# US 11,898,368 B2 · Unmanned aerial vehicle housing including deployable landing pads

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- Number: US 11,898,368 B2
- Document ID: US11898368B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/434,570
- Filed: 2019-06-07
- Published: 2019-12-19
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-14
- Assignees: Wing Aviation LLC
- Applicants: WING Aviation LLC
- Inventors: Jesse Blake; James Schmalzried; Evan Twyford
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898368B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/30: Constructional details of charging stations
- B64U 50/37: Charging when not in flight
- B64U 70/90: Launching from or landing on platforms
- B64U 70/95: Means for guiding the landing UAV towards the platform, e.g. lighting means
- B64U 80/10: with means for moving the UAV to a supply or launch location, e.g. robotic arms or carousels
- B64U 80/25: for recharging batteries; for refuelling
- B64U 80/40: for two or more UAVs
- E04H 6/12: with mechanical means for shifting or lifting vehicles
- E04H 6/44: for storing aircraft
- G08G 5/22: located on the ground
- G08G 5/26: Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations
- G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft
- G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft
- B60L 2200/10: Air crafts
- B60L 2270/34: of parts
- B64U 50/39: Battery swapping
- B64U 80/70: in containers (B64U80/60 takes precedence)
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
- E04H: BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL (foundations E02D)
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A modular housing structure for housing a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) includes a plurality of housing segments and a plurality of landing pads. The plurality of housing segments are shaped to mechanically join together to define an interior of the modular housing structure. The individual housing segments have a common structural shape that repeats when assembled to form the modular housing structure. The plurality of landing pads are positioned within the individual housing segments, each of the landing pads sized to physically support and charge a corresponding one of the UAVs.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A modular housing structure for housing a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising:
a plurality of modular housing sections configured to hold a plurality of UAVs, the plurality of modular housing sections vertically stackable, each one of the modular housing sections including:
a landing pad adapted to land a given UAV of the UAVs, the landing pad mechanically actuated to extend from an interior of a given modular housing section to receive and deploy the given UAV and withdraw into the interior; and
charging electronics disposed in or on the landing pad and configured to charge the given UAV,
wherein the modular housing structure supports a scalable number of the UAVs based on a number of the modular housing sections vertically stacked on each other at a time,
wherein one of the modular housing sections includes first and second landing pads that are mechanically connected to each other and share a track that actuates the first and second landing pads together by sliding the first landing pad out a first side of the modular housing structure when deploying the first landing pad and sliding the second landing pad out a second side of the modular housing structure, opposite the first side, when deploying the second landing pad.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The modular housing structure of claim 1, wherein each of the modular housing sections further comprises:
a plurality of navigational aids disposed about the landing pad to assist the UAVs when landing on the landing pad.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The modular housing structure of claim 1, further comprising:
a climate controller disposed within the modular housing structure, the climate controller including a fan to force air around the UAVs stored within the plurality of modular housing sections.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The modular housing structure of claim 3, wherein the modular housing sections each include airflow openings to allow the air to flow between the modular housing sections from the fan.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The modular housing structure of claim 4, wherein the airflow openings are disposed peripherally around the landing pad of each of the modular housing sections.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The modular housing structure of claim 4, wherein the landing pad includes a grate or a mesh and the airflow openings are defined by the grate or the mesh in the landing pad.

### Claim 7

A modular housing structure for housing a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising:
a plurality of modular housing sections configured to hold a plurality of UAVs, the plurality of modular housing sections vertically stackable, each one of the modular housing sections including:
a landing pad adapted to land a given UAV of the UAVs, the landing pad mechanically actuated to extend from an interior of a given modular housing section to receive and deploy the given UAV and withdraw into the interior; and
charging electronics configured to charge the given UAV,
wherein the modular housing structure supports a scalable number of the UAVs based on a number of the modular housing sections vertically stacked on each other at a time,
wherein one of the modular housing sections includes first and second landing pads that are mechanically connected to each other and share a track that actuates the first and second landing pads together by sliding the first landing pad out a first side of the modular housing structure when deploying the first landing pad and sliding the second landing pad out a second side of the modular housing structure, opposite the first side, when deploying the second landing pad.