Unmanned aircraft turn and approach system

• US 10,042,360 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerovironment
• Original Assignee: Aerovironment
• Inventors: Nicoloff, William J., Sornborger, Eric M., Cremean, Lars B.
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US15/355,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 9/00 Adjustable control surfaces or members, e.g. rudders trimming stabilising surfaces B64C5/10
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/40 Empennages, e.g. V-tails foldable or collapsible UAVs B64U20/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/50 Launching from storage containers, e.g. from submarine missile tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2253 Passive homing systems, i.e. comprising a receiver and do not requiring an active illumination of the target
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2293 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/30 Command link guidance systems homing F41G7/2206
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

An aircraft including a wing system, a plurality of control surfaces, a camera mounted on a camera pod, and a control system. The camera pod is configured to vary the orientation of the camera field of view only in yaw, relative to the aircraft, between a directly forward-looking orientation and a side-looking orientation. The control system controls the control surfaces such that they induce a significant aircraft yaw causing an identified target to be within the field of view of the camera with the camera in the directly forward-looking orientation.

Claims

1. An unmanned aircraft system including an aircraft, comprising:

a wing system configured to carry the majority of the aircraft weight when in flight;

a plurality of control surfaces configured to control aircraft pitch, aircraft roll and aircraft yaw in flight;

a camera characterized by a field of view, the camera being mounted on a camera pod, wherein the camera pod is only provided with actuators that vary the orientation of the camera field of view in yaw, relative to the aircraft, between a directly forward-looking orientation and a directly side-looking orientation; and

a control system programmed to control the control surfaces, and further programmed to control the camera pod to only change the camera orientation in yaw, relative to the aircraft;

wherein the control system is programmed with a commit function for use when the camera is observing an identified target that is not directly in front of the aircraft; and

wherein the commit function controls the camera orientation in yaw such that the camera continuously maintains the identified target within its field of view.

3. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the commit function further controls the control surfaces such that they induce an aircraft roll that causes the identified target to be within the field of view of the camera with the camera not being in the forward-looking orientation and with the aircraft not flying directly toward the identified target.

4. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the camera pod actuators can vary the orientation of the camera field of view, relative to the aircraft, between an orientation 45 degrees aft of a side-looking orientation and a forward-looking orientation.

2. An unmanned aircraft system including an aircraft, comprising:

a wing system configured to carry the majority of the aircraft weight when in flight;

a plurality of control surfaces configured to control aircraft pitch, aircraft roll and aircraft yaw in flight;

a camera characterized by a field of view, the camera being mounted on a camera pod, wherein the camera pod is only provided with actuators that vary the orientation of the camera field of view in a single rotational degree of freedom, relative to the aircraft, between a forward-looking orientation and a side-looking orientation; and

a control system programmed to control the control surfaces, and further programmed to control the camera pod to only change the camera position orientation in the single rotational degree of freedom relative to the aircraft;

wherein the control system is programmed with a commit function that controls the aircraft flight and the camera the single rotational degree of freedom to guide the aircraft toward the target when the target is not directly ahead of the aircraft and the camera is observing an identified target;

wherein the commit function controls the control surfaces such that they induce aircraft yaw that causes the identified target to be within the field of view of the camera with the camera in the forward-looking orientation when the aircraft is not flying directly toward the identified target; and

wherein the commit function controls the camera orientation in the single rotational degree of freedom such that the camera continuously maintains the identified target within its field of view.

5. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein the commit function further controls the control surfaces such that they induce an aircraft roll that causes the identified target to be within the field of view of the camera with the camera not being in the forward-looking orientation and with the aircraft not flying directly toward the identified target.

6. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein the camera pod actuators can vary the orientation of the camera field of view, relative to the aircraft, between an orientation 45 degrees aft of a side-looking orientation and a forward-looking orientation.

7. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein the single rotational degree of freedom is a rotation in yaw.