Self-contained aerial cargo vehicle
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorDaniel I. Newman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aerial vehicle includes one or more rotors and a cargo container. The one or more rotors are configured to propel the aerial vehicle. The cargo container defines a cargo volume and is configured to travel with the aerial vehicle during propulsion by the one or more rotors. The cargo container is further configured to contain, at least, the one or more rotors, when the aerial vehicle is not configured for moving cargo.
Claims19
An aerial vehicle comprising:
- one or more rotors configured to propel the aerial vehicle;
- a cargo container comprising a first horizontally disposed wall, a second horizontally disposed wall, and a plurality of vertically disposed walls, each of the plurality of vertically disposed walls, the first horizontally disposed wall, and the second horizontally disposed wall are configured to combine to form an enclosure defining a cargo volume, the cargo container configured to move cargo with the aerial vehicle during propulsion by the one or more rotors and configured to contain, at least, the one or more rotors, when the aerial vehicle is not configured for moving cargo,
- wherein the first horizontally disposed wall is a ceiling wall of the cargo container and a first surface of the ceiling wall is an exterior top wall of the cargo container, and when the one or more rotors are contained within the cargo container, the first horizontally disposed wall is a floor wall of the cargo container and the first surface of the floor wall is an interior floor wall of the cargo container.
A cargo unit configured for aerial travel to transport a cargo load, the cargo unit comprising:
- a cargo container comprising a first horizontally disposed wall, a second horizontally disposed wall, and a plurality of vertically disposed walls, each of the plurality of vertically disposed walls, the first horizontally disposed wall, and the second horizontally disposed wall are configured to combine to form an enclosure defining a cargo volume;
- an aerial vehicle including, at least, one or more rotors configured to propel the cargo unit, when the cargo unit is configured for moving the cargo load, and the aerial vehicle configured to be contained by the cargo container, when the cargo unit is not configured for moving the cargo load, within a portion of the cargo volume,
- wherein the first horizontally disposed wall is a ceiling wall of the cargo container and a first surface of the ceiling wall is an exterior top wall of the cargo container, and when the one or more rotors are contained within the cargo container, the first horizontally disposed wall is a floor wall of the cargo container and the first surface of the floor wall is an interior floor wall of the cargo container.
A method for packing an aerial vehicle within an operatively coupled cargo container, the cargo container comprising a first horizontally disposed wall, a second horizontally disposed wall, and a plurality of vertically disposed walls, each of the plurality of vertically disposed walls, the first horizontally disposed wall, and the second horizontally disposed wall are configured to combine to form an enclosure defining a cargo volume and the aerial vehicle including, at least, one or more rotors, the one or more rotors each including a plurality of rotor components, the method comprising:
- folding one or more of the plurality of rotor components, with respect to another of the one or more rotor components;
- forming, at least in part, the cargo container to define the cargo volume by arranging one or more cargo container walls;
- positioning, once folding of the one or more of the plurality of rotor components has occurred, the one or more rotors within the cargo volume;
- and
- enclosing the one or more rotors within the cargo volume,
- wherein the first horizontally disposed wall is a ceiling wall of the cargo container and a first surface of the ceiling wall is an exterior top wall of the cargo container, and when the one or more rotors are contained within the cargo container, the first horizontally disposed wall is a floor wall of the cargo container and the first surface of the floor wall is an interior floor wall of the cargo container.
A method for preparing a cargo unit for travel, the cargo unit including a cargo container, the cargo container comprising a first horizontally disposed wall, a second horizontally disposed wall, and a plurality of vertically disposed walls, each of the plurality of vertically disposed walls, the first horizontally disposed wall, and the second horizontally disposed wall are configured to combine to form an enclosure defining a cargo volume, and an aerial vehicle, including one or more rotors configured to propel the cargo unit, the method comprising:
- deconstructing the cargo container to provide ingress to the cargo volume by displacing one or more of a plurality of cargo container walls of the cargo container;
- repositioning one or more of the plurality of cargo container walls of the cargo container such that the aerial vehicle is not enclosed by the cargo container;
- and
- unfolding one or more rotor components of the one or more rotors, from a folded state,
- wherein the first horizontally disposed wall is a ceiling wall of the cargo container and a first surface of the ceiling wall is an exterior top wall of the cargo container, and when the one or more rotors are contained within the cargo container, the first horizontally disposed wall is a floor wall of the cargo container and the first surface of the floor wall is an interior floor wall of the cargo container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.