US 12,252,280 B2
Docking station with retractable guide apparatus for unmanned aerial vehicle
Armin Strobel, St. John's (CA)
Appl. No. 17/791,826
Filed by 10112755 Canada Inc., St. John's (CA)
PCT Filed Jan. 11, 2021, PCT No. PCT/CA2021/050019
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 8, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/138748, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/959,905, filed on Jan. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0039483 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. B64U 80/70 (2023.01); B64C 3/56 (2006.01); B64U 10/20 (2023.01); B64U 30/12 (2023.01); B64U 50/37 (2023.01); B64U 70/95 (2023.01); B64U 70/97 (2023.01); B64U 80/25 (2023.01)
CPC B64U 80/70 (2023.01) [B64C 3/56 (2013.01); B64U 10/20 (2023.01); B64U 30/12 (2023.01); B64U 50/37 (2023.01); B64U 70/95 (2023.01); B64U 70/97 (2023.01); B64U 80/25 (2023.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A docking station for use with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the docking station comprising:
a retractable guide apparatus having a retracted state in which the retractable guide apparatus is retracted within the docking station and an expanded state in which the retractable guide is expanded outward from the docking station for physically guiding the UAV into the docking station,
wherein the retractable guide apparatus comprises a plurality of elongated guides, a push ring connected to a bottom portion of each of the plurality of elongated guides, and one or more actuators connected to the push ring and configured to move the push ring along a vertical direction, wherein in the retracted state an upper portion of each of the elongated guides is slidingly received in a guiding feature of a guiding structure arranged around a UAV opening, and the guiding features of the guiding structure are arranged in a shape having a slightly larger diameter than the push ring, such that when the push ring moves upwardly from the retracted state the guiding features cause upper ends of the elongated guides to splay outwardly as they move upwardly into the expanded state.