmaterial abgibt oder einen Teil einer anderen Aufgabe ausführt;
3. (c) Landen der Drohne an einem Landeplatz der Versorgungsanordnung;
4. (d) Austausch von entladenen und/oder verbauchten Paketen gegen Pakete aus dem Speicher; und
5. (e) wiederholen der Schritte (a) bis (d) mit dieser und weiteren Drohnen des Drohnenschwarms bis die Aufgabe erfüllt ist.

The present invention is also achieved by a method for controlling drones of a swarm of drones to fulfill a task with the steps:

1. (a) supplying drones of a swarm of drones with energy and/or consumables in packet form at a supply arrangement with a store for providing a multiplicity of packets of energy and/or consumables;
2. (b) flying a drone along a selected trajectory, the drone dispensing a consumable or performing part of another task;
3. (c) landing the drone at a landing site of the service arrangement;
4. (d) exchanging unloaded and/or consumed packets for packets from memory; and
5. (e) repeat steps (a) to (d) with this and other drones of the drone swarm until the task is completed.

Provision can be made for at least some of the drones in the swarm of drones to fly one behind the other and for camera or sensor signals from one drone to be transmitted to one or more following or preceding drones.

Refinements of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims. An embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this description and in the appended claims, all terms have a meaning familiar to a person skilled in the art who is researching the specialist literature, standards and the relevant websites and publications, in particular of a lexical nature, for example www.Wikipedia.de, www.wissen.de or the competitor Institutes, universities and associations, such as www.curpas.de are presented. In particular, the terms used do not have the opposite meaning of what the person skilled in the art infers from the above publications.

character list

• 1 illustrates the use of a drone swarm in firefighting.
• 2 shows an example of a supply arrangement for a drone swarm.
• 3 Figure 12 is a detailed view of the landing pad of a utility assembly 2 .
• 4 indicates the landing site 3 with landed drone.
• 5 shows a carrier with a conveyor belt, at the ends of which the landing pad is made 3 and a launch site are fixed.
• 6 illustrated how the carrier looks like 5 positioned on the chassis of a truck or a trailer.
• 7 Figure 12 is an isolated view of the packet exchange station of the service arrangement 2 .
• 8th shows a detail 7 with only one storage and one drone at the package exchange station while loading a package.
• 9 shows a detail 8th and illustrates how a package is transported between its storage position in storage and the drone.
• 10 Figure 12 shows part of the conveyor belt of the supply arrangement 2 with a device for filling with water or extinguishing agent.
• 11 shows the arrangement 10 with drone.
• 12 illustrates the water supply for the arrangement 10 and 11 .
• 13 shows the starting point of the supply arrangement 2 .
• 14 shows the starting point 13 with drone.
• 15 is a perspective view of a drone of the drone swarm.
• 16 illustrates the exchange of accumulators in an arrangement 2 .

Description of the embodiment

1 FIG. 12 shows schematically a swarm of drones with drones generally designated 10. FIG. Such a drone 10 is in 15 shown. The drone 10 has a through opening in the middle. An accumulator 16 can be inserted into the through hole. In the deployed state, an electrical contact is made between the accumulator 16 and the propulsion and on-board system of the drone 10, so that the drone can be supplied with the required energy. The drone is provided with skids 56 on which it can land and be carried. In the present exemplary embodiment, the runners 56 are formed from a tubular, bent linkage. A tank 72 is provided between the runners. The tank 72 has two openings through which liquid or solid consumables, for example extinguishing water, can be filled.

1 10 only shows a few drones 10. Depending on the application, the swarm can include many more drones, for example 100 to 1000 drones. In the present exemplary embodiment, the drones 10 are used, for example, to fight a fire at a location 12 . The drones fly to the site 12, drop water or another extinguishing agent 15 there and fly empty to a supply arrangement 14. The rotors 11 ( 15 ) are shown as an example and can be replaced by any other rotor system suitable for drones.

In addition to the consumables - in the present case water or extinguishing agent - the drones 10 regularly require new energy. This serves to drive the rotor or rotors and to supply the on-board systems, sensors, etc. In the present exemplary embodiment, the drones 10 are supplied with energy in packets via the replaceable accumulator 16 from one or more storage devices 18. At a further station 20, in the present exemplary embodiment, the Drone fed water. The supply arrangement 14 has a landing pad 22 for landing the drones 10 . A launch site 24 is provided for launching the fully supplied drones 10 .

2 shows the supply arrangement 14 with two stores 18. The stores 18 have the external shape of a standard container. Such containers can be loaded onto truck or trailer chassis and moved on ordinary roads. However, the container shape also allows transport by other means of transport, such as ships or planes. In the present exemplary embodiment, a container with storage 18 is arranged on a trailer 50 . He remains there during the operation.

8th shows a memory 18 in detail. Each of the stores 18 is air-conditioned with an air conditioner 26 . The memory 18 also has a generator 28, via which accumulators 16 can be recharged. The accumulators 16 are held in racks 40 inside the store 18 . The figures show the memory 18 in such a way that the racks 40 with the accumulators 16 can be clearly seen.

Two rows of racks 40 are arranged in each store 18 . Between racks 40 is in A rail 30 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the container and parallel to the racks. this is in 8th clearly visible. A carriage 32 runs on the rail 30. The carriage 32 is in 9 clearly visible. the 7 and 9 each show the carriage 32 in two different positions. The carriage is provided with an electrically operable jack 34 . The accumulator 16 is transported into the drone with the lifter. An empty accumulator 16 is removed from the drone 10 and placed in one of the racks 40 with the lifter 34 . The spent accumulator 16 can be charged either in the rack 40 or at the charging station provided for this purpose, which is connected to the generator 28, within the store 18 and made available for further use.

The empty jack 34 can then be slid into a horizontal gap 52 between two accumulators 16 in the rack 40 . A charged accumulator 16 can then be lifted out of a rack 40 with the lifter 34 and transported to the drone at the package exchange station 36 by moving the carriage 32 . There, the lifter 34 can place the accumulator 16 at the designated location in the drone 10, where the used accumulator was previously removed. A locking mechanism provides mechanical support and electrical contact. Instead of a lifter 34, other conveying mechanisms, such as arms with grippers or the like, are also suitable for conveying the accumulators 16. It goes without saying that more or just one accumulator 16 can also be provided.

16 shows the carriage 32 with the lifting device during the loading process. The drone 10 is moved between two platforms 38. Two accumulators 16 arranged one behind the other in the direction of movement of the drone 10 are arranged on the platforms 38 . The accumulators are then pushed out of the holder 40 onto the lifting device of the carriage 32 and from the lifting device onto the platform 38 using actuators, for example a slide. The accumulators can be moved into the drone more quickly from the platform 38 .

In the present embodiment, as in 7 illustrated, two memories 18 are each provided on the side of the package changing station. As a result, a charged accumulator 16 can already be made available and inserted while the lifter 34 of the opposite store 18 is still busy discharging. As a result, empty runs of the carriage 32 are avoided and the loading and unloading process is further accelerated.

The aim of the supply arrangement is to keep the drones 10 there as short as possible. The drone 10 therefore first lands on a landing pad 22 specially provided for this purpose, which is separate from the parcel exchange station 36 . The landing field is in 3 shown. The landing pad 22 is large compared to the drone, so the drone 10 does not need to achieve precise positioning. this is in 4 clearly visible.

The large landing area allows for a quick landing, although this results in a less precise landing position. The drone 10 lands on the skid-shaped frame 56. Two elongate sliders 58 are pushed inwardly from the outer edge 60 of the landing pad 22 in a symmetrical manner. In doing so, they grasp the runners 56 of the drone 10 and push them into a desired target position on a conveyor belt 62. After positioning with the pushers, the runners stand straight on the two parts of the comparatively narrow conveyor belt 62 and can thus be transported in the direction of the package changing station. The target position is in 4 shown.

The conveyor belt 62 is part of a conveyor section 64 which is guided on a carrier 68 . The carrier 68 is designed in several parts. The parts of the carrier 68 can be assembled or disassembled. The parts of the carrier 68 have dimensions which allow transport together on a trailer 70 or road-legal truck. this is in 6 illustrated.

The separation of the landing pad 22 from the package changing station 36 makes it possible for a following drone 10 to be able to land while batteries 16 are still being replaced in one drone. As soon as the replacement process is completed, both drones - the drone that has just landed and the drone that is supplied with charged accumulators - can be moved forward with the conveyor belt 62 .

The drone 10 does not need to take off or land to go from station to station. At the package changing station 36, the previously landed drone can now be supplied with charged accumulators. this is in 2 clearly visible.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the drones 10 are not only used for overflight, but also for deploying consumables, namely water. This is filled in at station 20. Station 20 is in 10 shown. 11 shows the station 20 during filling. In the representation in 2 and 12 a basin-shaped water reservoir in the form of a tank 78 is shown as the water source. However, it is understood that any other natural or artificial water reservoir, such as a lake, river, the sea, a vehicle-mounted water tank or an underground chamber can be used. The water is conveyed from the reservoir 78 via a line 74 in the form of a hose or pipe into one or more pressure tanks 76 in the filling area. this is in 10 illustrated. The pressure vessel 76 is connected to a source of pressure, such as high pressure air. A compressor can be provided for this purpose. Line 74 is provided with one or more check valves. The pressure source creates high pressure in the pressure vessels 76.

As soon as the drone 10 has been transported on the conveyor belt 62 from the package changing station 36 to the filling station 20, a connection is established between the stationary pressure vessel 76 and the tank 72 on the drone 10. Connection pieces 80 are provided on the pressure vessel 76 for this purpose. Then the filling takes place under high pressure in a very short time. The drone 10, which has been completely supplied in this way, can now be transported to the starting point 24 with the conveyor belt 62, from where it starts for further use. this is in 2 illustrated.

13 shows starting place 24 without and 14 12 shows launch pad 24 with drone 10. Like landing pad 22, launch pad 24 includes a plane attached to the other end of beam 68. FIG. Both at the landing site 22 and at the launch site 24, parts 82 that protrude laterally beyond the carrier 68 are articulated on a central part 84 and can be folded in for transport and storage. Alternatively, these can be removed or inserted.

The arrangement described enables a cycle of, for example, 15 seconds. The drone 10 is therefore ready to take off again in about a minute after landing. With a sufficient number of drones, a significantly larger volume of water can be deployed than with a single cargo drone or helicopter. A night break is not necessary. The risk of failure and the required investments are lower with smaller drones. The drones can also fly low in dangerous areas, such as those with ammunition remnants. They enable targeted and precise application at the desired location.

15 12 schematically illustrates a suitable drone 10. It will be appreciated that the drone may vary in type and construction so long as it is capable of picking up packages and has suitable controls. Each of the drones of the present embodiment is provided with a camera and an IR sensor. This means that sources of fire can also be easily identified at night. The images can be sent to a common controller and to the following drone. This can then, for example, readjust the drop location.

The swarm of drones is controlled from a control center. For this purpose each drone has a transceiver and a GPS receiver or other positioning system. An optimal extinguishing strategy can be determined from the data received on the condition of the area to be flown by the drones and the position and speed of the drones. This can be done manually, for example with the help of a visualization on a screen and corresponding input means for control commands, or it can be automated.

In 2 a mobile supply arrangement is shown. An elongate beam is mounted on a chassis or trailer on which the conveyor runs. The ends of the carrier are provided with fold-out areas for landing and take-off. The carrier itself can be pulled apart like a telescope, so that it has a sufficient length for all 4 stations, namely the landing area, package changing station, loading station and launch site. The storage for the accumulators are housed in separate containers. In this way, a complete supply arrangement can be transported in three containers close to the place of use.

The exemplary embodiments explained above serve to illustrate the invention claimed in the claims. Features that are disclosed together with other features can usually also be used alone or in combination with other features that are explicitly or implicitly disclosed in the text or in the drawings in the exemplary embodiments. Dimensions and sizes are given as examples only. Suitable ranges are evident to the person skilled in the art from his specialist knowledge and therefore do not need to be explained in more detail here. The disclosure of a specific embodiment of a feature does not mean that the invention should be limited to this specific embodiment. Rather, such a feature can be realized by a variety of other configurations familiar to those skilled in the art. The invention may, therefore, be embodied not only in the forms set forth, but in all forms falling within the scope of the appended claims.

The terms "top", "bottom", "right" and "left" refer exclusively to the attached drawings. It is understood that claimed devices may also take a different orientation. The term “including” and the term “comprising” mean that further components not mentioned can be provided. The term "essentially", "predominantly" and "predominantly" includes all characteristics that have a property or content in the majority, ie have more than all the other components or properties of the feature mentioned, ie more than 50% in the case of two components, for example.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• EP 3587265 A1 [0003]
• WO 2017/062051 A1 [0003]
• EP 2511888 B1 [0004]
• US 2020/0140087 A1 [0005]
• WO 2017/208272 A1 [0006]

Claims (26)

Arrangement for supplying drones (10) of a swarm of drones with energy and/or consumables, wherein (a) at least part of the energy or consumables is in packet form; (b) a store (18) is provided for providing a large number of packages (16) with energy and/or consumables; and (c) a package changing station (36) is provided for exchanging unloaded and/or used packages (16) for packages (16) from the store (18), characterized by (d) a landing pad (22) for the drones (10 ) of the drone swarm; and (e) conveyor means (62) for conveying the landed drones (10) to a station (36). arrangement according to claim 1 , characterized in that the packets comprise electrical accumulators (16). arrangement according to claim 2 , characterized in that the memory (18) has a charging device (28) for recharging the accumulators. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two stores (18) are provided to provide a large number of packages, and the package changing station (36) is designed in such a way that a package (16) from the drone (10) is transferred into a first store (18) is discharged and an unused package (16) is loaded from a second store (18) into the drone (10). Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one charging station (20) for charging water, fire extinguishing agents, liquids for spreading on agricultural land or other consumables. arrangement according to claim 5 , characterized in that the consumable at the charging station (20) is gaseous or liquid and can be filled into a tank (72) provided in a drone by means of pressure charging. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a plurality of package changing and/or loading stations (36, 20) spatially separated from one another and conveying means (62) for transporting the drones (10) from station to station. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that positioning means (22) are provided for positioning the drone in a target position and the landing pad (22) for the drones of the drone swarm and the target position are ground-based. arrangement according to claim 8 characterized in that the landing pad (22) is disassemblable and/or collapsible, interlockable, telescoping or otherwise scalable to smaller dimensions. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the store (18) can be air-conditioned to provide a large number of packages. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a conveyor (32) for transporting packages (16) between a storage location (40) in the store (18) and the package changing station (36). Arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the modular arrangement consists of one or more separate modules, each of which can be transported on a vehicle approved for use on public roads. arrangement according to claim 12 , characterized in that the arrangement comprises: (a) a first module with a container with the memory (18) for providing a plurality of packages (16); and (b) a second module having a landing pad (22) and conveyor means (62) for conveying drones. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a controller to which signals from the drones (10) of the drone swarm are applied. arrangement according to Claim 14 , characterized in that each of the drones (10) of the swarm of drones has a camera and a transceiver, and the controller is acted upon by the images recorded by the camera. arrangement according to Claim 14 or 15 , characterized in that each of the drones has a GPS receiver or other position determination means for determining the geographic position and the central controller is acted upon by the signals from the position determination means. Arrangement according to one of Claims 14 until 16 , characterized in that the controller has data processing means with which flight paths and drop locations and/or times for dropping consumables can be determined from signals from an infrared camera, a pyrometer and/or other signals from the drones in the drone swarm. Arrangement according to one of Claims 14 until 17 , characterized in that the controller has storage means for storing potential obstacles or sources of danger in the trajectories of the drones, which can be taken into account when controlling the drones. Arrangement according to one of Claims 14 until 18 , characterized in that the controller has data processing means and storage means for the implementation of predetermined flight scenarios when controlling the drones of the drone swarm. arrangement according to claim 19 , characterized in that the specified flight scenarios include preventive measures. arrangement according to claim 19 or 20 , characterized by a learning system for adapting the flight scenarios to the reality on which a given task is based, which was recorded with cameras and/or sensors or transmitted in advance from a memory. Arrangement according to one of Claims 14 until 21 , characterized in that the controller is designed as a central controller on the ground and/or is located on one or more drones. Arrangement according to one of Claims 14 until 22 , characterized in that the controller is acted upon by the signals of an observation drone with a high-resolution camera. Use of an arrangement according to one of the preceding claims for extinguishing forest fires or other fires. Method of controlling drones (10) of a swarm of drones to accomplish a task comprising the steps: (a) Supplying drones (10) of a swarm of drones with energy and/or consumables in packet form at a supply arrangement (14) with a store (18) for providing a large number of packets (16) with energy and/or consumables; (b) flying a drone along a selected trajectory, the drone (10) dispensing a consumable or performing a portion of another task; (c) landing the drone at a landing site (22) of the supply assembly (14); (d) exchanging unloaded and/or consumed packets (16) for packets (16) from the memory (18); and (e) repeat steps (a) to (d) with this and other drones (10) of the drone swarm until the task is completed. procedure after Claim 25 , characterized in that at least some of the drones (10) of the drone swarm flies one behind the other and camera or sensor signals from a drone are transmitted to one or more following or preceding drones.

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