Multicopter-assisted system and method for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft
First Claim
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1. A multicopter comprising:
- a hub;
multiple arms removably attachable to the hub, each arm including a rotor and a rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor; and
multiple landing gear, each landing gear removably attachable to one of the arms,wherein for each arm, when one of the landing gear is attached to that arm, that landing gear is movable relative to that arm between a first position in which the rotor of that arm can contact that landing gear and a second position in which the rotor of that arm cannot contact that landing gear.
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a multicopter-assisted launch and retrieval system generally including: (1) a multi-rotor modular multicopter attachable to (and detachable from) a fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; (2) a storage and launch system usable to store the modular multicopter and to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; and (3) an anchor system usable (along with the multicopter and a flexible capture member) to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from wing-borne flight.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A multicopter comprising:
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a hub; multiple arms removably attachable to the hub, each arm including a rotor and a rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor; and multiple landing gear, each landing gear removably attachable to one of the arms, wherein for each arm, when one of the landing gear is attached to that arm, that landing gear is movable relative to that arm between a first position in which the rotor of that arm can contact that landing gear and a second position in which the rotor of that arm cannot contact that landing gear. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A multicopter comprising:
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a hub; first, second, third, and fourth arms removably attachable to the hub, each arm including an upper rotor, an upper rotor motor drivingly engaged to the upper rotor, a lower rotor, and a lower rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor; and first, second, third, and fourth landing gear respectively removably attachable to the first, second, third, and fourth arms, wherein for each arm, when the respective landing gear is attached to that arm, that landing gear is movable between a first radial position in which the upper and lower rotors of that arm can contact that landing gear and a second radial position in which the upper and lower rotors of that arm cannot contact that landing gear. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of preventing complete rotation of multiple rotors of a multicopter, the method comprising:
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for each of multiple arms of the multicopter, each arm including a rotor and a rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor, unlocking landing gear attached to that arm to enable that landing gear to move relative to that arm; and for each of the landing gear, moving that landing gear relative to the arm to which that landing gear is attached from a first position in which the rotor of that arm cannot contact the landing gear to a second position in which the rotor of that arm can contact that landing gear. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification