Launch and recovery system for unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 9,669,946 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Aerospace Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Aerospace Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: McDonnell, William R., Baker, Charles H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US14/518,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20150329218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/68 Arrester hooks
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 3/00 Aircraft adaptations to facilitate towing or being towed B64D39/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/02 for arresting aircraft, e.g. nets or cables
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/04 for launching aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/10 using self-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/84 Waterborne vehicles

Abstract

A method of launching and retrieving a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) (10). The preferred method of launch involves carrying the UAV (10) up to altitude using a parasail (8) similar to that used to carry tourists aloft. The UAV is dropped and picks up enough airspeed in the dive to perform a pull-up into level controlled flight. The preferred method of recovery is for the UAV to fly into and latch onto the parasail tow line (4) or cables hanging off the tow line and then be winched back down to the boat (2).

Claims

1. An aircraft and

an aircraft recovery system designed to recover said aircraft,

said aircraft recovery system having

an arrestment line and

an arrestment line support,

said aircraft including a hook to capture said line, said hook being located on the wing of said aircraft, said hook having two obstructions that increase the force required to move the line back toward the entrance of the hook relative to the force required to move the line away from the entrance into the hook, one of said obstructions being closer to an entrance of said hook than the other.

2. The aircraft and recovery system of claim 1 wherein the obstruction closer to the entrance of the hook comprises a spring-loaded latch.

3. The aircraft and recovery system of claim 2 further comprising balanced shock absorbing mechanisms at upper and lower ends of said arrestment line.

4. The aircraft and recovery system of claim 2 wherein said arrestment line and said arrestment line support are constructed and proportioned to absorb more than half the aircraft'"'"'s kinetic energy by elastic deformation of the recovery system during initial arrestment of forward velocity of the aircraft.

5. A flying object comprising

a spanwise lifting surface, a lateral deflecting structure comprising the spanwise lifting surface, and

a capture device adjacent the lateral deflecting structure, the capture device comprising

a hook, the hook having two obstructions that increase the force required to move a capture line back toward the entrance of the hook relative to the force required to move the line away from the entrance into the hook, one of said obstructions being a latch positioned closer to the entrance of said hook than the other obstruction.

6. The flying object of claim 5 wherein the spanwise lifting surface includes a leading edge, at least a part of an inboard half of the leading edge being swept back at least fifteen degrees.