Patent ID: 11919665
Assignee: TB2 AEROSPACE
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  H  Y | IPC B

Claim 11:
12. A method of powering a UAV for enhanced aerial delivery capability, the method comprising:
providing a UAV having a primary battery to provide power to one or more electrical motors for powered flight;
providing a pod having a cargo portion to selectively carry a payload, the pod having a supplemental battery to selectively supply power to the UAV; and
providing an autonomous mounting system configured to provide selective and autonomous mechanical connection of the pod with the UAV, the mounting system configured to provide selective and autonomous electrical connection of the supplemental battery of the pod to the UAV so as to selectively power the one or more electrical motors of the UAV with the stored electrical power from the supplemental battery when the mounting system mechanically and electrically connects the UAV and the pod to one another;
providing an autonomous docking system having a docking station and a pod locking/release mechanism, the docking station configured to provide selective and autonomous mechanical connection of the pod with the pod locking/release mechanism, and the autonomous docking system configured to provide selective and autonomous electrical connection to the supplemental battery of the pod, and the pod locking/release mechanism configured to selectively and autonomously secure the pod to the autonomous docking system so as to prevent removal of the pod by an unauthorized party;
autonomously mounting the UAV to a selected one from a plurality of pods;
flying the UAV from a first location to a second location using power supplied from the supplemental battery to the UAV, wherein the supplemental battery provides an enhanced range of flight for the UAV in addition to the primary battery; and
selectively and autonomously securing the pod to the autonomous docking system so as to prevent removal of the pod by an unauthorized party.