Autonomous aircraft with disconnectable tether

• US 9,045,218 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Childress, James J., Viniotis, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US13/791,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20140251743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 244/24, 244/25, 244/33, 244/30, 244/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/40 Balloons B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/50 Captive balloons
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/022 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/30 Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/65 Composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/202 using tethers for connecting to ground station
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors

Abstract

Systems and methods to launch an aircraft are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system comprises an electrically powered buoyant aircraft, a control system to maneuver the aircraft and a tether adapted to couple to the aircraft and to a ground-based power supply to provide power to the aircraft while the aircraft is coupled to the tether. The aircraft can disconnect autonomously from the tether in response to a command signal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an aircraft including a control system configured to control movement of the aircraft;

a tether configured to couple the aircraft to a remote power supply, wherein the remote power supply provides power to the aircraft via the tether, and wherein the aircraft is configured to disconnect from the tether in response to a command signal from the control system; and

a release mechanism coupled to the aircraft, the release mechanism configured to release the tether in response to the command signal, wherein the release mechanism includes tether hooks configured to receive a tether ball coupled to the tether, wherein the tether hooks are configured to hold the tether ball when in a first configuration, and wherein the tether hooks are configured to release the tether ball when in a second configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to send the command signal while in flight.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft comprises:

an inflatable bladder filled with a gas that is less dense than air; and

a frame assembly coupled to the inflatable bladder.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising at least one thrust generator coupled to the frame assembly, wherein the at least one thrust generator is controlled by the control system to move the aircraft.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the aircraft is neutrally buoyant, and wherein the at least one thrust generator provides lift to support a weight of the tether when the aircraft is coupled to the tether.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism further includes an actuator configured to arrange the tether hooks in the first configuration, and wherein the actuator is configured to arrange the tether hooks in the second configuration in response to the command signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tether further comprises a latch, wherein the latch is configured to move between a first position on the tether and a second position on the tether, wherein the latch prevents the tether hooks from being arranged in the second configuration when the latch is in the first position, and wherein the latch does not prevent the tether hooks from being arranged in the second configuration when the latch is in the second position.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the tether comprises:

an electrical bus;

a communication bus; and

a fluid passage tube.

9. An aircraft, comprising:

an inflatable bladder to retain a gas that is less dense than air;

a frame assembly coupled to the inflatable bladder;

a control system configured to control movement of the aircraft;

an interface configured to couple the aircraft to a tether that provides a connection to a ground-based power supply, wherein the ground-based power supply provides power to the aircraft via the connection, and wherein the aircraft is configured to disconnect from the tether in response to a command signal from the control system; and

a release mechanism coupled to the aircraft, the release mechanism configured to release the tether in response to the command signal, wherein the release mechanism includes tether hooks configured to receive a tether ball coupled to the tether, wherein the tether hooks are configured to hold the tether ball when in a first configuration, and wherein the tether hooks are configured to release the tether ball when in a second configuration.

10. The aircraft of claim 9, wherein the ground-based power supply provides alternating current (AC) power to the tether, and wherein the aircraft comprises a power converter to convert the AC power to direct current (DC) power.

11. The aircraft of claim 9, further comprising at least one thrust generator coupled to the frame assembly, wherein the at least one thrust generator is controlled by the control system to move the aircraft.

12. The aircraft of claim 11, wherein the aircraft is neutrally buoyant when the inflatable bladder contains the gas, and wherein the at least one thrust generator provides lift to support a weight of the tether when the aircraft is coupled to the tether.

13. The aircraft of claim 11, further comprising at least one image capture device coupled to the frame assembly.

14. The aircraft of claim 9, wherein the tether comprises:

an electrical bus;

a communication bus; and

a fluid passage tube.

15. The aircraft of claim 9, wherein the control system generates the command signal in response to a flight control signal received by the control system from a remote flight control system.

16. A method, comprising:

coupling an aircraft to a tether which provides a connection to a ground-based power supply, wherein the ground-based power supply provides power to the aircraft via the connection, and wherein the aircraft is an electrically powered buoyant aircraft; and

disconnecting the aircraft from the tether in response to a command signal from the aircraft, wherein the aircraft is disconnected from the tether via a release mechanism coupled to the aircraft, wherein the release mechanism includes tether hooks configured to receive a tether ball coupled to the tether wherein the tether hooks are configured to hold the tether ball when in a first configuration, and wherein the tether hooks are configured to release the tether ball when in a second configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the ground-based power supply provides alternating current (AC) power to the tether, and wherein the aircraft comprises a power converter to convert the AC power to direct current (DC) power.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising operating the aircraft after the aircraft is released from the tether.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending the command signal while the aircraft is in flight.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the tether further comprises a latch, wherein the latch is configured to move between a first position on the tether and a second position on the tether, wherein the latch prevents the tether hooks from being arranged in the second configuration when the latch is in the first position, and wherein the latch does not prevent the tether hooks from being arranged in the second configuration when the latch is in the second position.