Systems, devices, and/or methods for managing targeted payload descent

• US 9,703,295 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barron Associates Inc
• Original Assignee: Barron Associates Inc
• Inventors: Neal, III, David Anthony, Ehlmann, Kevin Marlan, Gressick, William Thomas, Bateman, Alec Jacob Devine, Horneman, Kenneth Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): David, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/596,471
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 89 151, 89 111, 114 201, 102351, 102386-387
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 31/02 Gliders, e.g. sailplanes hang-gliders B64C31/028
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/80 in association with aircraft, e.g. for braking thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 10/14 using fins spread or deployed after launch, e.g. after leaving the barrel
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/60 the submissiles being ejected radially
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 15/105 Air torpedoes, e.g. projectiles with or without propulsion, provided with supporting air foil surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 15/22 Missiles having a trajectory finishing below water surface having additional propulsion means for movement through water F42B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0808 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/105 specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing parachutes per se B64D17/00

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, providing a guided descent from a release zone and toward an entry zone.

Claims

1. A tube-launched device comprising:

a sonobuoy glide harness configured to;

be operably connected to a sonobuoy internal module to form a sonobuoy vehicle, the sonobuoy vehicle defining a sonobuoy vehicle length and a sonobuoy vehicle outer diameter; and

operatively substantially surround the sonobuoy internal module, the sonobuoy internal module defining a sonobuoy internal module length, the sonobuoy glide harness defining a sonobuoy glide harness length and a sonobuoy glide harness outer diameter, the sonobuoy glide harness length not exceeding the sonobuoy internal module length;

the sonobuoy glide harness comprising a plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces; and

the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprising one or more folding tail control surfaces.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a stabilization parachute configured to provide stabilization of the sonobuoy vehicle while the sonobuoy vehicle is in flight.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a stabilization parachute ejection mechanism configured to, while the sonobuoy vehicle is in flight, release a stabilization parachute from the sonobuoy vehicle.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuation system operatively configured to deploy the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces during and/or after launch of the sonobuoy vehicle from a flying aircraft.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to provide a substantially guided descent of the sonobuoy vehicle.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to provide a substantially guided descent of the sonobuoy vehicle from a predetermined release zone and toward a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to provide a dynamically determined, substantially controlled, and substantially guided descent of the sonobuoy vehicle from a release altitude, latitude, and longitude located within a predetermined release zone and toward a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone that is defined by a predetermined range of water entry longitudes and a predetermined range of water entry latitudes.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an aerodynamic control surface ejection mechanism configured to substantially simultaneously release the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces from the sonobuoy vehicle and deploy a terminal parachute.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the sonobuoy vehicle is configured to launch from a sonobuoy launch container that defines a sonobuoy launch container inner diameter; and

the sonobuoy vehicle outer diameter does not exceed the sonobuoy launch container inner diameter.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the sonobuoy launch container is configured to substantially fit within a launch tube of the flying aircraft.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the sonobuoy vehicle lacks an onboard source of thrust.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuation system that is operatively configured to utilize an aerodynamic force on the sonobuoy vehicle to deploy at least one deployable aerodynamic control surface from the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprises a main wing that, upon deployment, is configured to be moved from a stowed orientation that is substantially parallel to a direction of travel of the sonobuoy vehicle to a deployed orientation that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the sonobuoy vehicle.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprises a main wing, the main wing and the one or more folding tail control surfaces configured to be removed at the end of the guided descent and prior to touchdown.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more folding, tail control surfaces, upon deployment from a rear of the sonobuoy glide harness, are each configured to be moved from a stowed orientation that is substantially parallel to a direction of travel of the sonobuoy vehicle to a respective deployed orientation that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the sonobuoy vehicle.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprises a main wing, the main wing and the one or more folding tail control surfaces configured to lock into a deployed state.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more folding tail control surfaces are attached to an actuator device and configured to, after deploying out substantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of the sonobuoy vehicle, rotate into the direction of travel and be operatively controlled by an actuation device.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system comprising an information device located in the sonobuoy glide harness.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system configured to operatively adapt a flight path of the sonobuoy vehicle responsive to an altitude, velocity, azimuth, and/or flight path angle of a flying aircraft from which the sonobuoy vehicle is configured to be launched.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system configured to produce a continuously updated plurality of longitudinal control commands and lateral control commands, each command configured to correct an orientation of the sonobuoy vehicle for line-of-sight guidance to a predefined water entry zone while tracking an equilibrium glide condition.

21. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to utilize multi-phase longitudinal control to provide sink rate control, an optimal flight path angle for a given current bank angle of the sonobuoy vehicle, and/or an equilibrium glide condition.

22. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to provide roll angle instructions to align a velocity vector of the sonobuoy vehicle with a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone.

23. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to provide normal acceleration instructions to adjust a sink rate of the sonobuoy vehicle.

24. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to utilize variations in a steepness of a descent path to land the sonobuoy internal module or sonobuoy vehicle in a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone.

25. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to automatically determine an altitude at which to cause a main wing and one or more tail control surfaces to be separated from the sonobuoy vehicle and a terminal parachute to be deployed.

26. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to minimize an error between a point within the predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone and an actual landing point of the sonobuoy internal module.

27. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to minimize a descent time to achieve touchdown of the sonobuoy internal module.

28. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to maximize an operative range of the sonobuoy vehicle.

29. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance system operatively configured to adaptively respond to sonobuoy vehicle performance characteristics and/or environmental conditions that would otherwise prevent the sonobuoy internal module from landing in the predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone.

30. A method comprising:

providing a dynamically determined, substantially controlled, and substantially guided descent of a tube-launched sonobuoy vehicle from a predetermined release zone and toward a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone, the sonobuoy vehicle comprising a sonobuoy glide harness configured to;

be operably connected to a sonobuoy internal module to form the sonobuoy vehicle, the sonobuoy vehicle defining a sonobuoy vehicle length and a sonobuoy vehicle outer diameter; and

operatively substantially surround the sonobuoy internal module, the sonobuoy glide harness defining a sonobuoy glide harness length and a sonobuoy glide harness outer diameter, the sonobuoy glide harness length not exceeding the sonobuoy internal module length;

wherein the sonobuoy glide harness comprises;

a plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces, the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprising one or more folding tail control surfaces.

31. A machine-readable medium storing machine-implementable instructions for activities comprising:

providing a dynamically determined, substantially controlled, and substantially guided descent of a tube-launched sonobuoy vehicle from a predetermined release zone and toward a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone, the sonobuoy vehicle comprising a sonobuoy glide harness configured to;

be operably connected to a sonobuoy internal module to form the sonobuoy vehicle, the sonobuoy vehicle defining a sonobuoy vehicle length and a sonobuoy vehicle outer diameter; and

operatively substantially surround the sonobuoy internal module, the sonobuoy internal module defining a sonobuoy internal module length, the sonobuoy glide harness defining a sonobuoy glide harness length and a sonobuoy glide harness outer diameter, the sonobuoy glide harness length not exceeding the sonobuoy internal module length;

wherein the sonobuoy glide harness comprises;

a plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces, the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprising one or more folding tail control surfaces.

32. A circuit comprising:

a guidance sub-circuit configured to provide a dynamically determined, substantially controlled, and substantially guided descent of a sonobuoy vehicle from a predetermined release zone and toward a predetermined sonobuoy water entry zone, the sonobuoy vehicle comprising a sonobuoy glide harness configured to;

be operably connected to a sonobuoy internal module to form the sonobuoy vehicle, the sonobuoy vehicle defining a sonobuoy vehicle length and a sonobuoy vehicle outer diameter; and

operatively substantially surround the sonobuoy internal module, the sonobuoy internal module defining a sonobuoy internal module length, the sonobuoy glide harness defining a sonobuoy glide harness length and a sonobuoy glide harness outer diameter, the sonobuoy glide harness length not exceeding the sonobuoy internal module length;

wherein the sonobuoy glide harness comprises;

a plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces, the plurality of deployable aerodynamic control surfaces comprising one or more folding tail control surfaces.