A vertiport exchange station has a plurality of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air taxis, a plurality of landing/takeoff pads arranged in a rectangular pattern, a passenger terminal for arrival and departure of passengers, a plurality of electric motor driven chassis each adapted to carry a pod adapted to carry one or more passengers, a transfer path guiding the chassis in a closed loop, and a control system. One or more incoming passengers enter a pod at the passenger terminal, an air taxi is guided to a specific pad, the chassis carrying the pod is transported to a point near the specific pad, is guided to stop on the specific pad, the air taxi is guided to connect to the pod, the pod is detached from the chassis, and the air taxi is guided to ascend and to proceed to a programmed destination.

A payload support frame is adapted to suspend a payload from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during flight. The frame comprises at least one elongated rigid segment, at least one upper flexible segment at an upper end of the rigid segment, and at least one lower flexible segment at a lower end of the rigid segment. One or more of (a) the at least one rigid segment, (b) the at least one upper flexible segment, or (c) the at least one lower flexible segment comprise a dielectric material. The upper flexible segment is adapted to be selectively attachable, directly or indirectly, to the UAV. The lower flexible segment is adapted to be selectively attachable, directly or indirectly, to the payload.

A payload retrieval apparatus is provided including a channel having a first end and a second end provided with a curved portion, wherein the channel has a tether slot therein and is configured to receive a payload retriever attached to a tether suspended from a UAV; and a payload holder positioned at the second end of the channel on the curved portion, wherein the payload holder is adapted to hold a payload having a handle with an opening therein, wherein the curved portion is configured to change an exit angle of the payload retriever such that a lip of the payload retriever is angled upwardly to ease entry of the lip into the opening of the handle of the payload.

A package coupling apparatus for securing a package to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The package coupling apparatus includes a support plate configured to be secured to an upper surface of the package and a handle extending up from the support plate. The handle includes a handle opening and a bridge that extends over the handle opening, wherein the bridge is configured to be secured by a component of the UAV.

An aspect of the present invention provides a pickup system which makes, even in a case of transporting a load by using a single unmanned flying object, the unmanned flying object and the load less likely to tilt. A pickup system (1) includes: a holder (11) for holding a load (L); a measuring instrument (14) for measuring the position of the center of gravity of the holder (11) holding the load (L); and a controller (15) for moving, to a position immediately above the position of the center of gravity of the holder (11) holding the load (L), a connector (12) which is attached to the holder (11) in a movable manner and which is for connecting the holder (11) to a drone (D).

A hitch mount assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle is shown and described. The hitch mount assembly may include a mount body operatively engagable with an aerial vehicle such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), where the mount body has an attachment feature to be selectively secured to the UAV and allow for selective attachment to a plurality of UAVs. A stabilizing unit attached to the mount body. The stabilizing unit may include a gimbal mounted gyro stabilization unit. A connection plate attached to the stabilizing unit. The connection plate may be attachable to various implement assemblies.

A hitch mount assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle is shown and described. The hitch mount assembly may include a mount body operatively engagable with an aerial vehicle such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), where the mount body has an attachment feature to be selectively secured to the UAV and allow for selective attachment to a plurality of UAVs. A stabilizing unit attached to the mount body. The stabilizing unit may include a gimbal mounted gyro stabilization unit. A connection plate attached to the stabilizing unit. The connection plate may be attachable to various implement assemblies.

An unmanned aerial vehicle executes: a movement control process that moves the unmanned aerial vehicle to a delivery area including a delivery address to which a package is to be delivered, the delivery area including delivery destination candidates, and each of the delivery destination candidates including an identification information indicator located at a position where the identification information indicator is readable from outside; an identification information acquiring process that acquires identification information associated with each delivery destination candidate by reading a corresponding identification information indicator; a delivery destination identifying process that identifies, as a delivery destination, a delivery destination candidate in which the acquired identification information matches the delivery address; a position identifying process that identifies a receiving position of the package based on a position of the identified delivery destination; and a placing process that places the package at the identified receiving position.

Provided is an apparatus or a method that can stabilize flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle after package receiving or package passing. A port as a package receiving or passing apparatus includes: a landing portion on which an aerial vehicle lands; a slider for horizontally moving the landed aerial vehicle to an indoor area; an elevating/lowering portion on which a package-chamber tray taken down from the aerial vehicle in the indoor area is to be placed; a movement control portion for elevating/lowering an elevating/lowering portion; a package moving portion for moving a package between a package storage portion and the package-chamber tray placed on the elevating/lowering portion; and a center of gravity adjustment portion for adjusting the center of gravity position of the aerial vehicle after package receiving or package passing.

There is disclosed an autonomous docking system for aerial delivery of a payload from a ground station. The system may comprise an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having one or more motors for powered flight and a pyramidal bottom surface opening downward to terminate in a base perimeter. A cargo pod may be included to carry the payload and may have a pyramidal top surface complementary to the pyramidal bottom surface of the UAV. The system may further include a latching system for locking the UAV to the cargo pod and one or more steering components for approaching the cargo to within a steering accuracy. The UAV may be configured to dock by steering downward until the base perimeter slidably contacts the pyramidal top surface of the cargo pod for gravity-aligning the UAV in azimuth and laterally. The system may be further defined by a capture radius of the base perimeter being greater than a lateral component of the steering accuracy.