US 12,030,665 B2
Ground support station for aerial vehicles
Alon Svirsky, Even Yehuda (IL); Eli Sayag, Sderot (IL); Ron Dalva, Kibbutz Zikim (IL); and Nitay Morag, Nahal Oz (IL)
Filed by COPTERPIX PRO LTD., Kibbutz Karmia (IL)
Filed on Nov. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/994,415.
Application 17/994,415 is a continuation of application No. 17/832,712, filed on Jun. 6, 2022, granted, now 11,511,884.
Application 17/832,712 is a continuation of application No. 16/737,932, filed on Jan. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,352,148, issued on Jun. 7, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/896,038, filed on Sep. 5, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0108866 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. B64F 1/00 (2024.01); B64F 1/222 (2024.01); B64U 80/70 (2023.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 70/00 (2023.01)
CPC B64F 1/007 (2013.01) [B64F 1/222 (2013.01); B64C 39/024 (2013.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 70/00 (2023.01); B64U 80/70 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ground station for an aerial vehicle, the ground station comprising:
a protective casing comprising a bottom-panel, four side-panels and a top-closing, the top-closing comprising:
a first outwardly folding flap rotatably coupled along a common edge with a first side-panel, and
a second outwardly folding flap rotatably coupled along a common edge with a second side-panel opposite to said first side-panel;
a carrying module comprising handles for transporting the ground station;
a vehicle mounting module for coupling the protective casing to a vehicle when in transit;
an extendable landing pad operable to transition between:
a recessed configuration having dimensions suitable to be contained within said protective casing, and
an open configuration having dimensions suitable to land the aerial vehicle;
wherein the extendable landing pad comprises:
a rectangular base platform for supporting the aerial vehicle;
an elevator mechanism operable to raise or lower said rectangular base platform such that:
when the extendable landing pad is in the recessed configuration the rectangular base platform and the aerial vehicle are contained within said protective casing, and
when the extendable landing pad is in the open configuration the rectangular base platform is elevated from within the protective casing to a raised position such that an aerial vehicle placed thereupon is no longer contained by the protective casing;
four side flaps configured to fold out of the protective casing thereby providing side extensions to the rectangular base platform when the extendable landing pad is in the open configuration and to fold into the protective casing and be contained therewithin when the extendable landing pad is in the recessed configuration; and
four bridging lobes configured to fold out of the protective casing and to bridge gaps between said side extensions when the extendable landing pad is in the open configuration and to fold into the protective casing and be contained therewithin when the extendable landing pad is in the recessed configuration.