US Patent 9676496 Ground station with shuttled drum for tethered aerial vehicles

A system may include an aerial vehicle, a perch platform configured to receive the aerial vehicle, and a ground station coupled to the aerial vehicle via a tether. The ground station may include a winch including a winch drum configured to move laterally and spin in a manner such that the tether is wound onto on the winch drum in a repeating pattern, possibly utilizing a fixed position levelwind. The system may additionally include a tower around which the winch and the perch platform can rotate about a vertical axis relative to the tower. The system may further utilize the tether forces on the levelwind to help move the perch platform around the vertical axis or be driven actively by a motor.