15results about "Tethered aircraft" patented technology

A method of aligning an aircraft with a landing platform in motion comprises measuring a GPS heading with at least one GPS sensor positioned at a known location relative to the landing platform while the landing platform is in motion, measuring an orientation of the aircraft with an orientation sensor fixed relative to the aircraft, calculating an orientation of the landing platform from the GPS heading, calculating an orientation offset between the measured orientation of the aircraft and the calculated orientation of the landing platform, and changing an orientation of the aircraft or the landing platform to reduce the orientation offset. A system for landing and securing an aircraft in an enclosure, a system for disconnecting a tether from an aircraft, and a system for landing an aircraft in an enclosure are also described.

A method, apparatus, and system for supplying power during the takeoff and landing of an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft is disclosed herein. A power supplying method is performed by a power supply system comprising a drone and a hub. The power supplying method includes: determining whether power is required for an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft to land on the hub using battery information of the UAM aircraft when the UAM aircraft is determined to be in a landing mode; moving the drone from the hub to the UAM aircraft using location information of the UAM aircraft when it is determined that power is additionally required for the UAM aircraft to land on the hub; docking the drone to the UAM aircraft to couple with; and supplying power required for the UAM aircraft to land on the hub to the UAM aircraft by the drone.

A payload retrieval apparatus including a stand having an upper end and a lower end, a channel having a first end and a second end, the channel coupled to the stand, a first extension that extends in a first direction from the first end of the channel, wherein the first extension is configured to direct a tether extending from a UAV and a payload retriever attached to an end of the tether toward the first end of the channel, wherein the second end of the channel has a payload engaging member positioned near the second end of the channel that is adapted to secure a payload, and wherein the payload retrieval apparatus is configured to cause the UAV to pick up the payload with the payload retriever while maintaining flying.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tethered with an optical fiber is an unmanned aerial vehicle, drone or the like carrying an optical device which is tethered to an external light source. The light source may be a ground-based laser. The optical device is connected to, and optically coupled with, the light source by a tether including at least one optical fiber. A stabilizer may be mounted on the optical device for stabilizing orientation and direction thereof. The optical device may include at least one collimator and at least one focusing lens for shaping and focusing the received light for output to a selected target.

An aerostat having an elongate hollow body having a length defining a local axis of the body, the hollow body being suitable for receiving sufficient lighter-than-air gas, such that the aerostat can become buoyant in air, the aerostat body comprising a sequence of a plurality of joined body portions, each body portion comprising an outer skin and a hollow internal space, wherein the joins are substantially perpendicular to the local axis of the body, the joined body portions comprising two end body portions, and a plurality of internal body portions, so that the joined body portions together form the elongate hollow body; and a method of manufacturing an aerostat according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of supporting a first body portion to form a first mounted hollow body portion, supporting a second body portion to form a second mounted hollow body portion, bringing the first and second mounted body portions to come into contact such that the outer skins of the first and second body portions come into alignment, followed by joining together the outer skins of the first and second body portions, followed by repeating the process with further body portions, thereby to produce the aerostat having an elongate hollow body.

Provided is a system for tethering a drone 100, the system comprising a mechanism 103 that is connected to the drone and that extends from an upper region of the drone towards a bottom region of the d

An aerostat having an elongate hollow body having a length defining a local axis of the body, the hollow body adapted to receive sufficient lighter than air gas such that the aerostat can become buoyant in air, the aerostat body comprising a series of a plurality of joined body portions, the present invention relates to an elongate hollow body comprising a plurality of body portions, each body portion comprising an outer skin and a hollow interior space wherein a joint is substantially perpendicular to a local axis of the body, the joined body portions comprising two end body portions and a plurality of interior body portions such that the joined body portions together form the elongate hollow body; and a method of manufacturing an aerostat according to any of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of: supporting a first body portion to form a first mounted hollow body portion; supporting the second body portion to form a second mounted hollow body portion; contacting the first mounted body portion and the second mounted body portion such that the outer skins of the first body portion and the second body portion are aligned; the outer skin of the first body part and the outer skin of the second body part are jointed together; the process is then repeated with a further body portion, thereby creating an aerostat having an elongate hollow body.

A payload system for carrying a payload including a platform configured to support the payload, and a payload distribution sensor configured to sense the distribution of the payload on the platform. At least two autonomous aerial vehicles are provided, with coupling arrangements being configured to couple each vehicle to the platform. One or more processing devices configured to determine a payload distribution in accordance with signals from the payload distribution sensor and control operation of the vehicles in accordance with the determined payload distribution to thereby allow the platform and payload to be lifted.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for an airframe of a volitant body are presented herein. An apparatus may include a body having a normal axis. The body comprising a central air passage communicating through the body along the normal axis of the body. The central air passage may have an inlet at a first end of the body and an outlet at a second end of the body, the second end being opposite the first end. The central air passage may form an interior surface of the body. The central air passage permitting a flow of air through the body via the central air passage. The inlet may be formed to produce a Venturi effect in the flow of air passing through the central air passage from the inlet to the outlet by choking the flow of air at the inlet.

Embodiments may provide a “aeromechanical line climber” device that uses aerodynamic forces and moments to alternatively ascend and descend a line, or tether, fixed to an airborne platform, such as a kite, a balloon, a blimp, an aircraft, etc. In various embodiments, an aeromechanical line climber may alternatively ascend and descend a line, or tether, fixed to an airborne platform, such as a kite, a balloon, a blimp, an aircraft, etc., without use of energy provided from an energy storage and / or generation system, such as without electrical and / or kinetic energy storage and / or generation system, and the aeromechanical line climber may alternatively ascend and descend the line, or tether, fixed to the airborne platform without use of an active control system to effect a change in lift of the aeromechanical line climber.

Aircraft system and launching method and apparatus A method of controlling the altitude and / or velocity of a tethered aircraft, the method comprising the steps of: a charging phase, in which the energy of the aircraft is increased, a conversion phase following the charging phase, in which the increased energy is utilised to increase the altitude and / or velocity of the aircraft; a gliding phase, in which the aircraft is positioned for a further charging phase and conversion phase; and repeating the charging phase and conversion phase at least once.

Multi-rotor hydraulic drone (1) comprising: - a plurality of hydraulic motors (6) each receiving a pressurised fluid, - propellers (5) driven by the hydraulic motors (6), - at least one hydraulic pump (10) driven by at least one motor (11) for pressurising the fluid, - a system for supplying the hydraulic motors (6) with pressurised fluid, - a flight controller (14) for controlling the supply system according to the desired rotation speed for the hydraulic motors (6), the supply system comprising several channels (35; 36; 37; 38) for adjusting the power of at least one portion of the hydraulic motors (6).

: Provided is a system for tethering a drone, the system comprising a mechanism that is connected to the drone and that extends from an upper region of the drone towards a bottom region of the drone; a connector coupled with the mechanism and able to move along a length of the mechanism; and a tether connected to the drone and the connector, wherein a connection between the tether and the connector moves with the connector as the connector moves along the length of the mechanism.