A system and method of displaying graphic information including a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that together form a display screen. Light elements are provided on each vehicle. A computer wirelessly connects to and controls the vehicles and is activated to deploy the vehicles and arrange them in a pattern in the air. The light elements become pixels on the display screen. The light elements may be on opposing regions of the unmanned aerial vehicles, thereby making it possible to view the display screen from more than one direction. Wireless signals are transmitted from the computer to the light elements. Light elements are selectively switched on and off in a manner that causes the light emitted therefrom to form textual or graphic images on one side and/or the other side of the display screen. When not in use, the vehicles are stored in a storage facility having charging stations.

A drone-based monitored storage system includes a shipment storage with an interior storage area and a drone storage area, an internal docking station, and an internal monitor drone disposed within the shipment storage that aerially monitors the items being shipped within the interior storage area. The monitor drone includes an airframe, battery, onboard controller, lifting engines and lifting rotors responsive to flight control input, communication interface, sensor array that gathers sensory information as the drone moves within the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage, and a drone capture interface that can selectively mate to the internal docking station to hold the monitor drone in a secure position. The monitor drone can gather the sensory information (such as environment information, image information, multidimensional mapping information, and scanned symbol information) and autonomously detect conditions of items being shipped based upon the sensory information from the sensor array.

A vertical landing is performed by an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle above a charger where the eVTOL vehicle includes a rotor that is configured to rotate during an occupant change state to keep the eVTOL vehicle stationary during the occupant change state. A vertically-oriented male charging port that is part of the eVTOL vehicle and a female charging port that is part of the charger are detachably coupled and a battery in the eVTOL vehicle is charged using the charger while the vertically-oriented male charging port and the female charging port are detachably coupled.

Systems and techniques are provided for charging devices at a property using battery-charging drones. In some implementations, a monitoring system is configured to monitor a property and includes a battery-powered sensor configured to generate sensor data. The system includes a drone that is configured to navigate the property and charge the battery-powered sensor. A monitor control unit is configured to obtain a battery level from the battery-powered sensor and compare the battery level to a battery level threshold. Based on the comparison, the monitor control unit determines that the battery level does not satisfy the threshold. Based on the determination, the monitor control unit generates and transmits an instruction to a drone for the drone to navigate to the battery-powered sensor and charge a battery of the battery-powered sensor. The monitor control unit receives data from the drone that indicates whether the drone charged the battery of the sensor.

Drone-based systems and methods for conducting a modified inspection of a delivery vehicle are described. A system has a delivery vehicle transceiver and an inspection drone paired to the vehicle that aerially inspects the vehicle. The delivery vehicle transceiver has a user interface and a wireless radio, while the paired inspection drone has a housing, onboard controller, memory storage, lifting engines, and a communication interface. The drone's onboard controller is operative to identify different existing delivery vehicle inspection points from an inspection profile record; receive an inspection update message from the communication interface; update the existing delivery vehicle inspection points with additional inspection points to yield a targeted inspection points corresponding to respective parts of the delivery vehicle; and conduct the modified inspection of the delivery vehicle by gathering the detected sensor-based inspection information related to each of the targeted inspection points.

A power supply control method and a monitoring system configured to implement the power supply control method are provided. The monitoring system includes a base station, a drone, and a processor. The base station includes a charging device. The charging device includes a power supply connector and a power source coupled to the power supply connector and outputting electric power through the power supply connector. The drone includes a battery configured to provide electric power to the drone and a charging connector configured to connect the battery and the power supply connector. When the charging connector is connected to the power supply connector, the processor determines an abnormal situation on the power supply connector or the drone according to an electrical characteristic during charging the battery by the power source. The abnormal situation is associated with a foreign object formed on the power supply connector or the drone.

A drone apparatus or arrangement is provided. The drone apparatus or arrangement includes a plurality of drone devices, each drone device including an unmanned vehicle configured to be controlled to hover in air at a desired height and move to a desired location, each drone device comprising a rechargeable battery connected to an exposed drone recharging surface, and a surface apparatus connected to the plurality of drone devices such that the plurality of drone devices are collectively controllable to reposition the surface apparatus to a desired location. Each drone device is configured to connect to and recharge at a compatible charging station including an exposed recharging station recharging surface configured to meet with one exposed drone recharging surface to recharge the rechargeable battery.

Drone-based systems and methods are described for providing an airborne relocatable communication hub within a delivery vehicle for broadcast-enabled devices maintained within the delivery vehicle. Such a method has an aerial communication drone paired with the delivery vehicle transitioning to an active power state, uncoupling from a secured position on an internal docking station fixed within the delivery vehicle and then moving to a first deployed airborne position within the delivery vehicle. At a first position, the method has the aerial communication drone establishing a first wireless data communication path to a first broadcast-enabled device within the delivery vehicle, then establishing a second wireless data communication path to a second broadcast-enabled device within the delivery vehicle. The drone then couples the first and second wireless data communication paths it established operating as the airborne relocatable communication hub for the devices.

A package delivery drone comprises at least one propeller for generating lift and an article containment area for containing an article to be carried by the drone. The floor of the article containment area comprises a dynamic support surface for supporting the article and allowing the article to move into, out of and through the article containment area. The package delivery drone interfaces with a docking station having a shelf for exchanging packages with the drone.

The presently disclosed embodiments generally relate to systems, devices, and methods for sensing and charging of electronic devices using coils. In some embodiments, the presently disclosed system can include a pad, a charging foot, and a backpack. The pad can include one or more nested coils therein that can sense one or more corresponding receiver coils of an unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that landed thereon. The nested coils of the pad can provide charging energy to the UAV independent of the location along the pad in which the UAV landed, and no precise alignment between the receiver coils and the charging coils is required. The charging foot can be attached to one or more legs of the UAV, and can include a receiver coil and circuitry to regulate energy received by the coil to a charging voltage level that can be provided to the battery.