US 12,084,186 B1Granted

Drone load release system

AssigneeSURVICE Engineering Company

InventorsJoel Henry Witman, Mark Thomas Butkiewicz, Robert Eric Baltrusch

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A drop kit that attaches to a pair of parallel picatinny rails one drone uses a pair of drop mechanisms that hold one side of a load bearing basket. The opposing side of the basket is pivotally secured to a goggle plate. Each drop mechanism is attached to one of the rails and the goggle plate to both of the rails via a spring-loaded centering clamp system. The drop mechanisms use a drop cam that rotates between and open and closed position so that when the drone arrives at a desired spot, a signal is provided to a pair of motors, each motor associated with one of the drop mechanisms, in order to rotate the drop cam into its open position, releasing its side of the basket with the opposing side of the basket pivoting and then falling free of the goggle plate.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A load carrying system for attachment to a picatinny rail of a drone in order to carry a supply load, the load carrying system comprising:

a plate having a first relief, the plate adapted to be attached to the picatinny rail of the drone;
a payload release system adapted to be attached to the picatinny rail of the drone in spaced apart fashion from the plate, the payload release system having a housing that has a drop cam rotatably attached thereto, the drop cam having a receiver mouth and rotatable between a normally open position wherein the receiver mouth is facing away from the picatinny rail and a closed position wherein the receiver mouth is facing generally toward the picatinny rail;
and
a receptacle having a base, a first end plate with a second relief and an opposing second end plate joined to the first end plate by a side plate having a tab, such that the tab is received within the first relief and the receiver mouth receives the second relief such that whenever the receiver mouth is in the closed position, the receptacle is secured to the picatinny rail with the first end plate of the receptacle held within the receiver mouth and the tab of the second end plate held within first relief and when the receiver mouth is in the open position, the first end plate gravitationally falls out of the receiver mouth of the payload release system and the tab gravitationally slides out of the first relief whenever the picatinny rail is facing a ground surface.

1 more element

A load carrying system for attachment to a first picatinny rail and a parallel second picatinny rail of a drone in order to carry a supply load, the load carrying system comprising:

a plate having a first relief and a second relief, the plate adapted to be attached to the first picatinny rail and the second picatinny rail of the drone;
a first payload release system adapted to be attached to the first picatinny rail of the drone, in spaced apart fashion from the plate, the first payload release system having a first housing that has a first drop cam rotatably attached thereto, the first drop cam having a first receiver mouth and rotatable between a normally first open position wherein the first receiver mouth is facing away from the first picatinny rail and a first closed position wherein the first receiver mouth is facing generally toward the first picatinny rail;
a second payload release system adapted to be attached to the second picatinny rail of the drone, in spaced apart fashion from the plate, the second payload release system having a second housing that has a second drop cam rotatably attached thereto, the second drop cam having a second receiver mouth and rotatable between a normally second open position wherein the second receiver mouth is facing away from the second picatinny rail and a second closed position wherein the second receiver mouth is facing generally toward the second picatinny rail;
and
a receptacle having a base, a first end plate with a third relief and a fourth relief and an opposing second end plate joined to the first end plate by a side plate having a first tab and a second tab such that the first tab is received within the first relief and the second tab is received within the second relief and the first receiver mouth receives the third relief and the second receiver mouth receives the fourth relief such that whenever the first receiver mouth is in the first closed position or the second receiver mouth is in the second closed position, the receptacle is secured to the first picatinny rail and to the second picatinny rail with the first end plate of the receptacle held within the first receiver mouth or within the second receiver mouth and the first tab of the second end plate held within first relief and the second tab of the second end plate is held within the second relief and when the first receiver mouth is in the first open position and the second receiver mouth is in the second open position, the first end plate gravitationally falls out of the first receiver mouth of the first payload relief system and out of the second receiver mouth of the second payload release system and the first tab gravitationally slides out of the first relief and the second tab slides out of the second relief whenever the picatinny rail is facing a ground surface.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.