Carriage for an unmanned aerial vehicle including a latch and an electronic driver to move a locking shaft latch

A carriage for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the carriage comprising:

• a housing assembly;
• a control system;
• and
• a grip partially defining a receiving space, wherein the grip is movable relative to the housing assembly between a capturing position and a releasing position to thereby expand and contract the receiving space;
• a latch having a projected position in which the latch prevents movement of the grip, and a depressed position in which the latch does not prevent movement of the grip;
• and
• an electronic driver in communication with the control system, wherein the electronic driver is operable to move the latch from the projected position to the depressed position to thereby selectively permit movement of the grip.

A carriage configured for use with an unmanned aerial vehicle, the carriage comprising:

• a housing assembly configured for mounting to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
• a locking shaft rotatably mounted to the housing assembly;
• a grip rotationally coupled with the locking shaft such that the grip is pivotable between a capturing position and a releasing position;
• a latch having a projected position in which the latch prevents rotation of the locking shaft and the grip, the latch having a depressed position in which the latch does not prevent rotation of the locking shaft and the grip, wherein the latch is biased toward the projected position;
• a cam operable to engage the latch;
• and
• an electronic driver operable to rotate the cam between a first position in which the cam is disengaged from the latch and the latch is operable to adopt the projected position, and a second position in which the cam is engaged with the latch and retains the latch in the depressed position.