AIR-LAUNCHABLE CONTAINER FOR DEPLOYING AIR VEHICLE

• US 20150266578A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Elkins, Erick W., Murphy, Matthew Glenn, Thomas, Scott D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,776,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/12 Releasing
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/83 using parachutes, balloons or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/92 Portable platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/82 Airborne vehicles

Abstract

A container is used to launch a small aircraft, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), from a host aircraft. The container protects the UAV from stresses during the initial ejection from a launcher that is part of the host aircraft. The initial stresses may be due to turbulence in the vicinity of the host aircraft, high airspeed, and/or tumbling that may result from the ejection from the host aircraft moving at a high airspeed. The container may deploy a drag device, such as a drogue chute, to slow the container down and reorient the container, prior to deployment of the UAV from the container. During the time between ejection from the host aircraft and deployment from the container, the UAV may be powered up and acquire data, such as global positioning system (GPS) data, to allow the UAV a “hot start” enabling immediate mission commencement.

Claims

1. An air-launched container that in turn launches an air vehicle, the container comprising:

a sleeve that defines a volume therein that receives the air vehicle;

a deployable drag device attached to the sleeve; and

a release mechanism within the sleeve, for mechanically releasing the air vehicle from the sleeve.

2. The container of claim 1, further comprising a nose that is mechanically coupled to the sleeve, and that separates from the sleeve as the air vehicle is launched from the sleeve.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the container includes logic for communication between the air vehicle and a host aircraft.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein the drag device includes a parachute.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein, when the release mechanism is released, the air vehicle is free to slide within the volume.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes deployable fins.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is made of metal.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is made of a biodegradable material.

9. The container of claim 1, further comprising a drag device release within the sleeve that is operatively coupled to the drag device to deploy the drag device.

10. The container of claim 1, in combination with the air vehicle.

11. The combination of claim 10, wherein the air vehicle is an unmanned air vehicle that has a fuselage and deployable aerodynamic surfaces that are coupled to the fuselage.

12. The combination of claim 10, in combination with a launcher that deploys the container from a host aircraft that is mechanically coupled to the launcher.

13. A method of deploying an air vehicle from a host aircraft, the method comprising:

ejecting from the host aircraft a container that contains the air vehicle;

after the ejecting, decelerating the container and placing the container in a launch orientation for launching the air vehicle; and

after the decelerating and the placing, launching the air vehicle from the container.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the decelerating includes deploying a drag device from the container to decelerate the container.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the placing includes placing the container in a nose-down orientation as the launching orientation, using the drag device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the launching includes:

releasing the air vehicle using a release mechanism within the container; and

sliding the air vehicle out of a sleeve of the container through the action of gravity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sliding the air vehicle out of the sleeve includes dislodging a nose of the container from an end of the sleeve.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the deploying of the drag device occurs a predetermined time after the ejecting.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising powering up one or more systems the air vehicle for launch during at least part of the decelerating and the placing.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after the ejecting, deploying fins of the container.