Miniature, unmanned aircraft with onboard stabilization and automated ground control of flight path

• US 6,847,865 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ernest A. Carroll
• Original Assignee: Ernest A. Carroll
• Inventors: Carroll, Ernest A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/255,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20030060943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/11, 701/23, 701/28, 244/75.R, 244/76.R, 244/175, 244/181, 244/190, 244/189, 446/7, 446/34, 446/57
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/34 Ultra-small engines, e.g. for driving models
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A miniature, unmanned aircraft for acquiring and/or transmitting data, capable of automatically maintaining desired airframe stability while operating by remote directional commands. The aircraft comprises a fuselage and a wing, a piston engine and propeller, a fuel supply, at least one data sensor and/or radio transceiver, a microprocessor disposed to manage flight, a radio transceiver for receiving remotely generated flight direction commands, a GPS receiver, a plurality of control surfaces and associated servomechanisms, for controlling flight stabilization and direction, roll, pitch, yaw, velocity, and altitude sensors. The microprocessor uses roll, pitch, yaw, and altitude data to control attitude and altitude of the aircraft automatically, but controls flight direction solely based on external commands. The aircraft does not exceed fifty-five pounds.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a miniature, unmanned aircraft capable of acquiring data or transmitting data or both acquiring and transmitting data, such that flight stabilization is automatically performed within the aircraft and flight direction is performed by external remotely generated signals, comprising the steps of:

providing a miniature, unmanned aircraft having an airframe including a fuselage, a wing, at least one control surface and at least one servomechanism disposed to operate a respective control surface, a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine and fuel supply system carried aboard the airframe, a propeller drivably connected to the engine, a mission data handling apparatus disposed selectively to acquire data or transmit data or to both acquire and transmit data, and a remotely controlled guidance system having a microprocessor disposed to manage flight, a radio frequency transceiver carried aboard the aircraft and disposed to receive remotely generated flight direction commands and to communicate flight direction commands to the microprocessor, and at least one flight stabilization sensor disposed to sense data relating to stabilization of the aircraft;

receiving remotely generated radio frequency flight direction commands on the transceiver and transmitting the flight direction commands to the microprocessor;

causing the flight stabilization sensor to transmit sensed data to the microprocessor;

causing the microprocessor to process flight direction commands and sensed data relating to stabilization to generate stabilization and directional command signals, and transmitting generated stabilization and directional command signals to at least one servomechanism;

determining the stabilization command signals transmitted to each servomechanism exclusively from data sensed by the flight stabilization sensor; and

determining the directional command signals transmitted to each servomechanism based entirely and exclusively on direction commands received by the radio frequency transceiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

receiving GPS signals on a radio frequency receiver, processing received GPS signals within the microprocessor to determine altitude of the aircraft; and

generating altitude control commands for maintaining a selected altitude by the microprocessor and transmitting generated altitude control commands to at least one servomechanism.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing a miniature, unmanned aircraft comprises the further step of providing a plurality of attitude sensors of different types.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing a miniature, unmanned aircraft comprises the further step of providing at least one of the group including a roll sensor, a pitch sensor, and yaw sensor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing a miniature, unmanned aircraft comprises the further step of providing an altitude sensor.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of limiting the gross weight of the aircraft to fifty-five pounds.

7. A miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability comprising:

a) an airframe comprising an internal combustion engine adapted to provide motive power to said aircraft, a plurality of control surfaces adapted to respectively control at least a direction of flight, an attitude, and an altitude of said aircraft, each of said control surfaces being operatively connected to and actuated by a respective servomechanism responsive to a control signal provided thereto from a microprocessor;

b) a radio receiver disposed within said airframe adapted to receive a directional control signal from a transmitter located remotely therefrom, said receiver generating a directional control output signal;

c) a microprocessor having a plurality of inputs, at least one of said plurality of inputs being operatively connected to said output of said radio receiver and adapted to receive said directional control output signal therefrom, said microprocessor having a plurality of outputs connected to respective ones of said servomechanisms for providing said control signals thereto;

d) a plurality of sensors for sensing flight conditions of said aircraft and for generating output signals representative of said flight conditions a respective outputs thereof, said outputs each being operatively connected to respective ones of said plurality of microprocessor inputs, said plurality of sensors being disposed proximate said airframe;

wherein said microprocessor, acting upon said output signals from said plurality of sensors, and said directional control signal from said radio receiver provides all control signals required to fly said aircraft to said servomechanisms, and wherein directional control information is received exclusively from said remote location via said radio receiver, and all other information required to fly said aircraft is received exclusively from said plurality of sensors.

8. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors comprises a GPS receiver.

9. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 8, wherein said GPS receiver is used to sense at least one of the parameters:

altitude, position, and time.

10. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors comprises at least of the group:

roll sensor, pitch sensor, and yaw sensor.

11. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors comprises an altimeter.

12. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 11, wherein said altimeter comprises at least one of the group:

GPS altimeter, barometric pressure altimeter, laser altimeter, and acoustic altimeter.

13. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 12, wherein said altimeter comprises redundant altimeter comprising at least two altimeters from the group:

GPS altimeter, barometric pressure altimeter, laser altimeter, and acoustic altimeter.

14. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 13, wherein each of said at least two altimeters comprises a different type of altimeter.

15. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of control surfaces comprises at least of the group:

a rudder, a flap, an elevators, and an aileron.

16. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors comprises a flux gate compass.

17. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors comprises a pilot tube velocity sensor.

18. The miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability as recited in claim 7, wherein said aircraft weight no more than fifty-five pounds.

19. A miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability, comprising:

a) an airframe comprising an internal combustion engine adapted to provide motive power to said aircraft, a plurality of control surfaces comprising at least one control surface from the group;

a rudder, a flap, an elevators, and an aileron, said at least one control surface being adapted to respectively control at least a direction of flight, an attitude, and an altitude of said aircraft, each of said control surfaces being operatively connected to and actuated by a respective servomechanism responsive to a control signal provided thereto from a microprocessor;

b) a radio receiver disposed within said airframe adapted to receive a directional control signal from a transmitter located remotely therefrom, said receiver generating a directional control output signal

c) a microprocessor having a plurality of inputs, at least one of said plurality of inputs being operatively connected to said output of said radio receiver and adapted to receive said direction control output signal therefrom, said microprocessor having a plurality of outputs connected to respective ones of said servomechanisms for providing said control signals thereto;

d) a plurality of sensors comprising at least one of the group;

roll sensor, pitch sensor, and yaw sensor, an altimeter, a compass, and a velocity sensor for sensing flight conditions of said aircraft and for generating output signals representative of said flight conditions at respective outputs thereof, said outputs each being operatively connected to respective ones of said plurality of microprocessor inputs, said plurality of sensors being disposed proximate said airframe;

wherein said microprocessor, acting upon said output signals from said plurality of sensors, and said directional control signal from said radio receiver provides all control signals required to fly said aircraft to said servomechanisms, and wherein directional control information is received exclusively from said remote location via said radio receiver, and all other information required to fly said aircraft is received exclusively from said plurality of sensors, said aircraft weighing no more than fifty-five pounds.