SYSTEM FOR SHIPBOARD LAUNCH AND RECOVERY OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV) AIRCRAFT AND METHOD THEREFOR
First Claim
1. A system to launch and recover an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
- a pole member attached to a deck of a ship;
an arm member attached to the pole member and extending away from the pole member in an approximately horizontal direction, the arm member being able to move rotationally and vertically on the pole member; and
an attachment mechanism attached to a distal end of the arm member for holding and capturing the UAV aircraft;
wherein momentum of the UAV aircraft causes the arm member to move rotationally around and vertically on the pole member when the UAV aircraft is coupled to the attachment mechanism.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system to launch and recover an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft has a pole member attached to a deck of a ship. An arm member is attached to the pole member and extends away from the pole member in an approximately horizontal direction. The arm member is able to move rotationally and vertically on the pole member. An attachment mechanism is attached to a distal end of the arm member for holding and capturing the UAV aircraft. Momentum of the UAV aircraft causes the arm member to move rotationally around and vertically on the pole member when the UAV aircraft is coupled to the attachment mechanism.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system to launch and recover an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
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a pole member attached to a deck of a ship; an arm member attached to the pole member and extending away from the pole member in an approximately horizontal direction, the arm member being able to move rotationally and vertically on the pole member; and an attachment mechanism attached to a distal end of the arm member for holding and capturing the UAV aircraft; wherein momentum of the UAV aircraft causes the arm member to move rotationally around and vertically on the pole member when the UAV aircraft is coupled to the attachment mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for launching an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
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attaching the UAV aircraft to an approximately horizontal arm member, the approximately horizontal arm moveably coupled to an approximately vertical pole member; moving the horizontal arm in a spiral direction on the approximately vertical pole member; and releasing the UAV aircraft from the approximately horizontal arm member when the UAV aircraft reaches launch airspeed. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of recovering an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
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rotating an arm member on an approximately vertical pole member to a positioned approximately 90 degrees from a centerline of a deck, and at a top section of the approximately vertical pole member; capturing the UAV aircraft at a distal end of the arm member; and descending the arm member in a circular spiral down the vertical pole to reduce airspeed of the UAV aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification