MODULAR MINIATURE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT WITH VECTORED THRUST CONTROL
First Claim
1. An aircraft for unmanned aviation, comprising:
- an airframe;
a pair of fins attached to a rear portion of the airframe;
a pair of dihedral braces attached to a bottom portion of the airframe;
at least a first thrust vectoring module and a second thrust vectoring module, the at least two thrust vectoring modules being configured to provide lateral and longitudinal control to the aircraft by directly controlling a thrust vector; and
an electronics module configured to provide commands to the at least two thrust vectoring modules.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An aircraft for unmanned aviation is described. The aircraft includes an airframe, a pair of fins attached to a rear portion of the airframe, a pair of dihedral braces attached to a bottom portion of the airframe, a first thrust vectoring module and a second thrust vectoring module, and an electronics module. The electronics module provides commands to the two thrust vectoring modules. The two thrust vectoring modules are configured to provide lateral and longitudinal control to the aircraft by directly controlling a thrust vector for each of the pitch, the roll, and the yaw of the aircraft. The use of directly articulated electrical motors as thrust vectoring modules enables the aircraft to execute tight-radius turns over a wide range of airspeeds.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An aircraft for unmanned aviation, comprising:
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an airframe; a pair of fins attached to a rear portion of the airframe; a pair of dihedral braces attached to a bottom portion of the airframe; at least a first thrust vectoring module and a second thrust vectoring module, the at least two thrust vectoring modules being configured to provide lateral and longitudinal control to the aircraft by directly controlling a thrust vector; and an electronics module configured to provide commands to the at least two thrust vectoring modules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A control system for controlling a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the system comprising:
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at least a first thrust vectoring module and a second thrust vectoring module, the at least two thrust vectoring modules being configured to provide lateral and longitudinal control to the vehicle by directly controlling a thrust vector; and an electronics module configured to provide commands to the at least two thrust vectoring modules based on instructions received from a user of the control system. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for controlling a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a control signal to an electronics module, the control signal including instructions for controlling a speed and a direction of the vehicle; causing the electronics module to provide a command to each of at least a first thrust vectoring module and a second thrust vectoring module; and causing each of the at least first thrust vectoring module and second thrust vectoring module to provide thrust such that the vehicle is laterally and longitudinally controlled. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification