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US 11,603,218 B2Granted
Pod launch and landing system for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS)
AssigneeAeroVironment, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system, including: a UAV pod having an interior; and a telescoping UAV landing surface disposed in the interior of the UAV pod; where the telescoping UAV landing surface may translate up toward a top opening of the UAV pod, translate down into an interior of the UAV pod, or rotate relative to the UAV pod.
Claims20
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch system, comprising:
- a UAV landing surface;
- and
- two or more regions disposed on a surface proximate to the UAV landing surface, wherein each of the two or more regions correspond to two or more landing points of the UAV, and wherein each of the two or more regions comprise at least one of:
- a power connection and a communication connection with a corresponding landing point of the two or more landing points of the UAV;
- wherein the UAV landing surface is configured to elevate the UAV above the two or more regions, wherein the UAV landing surface is configured to rotate the UAV relative to the two or more regions, and wherein the UAV landing surface is configured to lower the UAV to make contact between the two or more landing points of the UAV and the two or more regions.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- vertically landing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a UAV landing surface;
- seating the UAV on two or more regions disposed on a surface proximate to the UAV landing surface, wherein each of the two or more regions correspond to two or more landing points of the UAV, and wherein each of the two or more regions comprise at least one of:
- a power connection and a communication connection with a corresponding landing point of the two or more landing points of the UAV;
- elevating the UAV landing surface above the two or more regions;
- rotating the UAV on the UAV landing surface relative to the two or more regions;
- and
- lowering the UAV on the UAV landing surface to make contact between the two or more landing points of the UAV and the two or more regions.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.