Modular articulated-wing aircraft

• US 9,387,926 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Sommer, Geoffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US13/154,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20120048990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 244/117.R, 244/131, 244/137.4, 244/2, 244/63, 244/3, 258/1.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/02 Flying units formed by separate aircraft towing B64D3/00; aircraft transported by aircraft B64D5/00; air-refuelling B64D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/40 Modular UAVs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/50 Foldable or collapsible UAVs with frangible components B64U20/30
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/31 generated by photovoltaics
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/40 foldable or retractable
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/60 Take-off or landing of UAVs from a runway using their own power
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/82 Airborne vehicles

Abstract

Systems and/or methods for forming a multiple-articulated flying system (skybase) having a high aspect ratio wing platform, operable to loiter over an area of interest at a high altitude are provided. In certain exemplary embodiments, autonomous modular flyers join together in a wingtip-to-wingtip manner. Such modular flyers may derive their power from insolation. The autonomous flyers may include sensors which operate individually, or collectively after a skybase is formed. The skybase preferably may be aggregated, disaggregated, and/or re-aggregated as called for by the prevailing conditions. Thus, it may be possible to provide a “forever-on-station” aircraft.

Claims

1. An autonomous modular flyer operable to loiter over an area of interest at a first high altitude, comprising:

a solar-electric powered airborne object having two wings, each wing having an upper wing surface having a photovoltaic array thereon exposed to solar flux during flight of the autonomous modular flyer and a wingtip, the wingtips being operably joinable to at least one other solar-electric powered autonomous modular flyer'"'"'s wingtips to form an aggregation when a first predetermined condition is met, and being operably disaggregable from the at least one other autonomous modular flyer'"'"'s wingtips when a second predetermined condition is met;

the aggregation forming an autonomous solar-electric powered multiple-articulated flying system having a high aspect ratio wing platform, operable to loiter over the area of interest at an altitude at least as high as the first high altitude, each autonomous modular flyer in the aggregation being of the same type; and

means for controlling the number of autonomous modular flyers of the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system based on the amount of solar flux to which the photovoltaic arrays are exposed.

2. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, being further operable to match its airspeed with a prevailing headwind and/or to make large orbits.

3. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, wherein the autonomous modular flyer has an altitude ceiling in Earth'"'"'s stratosphere and/or structural robustness in Earth'"'"'s troposphere.

4. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, further comprising a wingtip hinge on at least one wingtip allowing two operably joined modular flyers to flap about the wingtip hinge with respect to each other.

5. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, wherein aggregations of larger numbers of modular flyers occur at sequentially higher altitudes.

6. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined condition includes one or more of:

a loading event above a given load threshold, a gust above a gust threshold, a turn of the multiple-articulated flying system, a span shear above a span shear threshold, an instruction for at least one of the modular flyers to undertake a remote surveillance activity, and an instruction for at least one of the modular flyers to move closer to the area of interest.

7. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, wherein the multiple-articulated flying surface of claim 1 is operable to reaggregate based at least on a third predetermined condition.

8. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 7, wherein the third predetermined condition includes one or more of:

a second predetermined condition that previously was met no longer is met, and at least one modular flyer being destroyed, recalled, and/or no longer functional.

9. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, further comprising insolation circuitry to power the multiple-articulated flying system.

10. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 9, wherein the insolation circuitry comprises a photovoltaic array, an electronic controller to condition and manage the power, and an electrical energy storage mechanism.

11. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, further comprising a flight controller operable to calculate an equilibrium ceiling altitude and to instruct the autonomous modular flyer to climb or descend to the equilibrium ceiling altitude.

12. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 1, further comprising a sensor operable to gather data relating to the area of interest.

13. The autonomous modular flyer of claim 12, wherein the sensor is further operable to work as an element in a sensory array when a multiple-articulated flying system is formed.

14. A method of forming an autonomous multiple-articulated flying system having a high aspect ratio wing platform, operable to loiter over an area of interest at a high altitude, the method comprising:

providing at least two solar-electric powered autonomous modular flyers, each having two wings with wingtips thereon and being of the same type, wherein each wing has an upper wing surface having a photovoltaic array thereon exposed to solar flux during flight of the autonomous modular flyer;

joining the wingtips of the at least two autonomous modular flyers to form the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system when a first predetermined condition is met; and

controlling the number of autonomous modular flyers of the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system based on the amount of solar flux to which the photovoltaic arrays are exposed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising disaggregating the wingtips of the at least two autonomous modular flyers when a second predetermined condition is met.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising matching the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system'"'"'s airspeed with a prevailing headwind and/or making large orbits in order to loiter over the area of interest.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising allowing joined wingtips to flap about wingtip hinges attached to the wingtips.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising re-aggregating disaggregated autonomous modular flyers.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising calculating an equilibrium ceiling altitude for the autonomous modular flyer, and altering the autonomous modular flyer'"'"'s altitude to the equilibrium ceiling altitude.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising calculating an equilibrium ceiling altitude for the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system, and altering the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system'"'"'s altitude to the equilibrium ceiling altitude.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising sensing data related to the area of interest.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising when the autonomous multiple-articulated flying system is formed, sharing data between sensors of modular flyers and/or using individual sensors of modular flyers as elements in a sensor array.