Covert sensor emplacement using autorotational delivery mechanism

• US 8,172,173 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Carlson, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener, Joshua J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badawi, Medhat
• Application Number:
  US12/436,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20090218439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 244/17.11, 244/17.1, 244/17.17, 244/138, 244/150, 244/175, 244/49, 244/17.23, 244/114.R
• US Class Current: 244/17.11
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 19/02 Rotary-wing parachutes
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/365 Projectiles transmitting information to a remote location using optical or electronic means F42B12/385 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 15/08 for carrying measuring instruments; Arrangements for mounting sensitive cargo within a projectileadaptations for meteorology G01W1/08; Arrangements for acoustic sensitive cargo within a projectile
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/105 specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing parachutes per se B64D17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones

Abstract

A method for emplacing sensors, comprising the steps of modifying an existing sensor to attach an autorotational mechanism and deploying said sensor by autorotational means.

Claims

1. Apparatus for covertly soft landing a fragile sensor with precision at predetermined target location coordinate on the surface of the earth comprising:

a fragile sensor module having an unpowered tail-rotorless autorotational mechanism mounted for rotation on the module;

a sensor deployment launching device for deploying said sensor module above said target;

a unit for receiving geopositioning signals and for outputting the realtime location of the sensor module;

a guidance unit for control of the unpowered autorotational mechanism to guide the sensor module along a trajectory from deployment point to target coordinates in response to inputs into said guidance unit from said geopositioning unit and said target location coordinates, said guidance unit upon sensor module deployment guiding said sensor module along said trajectory to said target coordinates, such that said sensor module when deployed above said predetermined target is guided by said autorotational mechanism to soft land at said target coordinates in a covert manner; and

,

landing apparatus for said sensor module which contacts the earth when the module lands, said landing apparatus, including a shock absorbing unit and a unit for leveling the sensor housed in said sensor module, said shock absorbing unit including a number of parallelogram frames, each hinged at the corners thereof for providing said shock absorbing said parallelogram frames having opposed short sides, one of said short sides hingedly attached to said sensor module and an opposed short side carrying a positioning pin such that when said landing apparatus is deployed said positioning pin points downwardly, said parallelogram frames assuring that all of said positioning pins are parallel one to the other for providing a stable multipoint landing structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said landing apparatus includes said number of parallelogram frames, said articulation permitting stowing of said landing apparatus against the module housing during initial deployment, and further including a mechanism for un-stowing said parallelogram frames prior to impact of said sensor module with the ground.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, and further including vanes on said sensor module to counter the rotation of the autorotational mechanism.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor is carried by said sensor module and is retracted in a canister, said sensor being deployed out of the canister when the sensor module lands at a target.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor is spaced from the terrain.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the spacing of said sensor from the terrain is maintained by said landing apparatus in combination with said leveling unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, and further including outwardly extending vanes on each of said parallelogram frames to oppose the rotational forces of said autorotational mechanism.