Miniature, unmanned aircraft with automatically deployed parachute

• US 20030057327A1
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ernest A. Carroll
• Original Assignee: Ernest A. Carroll
• Inventors: Carroll, Ernest A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,685,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/139
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/028 Micro-sized aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/80 in association with aircraft, e.g. for braking thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/80 UAVs characterised by their small size, e.g. micro air vehicles [MAV]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/83 using parachutes, balloons or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/34 Ultra-small engines, e.g. for driving models
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0414 Air temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/703 Atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/06 Small engines with electronic control, e.g. for hand held tools
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/11 After-sales modification devices designed to be used to modify an engine afterwards
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/0069 Controlling the fuel flow only F02D35/0076, F02D35/0084 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2406 using essentially read only memories
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/10 Simultaneous control of position or course in three dimensions G05D1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A miniature, unmanned aircraft having a parachute which deploys automatically under certain conditions. The aircraft has a flight control system based on remotely generated signals, potentially achieves relatively high altitude flight for a remotely controlled aircraft, and can thus operate well beyond line-of-sight control. For safety, an automatically deployed parachute system is provided. The parachute deployment system includes a folded parachute and a propulsion system for expelling the parachute from the aircraft. Preferably, a microprocessor for flight management sends intermittent inhibitory signals to prevent unintended deployment. A deployment signal is generated, illustratively, when the microprocessor fails, when engine RPM fall below a predetermined threshold, and when the aircraft strays from predetermined altitude and course.

Claims

1. A miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft having an airframe, a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine, a receiver disposed to receive remote guidance signals, a flight control system disposed to control direction of flight responsive to the remote guidance signals, a parachute carried aboard said airframe, and a deployment system disposed to deploy said parachute under at least one predetermined condition, said deployment system including a parachute deployment mechanism and at least one sensor disposed to sense a threshold value of at least one operational parameter of flight, and to cause said deployment mechanism to operate responsive to sensing when the sensed threshold value falls outside a predetermined range of acceptable values.

2. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a plurality of sensors each disposed to monitor and communicate different operational parameters of flight.

3. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor disposed to manage deployment of said parachute deployment mechanism and an electrical power source operably connected to said microprocessor, wherein

said sensor is communicably connected to said microprocessor so as to be able to transmit data corresponding to a threshold value of said at least one operation parameter of flight, and

said microprocessor has a memory and is provided with programming which programming compares data received from said sensor with threshold values stored in said memory, generates a deployment signal responsive to determining that a sensed threshold falls outside a predetermined range of acceptable values stored in said memory, and transmits said deployment signal to said parachute deployment mechanism.

4. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 3, wherein

said aircraft has a flight direction element;

said microprocessor is disposed to manage flight of said aircraft by controlling said flight direction element and includes a microprocessor subsystem including memory and programming disposed to transmit an inhibition signal to said parachute deployment system; and

said parachute deployment system is disposed to deploy said parachute in the absence of said inhibition signal for a predetermined time interval.

5. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 3, wherein

said sensor comprises an engine speed sensor disposed to sense engine rotational speed and is communicably connected to said microprocessor to transmit engine rotational speed data to said microprocessor,

said microprocessor subsystem includes memory and programming disposed to compare sensed engine rotational speed to a predetermined threshold of engine rotational speed, and

said microprocessor is disposed to transmit a deployment signal when sensed engine rotational speed falls below the predetermined threshold of engine rotational speed.

6. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 3, wherein said sensor is disposed to monitor and communicate different operational parameters of flight, wherein

said microprocessor is disposed to manage flight of said aircraft, and includes a microprocessor subsystem including memory and programming disposed to transmit an inhibition signal to said parachute deployment system;

said sensor comprises at least an engine speed sensor disposed to sense engine rotational speed and is communicably connected to said microprocessor to transmit engine rotational speed data to said microprocessor, and said microprocessor subsystem includes memory and programming disposed to compare sensed engine rotational speed to a predetermined threshold of engine rotational speed; and

said parachute deployment system is disposed to deploy said parachute in the absence of said inhibition signal for a predetermined time interval and also when sensed engine rotational speed falls below the predetermined threshold of engine rotational speed.

7. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said deployment system comprises an actuator disposed to respond directly to a remotely generated intentional command signal transmitted from the ground to deploy said parachute.

8. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is disposed to deploy said parachute when said aircraft strays from a pre-established course.

9. The miniature, unmanned, remotely controlled aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is disposed to deploy said parachute when said aircraft departs from a pre-established altitude.