AERIAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for aerial transport, comprising:
- a cabin for containing a load;
one or more cables, attached so as to suspend the cabin below a hovering aircraft;
an elevator mechanism, which is coupled to raise and lower the cabin on the one or more cables;
at least one cabin sensor; and
a control unit, which is coupled to receive an input from the at least one cabin sensor that is indicative of the disposition of the cabin relative to the terrestrial target, and to control the elevator mechanism responsively to the input so as to bring the cabin into a predetermined position relative to the terrestrial target while the aircraft is hovering.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus (20) for aerial transport includes a cabin (24) for containing a load and one or more cables (30), attached so as to suspend the cabin below a hovering aircraft (22). An elevator mechanism (32) is coupled to raise and lower the cabin on the one or more cables. A control unit (56) is coupled to receive an input from at least one cabin sensor (38, 40, 48, 50, 60, 62) that is indicative of the disposition of the cabin relative to the terrestrial target (26), and to control the elevator mechanism responsively to the input so as to bring the cabin into with a predetermined position relative to the terrestrial target while the aircraft is hovering.
73 Citations
35 Claims
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1. Apparatus for aerial transport, comprising:
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a cabin for containing a load; one or more cables, attached so as to suspend the cabin below a hovering aircraft; an elevator mechanism, which is coupled to raise and lower the cabin on the one or more cables; at least one cabin sensor; and a control unit, which is coupled to receive an input from the at least one cabin sensor that is indicative of the disposition of the cabin relative to the terrestrial target, and to control the elevator mechanism responsively to the input so as to bring the cabin into a predetermined position relative to the terrestrial target while the aircraft is hovering. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28)
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4-5. -5. (canceled)
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10-13. -13. (canceled)
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15. (canceled)
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18. (canceled)
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22. (canceled)
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26. (canceled)
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29-30. -30. (canceled)
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31. Apparatus for aerial transport, comprising:
an aircraft, which is capable of hovering; a cabin for containing a load; one or more cables, attached so as to suspend the cabin below the aircraft while the aircraft hovers; an elevator mechanism, which is coupled to raise and lower the cabin on the one or more cables; one or more thrusters, which are fixed to the cabin and configured to exert a force in a direction transverse to the one or more cables, so as to maneuver the cabin relative to the aircraft; at least one cabin sensor; and a control unit, which is coupled to receive an input from the at least one cabin sensor that is indicative of the disposition of the cabin relative to the terrestrial target, and to control the elevator mechanism and the thrusters responsively to the input so as to bring the cabin into contact with the terrestrial target while the aircraft is hovering.
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32-33. -33. (canceled)
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34. A computer-implemented method for aerial transport, comprising:
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lowering a cabin, for containing a load, from a hovering aircraft toward a terrestrial target using one or more cables attached to the aircraft; sensing a disposition of the cabin relative to the terrestrial target using at least one cabin sensor; and responsively to an input from the at least one cabin sensor, automatically controlling the lowering of the cabin so as to maneuver the cabin relative to the aircraft and to bring the cabin into a predetermined position relative to the terrestrial target while the aircraft is hovering.
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35-60. -60. (canceled)
Specification