Additively / advanced manufactured airframe structures for mission adaptable unmanned aerial vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed are specialized airframe structures for mission-adaptable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are fabricated by rapid, low-cost additive manufacturing techniques. In some embodiments, a mission-adaptable UAV includes a wing assembly that includes a multifunctional winglet structure configured as nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets. In some embodiments, a mission-adaptable UAV includes a thrust vectoring control assembly for a modular propulsion system.

Description

ADDITIVELY / ADVANCED MANUFACTURED AIRFRAME STRUCTURES FOR MISSION ADAPTABLE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLESCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent document claims priority to and the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 591,057, filed on October 17, 2023. The entire contents of the aforementioned patent application are incorporated by reference as part of the disclosure of this application.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This patent document relates to aerial vehicles, and more particularly to configurable components for optimizing flight for mission-adaptable aerial vehicles.BACKGROUND

[0003] An aerial vehicle is a system of multiple subsystems launched into the air under its own power or by way of interaction with a launching apparatus. The aerial vehicle is generally produced to carry a specific payload or payloads, including inanimate or animate cargo or human passengers, over a given range or for a predetermined amount of time. Aerial vehicles may be directly controlled by a pilot, remotely operated, or autonomously operated. The thrust for launch and during flight of an aerial vehicle can be provided from a range of power sources (powerplants), including but not limited to: rockets, electrically-driven propellers, and turbojet or turbofan engines. The type of the aerial vehicle’s powerplant determines which type of fuel or energy storage mechanism is needed to be carried onboard in order to power the powerplant and thereby provide the thrust for the aerial vehicle.SUMMARY

[0004] Disclosed are specialized airframe structures for mission- adaptable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are fabricated by rapid, low-cost additive manufacturing techniques.

[0005] In some aspects, the specialized airframe structures for a mission-adaptable UAV may include, but are not limited to, a multi-functional winglet for a strut-based wing assembly, and / or a thrust vectoring control (TVC) assembly for a modular propulsion system (MPS). Forexample the MPS can be configured as an empennage and / or as a nacelle, for at least one of the following: (i) a turbo jet engine, (ii) a propeller-driven engine (c.g., internal combustion engine) used for long range, long loiter flights, and (iii) an electric ducted fan (EDF) engine, which, when the TVC assembly is employed in the empennage, the TVC assembly can allow for reduced number of fuselage segments as no fuel tanks are required for the UAV.

[0006] In some embodiments, a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle includes a fuselage assembly comprising one or more fuselage sections; a wing assembly reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly, the wing assembly including at least one wing section; a nose cone assembly reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly; a tail assembly reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly; a propulsion unit at least partially contained in at least one of the tail assembly or the fuselage assembly and configured to drive flight of the aerial vehicle; and an electronics unit comprising a wireless transceiver device. In some embodiments, the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle includes a thrust vector control (TVC) assembly including a first contingent having a ball component and a second contingent having a socket component that partially encompasses, couples, and allows relative movement of the ball component and / or socket component with respect to the other to operate as a ball-and-socket joint, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance configured to input a flow of air from the propulsion unit, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein the relative movement of the first contingent and / or the second contingent direct the flow of the air out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle. In some embodiments, the wing assembly includes a multi-functional winglet assembly comprising a first nestable, airframe shapeconforming detachable winglet and a second nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglet, where each of the first and second nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets is structured to include a stand portion configured to support the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle and maintain stability when the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle is in a vertical orientation with the tail assembly facing downward to have the tail assembly be set on the ground or be in a launch configuration.

[0007] In some embodiments, a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle includes a fuselage assembly comprising one or more fuselage sections; a wing assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly, the wing assembly including at least one wing section; a nose cone assembly coupledto the fuselage assembly; a tail assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly; a propulsion unit at least partially contained in at least one of the tail assembly or the fuselage assembly and configured to drive flight of the aerial vehicle; and an electronics unit comprising a wireless transceiver device. For example, in some embodiments, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle includes a multi-functional winglet for the wing assembly, where the multi-functional winglet includes a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of an outer wing section of the wing assembly, wherein the winglet body includes at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle; and a plurality of tabs, wherein at least one tab is positioned at a terminus end of each outward spanning appendage of the winglet body. For example, in some embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, the tail assembly includes a thrust vector control (TVC) assembly, the TVC assembly comprising: a first contingent having a ball component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture on opposing ends of the ball component; and a second contingent having a socket component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture at opposing ends of the of the socket component, wherein the first aperture of the socket component is interfaced with the second aperture of the ball component, wherein the socket component partially encompasses and couples to the ball component so as to be moveable about the ball component, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance interfaced with the first aperture of the ball component to input a flow of air from the propulsion unit into and through the ball component and into the socket component, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit interfaced with the second aperture of the socket component to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein movement of the second contingent with respect to the first contingent directs the flow of the air at a thrust angle and out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0008] In some embodiments, a multi-functional winglet includes a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of wing, wherein the winglet body includes at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of an aerial vehicle; and a plurality of tabs, wherein at least one tab is positioned at a terminus end of each outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

[0009] In some embodiments, a thrust- vector control (TVC) assembly includes a firstcontingent having a ball component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture on opposing ends of the ball component; and a second contingent having a socket component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture at opposing ends of the of the socket component, wherein the first aperture of the socket component is interfaced with the second aperture of the ball component, wherein the socket component partially encompasses and couples to the ball component so as to be moveable about the ball component, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance interfaced with the first aperture of the ball component to input a flow of air from a propulsion unit of an aerial vehicle into and through the ball component and into the socket component, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit interfaced with the second aperture of the socket component to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein movement of the second contingent with respect to the first contingent directs the flow of the air at a thrust angle and out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the aerial vehicle.

[0010] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the description below. The features illustrated or described in connection with one example embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Thus, any of the various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide further embodiments. Other features, objects and advantages will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

[0011] The subject matter described in this patent document can be implemented in specific ways that provide one or more of the following features.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1A shows a diagram of a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle system, in accordance with the present technology.

[0013] FIG. IB shows a block diagram of an example embodiment of a data processing device for a computing unit, module or device in accordance with the present technology.

[0014] FIGS. 1C and ID show diagrams depicting exploded isometric views of airframe sections of part of an example embodiment of a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, in accordance with the present technology, depicting an example embodiment of an airframe section and / or component fastening system for the fuselage section and the wing assembly, respectively.

[0015] FIG. IE shows an example embodiment of an airframe section and componentfastening system configured as a bayonet mount system that is formed as a part of the airframe sections, in accordance with the present technology.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows a diagram of an example embodiment of a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, in accordance with the present technology.

[0017] FIG. 3A shows a diagram illustrating a wing assembly for a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle having an example embodiment of nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets, in accordance with the present technology.

[0018] FIG. 3B shows a diagram depicting the example mission-adaptable aerial vehicle with the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets of FIG. 3A in flight.

[0019] FIG. 3C shows a diagram depicting the example mission-adaptable aerial vehicle with the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets of FIG. 3A in a vertical orientation and positioned for a vertical take-off and landing operation.

[0020] FIGS. 4A-4D show diagrams illustrating the wing assembly of FIGS. 3A-3C, depicting the example nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets in multiple views.

[0021] FIGS. 4E and 4F show diagrams illustrating a wing assembly for a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle having an example embodiment of a winglet, in accordance with the present technology, with a hybrid angled-and-curved shape and with an angled shape, respectively.

[0022] FIGS. 5A-5E show diagrams illustrating an example embodiment of a TVC assembly for example embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, in accordance with the present technology.

[0023] FIGS. 6A-6G show diagrams illustrating the TVC assembly of FIGS. 5A-5E, depicting the TVC assembly in multiple views and in multiple configurations.

[0024] FIGS. 7A-7C show diagrams illustrating an example embodiment of a mission- adaptable aerial vehicle, in accordance with the present technology, which includes an example embodiment of the TVC assembly 511 like that shown in FIGS. 5A-5E.

[0025] FIG. 8A shows a diagram of an example embodiment of a TVC drive system interfaced with an example embodiment of the TVC assembly, in accordance with the present technology.

[0026] FIGS. 8B and 8C show diagrams depicting an example implementation of TVC assembly movement caused by an example TVC drive system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Aerial vehicles, in general, may take on a wide range of shapes, sizes, and form factors dependent upon their mission requirements. Typically, an aerial vehicle designer takes into account available components and materials, mission requirements, environmental factors, and other constraints, and then crafts the end product around all of these variables. The result is that many different designs — whether subtle or substantial — could potentially satisfy the same mission set requirements; however, there is often a “best” design.

[0028] Presently, there are several problems associated with existing aerial vehicles, whether manned or unmanned, which typically are rooted in their design. For example, one problem with past and current aerial vehicle designs is that requirements, both mission-related and payload- related, often change rapidly. For instance, a requirement for the endurance or loitering time of an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aerial vehicle could change dramatically if the theater changed from a mostly terrestrial area with nearby targets to a highly maritime theater with distant targets. Additionally, the aerial vehicle design process can be a very lengthy, where in some cases the design process takes multiple years or even decades to arrive at the “best” design because of the strict design constraints on a single aerial vehicle. Even further, technological advancement in certain areas of aerial vehicle components, subsystems, software, energy storage, and the like can also exceed that of the development of aerial vehicles. An example of this includes an electrically-powered aerial vehicle that is designed around a specific type of battery with a given energy density, which could later see battery technology advance to the point where a new battery’s energy density makes the aerial vehicle’s design no longer performant or competitive against other designs. With an expensive development process, a large outlay of human resources to accomplish successful products, lengthy development and testing timelines, rapidly-changing mission requirements, and technological advancement arcs (oftentimes disrupting development and production processes), it is easy to see that problems plague the status quo in aerial vehicle development. While past and current design, development, and production methods had their time and place, there is a true need for a more flexible and lower-cost solution for the end-user and customer.

[0029] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also referred to as drones, and piloted aircraft of all sorts, may be built for a single mission or several closely-related missions. In such situations, this presents issues when requirements change rapidly, whether on the ground, in the field,and / or under duress, which could mean that equipment painstakingly packed into position by human operators or delivered via expensive means (such as airdropping) becomes relatively useless given the changes to present mission’s needs.

[0030] Yet, with a mission-adaptable airframe system, which can include additively manufactured components that provide interconnecting sections and a special fastening system, e.g., produced as part of the airframe sections, an end-user in the field could add, remove, or move entire sections of the airframe, thereby tailoring the aerial vehicle to the mission in the field and on-the-fly, e.g., on demand and in real time. For instance, in a conventional ISR mission, operators often find that the range to their target has increased drastically or that they need to loiter over the target for much longer than previously planned, i.e., mission constraints have undergone a change that suddenly impacts the suitability of the intended unmanned aerial vehicle. Example embodiments of the airframe structures and mission-adaptable aerial vehicles described herein aim to solve these and other problems.

[0031] Disclosed are specialized airframe structures for mission-adaptable unmanned aerial vehicles that can be fabricated by rapid, low-cost additive manufacturing techniques.

[0032] In some aspects, a specialized airframe structure for a mission-adaptable UAV includes a strut-based wing assembly that includes a multi-functional winglet structure. In some aspects, a specialized airframe structure for a mission-adaptable UAV includes a thrust vectoring control (TVC) assembly for a modular propulsion system (MPS).

[0033] Example embodiments of the disclosed airframe structures and mission-adaptable aerial vehicle devices, systems, and methods for fabrication, transport, assembly and / or use are described below in further detail.

[0034] FIG. 1A shows a diagram of a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle system, labeled 100, in accordance with the present technology. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle system 100 (also referred to as system 100) includes a data processing system 150 and one or more mission- adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110. In some embodiments, the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle system 100 can include an additive manufacturing system 130. In some embodiments, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle system 100 can include an in-field communication and / or computing system 140. In some embodiments, computing devices of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle system 100 are in communication via a communications network 160.

[0035] In some embodiments, for example, the data processing system 150 can include oneor more server computer devices 152, one or more databases 154, and / or one or more client computer devices 158, in data communication with each other (collectively referred to as “computing devices 152, 154, and / or 158”). In some implementations, for example, the computing devices 152, 154, and / or 158 can be configured to be in communication with each other through a closed or restricted network; whereas in some implementations, for example, at least some of the devices of the computing devices 152, 154, and / or 158 can be configured to be in communication with each other through a public network, such as the Internet. In some implementations, for example, the computing devices 152, 154, and / or 158 can be configured to be in communication with other computing devices of the system 100 external to the data processing system 150, such as computing devices of the additive manufacturing system 130, computing devices of the in-field communication and / or computing system 140, and / or mission- adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110, via the network 160. In some implementations, for example, the computing devices 152, 154, and / or 158 can be configured to be in communication with other external devices (i.e., devices not part of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle system 100) via the network 160 or other external network.

[0036] In some embodiments, for example, the additive manufacturing system 130 can include a 3D printer 130 A and a client computer device 130B in data communication with the 3D printer 130A. The 3D printer 130A can include a binder jet printer operable to render a printed article comprising one or more of a polymer material, a composite material, a metal, and / or a ceramic based on instructions from one or more computer files, such as a computer- aided design (CAD) file or package. In some embodiments, the 3D printer 130A of the additive manufacturing system 130 can be embodied as a 3D rendering device for a 3D printing or additive manufacturing method, including but not limited to fused deposition modeling (FDM), laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM), digital light processing (DLP), binder jetting (BJ), jetting (e.g., PolyJet printing), volumetric 3D printing, liquid crystal display (LCD), fused filament fabrication (FFF), automated continuous fiber placement, and / or other additive manufacturing processes.

[0037] Non-toolpath- style 3D printing processes can reach production scale at affordable costs and with respectable lead times. Print processes like FFF, FDM, and SLS, while having several benefits, cannot match the print speeds and throughput of BJ, DLP, and LCD printprocesses, and therefore, may not be optimal manufacturing choices for certain applications with modcratc-to-high volume, low cost, 3D-printcd part production requirements. For many example embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110, binder jetting can provide the benefit of not requiring support structures, as the powder in the build supports parts. This means that a broader array of geometries can be printed by binder jetting without requiring additional post-processing to remove said support structures, thereby reducing end-to-end processing costs for production of mission-adaptable aerial vehicles.

[0038] In some embodiments, the materials in the 3D-rendered component of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 by the additive manufacturing system 130 can include, but not limited to, PA- 12 (polyamide- 12, a nylon-like material), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), polyethene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polyether ketones (PEEK), polyether ether ketone ketones (PEKK), ULTEM™, other nylons, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and / or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or a combination of any of the aforementioned or subsequent-mentioned thereof, which can be in the form of powder, resin, and / or filament or other form; and / or composites that can be in the form of glass or other material beads added to the powder, resin, or filament materials, and / or likewise chopped fibers infused in the same feedstock. The client computer device 130B can be embodied as a personal computer (e.g., desktop computer or laptop computer) and / or a mobile communication device, including but not limited to a smartphone, a smart wearable (like a smartwatch, small glasses, etc.), a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., or other computer device.

[0039] In some embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 that are additively manufactured, e.g., 3D-printed, the airframe structures of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 can be produced using PA- 12 or other polyamides and / or other high-strength, high-impact strength materials with higher elongation-at- break properties, e.g. which can be selected based on the type and / or parameters of a mission for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 (such as the propulsion system type, geometrical design of the airframe components, and / or flight applications like flight distance, speed, propulsion and loiter paths, payload(s) to be carried and / or deployed, etc.). While PA-12, other polyamides, and other high- strength, high-impact strength materials with higher elongation-at-break properties are not generally considered for aircraft structures because such materials are not high-modulus ofelasticity or stiff, these materials (such as PA- 12) are prevalent around the world, low-cost, and can be adapted for use in 3D printing the disclosed mission-adaptable aerial vehicle structures due to the ability of allowing designers to program trade-offs between airframe component weight and airframe cost and ease of manufacture. When paired with modem topology optimization, parametric design, and generative design, the designer / engineer can improve an airframe’s overall structural properties using such materials, e.g., PA- 12, which is counterintuitive for conventional, classic aerospace materials.

[0040] Moreover, PA- 12 and materials of high-strength, high-impact strength materials with higher elongation-at-break properties can be effective in the additive manufacturing (e.g., 3D- printing) of certain structures with non-uniform curvatures, transitions, voids, protrusions, and other features for an airframe component that may be optimal to the design of a particular mission-adaptable aerial vehicle. Also, PA- 12 and other additive manufactured materials like it may produce airframe structures that may have rougher outer surfaces (e.g., Ra value around 8 pm to 12 pm), at least initially as printed, but which, if needed based on the desired use of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, can be post-processed (e.g., media or bead blasted, chemical vapor smoothed, painted, etc.) to achieve very smooth, low-drag aerodynamic surfaces. As such, PA- 12 and other additive manufactured materials like it can be advantageous for production of mission-adaptable aerial vehicle airframe structures for a variety of applications.

[0041] In some embodiments of the system 100, for example, at least some of the client computer device(s) 130B can include a software application (“app”) that is resident on the respective device to control various data processing, storage, and communication functionalities for the additive manufacturing system 130. In some implementations, for example, an end-user can utilize the app to communicate with the data processing system 150 to access a library of specifications and data associated with airframe sections and subsystems for the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110, e.g., which can be stored in the one or more databases 154 of the data processing system 150. For example, the library can include part files in CAD or mesh file formats, allowing for a user to print specific airframe elements for initial vehicle creation, spare parts, or replacement parts. The user would also be able to receive new part files (e.g., new library items, custom items) from the data processing system 150 and / or a client thereof, such as a decentralized computer network (e.g., via network 160). The library of the disclosed technology can be an ever-changing, ever-expanding resource of airframe and aircraftcomponents printable on the various print processes in accordance with the additive manufacturing system 130.

[0042] In some embodiments, for example, the in-field communication and / or computing system 140 can include a computer device operable by an in-field user, where the computer device can be embodied as a transportable personal computer 140A (e.g., laptop computer) and / or a mobile communication device 1408. including but not limited to a smartphone, a smart wearable (like a smartwatch, smart glasses, etc.), a tablet, a PDA, etc.; or other computer device. In some embodiments of the system 100, for example, the computer device 140 can include a software application (“in-field app”) that is resident on the computer device 140 to control various data processing, storage, and communication functionalities for the in-field assembly and / or use (e.g., launch, flight programming and / or flight control, landing, re-charging and / or refueling, payload loading, or other tasking procedure) by the in-field user. For example, the infield app can be used to provide in-the-field instructions to assemble at least some individual components of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 that the in-field user may be storing and / or transporting on foot in the field (e.g., via a backpack, case, etc.) or by a land or sea vehicle (e.g., via a case, trunk, storage unit, etc.). In some implementations, for example, the infield user can utilize the in-field app to communicate with the data processing system 150 to access data associated with a mission of the aerial vehicle. In some implementations, the computer device 140 can be used to interface with an electronics unit of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 via a wired or wireless communication interface.

[0043] The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 can include an unmanned aerial drone operable to travel by its designed drive or propulsion systems based on navigation technology that can be programmable and fully-autonomous or semi-autonomous. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 can include a plurality of modularized, mission-adaptable airframe components 111. For example, in some implementations, the airframe components 111 can be distributed into multiple (relatively) lightweight sections of the overall aerial vehicle(s) 110 (e.g., 25 lbs. to 250 lbs.) that are packable (e.g., in backpacks and hard cases) for transport into various locations in various ways, such as by an end-user on foot or by vehicle. In some embodiments, for example, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 may include a power and / or propulsion unit 112. For example, in such embodiments, the power and / or propulsion unit 112 can include one or more batteries, one or more fuel cells, one or more engines, or other embodiments of apowerplant for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110. Examples of powerplant(s) for the mission-adaptable aerial vchiclc(s) 110 include, but arc not limited to, a rocket, an electric motor-driven propeller, an electric ducted fan (EDF), an internal combustion engine-driven propeller, a hydrogen fuel cell powered propulsion system, a turbojet engine, a turbofan engine, an unducted / propfan engine, or a hybrid propulsion system (e.g., a hybrid internal combustion engine powering a generator that charges a battery to drive an electric motor-driven propeller, or a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell-internal combustion engine). In some embodiments, for example, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 may include an electronics unit 113. For example, in such embodiments, the electronics unit 113 can include a wireless communications unit (e.g., such as a wireless transceiver) and / or a location tracking unit, e.g., including a Global Positioning System (GPS), cellular communication device for cellular triangulation tracking, or other. Additionally or alternatively, in such embodiments, the electronics unit 113 may include a data processing unit (comprising a processor, memory, and input / output interface) that is in data communication with the location tracking unit and the wireless communications unit.

[0044] In some embodiments of the system 100, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 are in communication with the client computer device 130B and / or in-field computer device 140 via the network 160 and / or in direct communication, such as through a wireless interface or wired interface, with the client computer device 130B and / or in-field computer device 140. In some embodiments, for example, the network 160 is a public network, such as the Internet (e.g., where the network of computers in communication with each other is also referred to as the “cloud”). In some embodiments, for example, the network 160 is a private network, where the computers in communication with each other are highly secure and restricted from use by unauthorized users and devices, e.g., a military network, such as the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) or portions thereof such as the MILNET, SIPRnet, NIPRnet, or other.

[0045] FIG. IB shows a block diagram of an example embodiment of a data processing device, labeled 120, for a computing unit, module or device described in the present disclosure. The data processing device 120 may be embodied by a computer or computing device of the data processing system 150, the client computer device 130B of the additive manufacturing system 130, the in-field computer device 140 of the in-field communication and / or computer system 140, and / or the (optional) wireless communications unit and / or electronics unit of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110. The data processing device 120 can include a data processing unit 121, which comprises one or more proccssor(s) to process data, one or more memory unit(s) in communication with the processor(s) to store data, and an input / output unit (I / O) to interface the processor(s) and / or memory unit(s) to other modules, units, or devices of the data processing device 120 or external devices. For example, the processor(s) can include a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other. For example, the memory unit(s) can include and store processor-executable code, which, when executed by the processor(s), configures the data processing unit 121 to perform various operations, e.g., such as receiving information, commands, and / or data, processing information and data, and transmitting or providing information / data to another device. In some implementations, the data processing unit 121 can transmit raw or processed data to a computer system or communication network accessible via the Internet (“the cloud”) that includes one or more remote computational processing devices (e.g., servers in the cloud). To support various functions of the data processing unit 121, the memory unit(s) can store information and data, such as instructions, software, values, images, and other data processed or referenced by the processor(s). For example, various types of Random Access Memory (RAM) devices, Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, Flash Memory devices, and other suitable storage media can be used to implement storage functions of the memory unit(s).

[0046] In some embodiments, the data processing device 120 can include a wireless communications unit 125. For example, in some implementations, the I / O of the data processing unit 121 can interface the data processing unit 121 with the wireless communications unit 125 to utilize various types of wired or wireless interfaces compatible with typical data communication standards, for example, which can be used in communications of the data processing unit 121 with other devices, via a wireless transmitter / receiver (Tx / Rx) unit, e.g., including, but not limited to, Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Zigbee, IEEE 802.11, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), WiMAX, IEEE 802.16 (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), 3G / 4G / LTE / 5G / 6G cellular communication methods, NFC (Near Field Communication), and parallel interfaces.

[0047] The I / O of the data processing unit 121 can also interface with other external interfaces, sources of data storage, and / or visual or audio display devices, etc. to retrieve andtransfer data and information that can be processed by the processor(s), stored in the memory unit(s), or exhibited on an output unit of the data processing device 120 or an external device. For example, in some embodiments, the data processing device 120 can optionally include a display unit 127 configured to be in data communication with the data processing unit 121, e.g., via the I / O, to provide a visual display, an audio display, and / or other sensory display that produces a user interface of a software application in accordance with the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle system 100. In some examples, the display unit 127 can include various types of screen displays, speakers, or printing interfaces, e.g., including but not limited to, light emitting diode (LED) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor or screen, cathode ray tube (CRT) as a visual display; audio signal transducer apparatuses as an audio display; and / or toner, liquid inkjet, solid ink, dye sublimation, inkless (e.g., such as thermal or UV) printing apparatuses, etc.

[0048] Design, Simulation, and Manufacturing Advantages of Disclosed Mission- Adaptable Aerial Vehicles

[0049] A key advantage of the disclosed mission- adaptable aerial vehicle designs and architectures is that their sections can be rapidly developed in order to keep pace with everchanging end-user, customer, and mission needs. For example, the disclosed technology allows for a user (e.g., aerial vehicle designer, developer) to use the latest in design, simulation, and manufacturing techniques while harnessing the flexibility of the mission-adaptable, modular benefits of the disclosed aerial vehicle and manufacturing platform. Design and simulation tools and methods, such as computer-aided design (CAD), visual programming environments, parametric design, generative design, finite element analysis (FEA), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), can be employed to help ensure that new or customized airframe sections can be quickly brought into the aerial vehicle section library and evaluated for their impacts on flight mechanics and dynamics. Physical testing — mechanical, wind tunnel, flight, and others — may also need to occur to obtain the most realistic data. Additive manufacturing, including 3D printing and other manufacturing technologies, such as fused filament fabrication (FFF), continuous fiber (e.g., 6-degree of freedom (DOF) freeform robotic composite application), fused deposition modeling (FDM), binder jetting, multi-jet fusion (MJF), powder bed fusion, digital light processing (DLP), material jetting, selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), and others, can be used to directly create production parts or can be used in the development of molds, tooling, jigs, fixtures, and othertools, which can drastically speed up the overall manufacturing process, e.g., moving from 1- month to 1-wcck or 1-wcck to 1-day manufacturing timespans. Additive manufacturing allows for pails to be produced with extreme levels of complexity at little added cost, sometimes referred to as complexity for free. Additive manufacturing allows the developer to create aerial vehicles at costs much lower than those which competitors have traditionally been able to achieve. The digital first design-to-end-product workflows disclosed here constitute a competitive advantage against slower-moving and more traditional development techniques. These digital manufacturing techniques, which can be combined with advanced computer numerical control (CNC) and other more traditional manufacturing techniques, also help facilitate the sharing of digital design and manufacturing files which can be easily shared with distributed manufacturing facilities to enable production around the world. This furthers the ability of the developer and its partners and customers to rapidly manufacture components closer to where they are actually needed, cutting shipping times, reducing costs, improving confidence intervals in supply chains, and allowing for quicker responses to on-the-ground activities.

[0050] While additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, are highly advantageous for producing mission-adaptable aerial vehicle structures for certain types of applications, e.g., such as when on-demand modification(s) of airframe components may be needed. Yet, the disclosed airframe components and structures of the disclosed mission- adaptable aerial vehicles may also be designed to be injection molded or subtractively manufactured or hybrid- additively manufactured (e.g., a combination of additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques) using high-performance, engineering-grade filled and non-filled polymers. For example, 3D printing currently has a cost-effective ceiling depending on part size. Injection molding, while relatively expensive compared to 3D printing for the beginning stage(s) of production (such as lead time costs and tooling costs associated with specialized tooling and mold design / redesign to make changes to parts — unlike 3D printing which has no retooling costs), can enable mission-adaptable aerostructure components to be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of 3D printing over a longer period of time and for large volumes of production. While the disclosed additive manufacturing techniques to produce the disclosed mission- adaptable aerial vehicle structures offer superior, high volume, and low-cost manufacturing methods, at least some of the disclosed airframe structures can be produced by injection molding for applications requiring their production at higher volumes and rates (e.g., production ofcomponents in the thousands or millions).

[0051] Examples of the disclosed mission-adaptable aerial vehicle structures that can be produced by injection molding include, for example, wing section(s) of a wing assembly, fuselage section(s) of a fuselage assembly, nose cone section(s) of a nose cone assembly, and / or tail section(s) and / or stabilizer section(s) of an empennage assembly, which may be included in an example embodiment of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110.

[0052] The disclosed methods for design and manufacturing the modularized, mission- adaptable sections of an aerial vehicle 110 are able to provide on-demand, low-cost, and transportable capabilities for fabricating the aerial vehicle in virtually any single location, which can be moved from location to location as needed. Yet, furthermore, the disclosed methods of design and manufacturing allow the developer to manufacture aerial vehicle sections and / or entire aerial vehicles in a distributed fashion, e.g., where sections may be manufactured at disparate locations around the world. By implementing a distributed manufacturing strategy, for example, the disclosed methods can insure against supply chain disruptions, bring manufacturing closer to the end-user, allow for quicker time-to-part, and help teams develop new products more quickly. Through a network of manufacturing centers, specialized parts can be quickly manufactured and shipped around the world. Other common parts and adapters that are known to be often replaced and / or useful for an aerial vehicle can be packaged together with the main airframe elements as part of a kit or assembly.

[0053] Airframe Section and Component Fastening System

[0054] In various embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110, an airframe section and component fastening system can be integrally produced as part of the airframe sections for the various airframe assemblies (e.g., fuselage assembly, wing assembly, nose cone assembly, and / or empennage assembly) and provide a modular way to interconnect airframe structures and components while preserving the overall structural integrity of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 110. In various embodiments, the airframe section and component fastening system can be accomplished using one or more protrusion structures insertable and securable in corresponding one or more slots or cavities, like that shown in FIG. 1C, e.g., depicting an example integral section and component fasting system embodiment on fuselage sections of a fuselage assembly, and like that shown in FIG. ID, e.g., depicting an example integral section and component fasting system embodiment on wing sections of a wing assembly.

[0055] FIGS. 1C and ID show diagrams depicting exploded isometric views of airframe sections of part of an example embodiment of a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, in accordance with the present technology, depicting an example embodiment of an airframe section and / or component fastening system for the fuselage section and the wing assembly, respectively.

[0056] In the example shown in FIG. 1C, the airframe section and / or component fastening system includes at least one protrusion 181 spanning from one fuselage section 111F2 that is insertable and securable into a slot or cavity structure 182 on an adjacent fuselage section 111F1 of an example embodiment of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110. In some embodiments, the protrusion(s) 181 are configured to be reversibly insertable and securable in the slot(s) or cavity(ies) 182 to allow the end-user to disassemble and / or reassemble the airframe section of the aerial vehicle 110 upon demand. For example, the airframe section and / or component fastening system shown in FIG. 1C can be configured with a screw, quarter-turn screw (e.g., also called tumlock screws), or quick access screw fastening mechanism, or other fastening mechanisms or components, including but not limited to: bolts and nuts, screws and nuts / press inserts, camlocking systems, clamps, spring locking systems, electro-mechanical locking systems, etc.

[0057] In some embodiments, for example, the protrusion 181 can include a rod, a bar, a screw, a hook, or other protruding structure. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, in some optional embodiments, the example protrusion(s) 181 are configured span outward from the fuselage section 111F2, which the protrusion(s) 181 are affixed to the interior surface of the airframe structure via a holder 187 attached to the fuselage section on the inside surface of the fuselage section’s frame. In such examples, the holder 187 can also be integrally produced as part of the airframe structure with the protrusions 181 and may provide additional securement of the protrusion 181 with the wall of the airframe section. In some example embodiments, the protrusion(s) 181 can be attached to the outside surface of the fuselage section’s frame; and the protrusion 181 can be located at a top region, at a bottom region, at a side region, and / or any combination of the top, bottom, side, or other region of the airframe segment.

[0058] In some embodiments, for example, the slot or cavity 182 includes a wall structure 192 (shown in inset 199 of FIG. 1C) that wraps at least partially around and forms an opening 184 that leads into the slot or cavity 182. In some embodiments, for example, the protrusion 181 includes one or more holes and / or one projections 183P to align with corresponding one or more holes and / or one or more projections 183S within the corresponding slot or cavity structure 182to which the protrusion 181 is inserted and secured. In some examples, like that shown in FIG. 1C, the one or more holes and / or one or more projections 183S of the slot or cavity structure 182 can include through-holes that can align with a plurality of holes and / or one projections (of the one or more holes and / or one or more projections 183P) of the protrusion 181 when the two airframe segments are joined to be assembled.

[0059] Also shown in FIG. 1C is an example embodiment of a nose cone section 11 INI includes a camera mount structure 117 (e.g., a gimble) to mount one or more cameras and / or one or more sensors to the lower region of the nose cone and allow for full 360° or at least 300° rotation in each of the three cartesian planes.

[0060] In the example shown in FIG. ID, the airframe section and / or component fastening system includes at least one protrusion 181 spanning from a wing section 111W2 of an exemplary wing assembly, which is insertable and securable into a slot or cavity structure 182 on an adjacent wing section 111W1 of the wing assembly of the example mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 110. In some embodiments, the protrusion(s) 181 are configured to be reversibly insertable and securable in the slot(s) or cavity(ies) 182 to allow the end-user to disassemble and / or reassemble the wing assembly of the aerial vehicle 110 upon demand. In some optional embodiments, for example, the airframe section and / or component fastening system shown in FIG. ID can be configured to use spars (e.g., which can be any cross-section, including but not limited to circular', rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular-, etc.), which create a rail system for various amounts of reconfigurable wing sections to be slid into place and then affixed with an example securement-fastening system e.g., including but not limited to bolts and nuts, screws and nuts I press inserts, cam-locking systems, clamps, spring locking systems, electromechanical locking systems, etc.

[0061] Also, as illustrated in FIG. ID, the example protrusion(s) 181 spanning from the wing section 111 W2 are configured with a rod geometry that spans a majority of the length of the adjacent wing section to which it is to be inserted. For example, the example protrusion(s) 181 include at least one hole 183 that are configured align with at least one holes 186 of the slot or cavity structure 182 of the adjacent wing section 111W1. The diagram of FIG. ID also depicts openings 184 of the slot or cavity structure 182 of the adjacent wing section 111W1 within which the protrusions 181 of the wing section 111W2 are insertable.

[0062] Various embodiments of the airframe section and component fastening system maybe implemented depending on the exact geometries being joined. For example, in some embodiments where circular cross-sectioned sections arc used, protrusions and inversely designed slots may be incorporated at the top and bottom of the sections or at the starboard and port sides or at the top, bottom, starboard, and port sides. These sections may also use lap-style flanges that overlap each other running around the circumference of the end of the sections with one section having a flange that forms the bottom half of the flange and the opposite section having a flange that forms the top half of the flange. In some embodiments, rubber, polymer, composite, and / or other materials can be used as e seals, which can also be implemented between the airframe sections and / or components to improve the seal and protect internal components from the outside environment. This configuration provides an improved seal between the airframe sections and / or components versus an abutment-style joining of the opposite ends of the sections.

[0063] The disclosed methods of locking the protrusion(s) and slot(s) / cavity(ies) of the fastening system together can also vary depending on the airframe section and / or components geometry. In some embodiments, for example, through holes in alignment can be used. Here, the protrusion 203 slides into the slot or cavity 204, and in some implementations, fasteners are then placed through the through holes locking them in place. In some embodiments of the airframe section and component fastening system, the fasteners can include (and take many shapes and sizes): bolts and nuts, screws and nuts, press inserts, cam-locking systems, bayonet mount systems, clamps, spring locking systems, such as spring-loaded detent pins, electromechanical locking systems, or other fastening systems. Importantly, the airframe section and component fastening system ensures that the airframe is structurally sound for flight about all axes of motion, that the sections align well without producing features that unnecessarily increase drag forces on the aerial vehicle. Moreover, the airframe section and component fastening system can be configured to ensure that the joints between sections offer the right amount of sealing to the outside elements and conditions.

[0064] In various implementations, for example, fastener structures of the airframe section and component fastening system can be formed of the same structure as the airframe component, including various shapes and types of protruding fastener structures (e.g., protrusions or projections, such as bolt structures, screw structures, bayonet nubs, etc.) and various shapes and types of receiving fastener structures (e.g., slots or cavities, such as nut structures, threadedholes, bayonet passages, etc.). In some implementations, the fastener structures of the airframe section and component fastening system can be produced as part of the same structure as the airframe component through additive manufacturing, injection molding, or other manufacturing techniques.

[0065] FIG. IE shows an example embodiment of an airframe section and component fastening system between two fuselage sections of the fuselage assembly (e.g., a fuselage section 11 IFx and a fuselage section 11 IFy), where the airframe section and component fastening system is configured as a bayonet mount system that is formed as a part of the fuselage sections, in accordance with the present technology. The example bayonet mount system includes one or more bayonet passageways 174 that are produced on an indented ledge region 175 at, at least, one end of a fuselage section 11 IFx, e.g., the fuselage section 11 IFx as shown in FIG. IE. The example bayonet mount system includes one or more (corresponding) bayonet nubs 172 that are produced on an interior-facing side of an end region 176 of an adjacent fuselage section, e.g., the fuselage section 11 IFy as shown in FIG. IE. When the fuselage sections are to be assembled, the bayonet nubs 172 align with the outer, entry region of the bayonet passageways 174 and can be translated and rotated within the passageways 174 to securely connect the fuselage sections together. The example embodiment of the airframe section and component fastening system that includes the integrally formed bayonet mount system with the airframe section can be configured on any of the disclosed sections or segments, including the fuselage assembly, the wing assembly, the nose cone assembly, and the tail assembly, and / or other airframe structures for various embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110 in accordance with the present technology.

[0066] Specialized Airframe Structures for Mission- Adaptable Aerial Vehicles

[0067] In some embodiments, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle(s) 110 include one or more specialized airframe structures, which can include, but are not limited to, a multi-functional winglet (MFW) for a wing assembly, and / or a thrust vectoring control (TVC) assembly for a modular propulsion system (MPS) aircraft component.

[0068] For example, the MPS aircraft component can be configured as an empennage and / or as a nacelle. In some embodiments, the MPS aircraft component can include an additively manufactured aircraft component, such as an empennage and / or nacelle, interfaced with and / or integrated with the TVC assembly and an example embodiment of the power and / or propulsionunit 1 12. Examples of the power and / or propulsion unit 112 can includes (i) a turbojet engine, (ii) a propeller-driven engine (c.g., internal combustion engine) used for long range, long loiter flights, and / or (iii) an electric ducted fan (EDF) engine. Example embodiments of the MFW and TVC assembly are discussed in detail below.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows a diagram of an example embodiment of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110, labeled 210. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 200 includes a plurality of airframe components 211, including at least one fuselage assembly comprising at least one fuselage section, at least one wing assembly, a nose cone assembly, and an empennage assembly. The nose cone assembly can be configured in a variety of geometries and include various modules, such as an imaging module (comprising one or more cameras that are in communication with the electronics unit 113 (not shown)), a sensor module (comprising one or more sensors including but not limited to a motion sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or other sensor(s), which are in communication with the electronics unit 113 (not shown)), and / or other modules or payloads to be carried by the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210. The at least one fuselage section of the fuselage assembly can be configured in a variety of geometries and include an at least partially hollowed interior usable for a various purposes, such as to contain payload(s) and energy sources of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210, as well as store components of the electronics unit 113 and / or power / propulsion unit 112, supplies, or other articles (not shown in FIG. 2). The wing assembly can be designed into multiple extension modules to adjust aspect ratio, wing loading, loitering times, and ranges for flight of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 210 and / or to carry various ranges of weight and / or volume for various mission parameters.

[0070] In the example shown in the diagram of FIG. 2, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210 includes a nose cone assembly (comprising a nose cone section 21 INI) coupled with a fuselage assembly including fuselage sections 211F1, 211F2, and 211F3, i.e., the nose cone section 21 INI is coupled with fuselage section 211F1. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210 includes an empennage assembly (also referred to as “tail assembly”) including a tail section 211E1 coupled with the fuselage assembly, i.e., the tail section 211E1 is coupled with fuselage section 211F3. The empennage assembly can include the tail section 211E1 configured to couple one or more stabilizer sections (e.g., 21 IS 1 , 211S2, and / or 211S3), which can include a vertical stabilizer (e.g., 211S3) and / or horizontal stabilizer(s) (e.g., 21 IS 1, 211S2), and whichcan include various ailerons or other aerodynamic control structures, including but not limited to ruddcr(s), clcvator(s), trim tab(s), etc. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210 includes a wing assembly that includes wing sections 211W1, 211W2, 211W3, 211W4, and 211W5. Wing sections 211W3 and 211W5 are configured as end-wing segments and each include a winglet assembly 211WL1 and 211WL2, respectively.

[0071] It is understood that the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210 can be configured with various sizes and shapes based on the mission requirements of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210, which can include varying the number and / or the size of aircraft structure segments for any of the aircraft structures, e.g., the nose cone, the fuselage, the wing(s), the empennage, etc. For example, in some embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210, the fuselage assembly can include a single fuselage section (e.g., 211F2) that is coupled to the wing assembly (e.g., 211W1), the nose cone section 21 INI, and the tail section 211E1 of the empennage assembly. In some embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210, for example, the wing assembly can include a single wing section 211W1 coupled to the fuselage section (e.g., 211F2) and coupled to the winglet assembly 211WL1 and 211WL2. In some embodiments, for example, the nose cone assembly of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210 can be configured with one, two, three, or more nose cone section(s); and / or the fuselage assembly of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 210 can be configured with one, two, three, four, five, or more fuselage section(s); and / or the wing assembly of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210 can be configured with one, two, three, four, five, or more wing section(s), e.g. with or without endwing segment(s) including a winglet assembly; and / or the wing assembly of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 210 can be configured with one, two, three, four, or more tail sections and / or stabilizer sections. These and other example embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle in accordance with the present technology, including embodiments of a multi-functional winglet for a wing assembly and / or including embodiments of a thrust vector control assembly for propulsion control of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, are described below.

[0072] Example Embodiments of Multi-Functional Winglet for a Wing Assembly

[0073] Winglets are wingtip devices that are used to reduce induced drag, also known as lift- induced drag or vortex drag. This drag is produced by a body displacing I redirecting fluid that flows around it. In aircraft with wings (or other lifting bodies) producing lift, vortices are created by the wings when higher pressure air from the lower side of the wing flows around tothe upper side of the wing where lower pressures are present when creating positive lift — and the vortices’ circulatory, vortex motion requires input kinetic energy. The rotating motion of the fluid in shed trailing vortices creates downwash and effectively decreases the angle of attack of the wing I aircraft, which decreases the amount of lift created at any given angle of attack. This phenomenon means that a higher angle of attack is required to recover the effective loss in lift; however, at the higher angle of attack where the wings produce more lift, more drag is also produced.

[0074] Winglets increase the effective aspect ratio of the wing, assist in the shedding of vortices nearer the wingtips, and reduce the magnitude of vorticity in the vortex sheet. These effects — including the reduction in kinetic energy in the circulatory, vortex motion — decrease the output required of the propulsion system, thus reducing the fuel consumption required to perform work on the fluid. Increasing wingspan can have the same effect, but wing design and / or material structural constraints, as well as operational wingspan size constraints sometimes limit the application of increased wingspan.

[0075] In some embodiments of the disclosed mission-adaptable aerial vehicles, such as embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110, 210, and others disclosed herein, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle can include a multi-functional winglet (MFW) that provides advantages for the aerial vehicle both in-flight (e.g., reducing drag) and on the ground, such as (1) stabilizing the aerial vehicle when positioned upright on the ground (e.g., enabling vertical take-off) and (2) efficient stowage I maximizing storage capability of the aerial vehicle (e.g., minimizing the footprint and volume of space needed for storage).

[0076] Some embodiments of a MFW in accordance with the present technology (for example, such as for the winglets 211WL1 and 211WL2 of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 210), can each include a nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglet capable of reducing drag in-flight, stabilizing the aerial vehicle when on the ground, and enabling efficient stowage of the aircraft components of the aerial vehicle, e.g., when in transit or in storage. In some embodiments, the nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglet is configured to conform to and nest with the fuselage structure(s) when in a stored position while also configured to provide a stand portion that stably supports the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle in a launch position, e.g., stabilizing the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle when in a vertical orientation that positions the tail assembly facing downward to enable vertical take-off thrust forlaunch.

[0077] The disclosed MFWs can be configured to include many winglet design classes I styles, e.g., including but not limited to blended, raked wingtips, split scimitar, sharked, canted, wing fence, upswept, dropped, Hoemer, spiroid, wing grid, end-plate, Whitcomb, wingtip sail, Pfenninger feathered, etc. Each example winglet class has different benefits, such as being light weight, providing ease-of-manufacturing or assembly, aerodynamic efficiency, etc. In some example embodiments, the MFW includes a modified double-blended, Whitcomb, end-plate winglet design that has an external face inside diameter (ID) that matches the outside diameter (OD) of the aircraft’s fuselage, e.g., with any necessary offset (in this case a circular crosssection but not constrained to only circular shapes), which can achieve the aforementioned technical advantages, such as the combination of upper and lower surfaces efficiently decreasing induced drag (e.g., - 25% improvement over a single, upper surface blended winglet); the structural weight penalty being minimal; the ability to remove the winglets for efficient volumetric space savings stowage against the fuselage during transit; and the ability for the ends of the winglet to act as “feet” for the vehicle to “stand on” in the vertical orientation for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) procedures. These and other example MFWs are described below.

[0078] FIG. 3A shows a diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110, labeled 310, that includes a wing assembly 311W having a one or more wing segments 315 and an example MFW configured as nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets, labeled 321. The diagram shows a top view of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 depicting the wing assembly 311 in a stowed position (left) and in an expanded position (right).

[0079] As depicted in FIG. 3A, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 includes a nose cone assembly 350, a fuselage assembly 360, the wing assembly 311W, and an empennage assembly 370. The nose cone assembly 350 is coupled to the fuselage assembly 360 at a first end, and the empennage assembly is coupled to the fuselage assembly 360 at a second end. The wing assembly 311W is reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly 360. For example, the wing assembly 311W can be configured in a detached but stowable state (left diagram), where the wing segments 315 are alignable along a longitudinal direction of the aerial vehicle 310, i.e., the direction that passes through the nose cone assembly 350, the fuselage assembly 360, and the empennage assembly 370, and where the nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachablewinglets 321 are able to reversibly connect to (e.g., wrap partially on) a region of the fuselage assembly 360. Further, for example, the wing assembly 311W can be configured in an attached and launchable-flight state (right diagram), where the wing segments 315 and secured to the fuselage assembly 360, and the nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 are coupled to the distal ends of the wing segments 315, such that the airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 stabilize the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 in a vertically-oriented position to enable vertical take-off (or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)).

[0080] The example embodiment of the mission-adaptable wing assembly 311 shown in FIG. 3A depicts the fuselage assembly 360 including a wing-connection assembly 362, comprising two wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B. In some embodiments, for example, each of the wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B can be configured as a frame with a slot region (not shown), e.g., such as a T-slot, V-slot, U-slot, etc. The frame of the wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B can be integral to or coupled to a body region of a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360. For example, in some embodiments, the wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B can be additively manufactured as part of the body region of the fuselage section; whereas in some embodiments, the wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B can be produced separate from the fuselage section and subsequently secured to the body region of the fuselage section (e.g., by adhesion via glue, epoxy, etc., mechanical connectors such as screws, rivets, bolts, etc., or other securement means). The slot region of the wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B allows the wing root 322 of the wing segments to interconnect with the wing-connection receptors 362A, 362B, e.g., allowing the wing root 322 to slide within the slot region and so that the wing segment 315 is secured therein. In some embodiments, for a wing segment 315, the wing root 322 can be additively manufactured as part of the body of the wing segment 315 (e.g., at the end of the wing segment 315); whereas in some embodiments, the wing root 322 can be produced separate from the wing segment 315 and subsequently secured to the wing segment 315 (e.g., by adhesion via glue, epoxy, etc., mechanical connectors such as screws, rivets, bolts, etc., or other securement means).

[0081] In the example embodiment of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 shown in FIG. 3A, the fuselage assembly 360 includes an inlet assembly 367 that is configured as one or more openings of the body region of a fuselage section, which can include an air-inlet wall to direct airflow into the interior of the fuselage section, e.g., to direct at a propulsion drive systemencompassed within the fuselage assembly 360 and / or the empennage assembly 370. In some example embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310, the inlet assembly 367 includes one or more tubes (not shown) attachable at an opening on an outer wall of the body of the fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360 to direct air intake into the aerial vehicle, e.g., to direct at a propulsion drive system encompassed within the fuselage assembly 360 and / or the empennage assembly 370.

[0082] The empennage assembly 370 includes a tail section and a tail end component 371 coupled to the tail section. In some embodiments, the tail end component 371 can be included as part of a thrust vector control assembly in accordance with the disclosed technology, which is discussed later. In some embodiments of the empennage assembly 370, for example, the tail end component 371 optionally includes propulsion chevrons at a distal end of the component 371 to affect the exhaust to flow outward of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 from the propulsion drive system (e.g., engine). In some implementations, for example, the (optional) propulsion chevrons provide flow mixing for noise abatement of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310, as well as can provide aesthetic appeal to the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310.

[0083] FIG. 3B shows a diagram depicting an example implementation of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 310 with the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 in flight.

[0084] FIG. 3C shows a diagram depicting an example implementation of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 310 with the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 in a vertical orientation, in which the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 is stably supported by the winglets 321 to enable a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) operation.

[0085] FIGS. 4A-4D show diagrams illustrating the wing assembly 311W of FIGS. 3A-3C, depicting the nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 coupled to the wing segment 315, in multiple views. FIG. 4A shows a perspective view of the wing assembly 311W (shown removed from the aircraft body). FIG. 4B shows a side view of the wing assembly 311W (shown removed from the aircraft body, where one can see the feet, referred to as tabs, of the multi-functional winglet 321). FIG. 4C shows a top view of the wing assembly 311W (shown removed from the aircraft body, where the feet are shown from a different perspective). FIG. 4D shows a front view of the wing assembly 311W (shown removed from the aircraft body). As illustrated in the multiple views of the wing assembly 311W shown in FIGS. 4A-4D,the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 include a winglet body 327 that is coupled to the distal end of the wing segment 315, where the winglet body 327 is structured in a manner that can conform to the shape of another airframe structure of the aerial vehicle, and where the winglet body 327 terminates with a plurality of tabs 323 (also referred to as feet). For example, the winglet body 327 can include at least one outward spanning appendage that terminates at an end forming at least one tab 323. In some embodiments of the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 like that shown in FIGS. 4A-4D, the winglet body 327 can include at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 (e.g., such as a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360). In some embodiments of the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 like that shown in FIGS. 4A-4D, the winglet 321 can include two tabs 323, whereas in some embodiments, the number of tabs 323 can be three, four, or more. In some embodiments of the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321, for example, the winglet body 327 is contoured to substantively match the shape (e.g. curvature) of a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360. In this manner, for example, the contoured winglet body 327 enables the winglet 321 to be attached around the fuselage assembly 360 when the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 310 is in the stowed position, like that shown in the left diagram of FIG. 3A. In some embodiments, for example, the winglet body 327 can be contoured so as to have a small offset from the curved shape of the fuselage section to which the winglet body 327 would reversibly attach.

[0086] The diagram of FIG. 4D further illustrates the separation between the feet (tabs 323) of the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglet 321, which allows for stability about two axes (e.g., one axis stability produced by the wingspan, and the other axis stability produced by the winglet feet separation). In some implementations, for example, the axis stability produced by the winglet feet separation is dictated by the outside diameter (OD) of the fuselage for such embodiments of the nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 where the winglet body 327 is contoured to the fuselage shape (e.g., to stow the winglet 321 away efficiently). In this example case, when the example mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 is standing on the exemplary nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 in the vertical / VTOL orientation, the winglets 321 are in stable contact with theground and the exemplary nose cone assembly 350 of the aircraft pointing up.

[0087] Referring to FIGS . 3 A-4D together, each of the winglets 311 is a split design, extending above and below the chord line of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 with a semi-circular cross section when viewed from the front or rear of the aircraft. This cross- sectional shape matches that of the aircraft’s fuselage (e.g., with an optional offset), allowing for the winglets to easily nest up against the fuselage for storage and transportation. In this instance, the winglets 311 are split and arc outward, spanwise, meaning that the winglets would need to be flipped or rotated to conform to their respective side of the fuselage outside diameter (OD) with some built-in offset / tolerance.

[0088] Each of the nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets 321 is structured to include stands or “feet” that may be used to support the aircraft and maintain stability when in a vertical orientation with the tail facing downward set on the ground or a launch surface. For example, with a swept wing or other design where the winglet stands / feet are the rearmost features on the vehicle, the vehicle may be stably supported to enable vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) operations. Shock absorbers, suspension devices, or elastomeric damping features may also be added to the stands to limit adverse consequences of hard landings. Further, in mirroring the outer shape of airframe elements, in this case the fuselage, the winglets 321 have height to them - positive and negative distance from the aircraft center plane, which when on the ground or a launch surface translate to anti-tip over qualities as there is noninsignificant distance between the tips of the winglet / the feet of the stand created by the winglets on two or more wings.

[0089] The example winglet structures for exemplary mission-adaptable aerial vehicles can leverage flat plate winglet design(s), e.g., where the winglet structure is capable to reduce induced drag that is present above and below the center plane of the wing tip cross-section, with a semicircular (or other matching) profile, which can further allow for reversible attachment to allow to be taken off and nested or packed immediately adjacent to the fuselage. This can both drastically improve aerial vehicle performance while also drastically improving the packing density of small aerospace vehicles for end operator convenience. The dual-side winglets may also be used as a stand from which the vehicle can launch itself via vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) procedures.

[0090] While some example embodiments of the multi-functional winglet include acontoured winglet body, some other example embodiments of the multi-functional winglet can include a non-contourcd or partially-contoured winglet body. In some embodiments, for example, the shape of the winglet body can include an angled shape. For example, the angled shape of the winglet body can be configured to allow the winglet to be stacked next to, be stored within, or to reversible couple to the at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle. For example, in some embodiments, the shape of the winglet body can include a hybrid angled-and-curved shape having an angled region and a curved region. For example, the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body can be configured to allow the winglet to be stacked next to, be stored within, or to reversible couple to the at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle. For example, the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body can be configured to be substantively matched to a curved shape of at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle at the curved region of the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body.

[0091] FIG. 4E shows a diagram of an example embodiment of the wing assembly 311W that includes a multi-functional winglet, labeled 321’, having a hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body 327H. The winglet 321’ include the winglet body 327H, which is coupled to the distal end of the wing segment 315, where the winglet body 327H has the angled shape section spanning from the interface with the wing segment 315 and the curved section spanning from the terminus of the angled shaped section, where the curved section is structured in a manner that can conform to at least part of the curved shape of another airframe structure of the aerial vehicle, and where the winglet body 327H terminates with the plurality of tabs 323.

[0092] FIG. 4F shows a diagram of an example embodiment of the wing assembly 311W that includes a multi-functional winglet, labeled 321”, having an angled shape of the winglet body 327A. The winglet 321” include the winglet body 327A, which is coupled to the distal end of the wing segment 315, where the winglet body 327 A has the angled shape section spanning from the interface with the wing segment 315, and where the winglet body 327 A terminates with the plurality of tabs 323.

[0093] Example Embodiments of Thrust Vector Control Assembly

[0094] In some embodiments of the disclosed mission-adaptable aerial vehicles, such as embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110, 210, 310, and others disclosed herein, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle can include a thrust vector control (TVC) nozzle assemblyand apparatus for a modular propulsion system (MPS) that are manufacturable in-place.

[0095] Thrust vectoring or thrust vector control (TVC) uses the component of the nonlongitudinal thrust vector to assist in steering or controlling a vehicle — or in some cases outright steer or control the vehicle. In some instances, for example, TVC nozzles can only be rotated along one plane, and in other cases TVC nozzles can rotate and / or swivel with greater degrees of freedom, allowing for improved maneuverability of the vehicle. In the case of an aircraft (aerial vehicle) with aft-mounted, fuselage-embedded propulsors, for example, TVC can provide pitch, yaw, or combined pitch and yaw, depending on the compound angles at which the TVC nozzle is articulated. Yet, in this case, TVC cannot provide meaningful roll control as the thrust vector is collinear with the central, longitudinal axis of the vehicle. With off-center, for instance, underwing mounted propulsors, roll control could also be provided with the certain TVC setups.

[0096] Currently, TVC nozzles are complex, comprising numerous components, fasteners, and manufacturing process steps, as well as a great number of manual labor hours to produce. This leads to them only existing on limited airframes in the defense and commercial spaces, e.g., the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor or SpaceX Merlin and Raptor series of engines. New innovations for TVC components are needed to expand their use and usability, both from a structural design and manufacturing perspective.

[0097] Disclosed are articles, devices, and methods for an additively manufactured (e.g., including 3D printing) or advanced computer numerical control (CNC) producible (e.g., CNC milling) TVC nozzle assembly apparatus (referred to herein as the “TVC assembly”). The TVC assembly includes a first contingent having a ball component and a second contingent having a cup or socket component that partially encompasses the first contingent to form a ball or spherical joint.

[0098] The disclosed TVC assembly can provide several advantages. For example, to reduce cost, avoid manual labor hours, and increase performance, the disclosed TVC assembly is 3D printed-in-place or machined-in-place. This means that the two components of the assembly, e.g., the ball component and the socket component, are printed or machined in their final assembled form, unable to be removably disassembled, except through destructive means for example embodiments where the material(s) of the TVC assembly is rigid (e.g., having inelasticity, with a high Young’s Modulus). Yet, in some example embodiments, TVC nozzles produced with more flexible materials (e.g., having elasticity, with a low Young’s Modulus) maybe printed-in-place or machined-in-place and disassembled via contorting, bending, or prying the components apart without irreparably destructive means based on the flexible matcrial(s) of the ball component and socket component of the TVC assembly. The ball and socket components are interlocked using the tolerances of the overlapping shapes — in this case spherical but not limited to this shape — of the ball and socket, along with a pin and slot aligned with the horizontal plane, though not limited to existing in any one plane. This coupling of the ball and socket components of the TVC assembly provides improved system performance because (i) no longer do components have to be pressed into place — which can lead to imperfections and wear and tear; (ii) weight can be saved because fewer components can be used, e.g., two halves of clamping members, comprising the socket and their respective fasteners, no longer need to be used; and (iii) the structural performance is improved, as the integrity of the manufactured-in- place assembly has had no stress- or strain-inducing post-processing steps performed, which could lead to degraded material performance, and thus overall TVC assembly performance.

[0099] FIGS. 5A-5E show diagrams illustrating an example embodiment of a TVC assembly 511 for example embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110. Referring to FIG. 5A, the TVC assembly 511 includes a first contingent 520A having a ball component 521 and a second contingent 520B having a socket component 522 that partially encompasses and couples the ball component 521, such that the socket component 522 is able to move about the ball component 521, akin to a ball-and-socket joint or spherical joint. The first contingent 520A includes an intake region 531 for a propulsor exhaust to enter, which inputs the flow of exhaust from a propulsion system of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle such that the moveable configuration of the first contingent 520A and second contingent 520B of the TVC assembly 511 directs the flow of the exhaust out of an exit region 532 of the second contingent 520B (e.g., exhaust exit from the TVC assembly 511).

[0100] FIGS. 5B and 5C show the TVC assembly 511 from a first side view and a second side view that is 90° rotated with respect to the first side view, respectively, which both illustrate the interior interconnections between the ball component 521 and the socket component 522. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the socket component 522 includes one or more socket pin(s) 528 (shown in the diagram as two socket pins 528), which the socket pin(s) 528 are integrally connected to a curved region of the socket component 522 and extend from an interior wall into the interior of the socket component 522, such that the one or more socket pin(s) 528 extendthrough one or more (corresponding) ball channel(s) 526 of the ball component 521 (shown in FIG. 5C). The ball channel 526 of the ball component 521 limits the direction and movement of the socket pin 528 and thereby influences a maximum rotation of the socket component 522. In the example embodiment of the TVC assembly 511 shown in FIGS. 5A-5E, the ball component 521 includes a curved extension region referred to as ball peninsula 524, e.g., two curved extension regions, i.e. an upper ball peninsula and lower ball peninsula. In some embodiments of the first contingent, for example, the ball channel(s) 526 are configured to span through the curved lower body region of the ball component 521 (e.g., near the intake region 531) and through the curved extension region of the ball peninsula 524. In some embodiments like that shown in FIGS. 5A-5E, for example, the ball component 521 includes two ball channels 526, e.g., which can act to control the movement of the socket component 522 with respect to the ball component 521. While the example ball channel 526 is shown as a linear channel, for example, it is understood that other channels shapes of the ball channel 526 can be configured for the ball component 521 to control the movement of the socket component 522 in other ways, e.g., so as to expand or restrict its degrees of freedom of movement. FIG. 5B also depicts a broken line defining a cross-section of the TVC assembly 511 shown in the diagram of FIG. 5D. It is noted that, in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the surfaces of the socket component 522 are shown as transparent so that the encompassed and coupled features of the ball component 521 can be viewed.

[0101] FIG. 5D shows a cross-sectional view of the TVC assembly 511 from a top-to-bottom view perspective. As shown in the cross-sectional view diagram of FIG. 5D, in some embodiments, for example, the intake region 531 of the ball component 521 can be structured to include one or more cutout(s) 527. For example, the cutout(s) 527 can allow for articulation of the socket component 522 for increasing the amount of TVC angles achievable by the TVC assembly 511. For instance, when the socket component 522 rotates around the ball component 521, the edge of the wall of the socket component 522 could abut against the cylindrical intake region of the first contingent 520A; and, thus, the one or more cutout(s) 527 allow more space for the wall of the socket component 522 to rotate through for some rotational positions of the second contingent 520B. In some implementations, for example, the TVC angles achievable by the TVC assembly 511 include up to 120°, i.e., -60° to 60° for a given plane; whereas, in some implementations, for example, the TVC angles achievable by the TVC assembly 511 include up to 150°, i.e., -75° to 75° for a given plane; whereas, in some implementations, for example, theTVC angles achievable by the TVC assembly 511 include up to 170°, i.e., -85° to 85° for a given plane.

[0102] In some embodiments, for example, the ball component 521 of the first contingent 520A can be structured to include one or more cutout(s) 529 to allow for improved airflow through the interior of the TVC assembly 511 as the air flows from the first contingent 520A to the second contingent 520B, particularly at large TVC thrust angles, i.e., when the socket component 522 is rotated at increased rotation angles with respect to the ball component 521. The one or more cutout(s) 529 can also provide advantages of light- weighting the TVC assembly 511. For example, the one or more cutout(s) 529 can allow the flow of the air from the propulsion unit to contact a curved interior wall of the socket component 522 and be directed out of the second contingent 520B to drive the propulsion or thrust of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 311.

[0103] FIG. 5E shows a cross-sectional view of the TVC assembly 511 from a view perspective that is 90° rotated with respect to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 5D. The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 5E provides another view of the one or more cutout(s) 527 (e.g., in the intake region 531) and the one or more cutout(s) 529 (e.g., on opposing sides of the peninsula region 524) of the ball component 521.

[0104] In some embodiments, the TVC assembly 511 has a center open void or duct with its central axis running collinear with the propulsor’s and aircraft’s central axis (though this may not always be the case, e.g., if the TVC assembly 511 is used on propulsors mounted under the wings or elsewhere) through which exhaust gas flow can be transited and their exit direction controlled. For example, by hollowing out this central cavity and using advanced design techniques to reduce the material, gasses can more freely flow, being minimally disturbed or blocked by portions of the ball and / or socket component of the TVC assembly 511. Notably, for example, removal of material from the components of the assembly was only recently made possible by the use of advanced additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques. It is important that there be minimal impedance or obstruction to exhaust flow so that the performance of the propulsion system not be degraded. With a TVC system, a portion of the thrust vector that would normally be collinear with the aircraft’ s central longitudinal axis is borrowed to provide control inputs for pitch and / or yaw; so, ensuring that the already degraded — when providing control input — thrust is not further reduced is of the utmostimportance.

[0105] Advanced additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques allow for the TVC assembly 511 to be light- weighted far beyond what traditional techniques would have allowed, further improving the overall vehicle performance, while maintaining strength and structural integrity. The manufactured-in-place assembly also allows for increased articulation of the nozzle or socket component, in this instance. Through advanced design — e.g., like parametric design, generative design, visual programming languages, and topology optimization — and manufacturing techniques, material can be extensively removed to allow for more range of motion without ball-to- socket collision.

[0106] FIGS. 6A-6G show diagrams illustrating the TVC assembly 511 of FIG. 5, depicting the TVC assembly 511 in multiple views and in multiple configurations, i.e., moveable configurations of the ball component 521 and / or the socket component 522. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6G, the second contingent 520B is able to move in multiple degrees of freedom with respect to the first contingent 520A, e.g., which can enable motion control of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 310 in pitch, yaw, and roll motions, e.g., depending on the placement of the TVC assembly 511 in the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310. For example, in embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 where the TVC assembly 511 is disposed in the empennage assembly 370, the TVC assembly 511 would be able to provide pitch, yaw, and combined pitch and yaw control. For example, in embodiments of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle 310 where the TVC assembly 511 is disposed in one or more nacelles on each wing of the wing assembly 31 IL, the TVC assembly 511 would able to provide pitch, yaw, and roll, and any combination of pitch, yaw, and roll motions thereof.

[0107] FIG. 6A shows a side view of the TVC assembly 511, and FIG. 6B shows a front view (into the exhaust entrance) of the TVC assembly 511, in a first orientation (i.e., orientation of the second contingent 520B with respect to the first contingent 520A). The example orientation of the TVC assembly 511 shown in FIGS. 6 A and 6B could achieve a nose-up pitching moment for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310.

[0108] FIG. 6C shows a front view of the TVC assembly 511 in a second orientation. The example orientation of the TVC assembly 511 in FIG. 6C could achieve a colinear or coaxial longitudinal thrust vector for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310.

[0109] FIG. 6D shows a front view (into the exhaust entrance) of the TVC assembly 511,FIG. 6E shows a side view of the TVC assembly 511 , FIG. 6F shows a top view of the TVC assembly 511, and FIG. 6G shows a rear view of the TVC assembly 511 , in a third orientation. The example orientation of the TVC assembly 511 shown in FIGS. 6D-6G could achieve a noseport yawing moment for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310.

[0110] FIGS. 7A-7C show diagrams illustrating an example embodiment of a mission- adaptable aerial vehicle, like the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 311 shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, which includes an example embodiment of the TVC assembly 511 like that shown in FIGS. 5A- 5E. The exemplary mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 310 includes a propulsion unit 780, which in this example embodiment is housed in a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360. In various embodiments, the propulsion unit 780 can include at least one of an electric motor-driven propeller engine, an internal combustion engine-driven propeller, an electric ducted fan (EDF) engine, a turbojet engine, a turbofan engine, a hydrogen fuel cell powered propulsion system, an unducted / propfan engine, a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell-internal combustion engine, or a hybrid propulsion system that includes a hybrid internal combustion engine operable to power a generator to charge a battery to drive an electric motor-driven propeller. In the example embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C, the propulsion unit 780 includes an EDF engine, which is coupled to the fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360 and positioned in the fuselage section after the inlet assembly 367, such that air flow into the fuselage section through the one or more openings of the inlet assembly 367 is directed at an air intake portion of the EDF engine. The TVC assembly 511 is coupled to a tail section of the empennage assembly 370 that is coupled (e.g., reversibly attachable) to the fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360. The TVC assembly 511 is positioned in the tail section such that the intake region 531 is interfaced with the outflow or exhaust of the EDF engine. The TVC assembly 511 is also disposed in the empennage assembly 370 such that the second contingent 520B (e.g., socket component 522) is able to move with respect to the first contingent 520A (e.g., ball component 521) that is fixed to the tail section of the empennage assembly 370. The diagrams of FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate the TVC assembly 511 and the propulsion unit 780 (e.g., EDF engine) in the empennage assembly 370 and the fuselage assembly 360, respectively, but with the outer wall of the tail section and the fuselage section (respectively) appearing transparent so as to view their interiors. The diagram of FIG. 7C illustrates the empennage assembly 370 and the fuselage assembly 360 with their outer walls of the tail section and fuselage section non-transparent.

[0111] In some embodiments of the disclosed mission-adaptable aerial vehicles, such as embodiments of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle 110, 210, 310, and others disclosed herein, the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle can include a TVC drive system to control and actuate the movement of example embodiments of the TVC assembly, such as, for example, actuating the movement of the second contingent 520B with respect to the first contingent 520A of the TVC assembly 511. Example embodiments of the TVC drive system can mechanically interface with the TVC assembly and electrically interface with the electronics unit 120 of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle, e.g., such as the data processing unit 121 to provide electronic control of the TVC drive system to actuate movements of the TVC assembly, as well as a power supply of the electronics unit 120 to supply electrical power to components of the TVC drive system.

[0112] In some embodiments, an exemplary TVC drive system can include one or more linear drive / actuator devices coupled to one or more interconnection component(s) that interface (e.g., connect) to one or more portions of the socket component 522. In some example embodiments, the one or more interconnection component(s) can include cables and / or pushrods. In various embodiments, for example, example components or pails of the one or more linear drive / actuator devices and / or one or more interconnection component(s) includes lead screws, power screws, translation screws, racks and pinions, solenoids, piezoelectric actuators, recirculating ball gears, cams and followers, and / or servos driving control / connecting rods, etc.

[0113] For example, in some embodiments, the one or more portions of the socket component 522 to interface the interconnection component(s) of the TVC drive system can include at least one of the one or more socket pin(s) 528. For example, in some embodiments, the one or more portions of the socket component 522 to interface the interconnection component(s) of the TVC drive system can include one or more protrusions or cavities on a region of the socket component 522, e.g., such as a protrusion or cavity on the external wall of the curved body region of the socket component 522 and / or a protrusion or cavity on an external wall of the exit region 532 of the socket component 522. In some example embodiments, the one or more linear drive / actuator devices can be coupled to a region of the first contingent 520A (e.g., that is not in a range of movement of the socket component 522) or coupled to a stationary portion of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, such as an interior wall of a tail section of the empennage assembly 370, or a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360, or other fixed structure within the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0114] In some embodiments, an exemplary TVC drive system can include one or more rotational drivc / actuator devices, c.g., which can include at least one servo with dual arms / lcvcrs to pull (from one side of the arm / lever) on cables that extend from each side of the arm / lever to fixed points on multiple sides (e.g., opposing sides) of the socket component 522 or other part of the second contingent 520B. In some examples, a cable is connected to an arm / lever that is in tension with a fixed point on the second contingent 520B as a control cable, and one or more other cable(s) is / are connected to arm(s) / lever(s) that is / are in slack with other fixed point(s) on the second contingent 520B of the TVC assembly 511. In some embodiments, the exemplary TVC drive system can include a belt and pulley system.

[0115] In some embodiments, for example, the TVC drive system includes a first linear drive / actuator device and first interconnection component coupled to a first portion of the second contingent 520B (e.g., at least one socket pin 528 or a protrusion or cavity on the socket component 522 or exit region 532), and includes a second linear' drive / actuator device and second interconnection component coupled to a second portion of the second contingent 520B (e.g., a protrusion or cavity on the socket component 522 or exit region 532), such that the first linear' drive / actuator device is configured to drive for pitch, and the second linear' drive / actuator device is configured to drive for yaw, and together the first and second linear drive / actuator devices are able to produce a combination of thrust control vectors in multiple degrees of freedom. For example, in implementations of the exemplary TVC drive system, the TVC drive system would push and / or pull the socket component 522 in various movements to provide the desired degrees of freedom of movement, e.g., including but not limited to push and / or pull upward or downward for pitch, push and / or pull rightward or leftward for yaw, or a combination of these.

[0116] FIG. 8A shows a diagram of an example embodiment of a TVC drive system 800 interfaced with an example embodiment of the TVC assembly, in accordance with the present technology. The TVC drive system includes a drive / actuator device 801 and an interconnection component 803 coupled to a first portion 805 of the second contingent 520B of the TVC 511. In some embodiments, for example, the interconnection component 803 is coupled to at least one socket pin 528 of the socket component 522 of the TVC 511, like that shown in the diagram of FIG. 8A; whereas in some embodiments, for example, the interconnection component 803 is coupled to a protrusion or cavity on the socket component 522 or exit region 532 of the secondcontingent 520B (not shown). The TVC drive system includes a drive / actuator device 802 and an interconnection component 804 coupled to a second portion 806 of the second contingent 520B of the TVC 511. In some embodiments, for example, the interconnection component 804 is coupled to a protrusion or cavity 806 on the socket component 522 or exit region 532 of the second contingent 520B, like that shown in the diagram of FIG. 8A; whereas in some embodiments, for example, the interconnection component 804 is coupled to at least one socket pin 528 of the socket component 522 of the TVC 511 (not shown). In various embodiments, for example, the protrusion can include a component that is manufactured as part of the socket component 522 or exit region 532 of the second contingent 520B or a fastener inserted into a cavity of the socket component 522 or exit region 532 of the second contingent 520B.

[0117] In some embodiments of the TVC drive system 800, one or both of the drive / actuator device 801 and / or the drive / actuator device 802 can be configured as a linear drive / actuator device or can be configured as a rotational drive / actuator device. For example, in some implementations, the drive / actuator device 801 is configured to drive for pitch, and the drive / actuator device 802 is configured to drive for yaw, and together the drive / actuator device 801 and the drive / actuator device 802 together are able to produce a combination of thrust control vectors in multiple degrees of freedom. In some implementations, for example, the drive / actuator device 801 and / or the drive / actuator device 802 is / are configured to be coupled to a stationary portion of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, e.g., such as a portion of the ball component 521, an interior wall of a tail section of the empennage assembly 370, or a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly 360. It is understood that the drive / actuator device 801 and the drive / actuator device 802 can be coupled to different stationary and / or stable components or portions of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0118] FIGS. 8B and 8C show diagrams depicting an example implementation of movement of the TVC assembly 511 (e.g., movement of the second contingent 520B with respect to the first contingent 520A) caused by an actuation via two drive / actuator devices of an example embodiment of the TVC drive system 800. The diagrams of FIGS. 8B and 8C show a first side view (e.g., top view) and a second side view (e.g., rotated 90° with respect to the first side view), respectively, of the TVC assembly 511 coupled to an example embodiment of the TVC drive system 800, e.g., where the rotational motion can be actuated via actuators in two planes to create rotations in multiple degrees of freedom to push and / or pull for pitch, yaw, and acombination thereof.

[0119] Examples

[0120] In some embodiments in accordance with the present technology (example Al), a mission-adaptable aerial vehicle includes a fuselage assembly comprising one or more fuselage sections; a wing assembly reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly, the wing assembly including at least one wing section; a nose cone assembly reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly; a tail assembly reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly; a propulsion unit at least partially contained in at least one of the tail assembly or the fuselage assembly and configured to drive flight of the aerial vehicle; and an electronics unit comprising a wireless transceiver device.

[0121] Example A2 includes the aerial vehicle of example Al or any of examples A1-A4, further comprising a thrust vector control (TVC) assembly including a first contingent having a ball component and a second contingent having a socket component that partially encompasses, couples, and allows relative movement of the ball component and / or socket component with respect to the other to operate as a ball-and-socket joint, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance configured to input a flow of air from the propulsion unit, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein the relative movement of the first contingent and / or the second contingent direct the flow of the air out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0122] Example A3 includes the aerial vehicle of example Al or any of examples A1-A4, wherein the wing assembly includes a multi-functional winglet assembly comprising a first nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglet and a second nestable, airframe shapeconforming detachable winglet.

[0123] Example A4 includes the aerial vehicle of example A3 or any of examples A1-A4, wherein each of the first and second nestable, airframe shape-conforming detachable winglets is structured to include a stand portion configured to support the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle and maintain stability when the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle is in a vertical orientation with the tail assembly facing downward to have the tail assembly be set on the ground or be in a launch configuration.

[0124] In some embodiments in accordance with the present technology (example Bl), amission-adaptable aerial vehicle includes a fuselage assembly comprising one or more fuselage sections; a wing assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly, the wing assembly including at least one wing section; a nose cone assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly; a tail assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly; a propulsion unit at least partially contained in at least one of the tail assembly or the fuselage assembly and configured to drive flight of the aerial vehicle; and an electronics unit comprising a wireless transceiver device.

[0125] Example B2 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B 1 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the wing assembly includes a multi-functional winglet assembly comprising a first nestable winglet and a second nestable winglet.

[0126] Example B3 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B2 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet comprises: a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of an outer wing section of the wing assembly, wherein the winglet body includes at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle; and a plurality of tabs, wherein at least one tab is positioned at a terminus end of each outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

[0127] Example B4 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B3 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the winglet body for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes a contoured shape that is substantively matched to a curved shape of at least one fuselage section of the fuselage assembly.

[0128] Example B5 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B4 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the winglet body for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet is contoured so as to have a small offset from the curved shape of the at least one fuselage section of the fuselage assembly such that the winglet body is able to reversibly attach to the at least one fuselage section.

[0129] Example B6 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B4 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the wing assembly further comprises a wing root coupled or integrated with a wing section of the wing assembly configured to couple to the fuselage assembly, and wherein the fuselage assembly includes a wing-connection receptor having a frame that provides a slot to allow the wing root to interconnect with the wing-connection receptor.

[0130] Example B7 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B3 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the plurality of tabs for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes two tabs that are operable as feet to enable the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle to stand in a vertical orientation for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) procedure.

[0131] Example B8 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B3 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet is structured to include a stand portion of the plurality of tabs configured to support the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle and maintain stability when the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle is in a vertical orientation with the tail assembly facing downward to have the tail assembly be set on the ground or be in a launch configuration.

[0132] Example B9 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B3 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the multi-functional winglet assembly is operable to (i) reduce drag for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle in-flight, (ii) stabilize the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle when the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle is positioned upright on the ground to enable vertical take-off and landing, and (iii) efficiently stow the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle when the wing assembly is disassembled from the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle by coupling the multi-functional winglet at least partially around an airframe section of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0133] Example B10 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B3 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the shape of the winglet body that includes the two outward spanning appendages for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes an angled shape.

[0134] Example Bl 1 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B10 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the angled shape of the winglet body is operable to be stacked next to, be stored within, or to reversible couple to the at least one airframe structure of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0135] Example B12 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B3 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the shape of the winglet body that includes the two outward spanning appendages for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes a hybrid angled-and-curved shape having an angled region and a curved region.

[0136] Example Bl 3 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example Bl 2 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the hybrid angled- and-curvcd shape of the winglet body is operable to be stacked next to, be stored within, or to reversible couple to the at least one airframe structure of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0137] Example B14 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B12 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the hybrid anglcd-and-curved shape of the winglet body is operable to be substantively matched to a curved shape of the at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle at the curved region of the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body.

[0138] Example B15 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B2 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet comprises: a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of an outer wing section of the wing assembly, wherein the winglet body includes an outward spanning appendage that has a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle; and a tab positioned at a terminus end of the outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

[0139] Example B16 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example Bl or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the tail assembly includes a thrust vector control (TVC) assembly, the TVC assembly comprising: a first contingent having a ball component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture on opposing ends of the ball component; and a second contingent having a socket component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture at opposing ends of the of the socket component, wherein the first aperture of the socket component is interfaced with the second aperture of the ball component, wherein the socket component partially encompasses and couples to the ball component so as to be moveable about the ball component, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance interfaced with the first aperture of the ball component to input a flow of air from the propulsion unit into and through the ball component and into the socket component, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit interfaced with the second aperture of the socket component to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein movement of the second contingent with respect to the first contingent directs the flow of the air at a thrust angle and out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0140] Example B17 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any ofexamples B1 -B30, wherein the TVC assembly is operable to be additively manufactured as a single aircraft component, c.g., additively and / or subtractivcly manufactured in-place as a single or standalone aircraft component.

[0141] Example B17a includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B 16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the socket component is configured to partially encompass and be inseparably coupled to the ball component while being moveable about the ball component.

[0142] Example B18 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B17 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the TVC assembly is operable to be 3D-printed-in-place or machined-in-place such that the ball component and the socket component are printed or machined in their final assembled form.

[0143] Example Bl 8a includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B 18 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the ball component and the socket component include a rigid material with inelasticity, such that the TVC assembly is operable to be 3D-printed-in-place or machined-in-place such that the ball component and the socket component are printed or machined in their final assembled form and unable to be removably disassembled except through destructive means.

[0144] Example Bl 8b includes the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle of example B18 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the ball component and the socket component include a flexible material with elasticity, such that the TVC assembly is operable to be 3D-printed-in-place or machined-in-place such that the ball component and the socket component are printed or machined in their final assembled form and disassembled via contorting, bending, or prying apart the ball component and / or socket component without irreparably destructive means.

[0145] Example B19 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the first contingent is coupled to at least one of a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly or a tail section of the tail assembly.

[0146] Example B20 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the first contingent includes an intake region integrally connected with the ball component, wherein the propulsion unit is interfaced with the first contingent so as to emit exhaust air flow from the propulsion unit into the intake region of the first contingent.

[0147] Example B21 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B20 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the intake region includes one or more cutouts to allow for the socketcomponent to articulate into so as to increase an amount of angular rotation of the TVC assembly.

[0148] Example B22 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the second contingent includes an exit region integrally connected with the socket component, wherein the flow of the air emitted from the propulsion unit into the TVC assembly is expelled through the exit region of the second contingent and out of the TVC assembly.

[0149] Example B22a includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B22 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the exit region of the second contingent includes a plurality of propulsion chevrons at a distal end of the exit region.

[0150] Example B23 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the socket component includes at least one pin integrally connected to an interior wall along a curved region of the socket component, wherein the at least one pin spans from the interior wall and through an open channel of the ball component, wherein the open channel of the ball component includes at least one wall that limits direction or movement of the at least one pin and thereby limits rotation of the socket component.

[0151] Example B24 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the ball component includes at least one pin integrally connected to an exterior wall along a curved region of the ball component, wherein the at least one pin spans from the exterior wall and through an open channel of the socket component, wherein the open channel of the socket component includes at least one wall that limits direction and movement of the at least one pin and thereby limits rotation of the socket component.

[0152] Example B25 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the socket component comprises one or more cutouts to allow the flow of the air from the propulsion unit to contact a curved interior wall of the socket component and be directed out of the second contingent to drive the propulsion or thrust of the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle.

[0153] Example B26 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B30, wherein the thrust angle is in a range of -85° to +85° in a given plane.

[0154] Example B27 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example B16 or any of examples B1-B31, further comprising a thrust vector control (TVC) drive system that includes afirst drive / actuator device and first interconnection component, the first interconnection component coupled to the first drive / actuator device and to a first portion of the second contingent of the TVC assembly, and a second drive / actuator device and second interconnection component, the second interconnection component coupled to the second drive / actuator device and to a second portion of the second contingent of the TVC assembly, wherein the TVC drive system is operable to drive the movement of the second contingent for pitch, yaw, or a combination of pitch and yaw.

[0155] Example B28 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example Bl or any of examples B1-B31, wherein the propulsion unit includes at least one of an electric motor-driven propeller engine, an electric ducted fan (EDF) engine, an internal combustion engine-driven propeller, a hydrogen fuel cell powered propulsion system, a rocket, a turbojet engine, a turbofan engine, an unducted / propfan engine, a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell-internal combustion engine, or a hybrid propulsion system that includes a hybrid internal combustion engine operable to power a generator to charge a battery to drive an electric motor-driven propeller.

[0156] Example B29 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example Bl or any of examples B1-B31, wherein the electronics unit includes at least one of a location tracking unit or a data processing unit.

[0157] Example B30 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example Bl or any of examples B1-B31, further comprising at least one of: an imaging module including one or more cameras that are in communication with the electronics unit; or a sensor module including one or more sensors that include at least one of a motion sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor, an optical sensor.

[0158] Example B31 includes the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of example Bl or any of examples B1-B30, wherein each of the wing assembly, the nose cone assembly, and the tail assembly is reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly.

[0159] In some embodiments in accordance with the present technology (example B32), a multi-functional winglet includes a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of wing, wherein the winglet body includes at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of an aerial vehicle; and a plurality of tabs, wherein at least one tab is positioned at a terminus end of each outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

[0160] Example B33 includes the multi-functional winglet of example B31 , wherein the multi-functional winglet includes at least one of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet of any of examples B3-B15.

[0161] In some embodiments in accordance with the present technology (example B34), a thrust-vector control (TVC) assembly includes a first contingent having a ball component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture on opposing ends of the ball component; and a second contingent having a socket component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture at opposing ends of the of the socket component, wherein the first aperture of the socket component is interfaced with the second aperture of the ball component, wherein the socket component partially encompasses and couples to the ball component so as to be moveable about the ball component, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance interfaced with the first aperture of the ball component to input a flow of air from a propulsion unit of an aerial vehicle into and through the ball component and into the socket component, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit interfaced with the second aperture of the socket component to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein movement of the second contingent with respect to the first contingent directs the flow of the air at a thrust angle and out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the aerial vehicle.

[0162] Example B35 includes the TVC assembly of example B33, wherein the TVC assembly includes one or more features of the TVC assembly of any of examples B16-B27.

[0163] Conclusion

[0164] Implementations of the subject matter and the functional operations described in this patent document can be implemented in various systems, digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer readable medium can be a machine- readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more ofthem. The term “data processing unit” or “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them.

[0165] A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0166] The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

[0167] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices.Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0168] While this patent document contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular' embodiments of particular- inventions. Certain features that are described in this patent document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

[0169] Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described in this patent document should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments.

[0170] Only a few implementations and examples are described and other implementations, enhancements and variations can be made based on what is described and illustrated in this patent document.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A mission-adaptable aerial vehicle, comprising: a fuselage assembly comprising one or more fuselage sections; a wing assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly, the wing assembly including at least one wing section; a nose cone assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly; a tail assembly coupled to the fuselage assembly; a propulsion unit at least partially contained in at least one of the tail assembly or the fuselage assembly and configured to drive flight of the aerial vehicle; and an electronics unit comprising a wireless transceiver device.

2. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wing assembly includes a multi-functional winglet assembly comprising a first nestable winglet and a second nestable winglet.

3. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet comprises: a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of an outer wing section of the wing assembly, wherein the winglet body includes at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle; and a plurality of tabs, wherein at least one tab is positioned at a terminus end of each outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

4. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the winglet body for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes a contoured shape that is substantively matched to a curved shape of at least one fuselage section of the fuselage assembly.

5. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the winglet body for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet is contoured so as to have a small offsetfrom the curved shape of the at least one fuselage section of the fuselage assembly such that the winglet body is able to reversibly attach to the at least one fuselage section.

6. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the wing assembly further comprises a wing root coupled or integrated with a wing section of the wing assembly configured to couple to the fuselage assembly, and wherein the fuselage assembly includes a wing-connection receptor having a frame that provides a slot to allow the wing root to interconnect with the wing-connection receptor.

7. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the plurality of tabs for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes two tabs that are operable as feet to enable the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle to stand in a vertical orientation for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) procedure.

8. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet is structured to include a stand portion of the plurality of tabs configured to support the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle and maintain stability when the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle is in a vertical orientation with the tail assembly facing downward to have the tail assembly be set on the ground or be in a launch configuration.

9. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the multi-functional winglet assembly is operable to (i) reduce drag for the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle in-flight,(ii) stabilize the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle when the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle is positioned upright on the ground to enable vertical take-off and landing, and (iii) efficiently stow the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle when the wing assembly is disassembled from the mission- adaptable aerial vehicle by coupling the multi-functional winglet at least partially around an airframe section of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

10. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the shape of the winglet body that includes the two outward spanning appendages for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes an angled shape.11 . The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 10, wherein the angled shape of the winglet body is operable to be stacked next to, be stored within, or to reversible couple to the at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

12. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the shape of the winglet body that includes the two outward spanning appendages for each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet includes a hybrid angled- and-curved shape having an angled region and a curved region.

13. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body is operable to be stacked next to, be stored within, or to reversible couple to the at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

14. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 12, wherein the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body is operable to be substantively matched to a curved shape of the at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle at the curved region of the hybrid angled-and-curved shape of the winglet body.

15. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein each of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet comprises: a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of an outer wing section of the wing assembly, wherein the winglet body includes an outward spanning appendage that has a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle; and a tab positioned at a terminus end of the outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

16. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the tail assembly includes a thrust vector control (TVC) assembly, the TVC assembly comprising: a first contingent having a ball component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture on opposing ends of the ball component; and a second contingent having a socket component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture at opposing ends of the of the socket component, wherein the first aperture of the socket component is interfaced with the second aperture of the ball component, whereinthe socket component partially encompasses and couples to the hall component so as to be moveable about the ball component, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance interfaced with the first aperture of the ball component to input a flow of air from the propulsion unit into and through the ball component and into the socket component, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit interfaced with the second aperture of the socket component to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein movement of the second contingent with respect to the first contingent directs the flow of the air at a thrust angle and out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

17. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the TVC assembly is operable to be additively manufactured as a single aircraft component.

18. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 17, wherein the TVC assembly is operable to be 3D-printed-in-place or machined-in-place such that the ball component and the socket component are printed or machined in their final assembled form.

19. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the first contingent is coupled to at least one of a fuselage section of the fuselage assembly or a tail section of the tail assembly.

20. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the first contingent includes an intake region integrally connected with the ball component, wherein the propulsion unit is interfaced with the first contingent so as to emit exhaust air flow from the propulsion unit into the intake region of the first contingent.

21. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 20, wherein the intake region includes one or more cutouts to allow for the socket component to articulate into, so as to increase an amount of angular rotation of the TVC assembly.

22. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the second contingent includes an exit region integrally connected with the socket component, wherein the flow of the air emitted from the propulsion unit into the TVC assembly is expelled through the exit region of the second contingent and out of the TVC assembly.

23. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the socket component includes at least one pin integrally connected to an interior wall along a curved region of the socket component, wherein the at least one pin spans from the interior wall and through an open channel of the ball component, wherein the open channel of the ball component includes at least one wall that limits direction or movement of the at least one pin and thereby limits rotation of the socket component.

24. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the ball component includes at least one pin integrally connected to an exterior wall along a curved region of the ball component, wherein the at least one pin spans from the exterior wall and through an open channel of the socket component, wherein the open channel of the socket component includes at least one wall that limits direction and movement of the at least one pin and thereby limits rotation of the socket component.

25. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the socket component comprises one or more cutouts to allow the flow of the air from the propulsion unit to contact a curved interior wall of the socket component and be directed out of the second contingent to drive the propulsion or thrust of the mission-adaptable aerial vehicle.

26. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, wherein the thrust angle is in a range of -85° to +85° in a given plane.

27. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 16, further comprising: a thrust vector control (TVC) drive system that comprises: a first drive / actuator device and first interconnection component, the first interconnection component coupled to the first drive / actuator device and to a first portion of the second contingent of the TVC assembly, and a second drive / actuator device and second interconnection component, the second interconnection component coupled to the second drive / actuator device and to a second portion of the second contingent of the TVC assembly, wherein the TVC drive system is operable to drive the movement of the second contingent for pitch, yaw, or a combination of pitch and yaw.

28. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the propulsion unit includes at least one of an electric motor-driven propeller engine, an electric ducted fan (EDF) engine, an internal combustion engine-driven propeller, a hydrogen fuel cell powered propulsion system, a rocket, a turbojet engine, a turbofan engine, an unducted / propfan engine, a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell-internal combustion engine, or a hybrid propulsion system that includes a hybrid internal combustion engine operable to power a generator to charge a battery to drive an electric motor- driven propeller.

29. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the electronics unit includes at least one of a location tracking unit or a data processing unit.

30. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least one of: an imaging module including one or more cameras that are in communication with the electronics unit; or a sensor module including one or more sensors that include at least one of a motion sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or an optical sensor.

31. The mission-adaptable aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the wing assembly, the nose cone assembly, and the tail assembly is reversibly attachable to the fuselage assembly.

32. A multi-functional winglet, comprising: a winglet body that is reversibly attachable to a distal end of wing, wherein the winglet body includes at least two outward spanning appendages that are structured to collectively have a shape that conforms to at least one airframe structure of an aerial vehicle; and a plurality of tabs, wherein at least one tab is positioned at a terminus end of each outward spanning appendage of the winglet body.

33. The multi-functional winglet of claim 32, wherein the multi-functional winglet includes at least one of the first nestable winglet and the second nestable winglet of any of claims 3-15.

34. A thrust- vector control (TVC) assembly, comprising: a first contingent having a ball component with a hollow interior and a first aperture and a second aperture on opposing ends of the ball component; and a second contingent having a socket component with a hollow interior and a first apertureand a second aperture at opposing ends of the of the socket component, wherein the first aperture of the socket component is interfaced with the second aperture of the ball component, wherein the socket component partially encompasses and couples to the ball component so as to be moveable about the ball component, wherein the first contingent includes a propulsor exhaust entrance interfaced with the first aperture of the ball component to input a flow of air from a propulsion unit of an aerial vehicle into and through the ball component and into the socket component, and the second contingent includes an exhaust exit interfaced with the second aperture of the socket component to output the flow of the air from the TVC assembly, wherein movement of the second contingent with respect to the first contingent directs the flow of the air at a thrust angle and out of the exhaust exit to drive a direction of propulsion or thrust of the aerial vehicle.

35. The TVC assembly of claim 34, wherein the TVC assembly includes one or more features of the TVC assembly of any of claims 16-27.

Images