A payload device (variants) and air transportation system (variants) comprising payload device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an embodiment of a payload device comprising a housing provided with one or more toothed guides or one or more docking mechanisms, each toothed guide or docking mechanism configured to removably engage and interact with an unmanned aerial vehicle device being docked, the unmanned aerial vehicle device is docked with the payload device to enable the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to move relative to the housing of the payload device, and the housing of the payload device is further configured to detachably engage and interact with another (other) unmanned aerial vehicle device; the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can act on the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device so as to enable the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to exit from the interaction with the housing of the payload device. Further, the present invention relates to embodiments of an air transportation system, each embodiment comprising one of two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices and a payload device.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to transportation equipment, and in particular to a vehicle capable of flying or moving in the air to transport a user to a target location, and more specifically to a payload device with an improved design and an aerial transportation system comprising such a payload device and one of unmanned aerial vehicle devices configured to dock with the payload device. Background Art

[0002] To date, many different designs of payload units for transporting passengers and / or various types of cargo have been developed, as well as many different automated or semi-automated aerial transportation systems based on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAAs) that are configured to removably dock with a payload unit to move the payload unit through the air to a target location. However, while modern payload unit designs and modern aerial transportation systems (which are intended to move a payload unit through the air using an UAA docked with the payload unit's housing) make it possible to transport or move a user through the air to a target location relatively quickly, they have the significant disadvantage of not being able to move such a payload unit through the air to a target location uninterrupted over an extended period of time (i.e., without having to land the payload unit and then perform maintenance and range replenishment on the UAA involved in moving the payload unit through the air).

[0003] Therefore, in view of at least the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art designs of payload units and aerial transport systems based on transporting payload units through the air using unmanned aerial vehicle units, there is a pressing need to develop improved payload unit designs and improved aerial transport systems.

[0004] In particular, U.S. patent application No. 2023294849 (US 2023294849) published on September 21, 2023 provides a payload device, which includes a shell, which is provided with one or more docking mechanisms, each docking mechanism being configured to detachably engage and interact with the toothed guide of the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device so that the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device can move relative to the shell of the payload device, and provides an aerial transportation system, which includes a payload device according to US2023294849 and an unmanned aerial vehicle device docked with the shell of the payload device.

[0005] It is worth noting that the payload device and air transport system disclosed in US2023294849 do not overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, that is, it is impossible for such a payload device to be moved to a target location uninterruptedly through the air over a long period of time.

[0006] Therefore, there is a clear need for further improvements in the design of known payload units and in air transport systems incorporating such payload units, particularly in order to increase the range of non-stop flights.

[0007] Therefore, the main technical problem solved by the present invention is to create a design of a payload device and an air transportation system enabling such a payload device to be moved through the air using an unmanned aerial vehicle device, which will at least partially overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, namely insufficient range for non-stop flights.

[0008] Another technical problem solved by the present invention is to increase the range of a vehicle capable of transporting or delivering users / cargo to a target location through the air. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The main object of the present invention is to create a payload device and an air transport system that solves at least each of the above technical problems of the prior art, as well as to increase the range of vehicles for transporting cargo / passengers by air.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to create an alternative design of payload unit and an alternative air transport system comprising such a payload unit with respect to the solutions known in the prior art.

[0011] Each of the present tasks is solved in a first aspect of the present invention in that the subject payload device comprises: (i) a shell, which is provided with one or more docking mechanisms, each of which is configured to interact in a removable meshing manner with a toothed guide of a docked unmanned aerial vehicle device so as to enable the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to move relative to the shell, and at least one of the docking mechanisms is also configured to interact in a removable meshing manner with a toothed guide of another unmanned aerial vehicle device so as to enable the other unmanned aerial vehicle device to act on the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device, thereby causing the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to withdraw from the interaction with the at least one docking mechanism.

[0012] In one embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the housing of the payload device may be provided with two air propulsion units, the two air propulsion units being arranged on opposite sides of the housing, and the docking mechanism may be mounted on the housing such that, when the toothed guide of the UAV device is introduced into toothed interaction with the docking mechanism of the payload device housing, the air propulsion units of the payload device housing and the air propulsion units of the UAV device docked with the payload device housing can be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the payload device housing or at a predetermined angular offset relative to each other along the periphery of the payload device housing. Placing the air propulsion units of the payload device housing and the air propulsion units of the UAV device docked with the payload device housing in the same plane and on different sides of the payload device housing or at a predetermined angular offset relative to each other along the periphery of the payload device housing provides additional technical results: in particular, the stability of the payload device housing in the air is increased when the UAV device is docked to the payload device housing, as the mutual influence of the airflows generated by the air propulsion units of the payload device housing and the air propulsion units of the docked UAV device is minimized.

[0013] In addition, each of the present tasks is solved in the second aspect of the present invention, because the subject air transportation system includes: (i) a payload device, which is provided with two or more docking mechanisms; and (ii) two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices, each of which is provided with a toothed guide, which is configured to perform a detachable toothed interaction with at least one of the docking mechanisms of the payload device so that the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device can move relative to the payload device, wherein the shell of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices is configured so that, when the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device or the other unmanned aerial vehicle device moves relative to the payload device, the shell of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can at least partially extend through the shell of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device.

[0014] In addition, each of the current tasks is solved in the third aspect of the present invention, which is because the subject payload device includes: (i) a shell, which is provided with one or more toothed guides, each of which is configured to interact with the docking mechanism of the unmanned aerial vehicle device in a detachable meshing manner so that the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device can move relative to the shell along the toothed guides, wherein at least one of the toothed guides of the shell is also configured to interact with the docking mechanism of another unmanned aerial vehicle device in a detachable meshing manner so that the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can act on the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device, thereby causing the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to withdraw from the interaction with the at least one toothed guide.

[0015] In addition, each of the current tasks is solved in the fourth aspect of the present invention, because the subject air transport system includes: (i) a payload device, which is provided with two or more toothed guides; and (ii) two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices, each of which is provided with a docking mechanism, which is configured to perform a detachable toothed interaction with at least one of the toothed guides of the payload device so that the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device can move relative to the payload device along the at least one toothed guide, wherein the shell of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices is configured so that when the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device or another unmanned aerial vehicle device moves along the corresponding at least one toothed guide of the payload device, the shell of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can at least partially extend through the shell of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device.

[0016] The first, second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention each provide a technical result of increasing the versatility of the payload unit. Notably, the increased versatility of the payload unit is due to the ability to replace any unmanned aerial vehicle unit detachably docked with the payload unit with another unmanned aerial vehicle unit directly in mid-air, i.e., without requiring the payload unit to land in order to extend the range of the unmanned aerial vehicle unit being replaced.

[0017] The first, second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention each provide the additional technical result of increasing the flight duration or range of a payload unit. Notably, this increase in the flight duration or range of a payload unit is also due to the ability to replace any unmanned aerial vehicle unit detachably docked with a payload unit with another unmanned aerial vehicle unit directly in mid-air, i.e., without requiring the payload unit to land in order to replenish the range of the unmanned aerial vehicle unit being replaced.

[0018] The first, second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention each provide a further additional technical result: reduced consumption of energy resources required to replace any UAV unit removably docked with a payload unit with another UAV unit. Notably, the reduced consumption of energy required to replace a UAV unit docked with a payload unit with another UAV unit is due to the fact that the replacement process is performed due to the other UAV unit to be docked with the payload unit acting on the UAV unit that was previously docked with the payload unit and must withdraw from interaction with the payload unit.

[0019] Furthermore, the first, second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention each provide an additional technical result of increasing the flight safety of the payload unit. Notably, this increased flight safety is also due to the ability to replace any unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detachably docked with the payload unit with another UAV directly in mid-air, i.e., without requiring the payload unit to land to replenish the range of the UAV being replaced.

[0020] Based on the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the additional advantages of the group of inventions claimed and the individual inventions within the group of inventions (including their specific embodiments described herein or characterized in the dependent claims), and various embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Furthermore, the above-mentioned first, second, third and fourth aspects of the present invention each provide yet another additional technical result: extending the range of a vehicle capable of moving or transporting users / cargo to a target location through the air. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the principles of the present invention, constitute a part of the present invention and are incorporated herein to illustrate the following embodiments and aspects of the present invention. The accompanying drawings, together with the following description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 One illustrative embodiment of an aerial transportation system according to the present invention is shown, the aerial transportation system being in a state where a replacement UAV unit has flown to a payload unit to replace the UAV unit to be replaced that was previously detachably docked with the payload unit;

[0024] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional top view illustrating major structural elements of the payload unit and the unmanned aerial vehicle unit involved in docking the unmanned aerial vehicle unit to the payload unit;

[0025] Figure 3 showing an enlarged cross-sectional top view illustrating major structural elements of the payload unit and the unmanned aerial vehicle unit involved in docking the unmanned aerial vehicle unit to the payload unit on only one side of the payload unit's housing;

[0026] Figure 4 is an end view illustrating the unmanned aerial vehicle assembly docked with the payload assembly's docking module;

[0027] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 an aerial transport system according to the present invention, the aerial transport system being in a state where a replacement UAV unit has been docked to the payload unit and has interacted with the UAV unit to be replaced that was previously detachably docked with the payload unit to replace the UAV unit to be replaced; and

[0028] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 According to the aerial transportation system of the present invention, the aerial transportation system is in a state where the replacement unmanned aerial vehicle device is already held at the target position on the payload device, and because the replacement unmanned aerial vehicle device acts on the unmanned aerial vehicle device to be replaced, the unmanned aerial vehicle device to be replaced, which was previously detachably docked with the payload device, has withdrawn from the interaction with the payload device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, it should be understood that the following description does not define or limit the scope of the present invention.

[0030] In the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and designs will be omitted as such irrelevant information may obscure the concept of the present invention.

[0031] It should be understood that in the following description, terms such as "first", "second", "upper", "lower", "lateral", "front", "rear", etc. are used only for convenience and should not be interpreted as limiting terms. In particular, as used in the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly stated in the description herein, the terms "first", "second", "third" or similar terms are used to distinguish the elements, components, parts, assemblies, modules, blocks, embodiments or the like to which they belong from one another, and are not meant to describe any specific relationship between them.

[0032] Unless expressly stated otherwise or clear from the context herein, references to singular items should be understood to include the plural of such items and vice versa.

[0033] Unless otherwise indicated or clear from the context, grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all alternative and parallel combinations of the linked clauses, sentences, words, etc. Thus, the term "or" should be understood to generally mean "and / or" etc.

[0034] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the recitation of ranges of values ​​herein are not intended to be limiting, but refer individually to any and all values ​​falling within that range, and each separate value within such range is incorporated into the description as if it were individually recited herein.

[0035] When accompanied by numerical values, the words "about," "approximately," or similar words should be interpreted as including any deviation understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to be satisfactory for the intended purpose. Values ​​and / or ranges of values ​​are provided herein only as examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the described embodiments.

[0036] Any and all examples or at least a portion thereof and corresponding phrases ("for example," "such as," "particularly" or similar phrases) provided herein are intended only to facilitate understanding of the principles of the invention and to provide a full disclosure of the invention; however, these phrases do not constitute any limitations on the embodiments of the invention, although they are used herein to describe these embodiments. In particular, these phrases do not limit the actual implementation of elements, components, parts, assemblies, modules, blocks, devices, apparatus and / or the like used to disclose the design principles, functions (implementation) and / or operations of the invention.

[0037] Terms and definitions used in this description

[0038] The term "illustrative" is intended to refer to a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. In a similar manner, the terms "for example" and "by way of example" as used herein list one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As used herein, a circuit is "configured" to perform a function so long as the circuit includes the necessary hardware and code (if necessary) to perform the function, regardless of whether performance of the function is prevented or disabled (e.g., by an operator-configurable setting, a factory adjustment, etc.).

[0039] As used herein, the term "corresponding" and its derivatives (i.e., adjectives, verbs, adverbs) do not necessarily mean complete agreement or complete equality in any respect among / for / between anything, but may mean deviation or departure from said equality within specified limits. For example, unless the description herein explicitly indicates otherwise, the term "corresponding coordinates" means not only that these coordinates may be completely equal to each other or may completely coincide with each other, but also that said equality or coincidence of coordinates may be established with some error (e.g., error in the operation of a GPS system), or within the boundaries of a predetermined geographic area surrounding the precise geographic point or area to which these coordinates belong or the precise geographic location to which these coordinates belong.

[0040] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the term "unmanned aerial vehicle apparatus" (UAA) refers to an unmanned aerial vehicle apparatus configured to fly or capable of moving in the air in an autonomous mode (i.e., without human or external control source involvement) or capable of moving in the air in a semi-autonomous mode (i.e., receiving at least a portion of control commands from a human (e.g., a pilot, operator, or the like) or an external source (e.g., a control panel, a control server, an external control device, or the like) via a predetermined communication channel. Non-limiting examples of UAAs are various multi-rotor UAAs, such as multicopter drones; single-rotor UAAs, such as unmanned helicopters; hybrid UAAs, such as rotary-wing drones; and the like.

[0041] In the context of the present invention, unless the description herein explicitly indicates otherwise, the term "shell" refers to a frame, skeleton, shell, paneling, fuselage, load-bearing structure or casing of a physical inanimate object, each of which may be formed from a single load-bearing element or a combination of load-bearing elements coupled to each other, wherein the type, shape, overall size, design features and / or material of such shell are not specifically limited in any way.

[0042] In the context of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the description herein, the term "payload device" refers to a person or organism (in particular, the person or organism itself or the person or organism placed in a cabin, cabin, accommodation cabin, cryogenic cabin, lifeboat, living cabin, living quarters and the like) or cargo (cargo itself or cargo placed in a crate, box, package, bag, container, reservoir, vessel, can, canister, receiver, barrel, pool, cylinder, vessel, reservoir, bag, bottle, flask, glass container, cylinder, box, storage compartment and the like), which can be accommodated in the shell of a transport vehicle that performs the function of a vehicle and is intended to deliver, ship or transport people, various organisms and / or various cargoes by air, ground (land), water and / or underwater.

[0043] As used in the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly stated in the description herein, the term "module" refers to a functional element or a combination of functional elements of a device, which is in the form of a part, node, block or other assembly unit that performs certain technical functions that provide the function of the device. The module can usually be implemented in practice using a combination of known structural elements, a combination of known structural elements and known hardware, a combination of known structural elements and known software and hardware, or a combination of known hardware and known software. Thus, for example, a control device can be implemented using hardware and software. As used in the present invention, a control device can be a physical device, an apparatus or a plurality of modules that are implemented using hardware (e.g., using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), or implemented using a combination of hardware and software (e.g., using a microprocessor system and an instruction set that implements the function of the control device, which instruction set (when executed) converts the microprocessor system into a dedicated device or system (e.g., an autonomous driving system)). In addition, each module or at least one of the modules described herein can be implemented in the form of a combination of hardware and software, wherein some functions described herein with respect to one of the modules can be implemented only with the aid of hardware, while other functions described herein with respect to the same module or other modules can be implemented by using a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, in the context of the present invention, the docking module 130 may be configured to removably interact with at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device, wherein the docking module 130 may be implemented using a combination of known structural elements, a combination of known structural elements and hardware, a combination of structural elements and software and hardware, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0044] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the description herein, the term "navigation command" refers to an instruction directed to an aircraft unit that is part of the payload unit 100. The navigation command may be presented or provided by a control system for the movement of the aircraft unit in the form of digital or analog data, instructions, control signals, etc. The navigation command may be initially generated by, but is not limited to, an automatic operator, an operator (whether local or remote), and / or an obstacle avoidance system. In particular, the navigation command may be received, for example, by a control unit for controlling an aircraft unit that is part of one of the unmanned aircraft units in a system for moving a payload unit.

[0045] As used herein, unless the description herein explicitly indicates otherwise, the term "manual control" refers not only to control using only a person's hand, but also to control using a person's foot, finger, voice, pupil, or any suitable combination thereof. Thus, as used herein, the term "manual control" refers to at least one of a button, a lever, a joystick, a toggle switch, a pedal, a touch screen, a gesture control sensor, a pupil tracking scanner, a microphone, and / or the like.

[0046] As used herein, unless the description herein explicitly indicates otherwise, the term “charging device” refers to a device used to replenish the range of an aircraft device by recharging its rechargeable batteries and / or by replenishing its fuel capacity.

[0047] As used herein, unless the description herein explicitly indicates otherwise, the term "database" refers to any structured data set that is independent of a particular structure, database management software, or computer hardware that stores, uses, or otherwise makes the data available for use. A database may exist on the same hardware as the program running the program that stores or uses the information stored in the database, or the database may exist on separate hardware (e.g., a dedicated server) or on multiple servers.

[0048] As used herein, unless the description herein explicitly indicates otherwise, the term "stand" means a non-movable or movable structure suitable for accommodating an aircraft unit, storing an aircraft unit, and / or replenishing the range of a vehicle therein (e.g., recharging).

[0049] As used in the present invention, the term "control device" refers to a computing device that executes a computer program that enables requests to be received (e.g., from other computing devices), to execute or process such requests, and / or to transmit such requests (e.g., to other computing devices) over a communications network. The computing device that executes the computer program can be, but is not limited to, a single physical computer or a single physical computer system. As used in the present invention, the use of the term "control device" does not mean that every computing task (e.g., received instruction or command) or any other specific task will be received, executed, or caused to be executed by one and the same control device (i.e., by one and the same software and / or hardware), meaning that any number of software or hardware may participate in receiving / sending, executing, or causing to be executed any task or request or causing the result of any task or request, all of which may be implemented in the form of one or more control devices.

[0050] As used herein, the term "server" refers to a computing device that executes a computer program that enables requests to be received (e.g., from other computing devices), to execute or process such requests, and / or to transmit such requests (e.g., to other computing devices) over a communications network. The computing device that executes the computer program may be, but is not limited to, a single physical computer or a single physical computer system. As used herein, the use of the term "server" does not mean that every computing task (e.g., received instructions or commands) or any other specific task will be received, executed, or caused to be executed by one and the same server (i.e., one and the same software and / or hardware), meaning that any number of software or hardware may participate in receiving / sending, executing, or causing to be executed any task or request or causing the result of any task or request, all of which may be implemented in the form of one or more servers.

[0051] Air transportation system

[0052] Figure 1 One of the illustrative embodiments of an aerial transport system 1000 according to the present invention is shown, comprising a payload unit 100 according to the present invention, comprising a housing 110 for a user, the housing having the form of a cabin and configured to accommodate a user therein or thereon, and two unmanned aerial vehicle units 200, each of the unmanned aerial vehicle units being configured to detachably interact with, detachably couple to, or detachably dock with the housing 110 to enable the housing 110, and therefore the payload unit 100 itself, to be moved through the air.

[0053] It is noteworthy that the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 detachably connected to the shell 110 of the payload device forms a set of functional aerial vehicle devices, which enables the shell 110 of the payload device to move in the air under the control of a control device that is part of the payload device 100, wherein the control device of the payload device 100 can be installed in or on the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more UAVs 200 (e.g., one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more UAVs 200, depending on the target carrying capacity of the payload unit 100 and the size of its housing 110) as part of the aerial transportation system 1000 can be simultaneously and detachably docked with the payload unit's housing 110. The docked UAVs 200 can be positioned on the same side of the payload unit's housing 110 or on different sides of the payload unit's housing 110. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention in which two or more UAVs 200 can be docked with the payload unit's housing 110, at least two or a portion of the UAVs 200 can form a group of functional UAVs, wherein the UAVs 200 as part of the group of functional UAVs operate under the control of the payload unit's 100 control device to enable the payload unit 100 to move through the air. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention where two or more UAV units 200 may be docked with the payload unit housing 110 , each UAV unit 200 may operate under the control of its own control device that is part of the UAV unit 200 .

[0055] In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload unit may be pre-configured with one or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices, which may be rigidly or non-detachably coupled to the housing 110 of the payload unit (e.g., using welding, brazing, or fasteners as known in the art) and may also be part of the aerial transportation system 1000, wherein at least one or each of the aerial vehicle devices pre-coupled to the housing 110 may be configured substantially similarly to, or may be, aerial vehicle device 200. In a variation of this embodiment of the present invention, one or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 may be docked with the housing 110 of the payload unit, wherein the docked aerial vehicle devices 200 and the aerial vehicle devices pre-coupled to the housing 110 may form one or more aerial vehicle groups, each of which operates under the control of the control equipment of the payload unit 100, or each of which may operate independently of the other under the control of its own integrated control equipment. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, one or more UAVs 200 may be docked with at least one of the UAVs pre-connected to the housing 110 to form an UAV group, which operates under the control of the control device of the payload unit 100. In yet another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, one or more UAVs 200 may be detachably pre-docked with the housing 110 of the payload unit, wherein at least one additional UAV 200 may further dock with at least one of the pre-docked UAVs 200 to form an UAV group, which operates under the control of the control device of the payload unit 100.

[0056] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that can dock with the payload unit housing 110 and that are part of the air transportation system 1000 can be an unmanned aerial vehicle device group formed or composed of two or more aircraft devices docked or coupled to each other, wherein each such aircraft device group can include aircraft devices of the same type or different types. In one variation among the variations of this embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that can dock with the payload unit housing 110 can be configured in the form of two or more aircraft device groups docked or coupled to each other, wherein each such aircraft device group can be formed of two or more aircraft devices of the same type or different types docked or coupled to each other, wherein the types of the aircraft devices constituting different aircraft device groups can (completely or at least partially) be identical to each other or can (completely or at least partially) be different from each other.

[0057] It is noteworthy that in the embodiments of the present invention described herein, the type, shape, geometric dimensions, and manufacturing materials of any unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 that is part of the air transportation system 1000 and must be docked with the shell 110 of the payload device are not specifically limited in any way.

[0058] Each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000 and to be docked with the housing 110 of the payload device can be implemented in the form of any suitable unmanned aerial vehicle device (UAA) known in the prior art and configured to take off into the air, move (fly) in the air and land in an automatic mode (i.e., in an autopilot mode that does not involve any participation of a human subject in controlling the operation of the aircraft device and / or does not involve receiving any control commands or navigation commands from one or more external control sources through the aircraft device) or in a semi-automatic mode (i.e., in a mode that enables the use of an autopilot and also enables a human subject to participate in controlling the operation of the aircraft device and / or enables any control commands or navigation commands to be received from one or more external control sources through the aircraft device). It is noteworthy that when operating in the semi-autonomous mode, any one of the UAVs 200 to be docked with the payload unit housing 110 can receive at least a portion of the control commands from a human subject (e.g., a pilot, operator, or the like) or from an external control source (e.g., a control panel, a control server, an external control device, or the like) via a predetermined communication channel. In particular, non-limiting examples of such UAAs (in the form of which any one of the UAVs 200 can be configured) include various multi-rotor UAAs (e.g., multi-rotor drones), single-rotor UAAs (e.g., unmanned helicopters), hybrid UAAs (e.g., rotary-wing drones), and the like.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, one of the two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 is docked with the housing 110 of the payload device, and the other of the two aerial vehicle devices 200 is present in the space area corresponding to the payload device 100 in the air and is ready to dock with the housing 110 of the payload device.

[0060] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 that exists in a spatial area corresponding to a payload device 100 in the air and is ready to dock with the shell 110 of the payload device can be further detachably or non-detachably docked with another aircraft device 200 previously docked with the shell 110 of the payload device during the docking process with the shell 110 of the payload device to form an unmanned aerial vehicle device group, wherein the two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 forming the unmanned aerial vehicle device group are ultimately detachably docked with the shell 110 of the payload device, thereby enabling the payload device 100 to move in the air under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, the control device of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 docked with the shell 110 of the payload device, or an external control device.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, each unmanned aerial vehicle device in the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 includes a fuselage or shell 210 of any suitable type, which is provided with two air propulsion units 220, each air propulsion unit being detachably or non-detachably mounted on one of two opposite sides of the shell 210, and each air propulsion unit including one or more air thrusters (for example, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more air thrusters, which air thrusters or at least a portion of which air thrusters are mounted in the same plane, different planes or parallel planes). Figures 1 to 6 An embodiment is shown, according to which each air propulsion unit 220 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 includes two air thrusters to form the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 in the form of a quadcopter. In addition, in other embodiments, the air propulsion unit 220 may include a different number of air thrusters, such as one, three, four, five, six, seven or more, to form the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 in the form of a multi-rotor aircraft. The unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 in some embodiments may also include more than two air propulsion units 220, each of which may include one or more air thrusters. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 may include four air propulsion units 220, each of which includes one thruster to form a similar Figures 1 to 6. The system of the illustrative example shown in . The number of air propulsion units 220 in some embodiments can be two or more (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more air propulsion units 220), each of which includes one or more air thrusters (e.g., one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more air thrusters, with these air thrusters or at least some of these air thrusters mounted in the same plane, different planes, or parallel planes). It is noteworthy that the housing 210 of each of the UAV units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 has the form of a frame or framework, the structural elements of which are coupled to each other to form a cavity or hollow space between the shortened walls of the housing 210, which are provided with the air thrusters 220. Furthermore, each of the UAV units 200, which is detachably coupled to the payload unit housing 110, includes a control device configured to control the operation of such UAV unit 200. In particular, the control device in each UAV device is communicatively coupled to the air propulsion unit 220 so as to be able to control the operation of the air propulsion unit, in particular, to control the operation of the air thrusters included in each of the air propulsion units 220 (in particular, to be able to turn on, off, or change the operating characteristics of the air thrusters, such as, for example, the rotation speed or rotation direction), thereby enabling the UAV device 200 to fly or move in the air. It is noteworthy that the control device in each of the UAV devices 200 detachably coupled to the payload device housing 110 can control the operation of the UAV device 200, including the operation of its air propulsion unit 220, in response to control instructions from the control device of the payload device 100 or an external control device (e.g., a control server for controlling the operation of the aircraft device).

[0062] It is noteworthy that each of the unmanned aerial vehicle units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 is configured to detach or disconnect from the payload unit's housing 110 in response to a control command received by the control device of the unmanned aerial vehicle unit 200 from the control device of the payload unit 100 or an external control device.

[0063] like Figure 1As shown, the housing 210 in each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 can be provided with one or more air propulsion units 220 (for example, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more air propulsion units 220) that are detachably connected to the housing 210 (i.e., have the possibility of being detached from the housing 210) or rigidly connected to the housing 210 (i.e., have no possibility of being detached from the housing 210) to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to fly or move in the air when the one or more air propulsion units are actuated, wherein each of the air propulsion units 220 can be mounted on one of the multiple sides of the housing 210 (for example, on one side of the upper part of the housing 210, on one side of the lower part of the housing 210, or on one of the multiple sides of the housing 210). It is worth noting that in this embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 220 may include one or more air thrusters, and the one or more air thrusters or at least a portion of the one or more air thrusters may be actuated to rotate in the same rotational direction or different rotational directions and / or to rotate at the same rotational speed or different rotational speeds. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200, all or at least a portion of the air propulsion units 220 may be mounted on the same side of the housing 210 or on different sides of the housing 210, so that when all or at least a portion of such air propulsion units 220 are actuated, the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can fly or move in the air along a predetermined motion trajectory or in a predetermined direction.

[0064] In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing 210 in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 may be provided with two or more air propulsion units 220, which may be detachably or rigidly mounted on one side of the housing 210 in close proximity to each other or at a predetermined distance from each other, and each of the two or more air propulsion units may include one or more air thrusters (for example, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more air thrusters), thereby enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to fly or move in the air when all or only at least a portion of the air thrusters in at least one or each of the air propulsion units 220 are actuated.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present invention, the housing 210 in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000 may be provided with one or more air propulsion units 220, and at least one or each of the one or more air propulsion units may be completely or at least partially installed in the housing 210 so as to extend, unfold or open from the housing 210 under the control of the control device of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 (including in response to a control command of the control device of the payload device 100 or an external control device).

[0066] The control equipment included in each of the UAVs 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 may be mounted inside or outside the housing 210 to control the operation of the UAV 200, including the operation of the air thrusters in the air thrusters 220 provided to the housing 210. Thus, the control equipment of the UAV 200 is configured to issue control commands to at least one or each of the air thrusters 220 to activate the air thrusters, thereby enabling the UAV 200 to fly or move through the air. Notably, in the UAVs 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000, all or at least a majority of the air thrusters 220 provided to the housing 210 of at least one or each of the air thrusters 220 are operated simultaneously, thereby increasing the carrying capacity of the UAV 200 and, therefore, the overall carrying capacity of the payload unit 100. In one embodiment of the present invention, all or at least a portion of the air propulsion units 220 in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000 can be actuated sequentially or substantially simultaneously using the control device of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200. In another embodiment of the present invention, all or at least a portion of the air thrusters in at least one or each of the air propulsion units 220 (which are provided to the housing 210 in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000) can be actuated using the control device of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 so that the air thrusters can rotate in the same direction or in different directions. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 220 (which are provided to the housing 210 of at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000) may be configured to rotate about its axis by a predetermined angle or to shift relative to the housing 210 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 under the control of a control device of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200.

[0067] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the control device of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 may perform the functions of the control device of the payload unit 100, that is, the control device of the aircraft 200 may be a control module of the payload unit 100, which issues control commands to the functional components of the payload unit 100. In a variant of this embodiment of the present invention, the control functions of the control device of the payload unit 100 may be distributed among the control devices of the aircraft units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000, so that the control devices of the aircraft units 200 (which are combined or used in conjunction with each other) may form the control device of the payload unit 100.

[0068] In addition, as Figure 1 Each of the UAVs 200 that are part of the illustrated air transportation system 1000 includes at least one of the following wireless communication devices: a shortwave band radio antenna, an ultra-shortwave radio antenna, an ultra-high frequency radio antenna, an optical communication module, a half-duplex / simplex satellite communication module, a 2G / 3G / 4G / LTE / 5G cellular communication module, a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, etc., thereby allowing each of the UAVs 200 to receive navigation commands and / or control commands from the control device of the payload unit 100 and, therefore, allowing the control device of the payload unit 100 to control the operation of the UAV 200. It is noteworthy that the navigation commands and / or control commands received by any of the UAVs 200 from the control device of the payload unit 100 using the wireless communication device of the UAV 200 are transmitted from the wireless communication device of the UAV 200 to the control device of the UAV 200 for processing by the control device of the UAV 200.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present invention, at least one or each of the UAV units 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000 may be operably connected to a control device of the payload unit 100 in a wired manner so as to be able to exchange data with each other.

[0070] Furthermore, as Figure 1The control device of the payload unit 100 as part of the air transportation system 1000 shown in FIG is configured to receive and process data (including system requests) from each unmanned aerial vehicle unit 200, and is further configured to generate control instructions / control commands and / or generate navigation instructions / navigation commands based on the received data and the results of the processing thereof, so that the control commands and / or navigation commands thus generated can be issued or sent to at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle units 200, including in response to requests from the unmanned aerial vehicle units 200. In order to issue navigation commands and / or control commands to at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000, the control device of the payload unit 100 is communicatively coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle units 200 via a wireless communication network (not shown).

[0071] As Figure 1 The control device in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000 shown is communicatively connected to the above-mentioned wireless communication device of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200, thereby allowing the control device of the aircraft device 200 to process navigation commands and / or control commands received by the wireless communication device of the aircraft device 200 from the control device of the payload device 100 when a wireless communication channel is established between the two, and allowing the operation of the aircraft device 200 to be controlled according to the navigation commands and / or control commands. In particular, in response to navigation commands and / or control commands from the control device of the payload unit 100, the control device of the aircraft unit 200 can enable, for example, at least one of the following operations: (i) changing the flight speed of the aircraft unit 200, (ii) changing the flight direction of the aircraft unit 200, (iii) guiding the aircraft unit 200 from a parking stand (not shown) or a current airspace area to a target airspace area, where it is envisaged that the aircraft unit 200 will be detachably docked or coupled with the housing 110 of the payload unit; (iv) performing an unmanned maneuver (v) performing a detachment or separation of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 from the housing 110 of the payload device; (vi) moving the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 relative to or along the housing 110 of the payload device, and (vii) guiding the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to a parking space (not shown) for placement in or on the parking space so that the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be stored in the parking space and / or the range of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be replenished (charged).

[0072] In various embodiments of the present invention, a control device (not shown) may not be part of the payload unit 100. In such an embodiment of the present invention, the control device of the payload unit 100 that issues control commands and / or navigation commands to the control device of at least one or each of the UAV units 200 may be a single server, which may be, for example, a Dell PowerEdge TM The payload device 100 may be configured as a server, on which an Ubuntu server operating system or a Windows server operating system may be used. In various other embodiments of the present invention, the functions of the control device of the payload device 100 may be shared among multiple remote computer devices or computing devices, for example, by using multiple servers connected to each other via a communication network to exchange data between the multiple servers.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present invention, the communication protocols and / or technical means used for data transmission or data exchange between the control equipment of the payload unit 100 and the aircraft units 200 may be at least partially different from each other and / or may be at least partially consistent with each other. In addition, for data transmission or data exchange between the control equipment of the payload unit 100 and each aircraft unit 200, one or more standard communication protocols and corresponding standard communication technical means may be used simultaneously.

[0074] In certain embodiments of the present invention, the control device of the payload unit 100 may be configured to manage the safety of at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 to be docked or coupled with the payload unit's housing 110, or to be detached or separated from the housing 110, during flight or movement in the air. In one variation among variations of such embodiments of the present invention, the control device of the payload unit 100 may also be configured to manage the safety of the payload unit 100 during flight or movement in the air using the aerial vehicle device 200 docked or coupled with the payload unit's housing 110.

[0075] In addition, the control device of the payload device 100 can access at least one remote or external database (not shown) or obtain access to the at least one remote or external database (not shown) via a communication network or in other (wired or wireless) manner, or can access at least one local database or obtain access to the at least one local database, which is stored on a storage device (not shown) that can be installed in the housing 110 or in a memory (not shown) that can be part of such a control device of the payload device 100.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present invention, the control device of the payload unit 100 may be any other suitable hardware, application software, system software, or any combination thereof.

[0077] The communication network to which the control devices of the aircraft unit 200 and the control devices of the payload unit 100 can be communicatively coupled also allows the control devices of the payload unit 100 and the control devices of the aircraft unit 200 to exchange system data and / or operational data between each other, which the control devices of the payload unit and the control devices of these aircraft units use to implement their functions or functional capabilities as described herein. It is worth noting that the communication network also allows the control devices of the aircraft unit 200 to exchange system data and / or operational data between each other, which the control devices of these aircraft units can also use to implement their functions or functional capabilities as described herein. The communication network can be, for example, any suitable wireless communication link known from the prior art, such as a communication link based on Wi-Fi wireless technology, a communication link based on 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G wireless technology, a communication link based on LTE technology, and / or similar communication links.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present invention, the air transportation system 1000 may include two or more wireless communication networks, each of which is configured similarly to the above-mentioned communication network and is used to perform mutual data exchange in real-time mode or in real time between the control equipment of the aircraft device 200, the control equipment of the payload device 100, any other functional equipment that may be part of the air transportation system 1000 and / or any functional component that may be part of the payload device 100 or part of any of the aircraft devices 200.

[0079] Each of the UAVs 200 as part of the air transport system 1000 comprises an (embedded) integrated power source (not shown) configured in the form of a battery, one or more rechargeable batteries, an internal combustion engine generator, a hydrogen engine generator, a generator based on one or more solar panels, or a generator based on any other suitable energy source known in the art, wherein the integrated power source can also be configured to be charged from an external power source (not shown) using a charging device (not shown) of a suitable type, which is coupled to the external power source and configured to be connected to the integrated power source. In particular, the integrated power source in each UAV 200 is coupled to the control device of the UAV 200 and any other functional components of the UAV 200 described herein by means of the power supply circuit of the UAV 200, so as to be able to supply power thereto or to be able to power them.

[0080] In another embodiment of the present invention, the integrated power supply in at least one or each of the UAV devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 can be wirelessly charged using an external charging device (not shown), which operates based on the principles of electromagnetic induction, which will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0081] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control device of at least one or each of the UAV units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 may further enable the UAV unit 200 to be guided to a parking stand (not shown). Such a parking stand may be provided with one or more charging devices (not shown), each of which is electrically connected to at least one of the power sources of the parking stand and each of which enables the UAV unit 200 to be coupled thereto for at least partially charging the coupled UAV unit 200 or for at least partially replenishing the range of the coupled UAV unit, so that the UAV unit 200 can be switched to a state with at least partially replenished range or fully replenished range, thereby allowing the UAV unit to be detachably re-docked or re-coupled with the payload unit housing 110.

[0082] It is worth noting that in an embodiment of the present invention in which the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be connected to one or more charging devices at a parking stand to charge the unmanned aerial vehicle device or replenish the range of the unmanned aerial vehicle device, each power source at the parking stand in this embodiment of the present invention can be one or more rechargeable batteries, internal combustion engine generators, hydrogen engine generators, solar panels and any other suitable energy source known in the prior art. It should also be noted that in such an embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the charging devices at the parking stand (not shown) can be a wireless charging device, a wired charging device or a charging dock. Alternatively, at least one or each of the charging devices at the parking stand can be configured, for example, in the form of a device for supplying electrical energy, a device for supplying liquid fuel or gaseous fuel and / or the like. As a further alternative, at least one or each of the charging devices of the parking stand can be hydraulically connected to a pump (not shown), which is connected via a hydraulic line to a reservoir or container (not shown) with fuel, the connection being in such a way that fuel can be sucked in from said container so as to be able to supply said sucked in amount of fuel to a fuel tank of the aircraft device 200, which fuel tank is hydraulically connected to a fuel-powered engine of the aircraft device 200, thereby allowing the range of the aircraft device 200 to be replenished (in particular, due to at least partial replenishment of the amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the aircraft device 200).

[0083] In one embodiment of the present invention, the control device of at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 can also enable the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 with a supplementary range to be detachably docked or detachably connected to the housing 110 of the payload device, as a replacement for at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 with insufficient range or a range below a predetermined threshold that is detachably connected to the housing 110 of the payload device, or as an additional solution to the aircraft device 200 with insufficient range or a range below a predetermined threshold, wherein the payload device 100 can be present in the air or on the ground surface (or on the surface of another object, which in turn can be present on the ground, on the water and / or in the air) during the docking process. In one of the variations of this embodiment of the invention, the process of docking or detachably connecting the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 with a supplementary range to the housing 110 of the payload device can itself be controlled by a control device of the payload device 100, which issues control commands and / or navigation commands to the control device of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200.

[0084] In another embodiment of the present invention, when the aircraft device 200 is docked or connected with the shell 110 of the payload device, the power circuit of the connected aircraft device 200 can be further electrically connected to the power circuit of the payload device 100 to form a single power circuit (for example, using a connecting power cable, which can be laid inside the shell 110 of the payload device or outside the shell 110 of the payload device, and the connecting power cable can be connected to the power circuit of the aircraft device 200 set in the outer shell 210) and a power pack (for example, such a power pack can be formed by the battery of the aircraft device 200 and the battery of the payload device 100 set in the shell 110 of the payload device), which provides power or electricity to all functional components of the aircraft device 200 and the payload device 100 at substantially the same time, so that charging one of the individual power supplies in such a power pack from an external power source (not shown) using a suitable type of charging device (not shown) can be regarded as charging the entire power pack. It is noteworthy that in such an embodiment of the present invention, the range of one or more unmanned aerial vehicle units 200 coupled to the payload unit housing 110 can generally be controlled by the control device of at least one of the aerial vehicle units 200 or by the control device of the payload unit 100 by monitoring the status of the power pack (e.g., by monitoring the remaining charge of the battery pack). In one variation of such an embodiment of the present invention, the power pack can be recharged from two or more external power sources (not shown) using two or more charging devices (not shown) of suitable types, each of which can be electrically coupled to a respective one of the external power sources, and each charging device can be configured to enable one or more of the power sources that are part of the power pack to be coupled thereto, so that such a power pack can be recharged generally by recharging its respective power sources in parallel.

[0085] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in order to be able to create a detachable connection between the shell 110 of the payload device and the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000, the shell 210 of the aircraft device is provided with toothed guides 230, and the payload device 100 is provided with a docking module 130 having docking mechanisms 140, each docking mechanism being configured to perform a detachable toothing interaction with one of the toothed guides 230 when docking the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 with the payload device 100.

[0086] In particular, Figures 1 to 4As shown, the housing 210 of each of the UAV devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 is provided with two linear toothed guides 230, which are integrally configured with the housing 210 and spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other. The toothed guides 230 are arranged or extend generally parallel to each other, and each toothed guide is provided with a row of teeth, wherein the teeth 240 are configured to releasably engage with at least one of the docking mechanisms 140 when the UAV device 200 is docked with the docking module 130. It is noteworthy that the spatial extent or length of each of the linear toothed guides 230 is generally equal to the spatial extent or length of each of the two opposing shortened sides of the housing 210, that is, each of the toothed guides 230 extends substantially along the entire shortened side of the housing 210 corresponding to the toothed guide 230. In one embodiment of the embodiments of the present invention, the spatial range or length of each of the linear toothed guides 230 may be equal to the spatial range of a corresponding one of the two opposite shortened sides of the housing 210, may be equal to a portion of the spatial range of each of the two opposite shortened sides of the housing 210, may be equal to a portion of the spatial range of a corresponding one of the two opposite shortened sides of the housing 210, may be smaller than the spatial range of a corresponding one of the two opposite shortened sides of the housing 210, or may be smaller than the spatial range of each of the two opposite shortened sides of the housing 210.

[0087] In addition, if Figures 2 to 3 As shown, the docking module 130 of the shell 110 of the payload device 100 as part of the air transportation system 1000 is provided with two rows of docking mechanisms, each row of docking mechanisms including three toothed docking mechanisms 140, which are arranged at equal or identical distances from each other and are configured to perform detachable toothed interaction with at least one tooth 240 provided on a corresponding one of the toothed guides 230 (which are provided to the shell 210 of the aircraft device) when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docks with the docking module 130, wherein each row of the two rows of docking mechanisms is mounted on a corresponding one of the two opposite elongated sides of the docking module 130.

[0088] In addition, if Figure 1 and Figures 5 and 6As shown, the docking module 130 is provided with two air propulsion units 120, which define a pair of functional air propulsion units that operate under the control of the control equipment of the payload unit 100, wherein each of the air propulsion units 120 is fixed to one of two opposite shortened sides of the docking module 130, the shortened sides extending substantially perpendicularly to the elongated sides of the docking module 130. The control equipment of the payload unit 100 is configured to issue control commands to the air propulsion units 120 (which define the pair of functional air propulsion units) for activating (turning on) or deactivating at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120. It is noteworthy that before the unmanned aerial vehicle device pair docks with the shell 110 of the payload device or after the unmanned aerial vehicle device detaches from the shell 110 of the payload device, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 provided to the docking module 130 can be actuated under the control of the control equipment of the payload device 100, thereby enabling the payload device 100 to fly for a predetermined period of time without using any unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 (which are part of the air transportation system 1000 and must dock with the shell 110 of the payload device to enable the payload device to move in the air) or using the minimum required number of unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 (which dock with the shell 110 of the payload device). It should also be noted that when docking one or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 with the docking module 130, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 provided to the docking module 130 can be actuated under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, and can therefore operate in addition to or instead of at least one of the air propulsion units 220 of at least one or each of the docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200.

[0089] In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more air propulsion units 120 (for example, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more air propulsion units 120) can be installed on at least one side or at least each side of two opposite sides of the docking module 130, wherein the air propulsion units 120 arranged on the said opposite sides of the shell can form at least one pair of functional air propulsion units, which operate under the control of the control equipment of the payload device 100. Figure 1 、 56 show an embodiment, according to which each air propulsion unit 120 includes two air thrusters. In addition, in other embodiments, the air propulsion unit 120 may include a different number of air thrusters, for example, one, three, four, five, six, seven or more air thrusters. The payload device 100 in some embodiments may also include more than two air propulsion units 120, each of which may include one or more air thrusters. For example, the payload device 100 and / or the docking module 130 may include four air propulsion units 120, each of which includes one thruster to form a similar Figure 1 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 The illustrative example system is shown. In some embodiments, the number of air propulsion units 120 can be two or more (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more air propulsion units 120), each air propulsion unit including one or more air movers (e.g., one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more air movers, with the air movers or at least some of the air movers being mounted in the same plane, different planes, or parallel planes).

[0090] In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload device may not be provided with the docking module 130, and the one or more air propulsion units 120 and the one or more toothed docking mechanisms 140 that must be provided to the housing 110 of the payload device may be directly mounted on the housing 110 of the payload device itself or may be configured integrally with the housing 110 of the payload device.

[0091] In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 that can be provided to the body of the docking module 130 or that can be provided to the shell 110 of the payload device can be configured to extend, deploy or unfold from the shell 110 of the payload device under the control of the control device of the payload device 100.

[0092] In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 that may be provided to the docking module 130 may be configured to change its position on the side of the docking module 130 on which the air propulsion unit 120 is mounted.

[0093] In some other embodiments of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 that may be provided to the payload unit's housing 110 may be configured to change its position on the side of the payload unit's housing 110 on which the air propulsion unit 120 is mounted. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 that may be provided to the payload unit's housing 110 may be mounted on a guide member on one side of the payload unit's housing 110 and may be operably coupled to a drive device or actuator of the payload unit 100 and operated under the control of the payload unit's control device 100 to enable the air propulsion unit 120 to move or shift a predetermined distance along the guide member according to a predetermined movement route stored in a storage device of the payload unit 100 (to which the payload unit's control device 100 can access or obtain permission to access the storage device), the predetermined distance being adjusted by the payload unit's control device 100. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 that can be provided to the shell 110 of the payload device can be mounted on or fixed to a slide on one side of the shell 110 of the payload device (the slide is mounted on the said side of the shell 110 of the payload device), and can be operably connected to the drive device or drive of the payload device 100, operating under the control of the control device of the payload device 100 so that the slide can be shifted or moved a predetermined distance relative to the shell 110 of the payload device according to a predetermined movement route stored in a storage device of the payload device 100 (the control device of the payload device 100 can access the storage device or can obtain permission to access the storage device), and the predetermined distance is adjusted by the control device of the payload device 100.

[0094] It is noteworthy that the distance between the multiple rows of docking mechanisms in the docking module 130 corresponds roughly to the distance between the two linear toothed guides 230, which are provided to the shell 210 of the aircraft device 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 and to be docked with the payload device 100, thereby allowing the aircraft device 200 to be easily docked with the shell 110 of the payload device by introducing each of the two linear toothed guides 230 into a detachable toothed interaction with the toothed docking mechanism 140 (which is associated with one of the two rows of docking mechanisms of the shell 110, corresponds to the linear toothed guides 230 and is close or proximate relative to the aircraft device 200 to be docked).

[0095] When the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 moves relative to the shell 110 of the payload device to occupy a target position on the shell 110 of the payload device (i.e., to be placed at a target point), each of the two linear toothed guides 230 is sequentially introduced into the following detachable toothing interactions at different moments (time periods): (i) only detachable toothing interactions with the proximal toothed docking mechanism 140, which is associated with one row of docking mechanisms in the two rows of docking mechanisms of the shell 110 and corresponds to the linear toothed guide 230, (ii) simultaneously detachable toothing interactions with the proximal toothed docking mechanism 140 and the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140, which is arranged between the proximal toothed docking mechanism 140 and the distal toothed docking mechanism 140, which is farthest away from the proximal toothed docking mechanism 140, and (iii) only detachable toothing interactions with the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140. It is worth noting that the control device of the payload device 100 is functionally connected to the toothed docking mechanism 140 so as to be able to control the operation of the toothed docking mechanism, in particular to be able to change its operating parameters, such as rotation speed, rotation direction and similar parameters, so that in order to make the aircraft device 200 docked with the docking module 130 occupy the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device (i.e., placed at the target point), the control device of the payload device 100 sends control commands to the toothed docking mechanism in the proximal toothed docking mechanism 140 and the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140 that must be used at different times (time periods) so that the unmanned aircraft device 200 can move to the target position relative to the shell 110 of the payload device. Thus, the toothed docking mechanisms in the proximal toothed docking mechanism 140 and the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140, which are actuated in response to corresponding control commands of the control device of the payload device 100, rotate in a predetermined direction and at a predetermined rotational speed so that the teeth of these actuated docking mechanisms 140 can be introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with the corresponding teeth 240 configured on the corresponding linear toothed guide 230, thereby enabling the aircraft device 200 to advance to a target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, which target position is known to the control device of the payload device 100.It is worth noting that the shell 110 of the payload device can also be provided with a contact sensor, which can be configured to detect or identify the docking of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 with the shell 110 of the payload device, and the contact sensor can be communicatively connected to the control device of the payload device 100 so as to be able to output data about the detected docking to the control device of the payload device 100, for operating the required toothed docking mechanism with the aid of the control device of the payload device 100, which must ensure the movement of the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 relative to the shell 110 of the payload device to occupy the target position of the unmanned aerial vehicle device controlled by the control device of the payload device 100.

[0096] In one embodiment of the present invention, the UAV device 200 docked with the payload device housing 110 can be moved relative to the payload device housing 110 to a target position on the payload device housing 110 under the action of an inertial force (i.e., by inertia). This inertial force is generated at the moment the UAV device 200 docks with the payload device housing 110 and is sufficient to ensure that the docked UAV device 200 advances substantially in a straight line relative to the payload device housing 110 to the target position on the payload device housing 110 (the linear toothed guide 230 of the docked UAV device has been introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with the corresponding toothed docking mechanism 140). Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the inertial force possessed by the UAV device 200 at the moment of docking with the payload device housing 110 is sufficient to cause the toothed docking mechanism 140 provided to the payload device housing 110 to rotate in a predetermined direction, so that the docked UAV device 200 can advance relative to the payload device housing 110 to the target position on the payload device housing 110.

[0097] like Figure 1As shown, a further or another (second) UAV device 200 that is part of the air transport system 1000 can be detachably docked with the docking module 130 (which is already provided with a UAV device 200 that is also part of the air transport system 1000 and that has previously docked with the docking module 130) by introducing each of the two linear toothed guides 230 into a detachable toothed interaction with the toothed docking mechanism 140 (which is associated with one of the two rows of docking mechanisms of the housing 110, corresponds to the linear toothed guides 230, and is close or proximate relative to the UAV device 200 to be docked). In other words, at any time in the system 1000, in addition to the UAV device 200 that has previously docked with the docking module 130 and is positioned at a target location on the housing 110 of the payload device, a further or another (second) UAV device 200 can be docked with the docking module.

[0098] like Figure 5 As shown, when another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to be further docked with the docking module 130 is further moved relative to the shell 110 of the payload device so that it occupies the target position of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device on the shell 110 of the payload device (i.e., is placed at the target point), each of the two linear toothed guides 230 associated with the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 at different moments (time periods) is sequentially introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with one or more toothed docking mechanisms in the toothed docking mechanism 140 provided to the docking module 130.

[0099] like Figure 6As shown, in order to enable another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to occupy its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is enabled to move toward the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200, followed by a contact action of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200. The contact action then enables the other UAV device 200 to be placed in its target position on the payload unit housing 110 (e.g., in a target position on the payload unit housing 110 corresponding to the target position of the previously docked UAV device 200), which target position is controlled or monitored by the control device of the payload unit 100, and the contact action enables the previously docked UAV device 200 to be further advanced relative to the payload unit housing 110, and subsequently causes the previously docked UAV device 200 to withdraw from interaction with the corresponding docking mechanism 140, thereby causing the previously docked UAV device 200 to detach from the docking module 130 and, therefore, from the payload unit housing 110. It is worth noting that control of the operation of the UAV device 200 detached from the payload unit 100 can be switched to the control device of the detached UAV device 200 or an external control device. It is noteworthy that the aforementioned process of docking another UAV device 200 with the payload device housing 110 and the aforementioned process of detaching an UAV device 200 previously docked with the payload device housing 110 from the payload device housing 110, in particular, from the docking module 130 provided to the payload device housing 110, can be implemented or executed under the control of the control device of the payload device 100 while the payload device 100 is moving in the air. In some embodiments of the present invention, the aforementioned process of docking another UAV device 200 with the payload device housing 110 and the aforementioned process of detaching an UAV device 200 previously docked with the payload device housing 110 from the payload device housing 110 can be implemented or executed under the control of the control device of the payload device 100 while the payload device housing 110 is on the surface of the earth (on which the payload device is placed when landing is completed, or from which the payload device 100 must be lifted into the air when taking off).

[0100] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when another or another (second) unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 other than the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 moves toward the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be stopped in its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, in which position, the shell 210 associated with the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is adjacent to or in close proximity to the shell 210 associated with the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 can be docked with the docking module 130, and the two unmanned aerial vehicle devices are arranged in their target positions on the shell 110 of the payload device in close proximity to each other, wherein, in order to make the payload device 100 move in the air, the control device of the payload device 100 can control the operation (for example, turn on, turn off or change the operating characteristics) of at least one or each air propulsion unit 220 in one of the two docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200, at least one or each air propulsion unit 220 in the other of the two docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 and / or at least one or each air propulsion unit 120.

[0101] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when another or another (second) unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 other than the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 moves toward the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be enabled to stop in its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, in which position, the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is present at a certain distance from the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 can be docked with the docking module 130, and the two unmanned aerial vehicle devices are set at their target positions on the shell 110 of the payload device and are at a certain distance from each other, which is adjusted or controlled by the control device of the payload device 100, wherein, in order to make the payload device 100 move in the air, the control device of the payload device 100 can control the operation (for example, turn on, turn off or change the operating characteristics) of at least one or each air propulsion unit 220 in one of the two docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200, at least one or each air propulsion unit 220 in the other of the two docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 and / or at least one or each air propulsion unit 120.

[0102] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when another or another (second) unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 other than the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 moves toward the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, the another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be caused to act on the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to place the another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 at its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, and move the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to its new target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, in which position the shell 210 of the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is adjacent to the shell 210 associated with the another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200, or in which position the previously docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is present on the shell 110 of the payload device, at a predetermined distance from the another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200, which distance is adjusted or controlled by the control device of the payload device 100. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 can be docked with the docking module 130, and the two unmanned aerial vehicle devices are arranged in their target positions on the shell 110 of the payload device in close proximity to each other, and the two unmanned aerial vehicle devices will occupy these positions due to their contact interaction with each other, wherein, in order to make the payload device 100 move in the air, the control device of the payload device 100 can control the operation (for example, turn on, turn off or change the operating characteristics) of at least one or each air propulsion unit 220 in one of the two docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200, at least one or each air propulsion unit 220 in the other of the two docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 and / or at least one or each air propulsion unit 120.

[0103] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the docking module 130 can sequentially (at predetermined intervals or time periods) dock two or more UAVs 200 in addition to the UAVs 200 previously docked with the docking module 130 and present in their target positions on the payload unit's housing 110. In a variation of this embodiment of the present invention, all UAVs 200 docked with the docking module 130 (i.e., the two or more additional docked UAVs 200 and the previously docked UAVs 200) can occupy their target positions on the payload unit's housing 100, which are adjusted or controlled by the payload unit's 100 control device. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, each or at least one of the one or more UAVs 200 additionally docked with the docking module 130 may occupy its target position on the payload unit's housing 100, which target position is adjusted or controlled by the control device of the payload unit 100, and the UAV 200 previously docked with the docking module 130 may be detached from the payload unit's housing 110 when one or the last of the additional UAVs 200 is docked with the payload unit's housing 110. In yet another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the UAVs 200 additionally docked with the docking module 130 may be sequentially detached from the payload unit's housing 110 after the UAV 200 previously docked with the docking module 130 is detached from the payload unit's housing 110.

[0104] In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the docking mechanisms 140 that can be provided to the housing 110 of the payload device can be further configured to detachably engage with a linear toothed guide 230, which can be provided to another (another or second) UAV device 200 to be docked with the docking module 130 or the housing 110 of the payload device in addition to the UAV device 200 that was previously docked with the housing 110 of the payload device and is located at a target position on the housing 110 of the payload device, so that the another UAV device 200 can be moved relative to the housing 110 of the payload device toward the previously docked UAV device 200, thereby being able to (i) place the another UAV device 200 in its target position on the housing 110 of the payload device, which target position is a predetermined distance away from the target position on the housing 110 of the payload device occupied by the previously docked UAV device, and (ii) and (iii) acting upon the previously docked UAV device 200 to place the other UAV device 200 in its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device and to advance the previously docked UAV device 200 to its new target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, or (iv) acting upon the other UAV device 200 to place the other UAV device 200 in its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device (e.g., the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device corresponds to the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device of the previously docked UAV device 200) and to withdraw the previously docked UAV device 200 from interaction with the at least one docking mechanism 140 and then detach the previously docked UAV device from the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0105] It is noteworthy that when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 previously docked with the shell 110 of the payload device moves towards a state of separation from the payload device 100 due to the contact interaction with one or another unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 that is further docked with the shell 110 of the payload device, each of the two linear toothed guides 230 is sequentially introduced into the following detachable toothing interactions at different moments (time periods): (i) detachable toothing interaction only with the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140, (ii) detachable toothing interaction with the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140 and the distal toothed docking mechanism 140 at the same time, and (iii) detachable toothing interaction only with the distal toothed docking mechanism 140, wherein the separation of the aircraft device from the shell 110 of the payload device is performed when the two linear toothed guides 230 withdraw from the toothing interaction with the corresponding distal toothed docking mechanism 140. It is noteworthy that the control device of the payload unit 100 issues control commands to the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140 and the distal toothed docking mechanism 140, which must be used at different times (time periods), to enable the UAV device 200 to move relative to the payload unit housing 110 until it is separated from the payload unit housing 110. Therefore, the toothed docking mechanisms of the intermediate toothed docking mechanism 140 and the distal toothed docking mechanism 140, which are actuated in response to the corresponding control commands of the control device of the payload unit 100, rotate in a predetermined direction and at a predetermined rotational speed, so that the teeth of these actuated docking mechanisms 140 can be brought into detachable toothed interaction with corresponding teeth 240 configured on the corresponding linear toothed guide 230 (which is provided to the UAV device 200 to be separated (being separated)), thereby enabling the UAV device 200 to further advance from its target position on the payload unit housing 110 (this target position is known to the control device of the payload unit 100) until it is separated from the payload unit housing 110.

[0106] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 relative to the shell 110 of the payload device from the position where the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is docked with the shell 110 of the payload device to the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device and from the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device to the position where the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is detached from the shell 110 of the payload device can be achieved or executed by causing each of the two linear toothed guides 230 to perform a detachable toothed interaction with only a corresponding one of the toothed docking mechanisms 140 at each separate movement moment (time period) (for example, by sequentially introducing each of the two linear toothed guides 230 into a detachable toothed interaction with only a corresponding one of the two proximal toothed docking mechanisms 140, a detachable toothed interaction with only a corresponding one of the two intermediate toothed docking mechanisms 140, and a detachable toothed interaction with only a corresponding one of the two distal toothed docking mechanisms 140).

[0107] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 relative to the shell 110 of the payload device from the position where the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is docked with the shell 110 of the payload device to the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device and from the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device to the position where the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is detached from the shell 110 of the payload device can be achieved or performed by introducing each of the two linear toothed guides 230 into a detachable toothed interaction with only a corresponding one or corresponding two toothed docking mechanisms 140 at each separate movement moment (time period).

[0108] According to another embodiment of the present invention, when two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 are docked with the docking module 130 or the shell 110 of the payload device in sequence on one side of the shell 110 of the payload device, or when two unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 are docked with the docking module 130 or the shell 110 of the payload device substantially simultaneously on two opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, these docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 can be moved relative to the shell 110 of the payload device to their target positions on the shell 110 of the payload device, wherein the shell 210 of at least one of the docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 can be configured to enable the shell of another unmanned aerial vehicle device in the docked unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 to extend through the shell of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the housings 210 of the UAV devices 200 docked with the payload unit's housing 110 and positioned in their target locations on the payload unit's housing 110 may at least partially overlap one another or may at least partially overlap one another, so as to ensure that their air propulsion units 220 are positioned at different heights or overlap one another. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the housing 210 of at least one or each of the UAV devices 200 docked with the payload unit's housing 110 may be configured to be extendable or expandable, wherein the extension or expansion of the housing 210 may be controlled by the payload unit's control device 100 as the docked UAV device 200 moves relative to the payload unit's housing 110. Therefore, in this variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the expansion of the shell 210 of one of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 docked with the shell 110 of the payload device under the control of the control device of the payload device 100 (which adjusts or controls the degree of expansion) allows the shell 210 associated with another unmanned aerial vehicle device in the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to extend through the expanded shell 210 when the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 moves relative to the shell 110 of the payload device, or allows the expanded shell 210 to extend over the shell 210 associated with the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 (which has an expanded shell 210) moves relative to the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0109] In one embodiment of the embodiments of the present invention, the linear toothed guide 230 (which is provided to the housing 210 in each unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000) can be a separate structural part, each structural part being connected to the housing 210 using one or more connecting elements or devices known in the prior art (removably or non-removably), or each structural part being fastened to the housing 210 using one or more fastening elements or fastening devices known in the prior art (removably or non-removably).

[0110] In another embodiment of the present invention, the housing 210 in each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transportation system 1000 may be provided with two linear toothed guides 230 that are integrally configured with the housing 210 and are at a predetermined distance from each other, wherein the toothed guides 230 may be positioned substantially parallel to each other, and each toothed guide may be provided with a row of teeth, wherein the teeth 240 have a shape and size suitable for detachable toothed interaction with corresponding teeth of the docking mechanism 140 when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is docked with the docking module 130 or such docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is moved relative to the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0111] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the housing 210 in each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are part of the air transport system 1000 may be provided with only one linear toothed guide 230, wherein the teeth 240 have a shape and size suitable for detachable toothed interaction with corresponding teeth of a docking mechanism 140 when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is docked with the docking module 130 or such docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is moved relative to the housing 110 of the payload device, which docking mechanism may be provided to the housing 110 of the payload device and may be mounted in a row and at predetermined distances from each other (e.g., at equal distances from each other or at different distances). In one of the variations of this embodiment of the invention, at each moment when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 moves relative to the housing 110 of the payload device to occupy a target position on the housing 110 of the payload device (i.e., to be placed at a target point) or to detach from the housing 110 of the payload device, a single linear toothed guide 230 can be introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with only one of the docking mechanisms 140 that can be set to the housing 110 of the payload device by means of one or more of its teeth 240. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, at each moment when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 moves relative to the shell 110 of the payload device to occupy a target position on the shell 110 of the payload device (i.e., to be placed at a target point) or to detach from the shell 110 of the payload device, a single linear toothed guide 230 can be simultaneously introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with two or more docking mechanisms (in particular, with two, three, four, five, six, seven, nine, ten or more docking mechanisms 140) of the docking mechanism 140 that can be set to the shell 110 of the payload device using two or more sets of teeth of the toothed guide 230, each of which generally corresponds to one of the docking mechanisms 140 introduced into the interaction and each includes one or more continuously arranged teeth among the teeth 240 set to the toothed guide 230.In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, at different stages of the movement of the aircraft device 200 docked with the docking module 130 relative to the shell 110 of the payload device to occupy a target position on the shell 110 of the payload device (i.e., to be placed at a target point) or to detach from the shell 110 of the payload device, a single linear toothed guide 230 can be introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with only one of the docking mechanisms 140 that can be set to the shell 110 of the payload device by means of one or more of its teeth 240, or two or more groups of teeth (which are set to the toothed guide 230 and each group of teeth corresponds to one of the docking mechanisms 140) can be used separately to be introduced into a detachable toothed interaction with two or more docking mechanisms 140 that can be set to the shell 110 of the payload device at the same time. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in the above-described variations of this embodiment of the present invention, at different moments during the movement of the UAV device 200 relative to the payload device housing 110, one and the same of the docking mechanisms 140 that may be provided to the payload device housing 110 may be brought into releasable toothed interaction with different sets of teeth, including one or more consecutively arranged teeth among the teeth 240 provided to the linear toothed guide 230. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in the above-described variations of this embodiment of the present invention, as the UAV device 200 moves relative to the payload device housing 110, each of the docking mechanisms 140 that may be provided to the payload device housing 110 may be sequentially brought into releasable toothed interaction with each of the teeth 240 provided to the linear toothed guide 230, or with only at least a portion of the teeth 240. In addition, those skilled in the art will easily understand that in the above-mentioned variations of this embodiment of the present invention, when the aircraft device 200 docked with the docking module 130 is placed in the target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, the toothed guide 230 can use one or more groups of teeth 240 to respectively perform detachable toothing interaction with one or more docking mechanisms in the docking mechanism 140 (in particular, depending on the variation of this embodiment of the present invention), each group of teeth corresponding to one of the docking mechanisms 140, and each group of teeth including one or more continuously arranged teeth in the teeth 240.

[0112] In some embodiments of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload unit may be provided with one or more docking modules (not shown), each of which may be accessed from a side of the housing 110 of the payload unit, and one or more unmanned aerial vehicle units 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 may be docked with each docking module at any particular moment or time period.

[0113] In other embodiments of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload device may be provided with some kind of special docking module, and one or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 as part of the air transportation system 100 may be docked directly with the housing of the payload device sequentially on one side of the housing 110 of the payload device, or may be docked with the housing of the payload device substantially simultaneously on different sides of the housing 110 of the payload device.

[0114] In other embodiments of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload unit may be provided with one or more docking mechanisms 140, each of which may be configured to detachably engage with a toothed guide 230 (which is provided to the housing 210 of the unmanned aerial vehicle unit 200 to be docked as part of the aerial transportation system 1000) to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle unit 200 to move relative to the housing 110 of the payload unit when it is docked with the payload unit 100.

[0115] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the docking module 130 provided to the shell 110 of the payload device may be provided with any toothed docking mechanism 140, or may include any toothed docking mechanism 140 known in the prior art, which is suitable for detachable toothing interaction with one or more or a portion of the teeth 240 provided on the toothed guide 230 (which is provided to the outer shell 210 of the aircraft device), wherein the detachable interaction between the toothed docking mechanism 140 and the teeth 240 is capable of forming a detachable connection between the docking module 130 and the outer shell 210 of the aircraft device, and thereby is capable of forming a detachable connection between the payload device 100 and the aircraft device 200.

[0116] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a docking module 130 provided to the housing 110 of the payload unit may be configured to be at least partially located within the housing 110 of the payload unit. Thus, the docking module 130 in this embodiment of the present invention may be at least partially recessed or sunken into the housing 110 of the payload unit.

[0117] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a docking module 130 provided to the shell 110 of the payload device can be installed in the shell 110 of the payload device to extend, unfold or open from the shell of the payload device under the control of the control device of the payload device 100, in particular in response to a control command of the control device of the payload device 100, a control command of the aircraft device 200 that must be detachably docked with the shell 110 of the payload device, or a control command of an external control device (i.e., an external control source).

[0118] like Figure 1 As shown, the housing 110 is configured in the form of a passenger or user cabin, which is configured to accommodate one or more persons (e.g., one or more passengers and / or a pilot) therein, wherein, among other things, various living beings and / or various loads of any type may be accommodated in the cabin, wherein the user cabin may further be provided with an observation window and an entrance in the form of an entrance door or hatch. It is noteworthy that the shell 110 to which one or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 can be docked or connected can be used to transport, carry or transport people, various living things and / or various types of cargo (solid, gas, liquid, fluid, bulk, viscous, radioactive, chemical and / or similar) in the air to a target location, which target location can be located on a ground surface (on land), on the surface of a mobile or fixed ground object (for example, on a ground platform, a bridge, a TV tower, a truck shell, the roof of a building or the like), on the surface of a fixed water object (for example, on an offshore platform, an ocean buoy, a float or the like), on the surface of a movable water object (for example, on the deck of a ship, barge, diesel-powered ship, liner, motor boat or the like), on the surface of a fixed or movable aerial object (for example, on the fuselage of an aircraft, a balloon or the like) or on the surface of any other suitable object known in the prior art.

[0119] In the interior space of the payload unit's housing 110, a seat may be installed that may accommodate a driver, user, or pilot who is capable of controlling the travel or movement of the payload unit 100 in the air using a steering mechanism or rudder (i.e., an element for controlling the direction of travel or movement) that is provided to a control panel that is fixed or mounted in the interior space of the housing 110, wherein the functions of the pilot may be performed by any user or passenger present in said interior space of the housing 110. The control panel may include instrument panels, monitoring elements, and control elements necessary for the pilot to control the movement of the payload unit 100 in the air to a target area in space (including for subsequent landing of the payload unit 100 to place the payload unit 100 in a parking position, a storage position, a position for replenishment of range, a repair position, a maintenance position, etc.).

[0120] In one embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the pilot, at least one passenger, at least one passenger's luggage, and / or at least one cargo item can be accommodated within the interior space of the payload unit's housing 110. The pilot, passenger, cargo item, and passenger's luggage item can be accommodated in corresponding locations within the common interior space, or can each be accommodated in their respective separate areas at least partially defined by one or more partitions, or can each be accommodated in separate compartments at least partially defined by one or more partitions. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, a seat can be provided in a pilot's cabin formed within the interior space of the payload unit's housing 110 and separated from the remainder of the interior space of the housing 110 by a partition. The remainder can be further divided by further partitions into a passenger compartment (in which one or more passenger seats can be installed to accommodate passengers) and a luggage compartment or cargo compartment. The luggage compartment or cargo compartment can accommodate cargo (particularly, one or more cargo items) and / or passenger luggage (particularly, one or more passenger luggage items). The cargo items, passenger luggage items, and / or passenger seats can be provided or secured to the bottom, floor, and / or walls of the housing 110. In another variation of this embodiment of the invention, in the passenger compartment in the housing 110 of the payload unit, the following may be provided instead of or in addition to the passenger seats: (i) rails mounted on the side walls, floor and / or roof of the housing 110 for accommodating passengers at any position in the housing 110 of the payload unit (e.g., sitting or standing on the floor of the housing 110); (ii) a sofa, bed or bench fixed to the floor, walls and / or roof of the housing 110 for accommodating passengers in sitting, standing and / or lying positions thereon; (iii) a dedicated area for accommodating disabled persons in sitting, standing and / or lying positions; (iv) a dedicated area for wheelchairs for disabled persons; (v) a dedicated area for cribs for infants and, if necessary, for accompanying persons; (vi) a dedicated area for accommodating wheelchairs for bedridden patients, and / or (vii) a dedicated area for accommodating sports equipment. It is worth noting that the number of passengers in the passenger cabin in the shell 110 of the payload unit can range from one person to dozens or even hundreds of people without any limit, wherein the number of passengers is generally limited only by the volume or size of the passenger cabin within the interior space of the shell 110.In yet another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, in the cargo compartment of the housing 110 of the payload unit, cargo and / or passenger baggage can be accommodated not only on the floor of the housing 110 but also attached to the cargo compartment of the housing 110 using conventional fastening means known in the art, wherein shelves, hangers, crates, and other carrying devices may also be provided in the cargo compartment of the housing 110, attached to the floor, roof, and / or side walls of the housing 110, and allowing additional cargo items and / or passenger baggage items to be accommodated in the cargo compartment of the housing 110. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the above-described variations of the means for accommodating passengers in the passenger compartment, an area for passenger baggage (including shelves, hangers, crates, and other carrying devices for accommodating passenger baggage items) may be provided solely in the passenger compartment of the housing 110 of the payload unit. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that cargo items and / or passenger luggage items may also be at least partially secured or fastened from the outside of the housing 110 using suitable fastening means known in the art (e.g., using specialized enclosed attachment devices used in aircraft, automobiles, motorcycles, helicopters, bicycles, and the like). Notably, the aforementioned pilot cabin, passenger cabin, and cargo compartment in the payload unit's housing 110 may be configured substantially similarly to corresponding compartments of an aircraft, helicopter, bus, automobile, ship, motorboat, or the like.

[0121] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a seat can be provided in a pilot's cabin within the interior of the housing 110 of the payload unit, the pilot's cabin being separated by a partition from the remainder of the interior of the housing 110, which in turn can accommodate or secure passengers (e.g., in passenger seats), cargo items, and passenger luggage items on the bottom, ceiling, and / or floor of the housing 110. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention are possible in which only the pilot and passengers can be accommodated within the interior of the housing 110 of the payload unit; embodiments of the present invention are possible in which only the pilot and cargo can be accommodated within the interior of the housing 110; embodiments of the present invention are possible in which only passengers and cargo can be accommodated within the interior of the housing 110; embodiments of the present invention are possible in which only one or more passengers can be accommodated within the interior of the housing 110, one of the passengers being able to perform the functions of a pilot; embodiments of the present invention are possible in which only the pilot can be accommodated within the interior of the housing 110 (e.g., in a pilot's seat), who is also a passenger of the payload unit 100.

[0122] Control elements (not shown) in the payload unit housing 110 as part of a control panel are capable of controlling the payload unit 100 in a semi-automatic mode (i.e., a combination of manual control by a pilot and automatic control by an onboard system using an autopilot, which is responsible for at least the safety of the payload unit 100's travel or movement through the air), such that the control elements of the control panel of the payload unit 100 can be used by a pilot seated in a seat, who monitors the instrument readings on the instrument panel of the control panel for manual input of at least one control command. It is noteworthy that the control elements of the control panel are communicatively coupled to the control equipment of the payload unit 100 so as to be capable of issuing each of the pilot's control commands to the control equipment of the payload unit 100, wherein some of the pilot's control commands can substantially replace corresponding control commands of the control equipment of the payload unit 100 generated by the control equipment of the payload unit 100 during the travel or movement of such payload unit 100 through the air in an automatic mode (i.e., in an autopilot mode) to a target area or target position in space.

[0123] In other embodiments of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload unit can be formed by two or more separate cabins (for example, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more separate cabins) of one and the same type or of different types that are detachably docked or connected to each other.

[0124] It is noteworthy that the UAV unit 200 detachably coupled or docked with the payload unit housing 110 can respond as a whole to control commands and / or control instructions received from the control equipment of the payload unit 100. In particular, the operation of the UAV unit 200 detachably docked with the payload unit housing 110 can be synchronized using the control equipment of the payload unit 100 (alternatively, using the control equipment of at least one or each of the UAV units 200 and / or the control equipment of the payload unit 100). In addition, at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 that are detachably connected or docked with the housing 110 of the payload device can be electrically connected to the payload device 100 to form a single power circuit and form a power pack (for example, the power pack can be formed by one or more integrated batteries included in at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 and / or one or more integrated batteries installed in or on the housing 110 of the payload device), wherein the process of charging such a power pack and the process of distributing power energy among the functional components of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 installed in or on the housing 110 of the payload device can be controlled by the control device of the payload device 100 (alternatively, by the control device of at least one or each of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 and / or the control device of the payload device 100).

[0125] It is worth noting that the process of detachably connecting or detachably docking one or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 to the housing 110 of the payload device can occur directly in the air in response to control commands and / or navigation commands issued by the control device of the payload device 100 to the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200, that is, it can occur under the control of the control device of the payload device 100.

[0126] It should also be noted that in any of the embodiments of the present invention described herein, reference to the use of the control device of the UAV unit 200 for controlling, monitoring, or executing the described operations is not limiting, i.e., one skilled in the art will understand that the control device of the payload unit 100, the control device of another UAV unit 200, an external control device, or any suitable combination thereof, may be used in place of the control device of the UAV unit 200. In particular, when the UAV unit 200 is removably coupled or removably docked with the payload unit housing 110, control of such docked UAV unit 200 may be intercepted by the control device of the payload unit 100 or the control device of another UAV unit 200 that has (previously) been coupled or docked with the payload unit housing 110, or such control of the UAV unit 200 may be performed by the control device of the UAV unit 200 in response to navigation commands and / or control commands of the control device of the payload unit 100.

[0127] In one embodiment of the present invention, the housing 110 of the payload unit may include an (embedded) integrated power source (not shown) configured in the form of a battery, one or more rechargeable batteries, an internal combustion engine generator, a hydrogen engine generator, a generator based on one or more solar panels, or a generator based on any other suitable energy source known in the art, wherein the integrated power source may also be configured to be charged from an external power source (not shown) using a charging device (not shown) of a suitable type, which is coupled to the external power source and configured to be connected to the integrated power source of the housing 110. In particular, the integrated power source in the housing 110 of the payload unit may be coupled, via its power circuitry, to the control equipment of the payload unit 100 and any other functional components of the payload unit 100 described herein, so as to be capable of providing power to or being powered by the control equipment of the payload unit 100 and any other functional components of the payload unit 100 described herein. In another embodiment of the present invention, the integrated power source of the housing 110 of the payload unit may be wirelessly charged using an external charging device (not shown) operating on the principle of electromagnetic induction, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0128] In another embodiment of the present invention, the UAV device 200 docked with the docking module 130 and the functional components installed in or on the payload device housing 110 may have separate power circuits.

[0129] In another embodiment of the present invention, the power circuit of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the docking module 130 and one or more power circuits of functional components installed in or on the shell 110 of the payload device can be electrically connected to each other to form a combined power circuit and a combined charging circuit.

[0130] In certain other embodiments of the present invention, the payload device housing 110 may further be provided with a limiting member configured to limit the movement of the UAV device 200 docked with the docking module 130 relative to the payload device housing 110 when the limiting member is actuated, so as to prevent or avoid the following possibility: the toothed guide of the UAV device 200 is accidentally disengaged from the detachable toothed interaction with the corresponding toothed docking mechanism 140 provided to the payload device housing 110, and thus prevent the UAV device 200 from accidentally detaching from the payload device housing 110. It is worth noting that in this embodiment of the present invention, the limiting member can be mechanically actuated (e.g., by contact interaction with the UAV device housing 210 or by pressing the UAV device housing 210 onto the limiting member). For example, in this embodiment of the present invention, the limiting member can be configured in the form of a spring-loaded element. Alternatively, in this embodiment of the present invention, the stop member may be configured to be controllable, and the control device of the payload unit 100 may be communicatively coupled to such controllable stop member so as to enable actuation of such controllable stop member. In one variation of such an embodiment of the present invention, the stop member (which may also be provided to the payload unit housing 110) may be configured to be actuated when at least one of the toothed guides of the UAV unit 200 is brought into releasable toothed interaction with a corresponding one of the toothed docking mechanisms 140 provided to the payload unit housing 110. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the stop member (which may also be provided to the payload unit housing 110) may be configured to be actuated by the control device of the payload unit 100 in response to a reading from a contact sensor, which may be communicatively coupled to the control device of the payload unit 100 and configured to detect or identify docking of the UAV unit 200 with the payload unit housing 110. In another variation of such an embodiment of the present invention, the stop member may be mounted on the payload unit housing 110 , the docking module 130 , or one of the linear toothed guides 230 .

[0131] like Figure 1 and Figures 5 and 6As shown, the air propulsion units 120 are mounted on the docking module 130 so that when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is docked with the docking module 130 (whereby the linear toothed guide 230 interacts with the corresponding toothed docking mechanism 140 in a detachable manner), these air propulsion units 120 extend through the outer shell 210 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device, in particular through the interior space or interior cavity of the outer shell 210, so that when the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is placed at its target position on the shell 110 of the payload device, each of the air propulsion units 120 and 220 is placed on a corresponding side of the multiple sides of the shell 110 of the payload device. In other words, when the docked UAV unit 200 is placed at its target location on the payload unit's housing 110, the air propulsion units 120 and the air propulsion units 220 are evenly distributed around the periphery of the payload unit's housing 110, with the air propulsion units 120 being mounted on one pair of opposite sides of the payload unit's housing 110 and the air propulsion units 220 being mounted on the other pair of opposite sides of the payload unit's housing 110. Notably, as the air propulsion units 120 extend through the UAV unit's outer shell 210, the air propulsion units 120 also extend between the air propulsion units 220.

[0132] In one embodiment of the embodiments of the present invention, when the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 is docked with the docking module 130, the air propulsion unit 120 can extend below the housing 210 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device, or the housing 210 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can extend across and above the air propulsion unit 120, wherein the air propulsion unit 220 extends in the space between multiple air propulsion units 120.

[0133] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the UAVs 200 as part of the air transportation system 1000 may be provided with a linear toothed guide 240, and the docking module 130 or the payload unit housing 110 may be provided with two toothed docking mechanisms 140, the two toothed docking mechanisms being configured to releasably engage with the linear toothed guide 240 substantially simultaneously or sequentially when the UAV 200 docks with the docking module 130 or the payload unit housing 110. In a variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the two toothed docking mechanisms 140 may be arranged in a row on the docking module 130 or the payload unit housing 110 on one side of the payload unit housing, along the width of the payload unit housing or along the length of the payload unit housing, with the two toothed docking mechanisms being spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, two toothed docking mechanisms 140 can be arranged in a row on the docking module 130 or the payload unit housing 110 on one side of the payload unit housing to change the distance between the two toothed docking mechanisms on said one side.

[0134] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the docking module 130 or the shell 110 of the payload device may be provided with a vertical column (not shown) extending from the docking module 130 or the shell 110 of the payload device on one side of the shell of the payload device, and the toothed docking mechanism 140 may be arranged in a row on the vertical column so that the toothed docking mechanisms are arranged at a certain distance from each other along the spatial range, length or height of the vertical column.

[0135] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the toothed docking mechanism 140 can be installed in the docking module 130 or in the shell 110 of the payload device so as to engage with the corresponding linear toothed guide 230 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device on different sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, so that the air propulsion unit 220 provided to the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the shell 110 of the payload device or have a predetermined angular offset between each other along the periphery of the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0136] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the payload unit housing 110 may be provided with two air propulsion units 120, which are arranged on opposite sides of the payload unit housing 110, and the toothed docking mechanism 140 may be mounted on the payload unit housing 110 such that, when the linear toothed guide 230 is brought into toothed interaction with the toothed docking mechanism 140, the air propulsion units 120 and the air propulsion units 220 of the UAV unit can be positioned in the same plane but on different sides of the payload unit housing 110 or at a predetermined angular offset along the perimeter of the payload unit housing 110. In a variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the toothed docking mechanism 140 may be mounted on a side of the payload unit housing 110 that is adjacent to both opposite sides of the payload unit housing 110 where the air propulsion units 120 are located.

[0137] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the shell 110 of the payload device can be provided with two air propulsion units 120, which are arranged on opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, and the toothed docking mechanism 140 can be installed on the shell 110 of the payload device so that the linear toothed guide 230 of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can be introduced into the toothed interaction with the toothed docking mechanism 140 on one of the said opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, or introduced into the toothed interaction with the toothed docking mechanism 140 on one side of the shell 110 of the payload device adjacent to both said opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0138] In one embodiment of the embodiments of the present invention, the aerial transportation system 1000 may include (i) a payload device 100 provided with two or more toothed docking mechanisms 140; and (ii) two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200, each of which may be provided with a linear toothed guide 230, which is configured to perform detachable toothed interaction with at least one of the toothed docking mechanisms 140 to enable the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to move relative to the payload device's shell 110 or the payload device 100 as a whole, wherein the outer shell 210 of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 may be configured so that when the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 or another of the unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200 moves relative to the payload device's shell 110 or the payload device 100 as a whole, the outer shell 210 of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can at least partially extend through the outer shell 210 of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle device. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the toothed docking mechanism 140 provided to the payload unit's housing 110 can be mounted on the payload unit's housing 110 so that the toothed guides of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to be docked with the payload unit 100 can be introduced into a toothed interaction with the corresponding toothed docking mechanism in the docking mechanism 140 of the payload unit on different sides of the payload unit's housing 110. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the toothed docking mechanism 140 can be spring-loaded to bias the toothed guides 230. The toothed guides 230 can also be spring-loaded to bias the toothed docking mechanism 140. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the toothed docking mechanism 140 provided to the payload unit's housing 110 can be mounted on the payload unit's housing 110 so that the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to be docked with the payload unit 100 can be positioned at a predetermined distance from each other along the height direction of the payload unit's housing 110. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the toothed docking mechanism 140 provided to the shell 110 of the payload device can be mounted on the shell 110 of the payload device so as to enable the air propulsion units 220 associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 (which must dock with the payload device 100) to be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the shell 110 of the payload device or with a predetermined angular offset from each other along the periphery of the shell 110 of the payload device.

[0139] In another embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned functional elements of the payload unit 100 can be installed on each unmanned aerial vehicle unit 200 that is part of the air transportation system 1000, and vice versa, the above-mentioned functional elements of any one unmanned aerial vehicle unit 200 can be installed on the payload unit 100. In particular, in such an embodiment of the present invention, the shell 110 of the payload device can be provided with one or more linear toothed guides, which are configured similarly in structure and function to the above-mentioned linear toothed guide 230, and each of the one or more linear toothed guides is configured to interact with the docking mechanism of the unmanned aerial vehicle device (which docking mechanism is configured similarly to the above-mentioned toothed docking mechanism 140) in a detachable manner so that the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can move along the linear toothed guide relative to the shell 110 of the payload device, wherein at least one of the toothed guides of the shell 110 of the payload device can also be configured to interact with the toothed docking mechanism of another or another (second) unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 in a detachable manner so that the other unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can act on the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200, thereby causing the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to withdraw from the interaction with the at least one toothed guide. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the linear toothed guides of the payload unit's housing 110 may be provided with a limit member configured to limit movement of the docked UAV device 200 along the at least one linear toothed guide. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the payload unit's housing 110 may include a limit member configured to limit movement of the docked UAV device 200 relative to the payload unit's housing 110. In yet another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the limit member (which may be provided to the payload unit's housing 110 or to at least one linear toothed guide of the payload unit's housing 110) may be configured to actuate when the docking mechanism of the UAV device 200 is brought into toothed interaction with the at least one toothed guide. In another variation of this embodiment of the invention, the housing 110 of the payload device may be provided with two or more air propulsion units 120, wherein at least one of such air propulsion units 120 may be configured to be capable of extending, deploying or unfolding from the housing 110 of the payload device.In some variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the air propulsion units 120 provided to the payload unit's housing 110 may form at least one pair of functional air propulsion units that operate under the control of the payload unit's 100 control device, and wherein the air propulsion units 120 are provided on opposite sides of the payload unit's housing 110. In some other variations of this embodiment of the present invention, at least one or each of the air propulsion units 120 provided to the payload unit's housing 110 may be mounted on one side of the payload unit's housing 110 so as to change its position on that side of the payload unit's housing 110. In yet another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the air propulsion units 120 provided to the payload unit's housing 110 may be mounted so as to enable the UAV unit's housing 210 to extend between the air propulsion units 120 when the toothed docking mechanism of the UAV unit 200 is brought into toothed interaction with the linear toothed guides of the payload unit's housing 110. In various variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the payload unit housing 110 may be provided with two linear toothed guides configured to removably engage with the docking mechanism of the UAV unit 200. In various other variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the linear toothed guides provided to the payload unit housing 110 may be mounted on one side of the payload unit housing 110 at a predetermined distance from each other. In various other variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the toothed guides provided to the payload unit housing 110 may be mounted on one side of the payload unit housing 110 to vary the distance between the toothed guides on the one side of the payload unit housing 110. In some variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the toothed guides provided to the payload unit housing 110 may be mounted on a vertical column extending from the payload unit housing 110 at one side of the payload unit housing 110 and may be arranged at a predetermined distance from each other along the spatial extent, length, or height of the vertical column. In some other variations of this embodiment of the invention, the toothed guides provided to the shell 110 of the payload device can be mounted on the shell 110 of the payload device so that the toothed docking modules of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 are introduced into toothed interaction with corresponding linear toothed guides of the shell 110 of the payload device on different sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, so that the air propulsion units 220 associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 can be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the shell 110 of the payload device or have a predetermined angular offset with each other along the periphery of the shell 110 of the payload device.In some other variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the payload device housing 110 may be provided with two air propulsion units 120, the two air propulsion units 120 being provided on opposite sides of the payload device housing 110, and the linear toothed guide provided to the payload device housing 110 may be mounted on the payload device housing 110 such that, when the toothed docking module of the UAV device 200 is introduced into toothed interaction with the linear toothed guide, the air propulsion units 120 and the air propulsion units 220 (which are provided to the housing 210 of the UAV device 200) can be positioned in the same plane but on different sides of the payload device housing 110 or at a predetermined angular offset from each other along the periphery of the payload device housing 110. In other variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the linear toothed guide provided to the payload device housing 110 may be mounted on a side of the payload device housing 110 that is adjacent to both opposite sides of the payload device housing 110 where the air propulsion units 120 are mounted. In other variations of this embodiment of the present invention, the shell 110 of the payload device can be provided with two air propulsion units 120, which are arranged on opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, and the linear toothed guide provided to the shell 110 of the payload device can be installed on the shell 110 of the payload device so as to enable the toothed docking module of the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to be introduced into the toothing interaction with the linear toothed guide of the shell 110 of the payload device on one of the said opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device, or to be introduced into the toothing interaction with the linear toothed guide of the shell 110 of the payload device on one side of the shell 110 of the payload device adjacent to both opposite sides of the shell 110 of the payload device on which the air propulsion units 120 are installed.

[0140] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an aerial transportation system 1000 may include (i) a payload device 100 provided with two or more linear toothed guides, each of which may be configured similarly to any of the linear toothed guides 230 described above, and (ii) two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices 200, each of which is provided with a toothed docking mechanism, which is configured similarly to the toothed docking mechanism 140 described above and is configured to detachably engage with at least one of the linear toothed guides of the payload device 100 to enable the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 to engage with the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device 200. 0 is movable relative to the payload device housing 110 along the at least one linear toothed guide of the payload device 100, wherein, when the at least one UAV device 200 or the other UAV device 200 moves along the corresponding at least one linear toothed guide of the payload device 100, the housing 210 of at least one of the docked UAV devices 200 can be configured so that the housing 210 associated with the other UAV device 200 can extend through the housing of the at least one docked UAV device. In one variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the linear toothed guides provided to the payload device housing 110 can be mounted on the payload device housing 110 so that the toothed docking mechanism of the UAV device 200 can be introduced into toothed interaction with corresponding ones of the linear toothed guides of the payload device 100 on different sides of the payload device housing 110. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the linear toothed guide provided to the payload device's housing 110 may be mounted on the payload device's housing 110 so as to enable the unmanned aerial vehicle device 200 docked with the payload device's housing 110 to be positioned at a predetermined distance from one another along the height direction of the payload device's housing 110 or the height direction of the payload device 100. In another variation of this embodiment of the present invention, the linear toothed guide provided to the payload device's housing 110 may be mounted on the payload device's housing 110 so as to enable the air propulsion units 220 associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle device docked to the payload device's housing 110 to be positioned in the same plane and on different sides of the payload device's housing 110 or at a predetermined angular offset from one another along the circumference of the payload device's housing 110.

[0141] The illustrative embodiments, examples, and descriptions of the present invention are provided only to facilitate understanding of the principles of the claimed invention and are not intended to be limiting. After reading the above description, those skilled in the art will recognize other possible embodiments of the present invention or modifications or improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A payload device comprising: A housing provided with one or more docking mechanisms, each of which is configured to detachably engage with a toothed guide of a docked UAV device to enable the docked UAV device to move relative to the housing, wherein At least one of the docking mechanisms is also configured to detachably engage with a toothed guide of another unmanned aerial vehicle device so that the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can be moved toward the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device with the aid of the docking mechanism of the payload device and cause the outer shell of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device to contact the outer shell of the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device, thereby causing the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to withdraw from the interaction with the at least one docking mechanism of the payload device.

2. The payload unit according to claim 1, wherein: The housing is provided with a limiting component, and the limiting component is configured to limit the movement of the UAV device relative to the housing.

3. The payload device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The stop member is configured to be actuated when the toothed guide of the UAV device is introduced into toothed interaction with the at least one docking mechanism.

4. The payload unit according to claim 1, wherein: The housing is provided with two or more air propulsion units.

5. The payload unit according to claim 4, wherein: At least one of the air propulsion units of the housing is configured to be extendable, deployable or unfoldable from the housing.

6. The payload unit according to claim 4, wherein: The air propulsion units of the housing of the payload unit form at least a pair of functional air propulsion units, wherein the air propulsion units are arranged on opposite sides of the housing.

7. The payload unit of claim 4, wherein: At least one of the air propulsion units of the housing is mounted on one side of the housing and is configured to be able to change its position on the one side of the housing.

8. The payload unit of claim 4, wherein: The air propulsion unit of the shell is mounted so that, when the toothed guide of the unmanned aerial vehicle device is introduced into toothed interaction with the at least one docking mechanism, the air propulsion unit can extend through the fuselage of the unmanned aerial vehicle device, or the shell of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can extend over the air propulsion unit.

9. The payload unit of claim 1, wherein: The housing is provided with two docking mechanisms configured to detachably engage with the toothed guide of the UAV device.

10. The payload unit according to claim 9, wherein: The docking mechanisms are installed on one side of the housing at a predetermined distance from each other.

11. The payload unit of claim 9, wherein: The docking mechanisms are installed on one side of the housing and are configured to be able to change a distance between each other on the one side of the housing.

12. The payload unit of claim 1, wherein: The docking mechanisms are mounted on a vertical column extending from one side of the housing and are arranged at a certain distance from each other along the length direction of the vertical column.

13. The payload unit of claim 1, wherein: The docking mechanism is mounted on the shell so that it can interact with the toothed guides of the unmanned aerial vehicle device on different sides of the shell, thereby enabling the air propulsion units of the unmanned aerial vehicle device to be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the shell or with a predetermined angular offset from each other along the periphery of the shell.

14. The payload unit of claim 1, wherein: The shell is provided with two air propulsion units, which are arranged on opposite sides of the shell, and the docking mechanism is mounted on the shell so that, when the toothed guide of the unmanned aerial vehicle device is introduced into toothed interaction with the docking mechanism, the air propulsion unit of the shell and the air propulsion unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the shell or with a predetermined angular offset between each other along the periphery of the shell.

15. The payload unit of claim 14, wherein: The docking mechanism is mounted on a side of the housing adjacent to both of the opposite sides of the housing.

16. The payload unit of claim 1, wherein: The shell is provided with two air propulsion units, which are arranged on opposite sides of the shell, and the docking mechanism is mounted on the shell so that the toothed guide of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can be introduced into a toothed interaction with the docking mechanism at one of the opposite sides of the shell, or introduced into a toothed interaction with the docking mechanism at one side of the shell adjacent to both opposite sides of the shell.

17. An air transportation system comprising: a payload unit provided with two or more docking mechanisms, Two or more UAVs, each of the two or more UAVs being provided with a toothed guide configured to releasably engage with at least one of the docking mechanisms of the payload unit to enable the docked UAV to move relative to the payload unit, wherein The housing of at least one UAV device is configured such that, when the at least one UAV device or another UAV device moves relative to the payload device, the housing of the other UAV device can at least partially extend through the housing of the at least one UAV device.

18. The air transportation system according to claim 17, wherein: The docking mechanism is mounted on the payload unit in such a way that the toothed guides of the UAV unit can be introduced into toothed interaction with corresponding docking mechanisms in the docking mechanism of the payload unit on different sides of the housing of the payload unit.

19. The air transportation system according to claim 17, wherein: The docking mechanism is mounted on the payload unit so as to enable the UAV units to be placed at predetermined distances from each other in a height direction of the payload unit.

20. The air transportation system according to claim 17, wherein: The docking mechanism is mounted on the payload unit so as to place the air propulsion units of the UAV unit in the same plane but on different sides of the payload unit or at a predetermined angular offset from each other along the perimeter of the payload unit.

21. A payload device comprising: A housing provided with one or more toothed guides, each of which is configured to detachably engage with a docking mechanism of an unmanned aerial vehicle device so that the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device can move relative to the housing along the toothed guides, wherein The toothed guide of at least one of the shells is also configured to interact in a detachable toothed manner with the docking mechanism of another unmanned aerial vehicle device, so that the other unmanned aerial vehicle device can be moved toward the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device with the aid of the toothed guide of the payload device and cause the outer shell of the other unmanned aerial vehicle device to contact the outer shell of the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device, thereby causing the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to withdraw from the interaction with the at least one toothed guide of the payload device.

22. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: At least one of the toothed guides of the housing is provided with a limiting member, and the limiting member is configured to limit the movement of the UAV device along the at least one toothed guide.

23. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The housing is provided with a limiting component, and the limiting component is configured to limit the movement of the UAV device relative to the housing.

24. The payload unit according to any one of claims 22-23, wherein: The retaining member is configured to be actuated when the docking mechanism of the UAV device is introduced into toothed interaction with the at least one toothed guide.

25. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The housing is provided with two or more air propulsion units.

26. The payload unit of claim 25, wherein: At least one of the air propulsion units of the housing is configured to be extendable, deployable or unfoldable from the housing.

27. The payload unit of claim 25, wherein: The air propulsion units of the housing of the payload unit form at least a pair of functional air propulsion units, wherein the air propulsion units are arranged on opposite sides of the housing.

28. The payload unit of claim 25, wherein: At least one of the air propulsion units of the housing is mounted on one side of the housing and is configured to be able to change its position on the one side of the housing.

29. The payload unit of claim 25, wherein: The air propulsion units of the housing are mounted such that the outer shell of the UAV device can extend between the air propulsion units when the docking mechanism of the UAV device is brought into toothed interaction with the toothed guide of the housing.

30. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The housing is provided with two toothed guides configured to detachably engage with the docking mechanism of the UAV device.

31. The payload unit of claim 30, wherein: The toothed guides are installed at one side of the housing at a predetermined distance from each other.

32. The payload unit of claim 30, wherein: The toothed guides are installed at one side of the housing and are provided so as to be able to change a distance therebetween at the one side of the housing.

33. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The toothed guides are mounted on a vertical column extending from one side of the housing and are arranged at a distance from each other along a length direction of the vertical column.

34. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The toothed guides are mounted on the shell in such a way that the docking modules of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can be brought into toothed interaction with the corresponding toothed guides on different sides of the shell, thereby making it possible to place the air propulsion units of the unmanned aerial vehicle device in the same plane and on different sides of the shell or with a predetermined angular offset from each other along the periphery of the shell.

35. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The shell is provided with two air propulsion units, which are arranged on opposite sides of the shell, and the toothed guide is mounted on the shell so that when the docking module of the unmanned aerial vehicle device is introduced into toothed interaction with the toothed guide, the air propulsion unit of the shell and the air propulsion unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can be placed in the same plane and on different sides of the shell or have a predetermined angular offset between each other along the periphery of the shell.

36. The payload unit of claim 35, wherein: The toothed guide is mounted on a side of the housing adjacent to both of the opposite sides of the housing.

37. The payload unit of claim 21, wherein: The shell is provided with two air propulsion units, which are arranged on opposite sides of the shell, and the toothed guide is mounted on the shell so that the docking module of the unmanned aerial vehicle device can be introduced into a toothed interaction with the toothed guide at one of the opposite sides of the shell, or introduced into a toothed interaction with the toothed guide at one side of the shell adjacent to both opposite sides of the shell.

38. An air transportation system comprising: a payload device provided with two or more toothed guides, Two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices, each of the two or more unmanned aerial vehicle devices is provided with a docking mechanism, the docking mechanism being configured to detachably engage with at least one of the toothed guides of the payload device so as to enable the docked unmanned aerial vehicle device to move relative to the payload device along the at least one toothed guide, wherein The housing of at least one of the UAV devices is configured such that, when the at least one UAV device or another UAV device moves along at least one corresponding toothed guide of the payload device, the housing of the other UAV device can at least partially extend through the housing of the at least one UAV device.

39. The air transportation system of claim 38, wherein: The toothed guides are mounted on the payload device in such a way that the docking mechanism of the UAV device can be brought into toothed interaction with corresponding ones of the toothed guides of the payload device on different sides of the housing of the payload device.

40. The air transportation system of claim 38, wherein: The toothed guides are mounted on the payload unit so as to enable the UAV units to be placed at predetermined distances from each other in a height direction of the payload unit.

41. The air transportation system of claim 38, wherein: The toothed guides are mounted on the payload unit so as to position the air propulsion units of the UAV unit in the same plane but on different sides of the payload unit or at a predetermined angular offset from each other along the periphery of the payload unit.

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