An exemplary unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mountable to a conductor of an aerial power transmission line system includes a body having a rotor system, a motivation system attached to the body to motivate the UAV along the conductor, a battery carried by the body and electrically connected to at least one of the rotor system and the motivation system, a monitoring tool mounted with the body and an inductive coil carried by the body and in electric connection with the battery, wherein the inductive coil is configured to harvest electricity from the aerial power transmission line system and charge the battery.

Method and system to ascertain location of drone box for landing and charging drones comprising at least a drone box having a drone platform with a plurality of limiting boundaries, divided into number of sensor zones that are mechanically contiguous and electrically separated by an insulated separator of insulation width, each sensor zone having an identification coordinates, each drone having a plurality of ground interfaces, each having a unique address code, each ground interface has a charging terminal at a far end, each charging terminal having an interlocked switchable electricity polarity. The identification coordinates of the activated sensor zones are communicable to a second drone so that the second drone knows where NOT to land on the drone box, Such communication enables a third and subsequent drone to ascertain whether the identified drone box is suitable and available for landing.

Example wirelessly powered unmanned aerial vehicles and tracks for providing wireless power are described herein. An example apparatus includes a track section having a transmitter coil to generate an alternating magnetic field and an unmanned aerial vehicle having a receiver coil. The alternating magnetic field induces an alternating current in the receiver coil when the unmanned aerial vehicle is disposed in the alternating magnetic field.

A drone may receive power from mobile base station equipment via an air-to-ground power feed during flight, which allows the drone to remain in flight for longer periods of time than relying on battery power alone. The air-to-ground power feed may be included in a tether that includes multiple air-to-ground power feeds or communication feeds. In some cases, the drone is powered by an on-board power system during takeoff and landing sequences to avoid damage to the tether or the drone and/or signal interference within the tether. In some cases, the drone may follow flight patterns during takeoff and landing sequences to avoid damage to the tether or the drone and/or signal interference within the tether.

The present disclosure describes a system that includes: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising one or more on-board batteries, and a self-powering payload coupled to the UAV, wherein the self-powering payload comprises: one or more transformable devices configured to alter an orientation of the one or more transformable devices with respect to a transmission line in proximity to the UAV when the UAV is air-borne; one or more coil devices mounted on the one or more transformable devices and configured to capture a magnetic flux of an electromagnetic field generated by the transmission line; and an electric circuit configured to generate, based on the captured magnetic flux, charging currents for the one or more on-board batteries on the UAV while the UAV is in air-borne.

An aircraft includes a first battery, provisions for transport that are powered by a second battery, and a management system for transferring energy between the first battery and the second battery.

A UAV catch and release system has a UAV adapted to fly a mission, an aircraft adapted to carry, launch, and retrieve the UAV, a fuel hose deployed and retrieved by mechanisms from the aircraft, an end effector joined by a gimbal joint to a lowermost end of the fuel hose, a downward projecting aerodynamic acquisition blade connected at a lowermost end of the hose, and an acquisition port opening upward from the body of the UAV, with a roller mechanism operable to engage the acquisition blade, and to draw the blade into the body until a refueling nozzle on an end of the acquisition blade is engaged to a refueling port of the UAV.

An electrical power supply system for a tethered small unmanned aerial vehicle has a ground station (1) connected to a universal aerial power supply (13) by a tether (10). The universal aerial power supply is capable of installation into the battery dock of a conventional free flying small unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver power to the small unmanned aerial vehicle systems during flight. The universal aerial power supply is compatible with a range of different small unmanned aerial vehicles and a range of classes of small unmanned aerial vehicles.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) system for energy transport includes a UAV having an energy tank configured to transport energy, a processor, and a memory. The memory includes instructions which, when executed by the processor, may cause the system to receive a first location for collecting or releasing the energy, determine an energy level of the energy tank, and transport the energy by the UAV to or from the first location based on the determined energy level.

A control system and apparatus for managing charging of electric vehicles in a transportation infrastructure and controlling at least the flight paths for drone-assisted vehicles requiring periodic charge comprises a transportation system control node connected in a first wide area network (WAN), a plurality of vehicle charging facilities distributed within the geographic region covered by the first wide area network and a charge controller connected to each of the plurality of charging facilities for brokering electric power from a power source to at least one structurally supported charge transfer apparatus maintained at each of the charging facilities.