Drone and separate vehicle body that are assemblable to form vehicle such as hovercraft

A combination vehicle system, comprising:

• a drone having a plurality of rotors, wherein each of the rotors is motor-driven, wherein the drone further includes a controller that is operatively connected to the plurality of rotors;
• and
• a hovercraft body defining a ground-facing chamber and including a mount for the drone, wherein the mount includes a first clip structure, and the drone includes a second clip structure, and wherein the mount is shaped to releasably receive the drone in a first way in which the first and second clip structures engage one another to positively hold the drone in place such that at least a first axial force is necessary to dislodge the drone from the hovercraft body, and wherein the mount is shaped to releasably receive the drone in a second way in which the drone is held in the mount at least in part by friction such that at least a second axial force that is less than the first axial force is necessary to dislodge the drone from the hovercraft body,
• wherein, when the drone is mounted in the mount in each of the first and second ways, thereby forming a hovercraft, a first rotor from the plurality of rotors is oriented to drive air into the ground-facing chamber so as to at least partially lift the hovercraft off a support surface, and a second rotor from the plurality of rotors is oriented to drive air to propel the hovercraft along the support surface,
• wherein the controller is programmed to drive the plurality of rotors to maintain stable flight of the drone when the drone is disconnected from the hovercraft body, and wherein the controller is programmed to drive the first rotor to at least partially lift the hovercraft off a support surface and to drive the second rotor to propel the hovercraft along the support surface.

A combination vehicle system, comprising:

• a drone having a plurality of rotors, wherein each of the rotors is motor-driven, wherein the drone further includes a controller that is operatively connected to the plurality of rotors;
• a hovercraft body defining a ground-facing chamber and including a mount for the drone, wherein the drone is removably connectable to the mount in a mounted position so as to form a hovercraft in which a first rotor from the plurality of rotors is oriented to drive air into the ground-facing chamber so as to at least partially lift the hovercraft off a support surface, and in which a second rotor from the plurality of rotors is oriented to drive air to propel the hovercraft along the support surface,
• wherein the controller is programmed to drive the plurality of rotors to maintain stable flight of the drone when the drone is disconnected from the hovercraft body, and wherein the controller is programmed to drive the first rotor to at least partially lift the hovercraft off a support surface and to drive the second rotor to propel the hovercraft along the support surface;
• and
• a remote control that includes a first input member, wherein the remote control and the controller are programmed such that actuation of the first input member by a first amount when the drone is separate from the hovercraft body and sitting in a first orientation causes the remote control to signal the controller, and in turn causes the controller to adjust speed of the first and the second rotor differently than actuation of the first input member by the first amount when the drone is connected to the hovercraft body and is sitting in a second orientation that is different than the first orientation.