Transport apparatus

• US 10,435,156 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Inventors: Bellof, Marco, Orth, Felix, Sommer, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzell, Philip J
• Application Number:
  US15/913,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20180257781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/10 Stowage arrangements for the devices in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/12 Releasing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• 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 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports

Abstract

An airworthy, unmanned transport apparatus (1) has a payload container (2) for at least one consignment (14), wherein the transport apparatus (1) has on its underside (4) at least two latching arms (5) which are arranged opposite one another and are each subjected to a spring force and by way of which the payload container (2) is able to be latched onto the transport apparatus (1) such that, as a result of the latching arms (5) being pressed in, the payload container (2) is releasable from the transport apparatus (1).

Claims

1. An airworthy, unmanned transport apparatus, comprising a payload container for at least one consignment, wherein

the transport apparatus has on its underside at least two latching arms which are arranged opposite one another and are each subjected to a spring force,

the payload container has on its inner side at least two first detents that are arranged opposite one another and are directed towards one another, and

the latching arms have, in a manner corresponding to the at least two first detents, at least two second detents that are arranged opposite one another and are directed away from one another such that the payload container is latchable onto the transport apparatus by the latching arms and, as a result of the latching arms being pressed in, the payload container is releasable from the transport apparatus.

2. The transport apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the payload container has a peripheral side wall and the first detents are arranged on the inner side of the side wall.

3. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the latching arms and the payload container are configured to latch together in a form- and/or force-fitting manner.

4. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engagement means is provided on each of the latching arms, the engagement means are arranged opposite one another and extend away from one another.

5. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, having the at least one consignment and a tensible fixing device provided between the latching arms, said fixing device configured to fix the at least one consignment between the payload container and the tensible fixing device when the payload container loaded with the at least one consignment is inserted into the transport apparatus.

6. The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the tensible fixing device comprises one or more of a net, a luggage net, a tarpaulin, an elastic sheet and an elastic band, and/or the payload container comprises a loading tray or a transport tray, into which the at least one consignment is insertable.

7. A receiving container for the transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving container has a positioning device which is configured to first shift the transport apparatus into a loading position when the transport apparatus has landed on the receiving container and then to press at least one of the latching arms in and/or to transfer the latching arms from a pressed-in position into a normal position in which the positioning device no longer acts on the transport apparatus.

8. The receiving container according claim 7, wherein the receiving container has a loading device which is configured to remove the payload container from the transport apparatus, after at least one of the latching arms has been pressed in by the positioning device, by said payload container being lowered and/or to guide the payload container onto the transport apparatus, with the latching arms in the pressed-in position, by lifting, such that the payload container latches onto the latching arms after the latching arms have been released from the pressed-in position into the normal position.

9. The receiving container according to claim 7, wherein the positioning device is configured to effect the shifting of the transport apparatus and pressing-in of the latching arms solely by way of a horizontal movement.

10. A method for loading the airworthy unmanned transport apparatus of claim 1 that has landed on a receiving container, comprising:

shifting the transport apparatus on the receiving container into a loading position by a positioning device;

in the loading position, unlatching the payload container from the transport apparatus by the latching arms being pressed in by the positioning device; and

lowering the payload container from the transport apparatus by the loading device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the shifting and pressing-in take place solely by way of a horizontal movement.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

with the latching arms pressed in, lifting the payload container onto the transport apparatus with the loading device until the payload container reaches a loading position; and

releasing the latching arms by the positioning device in order to latch the latching arms into the payload container.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein a tensible fixing device is provided between the latching arms, and further comprising:

by lifting the payload container into the loading position, tensioning the fixing device over the at least one consignment in order to fix the at least one consignment between the fixing device and payload container.