Multimode unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,222,177 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerovironment
• Original Assignee: Aerovironment
• Inventors: Miralles, Carlos Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US14/832,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20160025457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1- 18, 701 23- 28, 701426-428, 701302, 244 315, 2441371, 2441373, 2441374, 244 76 R, 244190
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/00 Aircraft not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/80 Arrangement of on-board electronics, e.g. avionics systems or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/008 Combinations of different guidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2206 using a remote control station
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2246 Active homing systems, i.e. comprising both a transmitter and a receiver
• 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 9/002 for guiding a craft to a correct firing position for bombing control F41G9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

A system comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to transition from a terminal homing mode to a target search mode, responsive to an uplink signal and/or an autonomous determination of scene change.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by an external user, the UAV comprising:

a processing unit which upon a command from the external user transitions the UAV from a first trajectory automatically homing on a target to a second trajectory avoiding an impact by the UAV, and wherein the processing unit maintains a divert trajectory outside of a closed maneuver limit cone while in the first trajectory.

2. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the command is an uplink signal from the external user.

3. The UAV of claim 2 wherein the processing unit continually checks for the command while in the first trajectory.

4. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the UAV transfers power from a battery of the UAV to a flight energy of the UAV in the divert trajectory, wherein the divert trajectory transitions the UAV from the first trajectory to the second trajectory, and wherein the UAV can achieve at least an altitude in the second trajectory as the altitude at a start of the first trajectory.

5. The UAV of claim 4 wherein the transition of the UAV is responsive to a command from the external user.

6. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the processing unit maintains a maneuver margin of 2.0 to 2.5 times the acceleration of gravity while in the first trajectory.

7. The UAV of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors detect at least one of;

a UAV position, a UAV linear velocity, a UAV rotational velocity, a UAV linear acceleration, and a UAV attitude.

8. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the target is at least one of:

stationary and in motion.

9. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the processing unit transitions the UAV from the first trajectory to the second trajectory via the divert trajectory target is in motion.

10. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the first trajectory further comprises homing on the target to deliver a payload into a target volume.

11. The UAV of claim 10 wherein the second trajectory avoids the UAV impacting the target volume.

12. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the second trajectory avoids the UAV impacting at least one of:

the target the UAV is homing on and the ground.

13. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the divert trajectory is outside of a toroidal volume disposed about the UAV.

14. The UAV of claim 1 wherein the command from the external user causes the processing unit to transition from the first trajectory to the second trajectory.

15. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by an external user, the UAV comprising:

a guidance processing unit which transitions the UAV from a first trajectory automatically homing to impact a target to a second trajectory avoiding impact with the target, wherein the UAV transition is initiated by a command from the external user, wherein the processing unit provides no power to a motor of the UAV in the first trajectory, and wherein the processing unit provides power to the motor of the UAV during the UAV transition to avoid impact with the target.

16. The UAV of claim 15 wherein the UAV transition is responsive to the command from the external user.

17. The UAV of claim 16 wherein the first trajectory further comprises homing on the target to deliver a payload into a target volume, and wherein the second trajectory avoids the UAV impacting the target volume.

18. The UAV of claim 15 wherein the second trajectory avoids the UAV impacting the ground.

19. The UAV of claim 15 wherein the processing unit maintains a minimum flight speed of the UAV during the first trajectory.

20. The UAV of claim 15 wherein the processing unit transfers power from a battery of the UAV to a flight energy of the UAV in the UAV transition, and wherein the UAV can achieve at least an altitude in the second trajectory as the altitude at a start of the first trajectory.

21. The UAV of claim 15 wherein the processing unit maintains a maneuver margin of 2.0 to 2.5 times the acceleration of gravity while in the first trajectory.