Rail recovery system for aircraft
First Claim
1. An aerial vehicle recovery system, comprising:
- an articulating crane;
a rail positioned at a distal end of said articulating crane;
a shuttle slideably coupled with said rail;
a first set of two stanchions mounted to said shuttle;
a second set of two stanchions mounted to said shuttle;
a first capture cable stretched across said first set of two stanchions, the first capture cable capturing a first hook on an aerial vehicle; and
a second capture cable stretched across said second set of two stanchions, the second capture cable capturing a second hook on the aerial vehicle, the second hook being spaced apart from the first hook, wherein the second capture cable reduces post-capture motion of the aerial vehicle caused by capture of the aerial vehicle by said first capture cable.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention'"'"'s side-arm recovery system enables large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) to operate from small vessels or from ground sites with a minimal footprint. The side-arm recovery system allows arresting an UAS independent of a runway. On the ground or on a ship, the system makes use of a specialized crane system that includes capture and energy absorption devices. A fuselage-mounted top hook snags a horizontal cable and the arresting forces act in the plane of symmetry through the central structure of the UAS. After the capture energy is absorbed, the recovery system safely lowers the aerial vehicle to a ground handling cart. The same system can be combined into a launcher and retriever system which further reduces the footprint by eliminating the need for a separate launcher.
94 Citations
23 Claims
-
1. An aerial vehicle recovery system, comprising:
-
an articulating crane; a rail positioned at a distal end of said articulating crane; a shuttle slideably coupled with said rail; a first set of two stanchions mounted to said shuttle; a second set of two stanchions mounted to said shuttle; a first capture cable stretched across said first set of two stanchions, the first capture cable capturing a first hook on an aerial vehicle; and a second capture cable stretched across said second set of two stanchions, the second capture cable capturing a second hook on the aerial vehicle, the second hook being spaced apart from the first hook, wherein the second capture cable reduces post-capture motion of the aerial vehicle caused by capture of the aerial vehicle by said first capture cable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. An aerial vehicle, comprising:
-
a fixed wing; a fuselage; a propulsion device; a top hook assembly, the top hook assembly comprising a hook portion and a retractable arm portion, wherein the retractable arm portion is hingedly coupled to a top side of said fuselage; an extension mechanism configured to extend and retract the retractable arm portion; and a second top hook assembly disposed forward of said top hook assembly, and engaging a different capture cable than the top hook assembly'"'"'s hook portion. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. An aerial vehicle recovery apparatus, comprising:
-
a rail; a shuttle slideably coupled with said rail, wherein the shuttle comprises a first set of two stanchions, a second set of two stanchions, and wherein the shuttle is coupled with said rail via a shuttle cable; a first capture cable stretched across said first set of two stanchions, the first capture cable capturing a first hook on an aerial vehicle; and a second capture cable stretched across said second set of two stanchions, the second capture cable capturing a second hook on the aerial vehicle, wherein the said second capture cable reduces post-capture motion of the aerial vehicle, wherein the first capture cable and second capture cable engage different portions of the aerial vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
Specification