Unmanned air vehicle, integrated weapon platform, avionics system and control method
First Claim
1. A method for designing a small interceptor unmanned air vehicle (UAV), comprising:
- selecting a suitable weapon having an aiming axis; and
designing an airframe of the UAV around the weapon, wherein the airframe has a flight vector axis that is parallel to the aiming axis, such that weapon aiming is performed by maneuvering the UAV in flight.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A small, reusable interceptor unmanned air vehicle (UAV), an avionics control system for the UAV, a design method for the UAV and a method for controlling the UAV, for interdiction of small scale air, water and ground threats. The UAV includes a high performance airframe with integrated weapon and avionics platforms. Design of the UAV first involves the selection of a suitable weapon, then the design of the interceptor airframe to achieve weapon aiming via airframe maneuvering. The UAV utilizes an avionics control system that is vehicle-centric and, as such, provides for a high degree of autonomous control of the UAV. A situational awareness processor has access to a suite of disparate sensors that provide data for intelligently (autonomously) carrying out various mission scenarios. A flight control processor operationally integrated with the situational awareness processor includes a pilot controller and an autopilot controller for flying and maneuvering the UAV.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method for designing a small interceptor unmanned air vehicle (UAV), comprising:
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selecting a suitable weapon having an aiming axis; and
designing an airframe of the UAV around the weapon, wherein the airframe has a flight vector axis that is parallel to the aiming axis, such that weapon aiming is performed by maneuvering the UAV in flight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A small interceptor unmanned air vehicle (UAV), comprising:
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an airframe including a fuselage having a longitudinal-rotational-flight vector axis and a known center of gravity location along the axis;
a firewall region located forwardly adjacent the center of gravity location;
a weapon platform integrated with the airframe;
an avionics system disposed in a forward section of the airframe;
a plurality of canards disposed around the forward section of the airframe;
a primary wing structure attached to a rearward section of the airframe; and
a propulsion system mounted in an aft end of the airframe. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An avionic control system for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), comprising:
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a situational awareness processor including a data management system and a vehicle-centric database, wherein said situational awareness processor is operationally integrated to a multiple-sensor platform capable of providing fused sensor data; and
a flight control processor in mutual operational connection with the situational awareness processor, wherein said flight control processor is operationally integrated to a telemetry system, a weapon controller, a flight control system and a position data input system. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for providing enhanced control of an autonomously controlled vehicle, comprising:
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providing a spherically organized situational awareness data base, wherein at least one independent window is formed as a volumetric slice thereof, the window providing a view of operational data supplied by a sensor platform operationally integrated with the data base; and
providing a pilot controller operationally integrated with the spherically organized data base, wherein at least one pilot modality is processed and supplied as a control signal for the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for controlling an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), comprising:
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providing an integrated plurality of disparate sensors on the UAV, wherein said sensors provide at least a target searching capability, a target tracking capability and a target targeting capability;
providing a situational awareness processor for the UAV operationally interfaced to the plurality of sensors;
providing a flight control processor for the UAV including an autopilot controller, operationally interfaced to the situational awareness processor, to establish an autonomous coupling between the sensors and the auto-pilot; and
providing a pilot-controller having operational control over the autopilot controller. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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Specification