Aerial Vehicle Interception System

• US 20190063881A1
• Filed: 07/02/2018
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Abramov, Boris, Wissler, John B., Kearney-Fischer, Martin, Ryan, Jason, Choi, Jae-Woo, Paduano, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,495,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/16 for controlling, capturing or immobilising other vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/92 Portable platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/40 for two or more UAVs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0043 Directed energy weapons, i.e. devices that direct a beam of high energy content toward a target for incapacitating or destroying the target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control

Abstract

The subject disclosure relates an aerial defense system to defend against a detected threat. The aerial defense system may comprise a plurality of defensive aircraft, an aircraft storage system to house the plurality of defensive aircraft, an aircraft controller in communication with each of a targeting system and the plurality of defensive aircraft, and a human machine interface (HMI) device to provide operator interaction. In operation, one or more of the plurality of defensive aircraft may engage the detected threat. At least one of the plurality of defensive aircraft may include a target neutralization device to strike, or otherwise engage, the detected threat.

Claims

1. An aerial defense system to defend against a detected threat, the aerial defense system comprising:

a plurality of defensive aircraft;

an aircraft storage system to house the plurality of defensive aircraft;

an aircraft controller in communication with each of a targeting system and the plurality of defensive aircraft; and

a human machine interface (HMI) device to provide operator interaction with the aircraft controller or the targeting system.

2. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of defensive aircraft is a multi-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

3. The aerial defense system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the VTOL UAVs includes a target neutralization device to strike the detected threat.

4. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the targeting system is a C-RAM command and control (C2) system.

5. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft controller is configured to communicate a command from the targeting system to at least one of the plurality of defensive aircraft.

6. The aerial defense system of claim 5, wherein the command from the targeting system includes a launch command and trajectory data for the detected threat.

7. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft controller is configured to communicate initialization and arming command from the HMI device to at least one of the plurality of defensive aircraft.

8. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft storage system is a ground storage system.

9. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the ground storage system is a portable case configured to house the plurality of defensive aircraft, wherein the aircraft controller is integrated with the portable case.

10. The aerial defense system of claim 3, wherein the target neutralization device is a directed-energy device.

11. The aerial defense system of claim 10, wherein the aircraft storage system is a suspended storage system comprising a plurality of stacked platforms, each of the plurality of stacked platforms configured to support one of the plurality of defensive aircraft.

12. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft controller comprises a ground storage controller operatively coupled with a radio and a charging system.

13. The aerial defense system of claim 12, wherein the charging system is configured to charge the plurality of defensive aircraft using energy collected from a solar panel.

14. The aerial defense system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the VTOL UAVs comprises an onboard global positioning system (GPS) and/or a real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS.

15. The aerial defense system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft controller is configured to regulate, for each of the plurality of defensive aircraft, battery temperature and battery charge.

16. A method for defending against threats using an aerial defense system having a plurality of defensive aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a detected threat;

identifying a first defensive aircraft from said plurality of defensive aircraft that is within a first predetermined distance of the detected threat;

sending, via a targeting system, a launch command message to the first defensive aircraft, wherein the launch command message comprises a location and trajectory of the detected threat;

steering the first defensive aircraft toward the detected threat under an external guidance mode;

switching the first defensive aircraft from the external guidance mode to a local guidance mode when the first defensive aircraft is within a predetermined range of the detected threat, wherein the first defensive aircraft is configured to navigate during local guidance mode using an onboard sensor payload; and

engaging the detected threat using the first defensive aircraft.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a second defensive aircraft from said plurality of defensive aircraft that is within a second predetermined distance of the detected threat; and

sending, via the targeting system, a launch command message to the second defensive aircraft, wherein the launch command message comprises a location and trajectory of the detected threat.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first defensive aircraft and the second defensive aircraft cooperate to engage the detected threat.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first defensive aircraft includes a target neutralization device to strike the detected threat.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of communicating an initialization and arming command from a human machine interface (HMI) device to at least one of the plurality of defensive aircraft.