Systems and methods for capturing and controlling post-recovery motion of unmanned aircraft
First Claim
1. An aircraft system, comprising:
- a line capture assembly carried by an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage, a first lifting surface, and a second surface extending from the fuselage generally opposite to the first lifting surface, the line capture assembly includinga first flexible support line having a first portion attached to an attachment point on the fuselage and a second portion extending from the attachment point spanwise along the first lifting surface of the aircraft;
a first engagement device coupled to the second portion of the first support line and releasably secured at least proximate to an outboard edge of the first lifting surface;
a second flexible support line having a first portion attached to the attachment point and a second portion extending from the attachment point spanwise along the second lifting surface; and
a second engagement device coupled to the second portion of the second support line and releasably secured to at least proximate to an outboard edge of the second lifting surface.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for capturing and controlling post-recovery motion of an unmanned aircraft are disclosed herein. An aircraft system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, for example, can include a line capture assembly carried by an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage and a lifting surface. The line capture assembly can include a flexible support line having a first portion attached to an attachment point on the fuselage and a second portion extending from the attachment point spanwise along the lifting surface of the aircraft. The line capture assembly can also include an engagement device coupled to the second portion of the support line. The engagement device is releasably secured to the lifting surface.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An aircraft system, comprising:
a line capture assembly carried by an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage, a first lifting surface, and a second surface extending from the fuselage generally opposite to the first lifting surface, the line capture assembly including a first flexible support line having a first portion attached to an attachment point on the fuselage and a second portion extending from the attachment point spanwise along the first lifting surface of the aircraft; a first engagement device coupled to the second portion of the first support line and releasably secured at least proximate to an outboard edge of the first lifting surface; a second flexible support line having a first portion attached to the attachment point and a second portion extending from the attachment point spanwise along the second lifting surface; and a second engagement device coupled to the second portion of the second support line and releasably secured to at least proximate to an outboard edge of the second lifting surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An aircraft system, comprising:
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an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage, and a first wing and a second wing extending from the fuselage; and a line capture assembly carried by the aircraft and positioned to releasably secure the aircraft to a flexible recovery line when the aircraft intercepts the recovery line, the line capture assembly including a first and a second flexible support line coupled to an anchor point on the fuselage and extending across at least a portion of the fuselage and spanwise along the corresponding first and second wings, respectively, to an outboard edge of the respective wing, wherein the first and second support lines extend spanwise along the wings at least proximate to a leading edge of the corresponding first and second wings; and a first and a second capture device coupled to the first and second support lines, respectively, the first and second capture devices being releasably secured to the corresponding first and second wing and positioned to receive the recovery line and at least temporarily secure the line capture assembly to the recovery line. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An aircraft system, comprising:
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an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage, first and second lifting surfaces extending from the fuselage, and first and second grooves, each groove having (a) a first groove portion in the fuselage and extending between an attachment point on the fuselage and the corresponding lifting surface, and (b) a second groove portion in the respective lifting surface and extending spanwise along the lifting surface; and a line capture assembly including a first and a second flexible support line coupled to the attachment point on the fuselage and extending from the attachment point spanwise along the first and second lifting surfaces, respectively, wherein each support line is at least partially received in both the first groove portion and the second groove portion of the corresponding groove; and a first and a second engagement device coupled to the first and second support lines, respectively, and releasably secured to the corresponding lifting surface. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. An aircraft system, comprising:
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an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage, a first lifting surface extending from the fuselage and a second lifting surface extending from the fuselage; and a line capture assembly carried by the aircraft and positioned to releasably secure the aircraft to a flexible recovery line when the aircraft intercepts the recovery line, wherein the line capture assembly includes a first and a second flexible support line coupled to the aircraft at an anchor point generally along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft and forward of a center of gravity of the aircraft, wherein the first and second support lines extend from the anchor point spanwise along at least a portion of the corresponding first and second lifting surfaces; and a first and a second capture device coupled to a distal portion of the corresponding support line, wherein the first and second capture devices are releasably secured to the first and second lifting surfaces, respectively.
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20. A method for capturing an unmanned aircraft in flight, the method comprising:
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flying an unmanned aircraft to intercept a flexible recovery line, the unmanned aircraft having a lifting surface and a line capture assembly; receiving the recovery line at an engagement device of the line capture assembly, wherein the engagement device is attached to a flexible support line carried by the aircraft and coupled to an attachment point on the fuselage; and releasably securing the recovery line to the line capture assembly by (a) at least temporarily arresting the recovery line with the engagement device and separating at least a portion of the engagement device from the aircraft, and (b) suspending the aircraft from the support line after at least temporarily arresting the recovery line. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for handling an unmanned aircraft in flight, the method comprising:
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installing a line capture assembly on an unmanned aircraft having a fuselage and a pair of wings, the line capture assembly including (a) one or more flexible support lines coupled to an anchor point at least generally along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft and extending spanwise along the corresponding wing to an outboard edge of the wing, and (b) one or more capture devices coupled to the corresponding one or more support lines and releasably secured to the corresponding wing; flying the aircraft so as to intercept a generally vertical flexible recovery line; and releasably securing the aircraft to the recovery line with the line capture assembly by engaging and releasably securing the recovery line with the capture device on the corresponding wing; and as the aircraft pivots toward the recovery line after engaging the recovery line with the capture device, releasing the support line from the lifting surface such that the aircraft is suspended from recovery line via the support line, wherein the support line is in contact with only the anchor point on the aircraft and the recovery line. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification