LAUNCH AND RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

• US 20110011974A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Aerospace Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Aerospace Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: McDonnell, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,167,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/110.R
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/68 Arrester hooks
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 3/00 Aircraft adaptations to facilitate towing or being towed B64D39/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/02 for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/04 for launching aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/10 using self-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• 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 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/84 Waterborne vehicles

Abstract

A method of launching and retrieving a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) (10). The preferred method of launch involves carrying the UAV (10) up to altitude using a parasail (8) similar to that used to carry tourists aloft. The UAV is dropped and picks up enough airspeed in the dive to perform a pull-up into level controlled flight. The preferred method of recovery is for the UAV to fly into and latch onto the parasail tow line (4) or cables hanging off the tow line and then be winched back down to the boat (2).

Claims

1. An aircraft and an aircraft recovery system designed to recover said aircraft, said aircraft recovery system having an arrestment line and an arrestment line support, said aircraft including a line capturing and retaining device located off centerline of said aircraft, said line capturing and retaining device having an open entrance and a closed end, said capturing and retaining device having at least two obstructions the line passes during recovery, each of said obstructions making it easier for said line to move initially toward the closed end of said capturing and retaining device than to move back toward the open entrance of said capturing and retaining device, a first said obstruction being closer to the open entrance than a second said obstruction.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the first obstruction comprises a spring-loaded latch.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the aircraft comprises at least one wing, the capturing and retaining device being mounted on said wing.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein a leading edge of said wing is swept at least fifteen degrees at an inboard point on said wing.

6. An aircraft and an aircraft recovery system designed to recover said aircraft, said aircraft recovery system having an arrestment line and an arrestment line support, said aircraft including a line capturing and retaining hook located off centerline of said aircraft, said hook having an open entrance, a closed end, and, between the open entrance and closed end, an inner throat, an outer throat, and a first obstruction which makes it easier for the line to enter the outer throat than to exit the outer throat through the open end and a second obstruction between said inner throat and outer throat which makes it easier during the arrestment for the line to pass from the outer throat to the inner throat than from the inner throat to the outer throat.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein the first obstruction comprises a spring-loaded latch.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

9. The combination of claim 6 wherein the aircraft comprises at least one wing, the capturing and retaining device being mounted on said wing.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein a leading edge of said wing is swept at least fifteen degrees at an inboard point on said wing.

11. The combination of claim 6 wherein the inner throat is smaller than the diameter of the line.

12. A method of capturing an aircraft with an aircraft recovery system, said aircraft recovery system having an arrestment line and an arrestment line support, said aircraft comprising at least one wing, and a capturing and retaining device being mounted on said wing, the method comprising flying said aircraft into said arrestment line to cause the arrestment line to slide along a leading edge of said wing into an open end of said capturing and retaining device, past a first obstruction in the capturing and retaining device into an outer throat of the capturing and retaining device, and past a second obstruction into an inner throat of the capturing and retaining device, the inner throat having a closed end, whereby the line is retained between the second obstruction and the closed end of the inner throat.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first obstruction comprises a spring-loaded latch.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein a leading edge of said wing is swept at least fifteen degrees at an inboard point on said wing.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the inner throat is smaller than the diameter of the line.

17. The method of claim 12 where the capturing and retaining device is located off centerline of the aircraft.