Patent Description:
The present application relates to the technical field of combined applications of automobiles with aircrafts, and particularly to a modular flying car, a flying car system, and a vehicle dispatching method.

In the field of automobiles and aircrafts, a kind of flying car appears now. The flying car is equipped with propeller or jet turbine. It can not only drive on the ground, but also can form the shape of a plane by mechanical deformation. It can glide or realize vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). When the road is not unimpeded or the road is far away, it can fly directly to the destination and better solve the traffic jam problem.

It is well known that a good chassis is essential for a car to achieve good road driving performance. The chassis includes a large number of transmission devices and has a large weight, which is contradictory to the requirements of lightweight for aircrafts. Further, according to the principle of aerodynamics, a car needs to provide good downward pressure if it needs to drive stably, but an aircraft is completely opposite and it needs good rising force. This has brought difficulty to the aerodynamic design of the shape of the flying car, and has not been solved well till now.

<CIT> relates to dispatching and maintaining fleet of autonomous vehicles, wherein a fleet of autonomous vehicles constitutes a service, a user may transmit a request for autonomous transportation via one or more networks to autonomous vehicle service platform. In response, autonomous vehicle service platform may dispatch one of autonomous vehicles to transport user autonomously between different geographic locations.

<CIT> relates to a passenger transport system which is configured to: receive a service request from a passenger for a transport service of the VTOL aircraft; assign one of the VTOL aircraft to the requesting passenger; process the service request to generate a flight task; transmit the flight task to the assigned VTOL aircraft. The onboard computer of the VTOL aircraft is configured to control a flight of the VTOL aircraft to transport the passenger from a pickup location to a destination location by air based on the flight task.

In view of above, the present application provides a modular flying car which includes a ground vehicle and a flight vehicle capable of landing on the ground vehicle, wherein the users can choose to travel by the ground vehicle or the flight vehicle, and can transfer between the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle, to solve the traffic jam problem and make the realization of the flying car more feasible.

In an embodiment, the present application provides a vehicle dispatching method. The ground vehicle and the flight vehicle can be shared under the premise of payment. A user can communicate with the server using the terminal to realize calling the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle. In use, the user can transfer between the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle. After use, the user can return the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle while paying certain fees. The following several scenarios of use are given for example.

Scenario one: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a ground vehicle for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the ground vehicle. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle, so that the ground vehicle is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario two: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a ground vehicle for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the ground vehicle. When reaching the midway B, if there is a traffic jam or a bad road condition, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a flight vehicle for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle flies above and lands on the landing platform of the ground vehicle, so that the user can transfer from the ground vehicle to the flight vehicle and continue to travel by the flight vehicle. After transferring to the flight vehicle, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle, so that the ground vehicle is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle, so that the flight vehicle is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario three: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a flight vehicle for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the flight vehicle. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle, so that the flight vehicle is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario four: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a flight vehicle for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the flight vehicle. When reaching the midway B, if the road condition becomes better and no traffic jam, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a ground vehicle for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle lands on the landing platform of the ground vehicle, so that the user can transfer from the flight vehicle to the ground vehicle and continue to travel by the ground vehicle. After transferring to the ground vehicle, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle, so that the flight vehicle is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle, so that the ground vehicle is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario five: at the starting point A, the user can directly lease a ground vehicle from the lessor and travel by the ground vehicle. When reaching the midway B, if there is a traffic jam or a bad road condition, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a flight vehicle for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle flies above and lands on the landing platform of the ground vehicle, so that the user can transfer from the ground vehicle to the flight vehicle and continue to travel by the flight vehicle. After transferring to the flight vehicle, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle, so that the ground vehicle is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle, so that the flight vehicle is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario six: at the starting point A, the user can directly lease a flight vehicle from the lessor and travel by the flight vehicle. When reaching the midway B, if the road condition becomes better and no traffic jam, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle to the server through the terminal, the server allocates a ground vehicle for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle lands on the landing platform of the ground vehicle, so that the user can transfer from the flight vehicle to the ground vehicle and continue to travel by the ground vehicle. After transferring to the ground vehicle, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle, so that the flight vehicle is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle to the server through the terminal while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle, so that the ground vehicle is returned back to the lessor.

From above, the present application provides a modular flying car, a flying car system and a vehicle dispatching method. When the traffic is not unimpeded and the road condition is good, the users can choose to travel by the ground vehicle. When there is traffic jam or the road condition is not good, the users can choose to travel by the flight vehicle. Further, the users can transfer between the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle. As there is a landing platform formed on the ground vehicle, the flight vehicle can land on the landing platform of the ground vehicle, for facilitating the users to transfer between the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle. As such, even in the case of traffic jams, the users can reach their destinations quickly. Because the flight vehicle can fly independently, the flight vehicle does not need to design the chassis, and the ground vehicle does not have to consider the aerodynamic requirements of flight in design, so that the realization of the flying car is more feasible. Further, through the sharing of the ground vehicle and the flight vehicle, it provides the users with a new way of travel selection and improves the user experience.

In order to make the purposes, characteristics, and advantages of the present application more apparently, embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing figures.

Referring to <FIG>, a modular flying car is provided in a first embodiment of the present application which does not fall within the scope of the claims. The flying car has a modular structure, and includes a ground vehicle <NUM> and a flight vehicle <NUM>.

The ground vehicle <NUM> includes a chassis <NUM>, a first cabin <NUM> and a landing platform <NUM>. The landing platform <NUM> is used for landing the flight vehicle <NUM>. The ground vehicle <NUM> further includes power system, transmission system, steering system, braking system, and control system, etc., so that the ground vehicle <NUM> is able to drive independently. Preferably, the ground vehicle <NUM> is able to drive autonomously without manual operations. That is, the ground vehicle <NUM> has autonomous driving capability on roads and highways.

The flight vehicle <NUM> includes a second cabin <NUM> and a flight driving device <NUM>. The flight vehicle <NUM> further includes power device, transmission device, steering device, and control device, etc., so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is able to fly independently. Preferably, the flight vehicle <NUM> is able to fly autonomously without manual operations. That is, the flight vehicle <NUM> has autonomous flight capability.

The landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM> is provided for the flight vehicle <NUM> to land on. The flight vehicle <NUM> may be docked to the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>. Specifically, the flight vehicle <NUM> is able to vertically land on the landing platform <NUM> and connected with the ground vehicle <NUM> by interlocking, and the flight vehicle <NUM> is able to take off vertically from the landing platform <NUM>.

In the embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, the first cabin <NUM> is provided at a front end of the chassis <NUM>, the landing platform <NUM> is provided at a rear end of the chassis <NUM>. The landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM> is located behind the first cabin <NUM>. When the flight vehicle <NUM> is landed on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, the second cabin <NUM> and the first cabin <NUM> are adjoined with each other, to make the overall structure of the flying car compact. Herein, the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> each may have only a single row of seats. For example, when it is required to take only one or two occupants, a ground vehicle <NUM> with a single row of seats and a flight vehicle <NUM> with a single row of seats may be designed.

Referring to <FIG>, when the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM>, the nose of the flight vehicle <NUM> faces towards the rear end of the ground vehicle <NUM>, i.e., the nose of the flight vehicle <NUM> is disposed opposite to the head of the ground vehicle <NUM>. The first cabin <NUM> is provided with a first cabin door confronting the second cabin <NUM>, and the second cabin <NUM> is provided with a second cabin door confronting the first cabin <NUM>. The first cabin door and the second cabin door may be electric doors and be opened simultaneously, so that the occupants can transfer conveniently between the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> via the first cabin door and the second cabin door, without the need to get off from the first cabin <NUM> or the second cabin <NUM>. Further, the seats in the first cabin <NUM> and the second cabin <NUM> may be rotatable and can be rotated to face towards the cabin door, for facilitating the transfer for the occupants.

It is important that the ground vehicle <NUM> should be capable of supporting the precision landing of the flight vehicle <NUM> to the best extent possible because this will ensure normal operations can be conducted in most weather conditions. The flight vehicle <NUM> should keep people safe by physically removing spinning propellers from areas where people could walk. These problems may be solved by a ground vehicle <NUM> with a landing platform <NUM> that can lift the flight vehicle <NUM> high enough away from the ground that people cannot touch it but low enough when driving that people can easily ingress/egress.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, which does not fall within the scope of the claims, when the landing platform <NUM> is provided at the rear end of the chassis <NUM>, a height of the landing platform <NUM> may be regulated up and down relative to the chassis <NUM>. When the flight vehicle <NUM> performs takeoff or landing, the ground vehicle <NUM> may elevate the landing platform <NUM> up to a safety height, to keep people on the ground away from spinning propellers. Also, the ground vehicle <NUM> may lower the landing platform <NUM> down to a suitable height, for facilitating the occupants to get on/off the flight vehicle <NUM> or transfer between the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM>.

Specifically, the landing platform <NUM> may be supported on the chassis <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM> by a supporting frame <NUM>. The supporting frame <NUM> is connected with the chassis <NUM> through a driving device <NUM>. The driving device <NUM> is, for example, a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder. When the driving device <NUM> extends out or retracts back, the supporting frame <NUM> is driven to bring the landing platform <NUM> to move up or down relative to the chassis <NUM>. When the driving device <NUM> extends out, the landing platform <NUM> is raised up by the supporting frame <NUM>, and when the driving device <NUM> retracts back, the landing platform <NUM> is lowered down by the supporting frame <NUM>.

In another embodiment as shown in <FIG>, which do not fall within the scope of the claims, the first cabin <NUM> is formed on the chassis <NUM>, and a top of the first cabin <NUM> functions as the landing platform <NUM>. When the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> is docked to the top of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so long as it meets the height limit requirements of the roads. In this case, the ground vehicle <NUM> may have two rows of seats, to satisfy the need for taking more occupants. However, the flight vehicle <NUM> may be of a single row of seats for taking one or two occupants, to decrease the overall weight of the flight vehicle <NUM> and reduce the difficulty of design for the flight vehicle <NUM>.

When the flight vehicle <NUM> lands vertically on the ground vehicle <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> can effectively transfer the collision loads from the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM>.

During landing, the ground vehicle <NUM> can guide the flight vehicle <NUM> to realize vertical landing and docking. For example, the ground vehicle <NUM> is provided with a lidar device <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>). The lidar device <NUM> can detect the existence of potential risks around the landing area, the on-board computer can automatically assess whether the landing area meets the minimum requirements for landing, and the assessing result is sent to the flight vehicle <NUM> via encrypted data link. Further, the pilot of the flight vehicle <NUM> can also conduct a visual safety assessment of the landing area to ensure consistency with the automatic assessment result.

The lidar device <NUM> can further be used for performing alignment between the flight vehicle <NUM> and the landing platform <NUM> when the flight vehicle <NUM> is landing on the landing platform <NUM>. When the flight vehicle <NUM> flies above the landing platform <NUM> to be ready for landing on the ground vehicle <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> and the ground vehicle <NUM> communicate with each other via short-distance wireless communication technology. After the flight vehicle <NUM> is aligned with the landing platform <NUM> by using the lidar device <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> lands onto the landing platform <NUM> vertically.

Through two-way encrypted data link between the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> can provide guidance for the precise landing of the flight vehicle <NUM>. The two-way encrypted data link between the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> has wireless data transmission, high bandwidth, high speed and strong anti-electromagnetic interference capability.

The ground vehicle <NUM> can provide the following information and guidance for the precise landing of the flight vehicle <NUM>: real-time wind velocity and direction, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, azimuth (magnetic heading) and elevation angles of the landing platform <NUM>, differential GPS base station (GPS position), near-IR beacon lights, high-contrast optical alignment markings/lights, LIDAR detection for obstacles, encrypted data connection between the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM>.

When the flight vehicle <NUM> is docked to the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> are connected by interlocking with each other. A first locking device <NUM> is formed on the landing platform <NUM>, and a second locking device <NUM> is formed on a bottom portion of the flight vehicle <NUM>. When the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM>, the first locking device <NUM> and the second locking device <NUM> are connected by interlocking with each other, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is docked to the ground vehicle <NUM> by interlocking.

In an example as shown in <FIG>, which do not fall within the scope of the claims, the first locking device <NUM> includes claws <NUM> formed on the landing platform <NUM>, and the second locking device <NUM> includes grooves <NUM>. The claws <NUM> are insertable into the grooves <NUM>. Specifically, the second locking device <NUM> may be a fixing grid defined with a plurality of grooves <NUM>. Further, the claws <NUM> is rotatable on the landing platform <NUM>, in order to reduce the connecting accuracy requirement when the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>. The first locking device <NUM> further includes a supporting base <NUM> formed on the landing platform <NUM>, and the claws <NUM> are formed on the supporting base <NUM>.

In another example as shown in <FIG>, which do not fall within the scope of the claims, the first locking device <NUM> includes a first sucker <NUM> and a hook <NUM>, and the second locking device <NUM> includes a second sucker <NUM> and an engaging portion <NUM>. The first sucker <NUM> and the second sucker <NUM> are fixed by adsorption with each other, the engaging portion <NUM> is engaged with the hook <NUM>, thereby locking the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM>. The first sucker <NUM> and the second sucker <NUM> may be magnetic sucker or vacuum sucker. Under the adsorption force between the first sucker <NUM> and the second sucker <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> and the ground vehicle <NUM> are aligned automatically.

In a further example as shown in <FIG>, which do not fall within the scope of the claims, the first locking device <NUM> includes a first sucker <NUM>, an inserting groove <NUM> and a locking portion <NUM> formed in the inserting groove <NUM>. The second locking device <NUM> includes a second sucker <NUM>, an inserting pole <NUM> and a locking groove <NUM> formed in the inserting pole <NUM>. The first sucker <NUM> and the second sucker <NUM> are fixed by adsorption with each other, the inserting pole <NUM> is inserted into the inserting groove <NUM>, the locking portion <NUM> is locked in the locking groove <NUM> to fix the inserting pole <NUM> in the inserting groove <NUM>, thereby locking the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM>. The first sucker <NUM> and the second sucker <NUM> may be magnetic sucker or vacuum sucker. Under the adsorption force between the first sucker <NUM> and the second sucker <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> and the ground vehicle <NUM> are aligned automatically.

The power of the ground vehicle <NUM> can adopt pure electric mode or hybrid mode, and the power of the flight vehicle <NUM> can adopt pure electric mode or hybrid mode.

When the flight vehicle <NUM> is docked to the ground vehicle <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> can be charged by the ground vehicle <NUM>. Specifically, a first socket <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>) is formed on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, a second socket <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>) is formed on the flight vehicle <NUM> correspondingly. When the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM> stably, the second locking device <NUM> and the first locking device <NUM> are interlocked, the first socket <NUM> and the second socket <NUM> are connected by plug-in, the flight vehicle <NUM> and the ground vehicle <NUM> are electrically connected with each other, and the ground vehicle <NUM> is able to charge the flight vehicle <NUM>.

The ground vehicle <NUM> may have a battery pack. The minimum power supply mileage of the battery pack should be twice the distance between two farthest charging stations in the driving city. Since the ground vehicle <NUM> needs to charge the flight vehicle <NUM>, the capacity of the battery pack of the ground vehicle <NUM> should exceed <NUM> kilowatt hours.

In order to avoid the unfolded flight driving device <NUM> of the flight vehicle <NUM> from generating resistance or interference when the ground vehicle <NUM> drives on the road, the flight driving device <NUM> of the flight vehicle <NUM> can be retracted or folded in order to meet the requirements of road driving. After the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM>, the flight driving device <NUM> is retracted or folded towards the flight vehicle <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), in order to fit the flight vehicle <NUM> inside the footprint of the ground vehicle <NUM>. When the flight vehicle <NUM> needs to take off from the landing platform <NUM>, the flight driving device <NUM> is extended out from the flight vehicle <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), in order to provide the lift force for the flight vehicle <NUM>. For example, the flight vehicle <NUM> may be provided with a tandem wing with one lift fan per wing to allow excellent controllability of the quad-copter configuration while allowing the wings to simply fold (or sweep) forward and aft along the body to stay within a standard vehicle width when driving.

Specifically, the flight driving device <NUM> includes a driving motor <NUM>, a rotor <NUM> and a supporting arm <NUM>. The driving motor <NUM> is used for driving the rotor <NUM> to rotate, so as to enable the flight vehicle <NUM> to realize vertical takeoff and vertical landing. The rotor <NUM> is mounted on the supporting arm <NUM>, and the supporting arm <NUM> is connected to the second cabin <NUM>. The quantity of the flight driving device <NUM> may be multiple, i.e., the flight vehicle <NUM> may be a multi-rotor aircraft, e.g., having four rotors. Each rotor <NUM> is equipped with a driving motor <NUM>. Optionally, the flight driving device <NUM> may have a plurality of rotors and a plurality of fixing wings simultaneously.

The flight vehicle <NUM> can realize vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). VTOL requires the aircraft to accelerate air in a downward direction. The fundamental physics model of the actuator disk is useful for estimating specific power requirements.

The ideal power required to hover (not counting propeller inefficiencies or swirl imparted to the flow or extra power needed to climb) is:
<MAT>.

Where T is the thrust (equal to the gross takeoff weight, GTOW) of the flight vehicle, A is the actuator disk area (or the area swept out by the proprotor), and rho is the air density. Given an assumed air density and disk loading, this relation can be used to determine a minimum specific power allowable for an entire flight vehicle system. In SI units, this relation becomes:
<MAT>.

Or conversely, a given vehicle specific power can determine a maximum allowable disk loading:
<MAT>.

With this knowledge of the physics and the technical limits of today's battery technology, this simple relation can be used to determine estimates of the minimum propeller size for a given weight of flight vehicle. Although simplistic, this can be used to determine theoretical maximum weights for a given flight vehicle envelope/package size, which is particularly useful due to the geometric constraints of driving on roads.

To estimate vehicle specific power, we must know both the specific power of the battery and the battery mass fraction (the ratio of the battery weight to the gross vehicle weight). Given the experience of the A3 Vahana team, it is reasonable to use their battery mass fraction (~<NUM>%) as an initial guess. Therefore, the battery specific power must be reduced by a factor of four to estimate vehicle specific power. The SOA LG Chem cell would therefore enable a vehicle specific power of <NUM> W/kg necessitating a maximum potential disk loading of <NUM>/m^<NUM>. If we then scale the size of the Vahana by a factor of two to account for a doubling of the payload/occupancy, a candidate two place vehicle would have a maximum gross takeoff weight of <NUM> with a minimum allowable total lift fan size of <NUM>^<NUM>. If this minimum area were to be one rotor, it would be <NUM> meters diameter - which itself is larger than the allowable width of a truck. This suggests that some type of folding of the VTOL flight components may be required in order to stay within one lane once practical efficiencies are taken into account that will increase power and disk size requirements. If we were to restrict our battery choice to the highest specific energy Panasonic cells, the maximum allowable disk loading would only be <NUM>/m^<NUM> necessitating a <NUM>^<NUM> (<NUM> diameter) rotor for a <NUM> flight vehicle. This would likely force a helicopter-like configuration which would have significant range limitations due to the poor L/D (lift-to-drag ratio) and low frequency blade noise that will be less-well attenuated by the atmosphere. This example illustrates why battery specific power is fundamentally important to the flight vehicle.

Even with the best specific power cells available, it is certain that with today's battery technology, the disk area of the flight vehicle will be large compared to a typical car dimension. One could reasonably estimate a minimum of <NUM>^<NUM> disk area per person payload with today's battery technology. More disk area per unit payload will reduce the power required to hover and is therefore very desirable.

Equation <NUM> above represents an ideal (minimum) power required to hover. In practice, there are aerodynamic losses in the prop/rotor that cause the actual shaft power needed to be higher than the theoretical power calculated. These losses are summarized by a hover figure of merit (FM) which is simply a non-dimensional efficiency. In addition, there are required climb, maneuvering, and reserve excess power margins that are typically at least <NUM>%.

Typical hover FMs are in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> for VTOL aircrafts. These rotor losses noticeably increase the shaft power required.

In addition to the aerodynamic losses, electrical losses in the batteries, motors, wires, and inverters must be included to estimate maximum electrical power. These losses are commonly noted with an electrical efficiency ηe that is typically in the range of <NUM>.

The range of the electric flight vehicle can be calculated with the following equation:
<MAT>.

Where ηp is the propulsive efficiency of the propeller used for forward flight (which is different than the hover FM even if it is the same propeller due to the different operating regime), ηe, is the efficiency of the electric system in turning the propeller shaft (including all losses from the battery to the shaft power as described in equation <NUM>), <MAT> is the lift-to-drag ratio of the vehicle in cruise flight (the most relevant measure of aircraft platform efficiency), and Usable Cruise Energy is the fraction of the energy stored in the battery that can be reliably used for cruise flying.

Available Batt. Energy: available battery energy.

Typical allowable depth of discharge is <NUM>% to avoid potential battery damage. <MAT> is assumed to be approximately <NUM>%, and SOA battery technology (e.g., the LG Chem cells referenced above) has a specific energy of approximately <NUM> W-hr/kg.

There are many variables that can affect the hover time, but for our purposes, we will assume that both the climb and transition phase and the descent and landing phase require <NUM> seconds of hover power each. And that the vehicle must be capable of an aborted landing followed by a successful landing - requiring a total of <NUM>*<NUM>=<NUM> seconds of hover time.

Note that this amount of energy is proportional to the GTOW to the <NUM>/<NUM> power, so extra weight is particularly penalizing to VTOL battery energy required.

The reserve battery energy is determined by the FAA mandated minimum reserves for VTOL VFR (visual flight rules) flight of <NUM> minutes. This time is multiplied by the cruise power consumption. <MAT><MAT>.

Where Pecruise is the electric power consumed during cruise flight, and Vc is the cruise speed of the aircraft. Note that the three efficiencies of the range equation show up again here. Maximizing those efficiencies is key to making the flight vehicle have a practical range.

This first principles analysis is used to guide conceptual design of the flight vehicle. The equations above can be used to evaluate the effect of parametric changes on the range of a VTOL flight vehicle. In particular, the appropriate disk loading and the lift-to-drag ratio are important parameters to help evaluate the feasibility of the flight vehicle concept with today's battery technology.

These parameters of L/D and disk area drive much of the basic geometry of the flight vehicle: disk area determines the size of the VTOL proprotors and lift-to-drag ratio is proportional to the wingspan divided by the square root of the wetted area, both of which are major drivers of the basic geometry.

However, there is a good case for proceeding with development of a very high L/D VTOL folding aircraft for flight vehicle for at least two reasons. First improvements in battery technology will dramatically reduce requirements on L/D in the future. In addition, it is possible that the <NUM> minute VFR reserve could be dramatically reduced for electric VTOL aircraft. This could also help dramatically reduce the necessary L/D.

It is extremely difficult to execute precision landings in real-world conditions with gusts and unstable air. The vehicle dynamic control system will need to respond to these perturbations with sufficient control margin to allow the flight vehicle to land on the ground vehicle in all but the most extreme conditions. While the flight vehicle should always have the ability to land off of the vehicle (on the ground) in off-nominal operations, those operations should be extremely rare. We have recommended that the flight vehicle should be capable of conducting a precision landing on the ground vehicle in <NUM> kt winds with gusts to <NUM> kts. Conditions worse than these are rare in most locations, and as such, it should be possible to avoid ground-landings most of the time. For those times when a landing on the ground is necessary, the ground vehicle will need to have the capability of loading the flight vehicle onto it (like a flatbed tow truck).

The ground vehicle will need to be capable of conducting an assessment of a potential VTOL operations location. This determination could be made through the use of the ground vehicle's on-board LIDAR system to map out surrounding obstacles and wires that could pose a hazard to VTOL operations. In addition, the flight vehicle operator should be required to conduct a visual assessment of the landing area to ensure that he/she agrees with the assessment of the automation. The ground vehicle AI should continuously learn from this operator teaching and it should become better at making site assessment with time.

In an embodiment, the flight vehicle <NUM> has a cruise speed greater than <NUM>/hr (<NUM> kts), a minimum range of <NUM> (<NUM> nautical miles), a noise signature less than <NUM> dB at a distance of <NUM> feet altitude, a minimum payload of <NUM> (one occupant), and preferably with a minimum payload of <NUM> (two occupants). The flight vehicle <NUM> has the ability to land on the ground vehicle <NUM> in <NUM> kt winds with gusts to <NUM> kts. The flight vehicle <NUM> has a disk area of <NUM>^<NUM> and a L/D of <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, which does not fall within the scope of the claims, the flight vehicle <NUM> further includes a parachute system by which safe landing is possible in case of emergency, such as loss of power. The parachute system includes a parachute <NUM>, a parachute housing <NUM> and an emergency button <NUM>. The parachute housing <NUM> is formed in the flight vehicle <NUM>, and the parachute <NUM> is received in the parachute housing <NUM>. The emergency button <NUM> is used to control the parachute <NUM> to open. When the flight vehicle <NUM> is in emergency situations such as falling, the occupants can press the emergency button <NUM> to open the parachute housing <NUM> and release the parachute <NUM>, to prevent the flight vehicle <NUM> from falling and improve the safety of flight.

Further, the flight vehicle <NUM> can land directly onto the ground in an emergency, and the flight vehicle <NUM> can be picked up by the ground vehicle <NUM> to the landing platform <NUM>. That is, the ground vehicle <NUM> can lift the flight vehicle <NUM> from the ground and load it to the landing platform <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a flying car system is provided in a second embodiment of the present application. The flying car system includes a ground vehicle <NUM>, a flight vehicle <NUM> and a server <NUM>. The structures about the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> can refer to the above first embodiment, and are omitted herein for clarity.

The ground vehicle <NUM> further includes a driving controller <NUM> and a first communication module <NUM>. The first communication module <NUM> is connected with the driving controller <NUM>. The flight vehicle <NUM> further includes a flight controller <NUM> and a second communication module <NUM>. The second communication module <NUM> is connected with the flight controller <NUM>. The server <NUM> includes a processor <NUM> and a third communication module <NUM>. The third communication module <NUM> is connected with the processor <NUM>.

The ground vehicle <NUM> and the server <NUM> are communicated with each other wirelessly via the first communication module <NUM> and the third communication module <NUM>. The flight vehicle <NUM> and the server <NUM> are communicated with each other wirelessly via the second communication module <NUM> and the third communication module <NUM>. Particularly, a wireless communication connection between the first communication module <NUM> and the third communication module <NUM>, and between the second communication module <NUM> and the third communication module <NUM>, can be realized through <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, GPRS and other wireless networks.

The ground vehicle <NUM> further includes a first positioning module <NUM>. The first positioning module <NUM> is connected with the driving controller <NUM>. The first positioning module <NUM> is used for acquiring the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM>, and the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> may be sent to the server <NUM> through the first communication module <NUM>. After receiving the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM>, the server <NUM> may further send the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> to the flight vehicle <NUM> and/or a terminal <NUM> through the third communication module <NUM>.

The flight vehicle <NUM> further includes a second positioning module <NUM>. The second positioning module <NUM> is connected with the flight controller <NUM>. The second positioning module <NUM> is used for acquiring the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM>, and the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> may be sent to the server <NUM> through the second communication module <NUM>. After receiving the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM>, the server <NUM> may further send the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM> and/or the terminal <NUM> through the third communication module <NUM>.

The ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> above can be shared under the premise of payment. A user can communicate with the server <NUM> using the terminal <NUM> to realize calling the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM>. In use, the user can transfer between the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM>. After use, the user can return the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> while paying certain fees. Hereinafter, several scenarios of use are given for example.

Scenario one: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a ground vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario two: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a ground vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>. When reaching the midway B, if there is a traffic jam or a bad road condition, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a flight vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle <NUM> flies above and lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the user can transfer from the ground vehicle <NUM> to the flight vehicle <NUM> and continue to travel by the flight vehicle <NUM>. After transferring to the flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario three: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a flight vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the flight vehicle <NUM>. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario four: at the starting point A, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a flight vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, so that the user can travel by the flight vehicle <NUM>. When reaching the midway B, if the road condition becomes better and no traffic jam, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a ground vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the user can transfer from the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM> and continue to travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>. After transferring to the ground vehicle <NUM>, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario five: at the starting point A, the user can directly lease a ground vehicle <NUM> from the lessor and travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>. When reaching the midway B, if there is a traffic jam or a bad road condition, the user can send a call request for calling a flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a flight vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle <NUM> flies above and lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the user can transfer from the ground vehicle <NUM> to the flight vehicle <NUM> and continue to travel by the flight vehicle <NUM>. After transferring to the flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor.

Scenario six: at the starting point A, the user can directly lease a flight vehicle <NUM> from the lessor and travel by the flight vehicle <NUM>. When reaching the midway B, if the road condition becomes better and no traffic jam, the user can send a call request for calling a ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, the server <NUM> allocates a ground vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the call request, the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the user can transfer from the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM> and continue to travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>. After transferring to the ground vehicle <NUM>, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor. After reaching the destination C, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM> while paying the fees for the use of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> is returned back to the lessor.

According to the actual needs, the user can flexibly select the travel mode by the ground vehicle <NUM> or by the flight vehicle <NUM>. For example, the user can firstly travel by a ground vehicle <NUM>, then transfer to a flight vehicle <NUM>, later transfer to a ground vehicle <NUM>, and finally transfer to a flight vehicle <NUM> to reach the destination.

A vehicle dispatching method is provided in a third embodiment of the present application. The method includes:
S101: the terminal <NUM> sends a first call request for calling a ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM>, and the terminal <NUM> sends a first position information to the server <NUM>;.

Specifically, the terminal <NUM> may be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or other electronic devices. On the terminal <NUM>, a client (i.e., an application) for leasing the ground vehicle <NUM> and the flight vehicle <NUM> can be installed in advance, so that the user can send a call request for calling ground vehicle <NUM> or flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> by using the client.

When the user needs to travel, if the road condition is good, priority can be made to travel by a ground vehicle <NUM>, in order to reduce travel costs. Therefore, the user can send a first call request for calling a ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, and meanwhile, a first position information is also sent to the server <NUM> by the terminal <NUM>, wherein the first position information may be the location of the user when the terminal <NUM> sends the first call request to the server <NUM>, or a specific location that is specified by the user when the terminal <NUM> sends the first call request to the server <NUM>.

S103: the server <NUM> allocates an available ground vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the first call request;.

Specifically, after receiving the first call request, the server <NUM> allocates an available ground vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the first call request. In the first call request, the user can specify the performance requirements of the called ground vehicle <NUM>, such as the discharge capacity, single row of seats or two rows of seats, etc., so that the server <NUM> can allocate a ground vehicle <NUM> that is suitable for the user according to the first call request.

Further, according to the received first position information, the server <NUM> may allocate an available ground vehicle <NUM> for the user from the ground vehicle parking lot which is nearest to the first position when allocating a ground vehicle <NUM> for the user, in order to improve the operating efficiency, reduce the running cost, and save the time for the user to wait.

S105: the server <NUM> sends the first position information to the allocated ground vehicle <NUM>;.

S107: the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> moves to the first position according to the first position information, so that the user can travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>.

Specifically, after allocating an available ground vehicle <NUM> for the user, the server <NUM> sends the received first position information to the allocated ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> can move to the first position according to the first position information.

Preferably, the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> is able to drive autonomously, or optionally, is able to drive autonomously and manually. After the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> receives the first position information, the driving controller <NUM> can generate a navigation route automatically according to the first position information, and control the ground vehicle <NUM> to drive autonomously to the first position along the navigation route. Further, when the user travels by the ground vehicle <NUM>, the user only needs to input the desired destination, the ground vehicle <NUM> can drive autonomously, and the user does not need to manually control the ground vehicle <NUM>, which is very convenient.

Since the ground vehicle <NUM> has the first positioning module <NUM>, the first positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the first communication module <NUM>. Therefore, in the course of the ground vehicle <NUM> moving to the first position, the ground vehicle <NUM> can send its position information to the server <NUM> through the first communication module <NUM>. After the server <NUM> receives the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM>, the server <NUM> sends the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> to the terminal <NUM>, so that after calling a ground vehicle <NUM>, the user can know the current position of the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> at any time through the terminal <NUM>.

After the user reaches a destination by taking the ground vehicle <NUM>, the user can return the ground vehicle <NUM>. Therefore, the method may further include:.

Specifically, after the user arrives at his/her desitination by the ground vehicle <NUM>, the user can send a return request for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>. Since the ground vehicle <NUM> has the first positioning module <NUM>, the first positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the first communication module <NUM>. Therefore, the server <NUM> can select a ground vehicle parking lot for returning the ground vehicle <NUM> according to the return request and the current position information of the ground vehicle <NUM>. For example, the server <NUM> can select a ground vehicle parking lot which is nearest to the ground vehicle <NUM> for returning the ground vehicle <NUM>, and send the location information of the ground vehicle parking lot to the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> can return to the selected ground vehicle parking lot according to the location information of the ground vehicle parking lot.

Generally, the lessor who runs the lease business of the ground vehicle <NUM> will set up a plurality of ground vehicle parking lots at various different locations throughout the country. When the user reaches a destination after travelling a long distance by the ground vehicle <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> can be returned to the nearest ground vehicle parking lot to the user when returing, so that the ground vehicle <NUM> can be returned to the nearby ground vehicle parking lot conveniently, and the ground vehicle <NUM> does not need to drive back to the original ground vehicle parking lot, thereby improving the operation efficiency.

A vehicle dispatching method is provided in a fourth embodiment of the present application. The method includes:.

Specifically, after receiving the second call request, the server <NUM> allocates an available flight vehicle <NUM> for the user according to the second call request. In the second call request, the user can specify the performance requirements of the called flight vehicle <NUM>, such as the flying speed, single row of seats or two rows of seats, etc., so that the server <NUM> can allocate a flight vehicle <NUM> that is suitable for the user according to the second call request.

Further, according to the received second position information, the server <NUM> may allocate an available flight vehicle <NUM> for the user from the flight vehicle parking lot which is nearest to the second position when allocating a flight vehicle <NUM> for the user, in order to improve the operating efficiency, reduce the running cost, and save the time for the user to wait.

Specifically, after allocating an available flight vehicle <NUM> for the user, the server <NUM> sends the received second position information to the allocated flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the allocated flight vehicle <NUM> can fly to the second position according to the second position information. After the flight vehicle <NUM> flies above the ground vehicle <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the user can transfer from the ground vehicle <NUM> to the flight vehicle <NUM> and continue to travel by the flight vehicle <NUM>.

Since the ground vehicle <NUM> has the first positioning module <NUM>, the first positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the first communication module <NUM>. In order to ensure that the flight vehicle <NUM> can find the ground vehicle <NUM> accurately, the position information of the ground vehicle <NUM> is continually sent to the flight vehicle <NUM> in real time through the server <NUM>. As such, even if the ground vehicle <NUM> has moved to a new position different from the second position after the terminal <NUM> sends the second call request to the server <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> can also accurately find the ground vehicle <NUM> according to the current position of the ground vehicle <NUM>.

Preferably, the allocated flight vehicle <NUM> is able to drive autonomously, or optionally, is able to drive autonomously and manually. After the flight vehicle <NUM> receives the second position information, the flight controller <NUM> can generate a navigation route automatically according to the second position information, and control the flight vehicle <NUM> to drive autonomously to the second position along the navigation route. Further, when the user travels by the flight vehicle <NUM>, the user only needs to input the desired destination, the flight vehicle <NUM> can fly autonomously, and the user does not need to manually control the flight vehicle <NUM>, which is very convenient.

Since the flight vehicle <NUM> has the second positioning module <NUM>, the second positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the second communication module <NUM>. Therefore, in the course of the flight vehicle <NUM> flying to the second position, the flight vehicle <NUM> can send its position information to the server <NUM> through the second communication module <NUM>. After the server <NUM> receives the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM>, the server <NUM> sends the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> to the terminal <NUM>, so that after calling a flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can know the current position of the allocated flight vehicle <NUM> at any time through the terminal <NUM>.

After the user transfers from the ground vehicle <NUM> to the flight vehicle <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> is in an idle state, and the user can choose to return the ground vehicle <NUM> first. Therefore, the method may further include:.

The above steps of S217, S219 and S221 can respectively refer to the above steps of S109, S111 and S113 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

After the user reaches a destination by taking the flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can return the flight vehicle <NUM>. Therefore, the method may further include:.

Specifically, after the user arrives at his/her desitination by the flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can send a return request for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>. Since the flight vehicle <NUM> has the second positioning module <NUM>, the second positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the second communication module <NUM>. Therefore, the server <NUM> can select a flight vehicle parking lot for returning the flight vehicle <NUM> according to the return request and the current position information of the flight vehicle <NUM>. For example, the server <NUM> can select a flight vehicle parking lot which is nearest to the flight vehicle <NUM> for returning the flight vehicle <NUM>, and send the location information of the flight vehicle parking lot to the flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> can return to the selected flight vehicle parking lot according to the location information of the flight vehicle parking lot.

Generally, the lessor who runs the lease business of the flight vehicle <NUM> will set up a plurality of flight vehicle parking lots at various different locations throughout the country. When the user reaches a destination after travelling a long distance by the flight vehicle <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> can be returned to the nearest flight vehicle parking lot to the user when returing, so that the flight vehicle <NUM> can be returned to the nearby flight vehicle parking lot conveniently, and the flight vehicle <NUM> does not need to fly back to the original flight vehicle parking lot, thereby improving the operation efficiency.

A vehicle dispatching method is provided in a fifth embodiment of the present application. The method includes:.

When the user needs to travel, if the road condition is not good, priority can be made to travel by a flight vehicle <NUM>. Therefore, the user can send a first call request for calling a flight vehicle <NUM> to the server <NUM> through the terminal <NUM>, and meanwhile, a first position information is also sent to the server <NUM> by the terminal <NUM>, wherein the first position information may be the location of the user when the terminal <NUM> sends the first call request to the server <NUM>, or a specific location that is specified by the user when the terminal <NUM> sends the first call request to the server <NUM>.

Specifically, after allocating an available flight vehicle <NUM> for the user, the server <NUM> sends the received first position information to the allocated flight vehicle <NUM>, so that the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> can fly to the first position according to the first position information.

Preferably, the allocated flight vehicle <NUM> is able to drive autonomously, or optionally, is able to drive autonomously and manually. After the flight vehicle <NUM> receives the first position information, the flight controller <NUM> can generate a navigation route automatically according to the first position information, and control the flight vehicle <NUM> to drive autonomously to the first position along the navigation route. Further, when the user travels by the flight vehicle <NUM>, the user only needs to input the desired destination, the flight vehicle <NUM> can fly autonomously, and the user does not need to manually control the flight vehicle <NUM>, which is very convenient.

Since the flight vehicle <NUM> has the second positioning module <NUM>, the second positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the second communication module <NUM>. Therefore, in the course of the flight vehicle <NUM> flying to the first position, the flight vehicle <NUM> can send its position information to the server <NUM> through the second communication module <NUM>. After the server <NUM> receives the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM>, the server <NUM> sends the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> to the terminal <NUM>, so that after calling a flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can know the current position of the allocated flight vehicle <NUM> at any time through the terminal <NUM>.

The above steps of S309, S311, S313 can respectively refer to the above steps of S223, S225, S227 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

A vehicle dispatching method is provided in a sixth embodiment of the present application. The method includes:.

Specifically, after allocating an available ground vehicle <NUM> for the user, the server <NUM> sends the received second position information to the allocated ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the allocated ground vehicle <NUM> can move to the second position according to the second position information. After the ground vehicle <NUM> has come to the second position, the flight vehicle <NUM> lands on the landing platform <NUM> of the ground vehicle <NUM>, so that the user can transfer from the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM> and continue to travel by the ground vehicle <NUM>.

Since the flight vehicle <NUM> has the second positioning module <NUM>, the second positioning module <NUM> can acquire the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> in real time, and the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> is sent to the server <NUM> in real time through the second communication module <NUM>. In order to ensure that the ground vehicle <NUM> can find the flight vehicle <NUM> accurately, the position information of the flight vehicle <NUM> is continually sent to the ground vehicle <NUM> in real time through the server <NUM>. As such, even if the flight vehicle <NUM> has moved to a new position different from the second position after the terminal <NUM> sends the second call request to the server <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> can also accurately find the flight vehicle <NUM> according to the current position of the flight vehicle <NUM>.

After the user transfers from the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> is in an idle state, and the user can choose to return the flight vehicle <NUM> first. Therefore, the method may further include:.

The above steps of S417, S419, S421 can respectively refer to the above steps of S223, S225, S227 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

The above steps of S423, S425, S427 can respectively refer to the above steps of S109, S111, S113 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

A vehicle dispatching method is provided in a seventh embodiment of the present application. The method includes:
S501: the user takes a ground vehicle <NUM> to travel at a first position;.

Specifically, when the user owns a ground vehicle <NUM>, the user can take his/her own ground vehicle <NUM> to travel, wherein the first position is the parking place of the ground vehicle <NUM> of the user.

Alternatively, the ground vehicle <NUM> may also be shared under the premise of payment. As such, the user can directly go to a nearest ground vehicle parking lot to lease a ground vehicle <NUM> from the lessor, wherein the first position is the ground vehicle parking lot for parking the ground vehicle <NUM>.

The above steps of S505, S507, S509 can respectively refer to the above steps of S211, S213, S215 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

After the user transfers from the ground vehicle <NUM> to the flight vehicle <NUM>, the ground vehicle <NUM> is in an idle state. If the ground vehicle <NUM> is shared under payment, the user can choose to return the ground vehicle <NUM> first. Therefore, the method may further include:.

The above steps of S511, S513, S515 can respectively refer to the above steps of S109, S111, S113 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

The above steps of S517, S519, S521 can respectively refer to the above steps of S223, S225, S227 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

A vehicle dispatching method is provided in an eighth embodiment of the present application. The method includes:
S601: the user takes a flight vehicle <NUM> to travel at a first position;.

Specifically, when the user owns a flight vehicle <NUM>, the user can take his/her own flight vehicle <NUM> to travel, wherein the first position is the parking place of the flight vehicle <NUM> of the user.

Alternatively, the flight vehicle <NUM> may also be shared under the premise of payment. As such, the user can directly go to a nearest flight vehicle parking lot to lease a flight vehicle <NUM> from the lessor, wherein the first position is the flight vehicle parking lot for parking the flight vehicle <NUM>.

The above steps of S605, S607, S609 can respectively refer to the above steps of S411, S413, S415 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

After the user transfers from the flight vehicle <NUM> to the ground vehicle <NUM>, the flight vehicle <NUM> is in an idle state. If the flight vehicle <NUM> is shared under payment, the user can choose to return the flight vehicle <NUM> first. Therefore, the method may further include:.

The above steps of S611, S613, S615 can respectively refer to the above steps of S223, S225, S227 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

The above steps of S617, S619, S621 can respectively refer to the above steps of S109, S111, S113 for more details, and are herein omitted for clarity.

Claim 1:
A vehicle dispatching method comprising:
a terminal (<NUM>) sending a first call request for calling a ground vehicle (<NUM>) to a server (<NUM>), and the terminal (<NUM>) sending a first position information to the server (<NUM>);
the server (<NUM>) allocating an available ground vehicle (<NUM>) for the user according to the first call request;
the server (<NUM>) sending the first position information to the allocated ground vehicle (<NUM>);
the allocated ground vehicle (<NUM>) moving to the first position (A) according to the first position information, so that the user is able to travel by the ground vehicle (<NUM>) from the first position (A) to a second position (B);
the method further comprising:
the terminal (<NUM>) sending a second call request for calling a flight vehicle (<NUM>) to the server (<NUM>), and the terminal (<NUM>) sending a second position information to the server (<NUM>);
the server (<NUM>) allocating an available flight vehicle (<NUM>) for the user according to the second call request;
the server (<NUM>) sending the second position information to the allocated flight vehicle (<NUM>);
the allocated flight vehicle (<NUM>) flying to the second position (B) according to the second position information, and the flight vehicle (<NUM>) landing on a landing platform (<NUM>) of the ground vehicle (<NUM>), so that the user is able to transfer from the ground vehicle (<NUM>) to the flight vehicle (<NUM>) and continue to travel by the flight vehicle (<NUM>) from the second position (B) to a third position (C).