Hybrid unmanned vehicle for high altitude operations

• US 7,341,223 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimax Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Adam Ning
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone; Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US11/334,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 244/24, 244/25, 244/30, 244/31, 244/125, 244/126, 244/127, 244/5, 244/96, 244/97, 244/98, 244/99
• US Class Current: 244/24
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/14 Outer covering
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/22 Arrangement of cabins or gondolas
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/30 Arrangement of propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/38 Controlling position of centre of gravity

Abstract

A hybrid aerial vehicle is optimized, for example, and not by way of limitation, to operate above 100,000 feet in altitude and provide persistent and maneuverable flight while carrying a wide array of communications and sensing payloads. The hybrid vehicle may use the high altitude winds to gain altitude by pitching up with the center of gravity (CG) control and using its propulsion drive to thrust into the wind to create aerodynamic lift to rise above the neutral buoyancy altitude. The hybrid vehicle will pitch down with the CG control so as to use gravity and propulsion to accelerate. Yaw control directs the flight towards any compass direction by rotating the gondola. This maneuvering capability permits the vehicle to station operate persistently, even in high winds. The lighter-than-air inflatable saucer shape is optimized for maintaining an aerodynamic cross-section to the prevailing wind from any direction in the vehicle horizontal plane. A gondola below the saucer contains a motor, batteries, solar collector, sensors, and yaw and CG control mechanisms.

Claims

1. An aerial vehicle comprising:

an aerodynamic envelope enclosing a volume of lifting gas;

suspension lines engaging the aerodynamic envelope;

a rotor suspended from the aerodynamic envelope by the suspension lines; and

a gondola including a positional translator for translating the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope, the positional translator engaging the rotor, wherein the gondola is suspended below the envelope by the rotor, and the gondola is able to rotate and translate with respect to the aerodynamic envelope.

2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising one or more solar energy collectors.

3. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the solar collectors comprise solar wings with one or more solar panels that are angled so as to avoid interference with payloads.

4. The aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the solar wings carry the gondola, propellers, and payloads during assembly, launch, and recovery operations.

5. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the aerodynamic envelope is made of a translucent material.

6. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic envelope is shaped to provide aerodynamic lift.

7. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a rotation mechanism connecting the rotator shaft to the gondola to rotate the gondola relative to the aerodynamic envelope.

8. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the gondola further comprises one or more payload boxes to house one or more payloads.

9. The aerial vehicle of claim 8, further comprising one or more Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance sensors associated with the payload boxes.

10. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a propulsion system, wherein the propulsion system includes one or more propellers, the one or more propellers having one or more blades.

11. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the positional translator comprises a worm drive.

12. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the rotor comprises a wheel and a rotator shaft, wherein the wheel engages the rotator shaft.

13. The aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the spoked wheel engages the suspension lines.

14. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic envelope comprises a single chamber balloon.

15. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic envelope comprises one or more internal baffles.

16. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the aerodynamic envelope comprises a low aspect ratio shape.

17. The aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the aerodynamic envelope comprises an ellipsoidal shape.

18. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein all propulsion, power, directional control, and payload equipment is located on the gondola.

19. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the solar collectors comprise one or more mirrors to reflect sunlight onto the solar collectors.

20. The aerial vehicle of claim 19, wherein the one or more mirrors are dynamically oriented to track the sun so as to reflect sunlight onto the solar collectors.

21. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a reserve supply of lifting gas that is separate from the volume of lifting gas of the aerodynamic envelope.

22. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an automatic gas vent control for venting the lifting gas from the aerodynamic envelope.

23. The aerial vehicle of claim 10, wherein the propulsion system is disposed on the gondola and wherein the rotor enables the propulsion system to be aligned with a desired direction of travel of the aerial vehicle.

24. The aerial vehicle of claim 10, wherein the propulsion system further includes one or more electric motors engaged with at least one of the one or more propellers.

25. The aerial vehicle of claim 24, wherein the one or more electric motors are powered by at least one of a battery and a solar cell.

26. The aerial vehicle of claim 24, wherein the propulsion system includes at least two electric motors aligned in opposition along an axis of the gondola.

27. The aerial vehicle of claim 24, wherein the propulsion system includes two electric motors, each electric motor engaging one propeller, and wherein the electric motors cause one of the propellers to rotate in a direction opposite to the other when the propellers apply a propulsive force in the same direction.

28. A method of deploying remote sensors above a selected altitude, the method comprising:

providing an aerial vehicle comprising;

an aerodynamic envelope enclosing one or more volumes of lighter than air gas;

suspension lines engaging the aerodynamic envelope; and

a gondola, the gondola being suspended from the aerodynamic envelope by the suspension lines, and the gondola including a propulsion system for horizontal control;

controlling the rotational orientation of the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope; and

controlling a pitch of the aerial vehicle by controlling a position of a center of mass of the gondola to shift the weight of the gondola relative to the aerodynamic envelope.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the selected altitude is above about 100,000 feet mean sea level.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the controlling the rotational orientation of the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope substantially aligns the gondola with a prevailing wind.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the propulsion system propelling the aerial vehicle into the prevailing wind.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

increasing the pitch of the aerial vehicle during at least a portion of a duration of a first prevailing wind speed to so that the altitude of the aerial vehicle increases; and

decreasing the pitch of the aerial vehicle during at least a portion of a duration of a second prevailing wind speed so that the altitude of the aerial vehicle decreases, wherein the first prevailing wind speed is greater than the second prevailing wind speed.

33. A method comprising:

providing an aerial vehicle, the aerial vehicle comprising;

an aerodynamic envelope enclosing a volume of lifting gas;

suspension lines engaging the aerodynamic envelope;

a rotor suspended from the aerodynamic envelope by the suspension lines;

a gondola including a positional translator for translating the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope, the positional translator engaging the rotor, wherein the gondola is suspended from the aerodynamic envelope by the rotor, and the gondola is able to rotate and translate with respect to the aerodynamic envelope; and

a propulsion system disposed on the gondola, wherein the propulsion system is aligned with an axis of the gondola to produce thrust along the axis;

controlling the rotational orientation of the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope to align the axis of the gondola with a prevailing wind;

generating thrust from the propulsion system to propel the aerial vehicle into the prevailing wind; and

controlling a position of the center of mass of the gondola along the axis of the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope to increase a pitch of the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to climb beyond an altitude at which the aerial vehicle is neutrally buoyant.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

controlling a position of the center of mass of the gondola along the axis of the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope to decrease the pitch of the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to descend at a speed greater than a speed of the prevailing wind.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

alternatingly increasing and decreasing the pitch of the aerial vehicle by controlling the position of the center of mass of the gondola along the axis of the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope to maintain a station-keeping profile over a predetermined geographic area.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the increased pitch is maintained during at least a portion of time when a speed of the prevailing wind is above a first speed and the decreased pitch is maintained during at least a portion of time when a speed of the prevailing wind is below a second speed.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the altitude at which the aerial vehicle is neutrally buoyant is above about 100,000 feet mean sea level.

38. An aerial vehicle comprising:

an aerodynamic envelope enclosing a volume of lifting gas;

a lower stage including;

suspension lines engaging the aerodynamic envelope;

a rotor suspended from the aerodynamic envelope by the suspension lines; and

a gondola suspended from the aerodynamic envelope and including a positional translator for translating the gondola with respect to the aerodynamic envelope, wherein the rotor enables the gondola to rotate with respect to the aerodynamic envelope and the positional translator enables the gondola to translate with respect to the aerodynamic envelope.