Unmanned aerial vehicle systems and methods of use

• US 10,054,939 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2013
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paul G. Applewhite
• Original Assignee: Paul G. Applewhite
• Inventors: Applewhite, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US14/033,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,794 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/04 Blade mountings
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/28 Collapsible or foldable blades
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/82 characterised by the provision of an auxiliary rotor or fluid-jet device for counter-balancing lifting rotor torque or changing direction of rotorcraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0083 the lift during taking-off being created by several motors of different type
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/02 having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/04 for launching aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/06 using catapults
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/80 UAVs characterised by their small size, e.g. micro air vehicles [MAV]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/55 for life-saving or rescue operations; for medical use
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/24 Coaxial rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/293 Foldable or collapsible rotors or rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/10 specially adapted for use on water
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/10 : for releasing or capturing UAVs by hand
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 : for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/50 : Launching from storage containers, e.g. from submarine missile tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 : Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 : Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 : involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 : involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/00 : Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 : with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 : with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

An improved unmanned aerial vehicular system having a rotor head assembly with any balanced number of rotary wings or blades, a generally tubular body assembly, a gimballed neck connecting the head to the body, and a navigation, communications and control unit such as for military and humanitarian operations, including payload delivery and pickup. The vehicle is generally guided using a global positioning satellite signal, and by pre-programmed or real time targeting. The vehicle is generally electrically powered and may be launched by one of (a) hand-launch, (b) air-drop, (c) catapult, (d) tube-launch, or (e) sea launch, and is capable of landing on both static and dynamic targets. Once launched, unmanned aerial vehicles may be formed into arrays on a target area and find use in surveillance, warfare, and in search-and-rescue operations.

Claims

1. An improved unmanned vehicular system for airborne deployment, which comprises:

(a) a vehicle fuselage having a top aspect, a lower aspect, and a center of mass, wherein said vehicle fuselage is aerodynamic in shape, having an elongate and generally tubular vehicle body assembly with a center Z-axis, such that said center of mass is partitioned to a lower half of said Z-axis thereof;

(b) a dual rotor head having an apical aspect and an inferior aspect, said rotor head comprising an apical rotor assembly and an inferior rotor assembly, wherein said two rotor assemblies are stacked with a common center axis of rotation;

(c) each rotor assembly having unfoldable fixed-pitch rotary blades or wings configured to generate lift, and comprising each an electrical motor operatively mounted thereto, wherein said each motor is driven from a power source and separately controllable by a motor speed controller, and wherein said two rotor assemblies are configured to rotate as counter rotational rotor assemblies that generate opposing torque; and

(d) in combination with said dual rotor head and fixed-pitch rotary blade assemblies, a power gimbal having a gimballed neck that couples said inferior aspect of said rotor head to said top aspect of said fuselage, said gimballed neck comprising powered gimbal bias elements actuated by a gimbal controller enabled to articulate the pitch attitude of said rotor head relative to said fuselage under control of an on-board navigational, communication and steering system;

(e) further characterized in that said steering system comprises said motor speed controller and said gimbal controller under control of a processor operatively connected thereto, wherein said motor speed controller and said gimbal controller are controllable to achieve yaw control, precession control, and coordinated steering control without a cyclical pitch control means on said rotary blade assemblies.

2. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said rotary blade assemblies are stacked head-to-head and one electrical signal is sent to power both rotary blade assemblies in opposite directions, and further wherein the voltage of said electrical signal is varied to independently vary the speed of each rotor blade assembly under control of said motor speed controller.

3. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said fuselage and said gimballed neck are watertight and comprise a displacement and center of buoyant mass configured to vertically float and stand said rotor head above a waterline during takeoff, repositioning or recovery;

said motors are enabled to be separately driven;

said apical rotor assembly is configured to be actuated first during takeoff from water according to a sensor that detects wave periodicity;

both rotor assemblies are configured to be actuated and counterrotated during aerial flight; and

said fuselage comprises submersible fins configured to prevent spin of the fuselage when said apical rotor assemble is activated without counter-rotation of said inferior rotor assembly during takeoff from water.

4. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said gimballed neck comprises nested brackets and said gimbal bias elements comprise actuator rods or stepper motors operatively enabled to articulate the pitch attitude of said head relative to said fuselage under control of an avionics package in said on-board navigational and steering system.

5. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said gimballed neck is articulated, said neck comprises nested brackets and said gimbal bias elements comprise a first stepper motor or actuator rod operatively coupled to the pivot axis of a first bracket and a second stepper motor or actuator rod operatively coupled to the pivot axis of a second bracket.

6. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said power source is disposed in an inferior aspect of said vehicle body assembly.

7. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said fuselage comprises at least one payload receiving chamber or carriage.

8. The vehicular system of claim 6, wherein said fuselage is configured with a payload receiving chamber or carriage enabled to receive a detachable payload module inserted into said fuselage between said rotor head and said power source.

9. The vehicular system of claim 6, wherein said power source comprises a battery, fuel cell, or supercapacitor for driving said each electrical motor and said motor is operatively coupled directly to said rotor assemblies.

10. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said navigation and control system comprises digital circuitry for executing flight commands, non-volatile memory having programmable instructions, volatile memory for storing position data, a clock, a sensor for receiving GPS coordinates, and a communications module.

11. The vehicular system of claim 10, further wherein said digital circuitry comprises flight trim firmware for correcting deviations from stable flight-in real time.

12. The vehicular system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor or a sensor package.

13. The vehicular system of claim 12, wherein said sensor package comprises an imaging system, an infrared imaging system, a night-vision system, a sonar system, a smoke sensor, a position sensor, a motion sensor, a radiation sensor, an altimeter, a rangefinding sensor, or a combination thereof.

14. The vehicular system of claim 12, wherein the sensor or sensor package is capable of relaying data in real-time to a remote control workstation or storing data in on-board volatile memory.

15. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said rotary blades or wings are enabled to fold to a fixed deployed position from a folded position against said fuselage.

16. The vehicular system of claim 15, wherein said vehicle is configured with a tubular body aspect ratio, form factor, and payload capacity scaled for hand carry, for hand launch, for air drop, for catapult, or for tube launch system.

17. The vehicular system of claim 16, wherein said tube launch system includes one of mortar, cannon, air-gun, and grenade launcher.

18. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said rotor head and body comprises a rotor blade or wing and vane combination configured to enable controlled flight during descent.

19. The vehicular system of claim 18, wherein said rotor blade or wing and vane combination is hinged to be folded against said vehicle body assembly when not in use.

20. The vehicular system of claim 18 wherein said rotor blade or wing and vane combination are motorized to slow descent, to achieve temporary ascension, to hover, or to enable non-ballistic flight behavior.

21. The vehicular system of claim 18, wherein at least one element of said rotor blade or wing or vane combination is a passive element.

22. The vehicular system of claim 21, wherein said passive element is configured for augmented autorotation flying.

23. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said center of mass of said fuselage is configured to be uprightly floated on a body of water and said motors are separately driven so that said apical rotor assembly is configured to be initially activated during takeoff from water and both rotor assemblies are configured to be actuated during flight.

24. The vehicular system of claim 23, wherein said fuselage is configured with lateral vanes so as to control yaw upon initial activation of said apical rotor assembly during takeoff from water.

25. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said fuselage is configured with lateral vanes so as to control yaw during takeoff from water.

26. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said fuselage comprises one or more compartments for receiving a payload, a power supply, a sensor module, a night imaging module, a sonar module, a communications module, an avionics module, a navigation module, or a camera module.

27. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said fuselage comprises a communications module, said communications module having a radio transceiver configured to join a peer-to-peer or mesh network that includes one or more other communications assets.

28. The vehicular system of claim 27, wherein said communications module comprises on or more radio systems enabled to be linked by satellite to workstations or servers for uploading sensor data and for downloading navigation instructions.

29. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said rotor assemblies comprise fixed pitch rotary wings and said wings are configured for whisper flight.

30. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said fuselage is watertight and comprises a displacement and center of buoyant mass configured to vertically stand said rotor head above a waterline of said fuselage in a sea-air launch event, fins submersible below said waterline, and further comprises a submersible sonar transceiver, sensor, camera or other instrument package.

31. The vehicular system of claim 30, wherein said vehicular system comprises sensing intelligence and avionics to detect and overcome wave periodicity so as to time an execution of a sea-air launch event on a crest of a wave.

32. The vehicular system of claim 31, wherein said sonar transceiver is configured for passive detection mode, active detection mode, or Doppler detection mode, and for outputting a radio signal.

33. The vehicular system of claim 32, wherein said radio signal is receivable at a remote workstation for acoustic analysis.

34. The vehicular system of claim 1, wherein said rotor assemblies are separately driven by said motor speed controller and are counter-rotated with independently variable speed by said separate motors, thereby enabling control of yaw during flight.