US 12,227,299 B1
Electric vehicles with detachably coupled propulsion units
Madeline Elliott Parker, San Francisco, CA (US); Graham Bowen-Davies, San Jose, CA (US); and Robert Donald Vocke, III, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Kitty Hawk Corporation, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by Kitty Hawk Corporation, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/484,233.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/084,375, filed on Sep. 28, 2020.
Int. Cl. B64D 27/24 (2024.01); B60L 53/80 (2019.01); B64C 29/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 27/24 (2013.01) [B60L 53/80 (2019.02); B64C 29/0033 (2013.01); B60L 2200/10 (2013.01); B64C 2211/00 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A propulsion unit system, comprising:
a battery;
a communications interface that is configured to exchange, with a vehicle that includes a central flight controller, one or more decoupling communications associated with decoupling the vehicle and the propulsion unit system;
a configuration controller that is configured to:
send, to an attachment interface, a release instruction associated with decoupling the vehicle and the propulsion unit system; and
configure a motor controller to be under the control of a local flight controller;
the local flight controller that is configured to generate a motor control signal for a first propeller; and
the motor controller that is configured to rotate the first propeller as commanded by the motor control signal.