Unmanned supply delivery aircraft

• US 10,232,938 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: W.Morrison Consulting Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: W.Morrison Consulting Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Yates, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US15/198,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20170001724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/26 Attaching the wing or tail units or stabilising surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/56 Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/12 Canard-type aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 5/04 Noseplanes
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/80 in association with aircraft, e.g. for braking thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/83 using parachutes, balloons or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A heavy payload, autonomous UAV able to deliver supply by way of airdrop with more precision and at a lower cost. The UAV can be equipped with a movable wing system. The UAV can include a removable storage box. The UAV can be equipped with a drogue parachute for deploying the wings upon jettison of the UAV from a mothership. The UAV can be controlled remotely or it can operate autonomously. The UAV can include canard wings. The canard wings and the movable wings can include ailerons to effectuate flight control of the UAV. The UAV can be reusable or can be an expandable UAV. The UAV'"'"'s wings can be configured to automatically separate from the UAV during the landing sequence.

Claims

1. An unmanned delivery aircraft comprising:

a fuselage cargo container comprising a lid and a bottom portion;

a first pivoting wing system directly connected to the lid;

a second pivoting wing system directly connected to the lid; and

a guidance control system;

wherein each of the first and second pivoting wing systems can pivot from a stowed position to a deployed position.

2. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first pivoting wing system comprises a single pivoting wing.

3. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first pivoting wing system comprises two pivoting wings.

4. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the second pivoting wing system comprises two pivoting wings.

5. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first and second pivoting wing systems have the same design.

6. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first pivoting wing system comprise main wings and the second pivoting wing system comprise canard wings.

7. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the lid is detachably connected to the bottom portion.

8. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, further comprising at least one latch securing the lid to the bottom portion.

9. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the fuselage cargo container comprises at least one storage compartment.

10. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the fuselage cargo container comprises one or more handles.

11. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the fuselage cargo container is airtight.

12. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein each pivoting wing system comprises a movable flight control surface.

13. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 12, further comprising at least one actuator on each wing system to move the flight control surface for that wing system.

14. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, further comprising one or more torsion springs at a pivot point of at least one of the first and second wing systems.

15. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the guidance control system can be operated in autonomous or manual modes.

16. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a nose cone detachably connected to the fuselage cargo container.

17. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 16, wherein the guidance control system is located inside the nose cone.

18. The unmanned delivery aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first and second pivoting wing systems can each pivot 90 degrees.

19. An unmanned delivery aircraft comprising:

a fuselage comprising a lid detachably connected to a bottom portion;

at least two wings pivotally connected directly to the lid;

at least a spring located at a pivot point of the at least two wings; and

a guidance control system.