US 12,240,616 B2
Drones and drone systems
Mario Swaidan, Plymouth, MI (US)
Assigned to Aerbots, Inc., Lansing, MI (US)
Filed by Aerbots, Inc., Lansing, MI (US)
Filed on Apr. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/131,519.
Application 18/131,519 is a division of application No. 17/670,265, filed on Feb. 11, 2022, granted, now 11,661,192.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/149,216, filed on Feb. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0242251 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B62D 63/04 (2006.01); B64D 27/24 (2006.01); B64D 31/02 (2006.01); B64U 30/26 (2023.01); B64D 27/353 (2024.01); B64U 20/40 (2023.01); B64U 20/60 (2023.01); B64U 30/297 (2023.01)
CPC B64D 27/24 (2013.01) [B62D 63/04 (2013.01); B64D 31/02 (2013.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 30/26 (2023.01); B64D 27/353 (2024.01); B64U 20/40 (2023.01); B64U 20/60 (2023.01); B64U 30/297 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A drone system, comprising:
a plurality of unit drones, each unit drone being connectable to another unit drone such that when the plurality of unit drones are directly or indirectly connected, the plurality of connected unit drones form a remotely controllable unitary body, wherein at least one of the unit drones comprises
a housing;
a ring assembly supported by the housing, the ring assembly comprising a top bearing with a top movable inner portion and a bottom bearing with a bottom movable inner portion and a wall connected with and extending between the top movable inner portion and the bottom movable inner portion;
an external rotator supported by the housing, the external rotator being outside of the ring assembly and having an outer surface mechanically engaged with an outer surface of the wall in the ring assembly, the external rotator configured to drive circumferential rotation of the movable portions of the ring assembly about a first axis; and
the wall of the ring assembly having a pair of openings opposite one another, each opening having an internal rotator therein, the pair of internal rotators directly or indirectly supporting a propulsion system inside the ring assembly, where at least one of the internal rotators is configured to drive rotation of the propulsion system about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
wherein, in operation, the housing has an orientation that is independent of an orientation of the propulsion system, and rotation of the ring assembly about the first axis is independent of rotation of the propulsion system about the second axis, permitting the propulsion system to assume substantially any position within a sphere inside the ring assembly.