SYSTEM FOR DETACHABLY COUPLING AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE WITHIN A LAUNCH TUBE

• US 20160347476A1
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerovironment
• Original Assignee: Aerovironment
• Inventors: Andryukov, Oleksandr
• Granted Patent: US 10,442,554 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: B64F 1/04 for launching aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/50 Launching from storage containers, e.g. from submarine missile tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle launch tube that has at least one layer of prepeg substrate disposed about an aperture to form a tube, a sabot disposed in an interior of said tube, said sabot having a first clasp tab, and a clasp detachably coupled to said first clasp tab and contacting an inner circumferential wall of said tube so that said clasp is rotationally constrained by the inner circumferential wall and said first clasp tab.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch tube apparatus, comprising:

at least one layer of prepeg substrate disposed about an aperture to form a tube;

a sabot disposed in an interior of said tube, said sabot having a first clasp tab; and

a clasp detachably coupled to said first clasp tab and contacting an inner circumferential wall of said tube;

wherein said clasp is rotationally constrained by said inner circumferential wall and said first clasp tab.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sabot further comprises an expandable skirt to provide a pressure seal with said inner circumferential wall of said tube.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said expandable skirt is axially restrained within said tube by an adhesive.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said adhesive detachably binds said expandable skirt about a shell within said tube.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said shell comprises:

an exterior surface of a gas generator, said gas generator configured to generate gas between said expandable skirt and said shell; and

wherein the generated pressure of said generated gas is sufficient to push said expandable skirt off of said shell by breaking said adhesive restraint between the exterior surface of said shell and said expandable skirt.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a UAV seated on said sabot, said UAV having a second clasp tab detachably coupled to said clasp, and wherein said clasp is rotationally constrained by said inner circumferential wall, said first clasp tab, and said second clasp tab.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said sabot is tethered to said tube.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sabot comprises:

a base sabot configured to engage the UAV, said base sabot having a first plurality of expandable partial skirt seals; and

a circumferential sabot skirt seated on said base sabot, said circumferential sabot skirt having a second plurality of expandable partial skirt seals;

wherein said first and second pluralities of expandable partial skirt seals complete a pressure seal with the inner circumferential wall.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said expandable skirt is axially restrained within said tube by an adhesive.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said adhesive detachably binds said expandable skirt about a shell within said tube so that a generation of gas by a gas generator inside said shell pushes said expandable skirt off of said shell by breaking said detachable binding of said adhesive.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a UAV seated on said sabot, said UAV having a second clasp tab detachably coupled to said clasp;

wherein said inner circumferential wall prevents said clasp from slipping off of said second clasp tab while said UAV is in said tube.

12. A method of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch, comprising:

generating gas in a gas generator;

introducing said generated gas to a high-pressure volume between an expandable sabot skirt of a sabot and said gas generator to break an adhesive coupling that restrains said sabot in a launch tube;

pushing said expandable sabot skirt against an inner circumferential wall of said launch tube using said generated gas; and

driving said sabot up said launch tube using said generated gas.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said adhesive coupling comprises an adhesive coupling between said expandable skirt and a shell surrounding said gas generator.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

clasping a UAV to said sabot using a clasp; and

restraining said clasp against said inner circumferential wall of said launch tube to prevent said clasp from decoupling from at least one of;

said UAV and said sabot.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sliding said clasp past said inner circumferential wall to release said clasp from at least one of;

said UAV and said sabot.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

tethering said sabot to said launch tube to prevent said sabot from exiting said launch tube.

17. A method of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch, comprising:

restraining a sabot in a launch tube;

introducing gas to a high-pressure side of an expandable sabot skirt of a sabot to break said restraint of said sabot in said launch tube; and

driving said sabot up said launch tube using said gas.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

pushing said expandable sabot skirt against an inner circumferential wall of said launch tube using said gas.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said restraining a sabot comprises restraining said sabot using an adhesive.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said restraining said sabot using an adhesive further comprises restraining an expandable skirt of said sabot to a shell surrounding a gas generator in said launch tube.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

tethering said sabot to said launch tube.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said expandable sabot skirt further comprises a circumferential skirt protrusion that extends from said expandable sabot skirt toward an inner circumferential wall of said launch tube.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

restraining the travel of said sabot by a tether configured to prevent said sabot from exiting said launch tube, and wherein the restrained travel of said sabot substantially retains said gas within said launch tube.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said tether is attached to said sabot and said inner circumferential wall of said launch tube by at least one of:

a tether reel and a winding element.

25. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch tube apparatus, comprising:

a first aperture portion, wherein said first aperture portion comprises a constant cross-sectional area;

a second aperture portion, wherein said second aperture portion comprises an enlarged cross-sectional area relative to said first aperture portion, and wherein said first aperture portion and said second aperture portion form a launch tube;

a sabot disposed in said first aperture portion and configured to detachably couple to a UAV;

wherein said sabot is configured to decouple from said UAV upon movement of said sabot from said first aperture portion to said second aperture portion.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said sabot is configured to detachably couple to said UAV by a clasp, said clasp configured to detachably couple to a first clasp tab of said sabot and a second clasp tab of said UAV.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said clasp is rotationally constrained by at least one of:

an inner surface of said first aperture portion, said first clasp tab of said sabot, and said second clasp tab of said UAV.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said clasp is configured to decouple from said second clasp tab of said UAV upon movement of said sabot from said first aperture portion to said second aperture portion.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said clasp is configured to decouple from said first clasp tab of said sabot upon movement of said clasp past an inner surface of said second aperture portion.

30. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

at least one gas generator, wherein said at least one gas generator is disposed in a bottom portion of said first aperture portion; and

an expandable sabot skirt of said sabot, wherein a hollow end of said expandable sabot skirt is oriented toward said at least one gas generator, and wherein said expandable sabot skirt is axially restrained by a detachable restraint.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said at least one gas generator is configured to generate gas, and wherein said expandable sabot skirt is configured to substantially retain said gas within said launch tube.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein said generated gas is configured to detach said expandable sabot skirt from said detachable restraint and propel said sabot from said first aperture portion to said second aperture portion.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said expandable sabot skirt is configured to expand to said enlarged cross-sectional area of said second aperture portion and continue to substantially retain said gas in said second aperture portion of said launch tube.

34. The apparatus of claim 32 further comprising:

a tether, said tether attached to said sabot and a bottom portion of said first aperture portion, wherein said tether is configured to restrain a movement of said sabot such that said expandable sabot skirt substantially retains said gas from escaping past an opening in said launch tube.