# US 11,440,658 B2 · Unmanned aerial vehicle with a controller for controlling the backward and forward rotation of a spooling winch

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- Number: US 11,440,658 B2
- Document ID: US11440658B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/727,745
- Filed: 2019-12-26
- Published: 2020-07-02
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-28
- Assignees: Globeride, Inc.
- Applicants: GLOBERIDE, Inc.
- Inventors: Hiromu Yasuda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440658B2

## CPC

- B64D 1/12: Releasing
- B64D 1/22: Taking-up articles from earth's surface
- B64D 1/02: Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles (jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12)
- B64U 10/16: with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
- B64U 30/21: Rotary wings
- B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography
- B64U 2101/67: the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
- B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR

## Abstract

This unmanned aerial vehicle has: a main body; a plurality of rotary wings provided on the main body; a wire for suspending an object from the main body; a hook attached to the wire; a winch for rotatably supporting a spool on which the wire is wound in the forward and backward directions, winding the wire by rotating the spool in the forward direction and unwinding the wire by rotating the spool in the backward direction; and a controller for restricting the backward rotation of the spool when the tension of the wire becomes less than a first threshold value, and restricting the forward rotation of the spool when the tension of the wire becomes less than the first threshold value and becomes equal to or less than a second threshold value, which is less than a gravitational force acting on the hook.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
a main body;
a plurality of rotary wings provided on the main body;
a wire for suspending an object from the main body;
a hook attached to the wire;
a winch for rotatably supporting a spool on which the wire is wound in forward and backward directions, winding the wire by rotating the spool in the forward direction and unwinding the wire by rotating the spool in the backward direction; and
a controller that restricts backward rotation of the spool when tension of the wire becomes less than a first threshold value, and restricts forward rotation of the spool when the tension of the wire becomes less than the first threshold value and becomes equal to or less than a second threshold value, which is less than a gravitational force acting on the hook.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is greater than a gravitational force acting on the hook.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is less than a sum of the gravitational forces acting on the hook and a cargo, respectively.