Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Weapon System and Method of Operation

• US 20180004203A1
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Artem Ryabov
• Original Assignee: Artem Ryabov
• Inventors: Ryabov, Artem
• Application Number:
  US15/530,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20180004203A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/06 with rangefinder rangefinders per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/165 using a TV-monitor
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/22 for vehicle-borne armament, e.g. on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 9/002 for guiding a craft to a correct firing position for bombing control F41G9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/18 Military applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle weapon system and method of operation which includes an unmanned aerial vehicle having navigational and weapon aiming cameras, remote controlled flight controls and a rifle type of weapon mounted in the wing transversely to the axis of the fuselage where the aerial vehicle is directed to a general target area and controlled to fly in a circular trajectory above and around a specific target within the target area until acquiring the target with the aiming camera and adjusting the bank angle of the vehicle to direct the weapon to the specific target.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring and destroying a target comprising the steps of;

remotely control a weapon carrying unmanned aerial vehicle to a target area,

identify a target within the target area,

acquire the distance to the target and compute a circular trajectory of the unmanned aerial vehicle around the target,

execute the computed circular trajectory around the target,

remotely control the unmanned aerial vehicle to aim the weapon at the identified target along a radius of the circular trajectory.

2. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of,

controlling the unmanned aircraft autonomously to maintain the target on sight throughout the circular trajectory.

3. The method of claim 2 and further including the step of,

remotely controlling the firing of the weapon radially of the circular trajectory.

4. An unmanned aerial vehicle weapon system comprising,

an unmanned aerial vehicle including a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, power plant, flight controls and at least one rigid lifting surface structure,

a wide-angle video camera, having a rangefinder, carried by the at least one rigid lifting surface structure,

a telescopic aiming camera, having a rangefinder, carried by the at least one rigid lifting surface structure,

a weapon having a barrel and carried within the at least one rigid lifting surface structure where the barrel is positioned and arranged perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage,

a GPS receiver,

a computer programed to fly the unmanned aerial vehicle in a circular trajectory around a target point and carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle and having inputs from the GPS receiver, the rangefinders and the outputs of the video wide-angle and aiming cameras,

a digital data transceiver connected to the computer,

means for operating the flight controls from a remote location, and

means for firing the weapon from a remote location.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle weapon system of claim 4 and further including,

a remote control station including,

a receiver for receiving the signals transmitted from the transceiver, including signals representative of the video outputs of the wide-angle and aiming cameras,

monitors for displaying the video outputs of the wide-angle and aiming cameras,

remote flight controls for the unmanned aerial vehicle,

a weapon firing control,

a transmitter, including inputs from the remote flight controls and the weapon firing control and arranged to transmit a signal modulated with the flight control and weapon firing information to the transceiver.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle weapon system of claim 5 and further including,

Means for controlling the unmanned aircraft autonomously to maintain the target on sight throughout the circular trajectory.