Payload Coupling Apparatus for UAV and Method of Delivering a Payload
AssigneeX Development LLC
InventorsAndre Prager, Trevor Shannon, Evan Twyford, Alexander Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A payload coupling apparatus is provided that includes a housing. The housing is adapted for attachment to a first end of a tether. The apparatus further includes a slot extending downwardly from an outer surface of the housing towards a center of the housing thereby forming a lower lip on the housing beneath the slot. The slot is adapted to receive a handle of a payload. The apparatus further includes a sensor configured to detect touchdown of the payload and a transmitter configured to send a touchdown confirmation signal to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on a touchdown detection by the sensor.
Claims20
A payload coupling apparatus comprising:
- a housing, wherein the housing is adapted for attachment to a first end of a tether;
- a slot extending downwardly from an outer surface of the housing towards a center of the housing thereby forming a lower lip on the housing beneath the slot, wherein the slot is adapted to receive a handle of a payload;
- a sensor configured to detect touchdown of the payload;
- and
- a transmitter configured to send a touchdown confirmation signal to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on a touchdown detection by the sensor.
A payload coupling apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a tether attachment point on the bottom of the housing;
- a slot extending between a first inner surface of the housing and a pair of vertical, upwardly extending fingers on the housing, wherein the slot is adapted to receive a handle of a payload;
- an opening formed between the pair of vertical fingers;
- a tether slot positioned on the first inner surface of the housing;
- a sensor configured to detect touchdown of the payload;
- and
- a transmitter configured to send a touchdown confirmation signal to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on a touchdown determination by the sensor.
A method of delivering a payload from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), including the steps of:
- providing a tether having a first end secured to a winch system positioned in the UAV and a second end secured to a payload coupling apparatus;
- positioning a handle of a payload within a slot in the payload coupling apparatus;
- determining a weight associated with the payload;
- operating the winch system to lower the payload coupling apparatus and the payload based on the determined weight until the payload engages a ground surface;
- and
- further operating the winch system to lower the payload coupling apparatus until the handle of the payload is decoupled from the slot of the payload coupling apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.