LAUNCH AND RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

• US 20150329218A1
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Aerospace Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Aerospace Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: McDonnell, William R., Baker, Charles H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,669,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 aerial recovery system for an aircraft, said system comprising:

an arrestment line held up at at least one end, said aircraft containing structure suitable for deflecting said line laterally into engagement with a capturing device, said structure comprising a wing of said aircraft, a sensor being attached to said recovery system for guidance in maneuvering said aircraft into engagement with said recovery system.

2. The aircraft and aerial recovery system of claim 1 where a point on the inboard end of the leading edge of said aircraft is swept aft more than fifteen degrees.

3. 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 outboard on the wing of said aircraft, said hook having two obstructions that affect the movement of the line inside the hook, one of said obstructions being closer to an entrance of said hook than the other.

4. The aircraft and recovery system of claim 3 wherein the obstruction closer to the entrance of the hook comprises a spring-loaded latch.

5. The aircraft and recovery system of claim 4 further comprising balanced shock absorbing mechanisms at upper and lower ends of said arrestment line.

6. The aircraft and recovery system of claim 4 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.

7. In combination:

An aircraft comprising at least one wing, and a capture device mounted outboard on the at least one wing, and a fixture positionable in a flight path of the aircraft such that the fixture makes an angle with the at least one wing of the aircraft to permit the fixture to intercept a leading edge of the at least one wing and to guide the fixture into connection with the capture device, said fixture being supported by a structure, a sensor being attached to said structure.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the leading edge inboard on said wing is swept back more than fifteen degrees.

9. 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 and a latch, the hook having two obstructions that affect the movement of the line inside the hook, one of said obstructions being closer to the entrance of said hook than the other.

10. The flying object of claim 9 wherein inboard on the spanwise lifting surface there is at least a 15 degree swept back leading edge.