Human transporting drone

• US 10,358,217 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Disco Corporation
• Inventors: Sekiya, Kazuma
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzell, Philip J
• Application Number:
  US15/370,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20170166309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/026 for use as personal propulsion unit
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/062 Belts or other passenger restraint means for passenger seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/00 Parachutes non canopied parachutes B64D19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/00 Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for parachutes B64D17/00, B64D19/00; jettisoning of fuel tanks or fuel per se B64D37/00; specially adapted for protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems B64D45/0015 ; safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00; safety belts or body harnesses for land vehicles B60R22/00; jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/57 for bringing emergency supplies to persons or animals in danger, e.g. ropes or life vests
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/83 using parachutes, balloons or the like

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a human transporting drone including a drone core, a human receptacle for accommodating a human, the human receptacle being detachably housed in the drone core, ropes connected to the human receptacle, and rope winding mechanisms mounted on the drone core, for winding the ropes to house the human receptacle into the drone core and unwinding the ropes to release the human receptacle from the drone core.

Claims

1. A human transporting drone comprising:

a drone core having a top side and a bottom side, and a central opening extending from said top side to said bottom side;

a plurality of rotors attached to said drone core;

a human receptacle for accommodating a human, said human receptacle being configured to be detachably housed in said opening in said drone core;

ropes connected to said human receptacle; and

rope winding means mounted on said drone core for winding said ropes to house draw said human receptacle into said opening in said drone core from through the bottom side so that said human receptacle protrudes from said top side of the said drone core when said human receptacle is housed in said opening, and unwinding said ropes to release said human receptacle from said opening of said drone core through said bottom side of said drone core.

2. The human transporting drone according to claim 1, wherein while said drone core is hovering, said ropes are unwound to lower said human receptacle to allow a human to enter and leave said human receptacle, and after a human has entered and left said human receptacle, said ropes are wound to combine said human receptacle with said drone core.

3. The human transporting drone according to claim 1, wherein said human receptacle has an emergency escape function which is performed by release means for releasing said human receptacle from said drone core and a parachute connected to said human receptacle, said parachute being openable after said human receptacle has been released from said drone core.

4. The human transporting drone according to claim 1, wherein said central opening in the drone core is circular.