Stackable drones
OwnerBrehnden Dalyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drone (2) has an upper coupler (6) that releasably connects to a lower coupler (8) of a second drone (4), interconnecting the drones in a stacked combined flying machine (5A). The couplers index a predetermined rotational relationship between the two drones about a central vertical axis (10). An embodiment (5C) provides coaxial counter-rotating propellers of the respective upper and lower drones. Other embodiments rotationally offset the upper and lower drones to minimize overlap (A1, A2) of the upper and lower propeller disks or to overlap only portions (A1) of the propeller disks that rotate in opposite directions. The couplers may have electrical connectors that integrate control systems (38, 40) that establish a master/slave control relationship.
Claims19
A set of independently flyable drones comprising:
- a first drone comprising a top side with a first coupling mechanism;
- a second drone comprising a bottom side with a second coupling mechanism;
- wherein the two coupling mechanisms releasably interconnect the first and second drones in a vertically stacked combined flying machine with the second drone stacked on top of the first drone, the first and second drones having a common central vertical axis;
- and
- wherein the coupling mechanisms rotationally offset the first and second drones from each other about the common central vertical axis to minimize negative aerodynamic effects of downwash from propellers of the upper second drone on propellers of the lower first drone.
A fleet of independently flyable and independently controllable drones, each drone in the fleet comprising:
- a top side with a first coupling mechanism;
- a bottom side with a second coupling mechanism;
- wherein the first and second coupling mechanisms releasably interconnect any first and second drones in the fleet to form a vertically stacked combined flying machine with the second drone on top of the first drone, the first and second drones having a common central vertical axis;
- and
- wherein the coupling mechanisms rotationally offset the first and second drones from each other about the common central vertical axis to minimize negative aerodynamic effects of downwash from propellers of the upper second drone on propellers of the lower first drone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.