Patent ID: 11964773
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G  H  Y | IPC B  G  H

Claim 15:
16. A method for transferring electric power, comprising:
(a) navigating a donor aircraft and a receiver aircraft to positions where a hook mounted to the receiver aircraft is in proximity with a trapeze bar mounted to the drogue;
(b) hooking the hook onto the trapeze bar;
(c) latching the trapeze bar inside the hook;
(d) transferring electric power from the donor aircraft to the trapeze bar;
(e) transferring electric power from the trapeze bar to the hook via electrical contacts; and
(f) transferring electric power from the hook to a battery charger onboard the receiver aircraft, wherein:
step (b) comprises moving the trapeze bar and hook relative to each other so that the trapeze bar contacts and then pushes a pivotable latch of the hook from a closed position to an open position; and
step (c) comprises exerting a spring force that pushes the pivotable latch from the open position to the closed position to maintain the trapeze bar in a position where the electrical conductors of the trapeze bar are in electrical contact with the electrical conductors of the hook.