980 results about "Payload" patented technology

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed that includes a retractable payload delivery system. The payload delivery system can lower a payload to the ground using a delivery device that secures the payload during descent and releases the payload upon reaching the ground. The location of the delivery device can be determined as it is lowered to the ground using image tracking. The UAV can include an imaging system that captures image data of the suspended delivery device and identifies image coordinates of the delivery device, and the image coordinates can then be mapped to a location. The UAV may also be configured to account for any deviations from a planned path of descent in real time to effect accurate delivery locations of released payloads.

The invention provides a new class of transportation with a partially aerostatically supported ram air cushion ship (PASRACS) that can provide safe, fast, efficient global transport services with extraordinary comfort, luxury and amenities. The PASRACS employs inventive synergistic combinations of lift from aerostatic, aerodynamic, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces for different modes of operation ranging from a stationary floating configuration on a water surface, to flight in ground effect at high speed. A propulsion system can utilize hydrogen as an energy source driving fluid-dynamic thrusters, to enable zero carbon emissions operations. A transition method is provided for a PASRACS to transition from a floating mode to a takeoff mode to a flight in ground-effect mode in an inventive optimized manner. A transport method for multimodally transporting payload is provided with PASRACS vehicles and systems, with quick turn time operations enabled by the use of payload transfer transport modules and transfer vehicles.

An autonomous flying device achieving a large payload and a long continuous flight time and also accurately adjust position and orientation while flying. The device includes: a main rotor and the like that provide main thrust; a sub rotor and the like that controls the orientation; an engine that generates energy for rotating the main rotor and the like and the sub rotor and the like; and an arithmetic control device that controls rotation of the sub rotor and the like. Also, the main rotor and the like are rotated by being drivingly connected to the engine, whereas the sub rotor and the like are rotated by motors driven by electric power generated from generator and the like operated by the engine. Further, when orientation control to tilt the fuselage is performed, the arithmetic control device increases the output distribution ratio of the sub rotor to above the output distribution ratio of the sub rotor when hovering is performed.

A UAV for transporting a payload comprising a vehicle body; a retractable rail exposed on an underside of the vehicle body; a retraction mechanism coupling the rail to the vehicle body for causing the rail to raise and lower relative to the vehicle body; and a barrier located on the vehicle body so as to confront the rail when the rail is in its raised position to block the removal from the rail of a payload slidably engaged with the rail. A mechanism for advancing a payload onto and along the rail and pushing it off.

The invention relates to a coaxial multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle control method based on a Koopman operator, and the method comprises the steps: constructing a deep neural network based on the Koopman operator, and mapping a state variable to a high-dimensional observable space through an encoder; in a high-dimensional observable space, state variables are predicted through a linear connection layer based on dimension rising state variables and rotor rotating speeds; the decoder restores the prediction result to an original state space; training a deep neural network by using historical flight data to obtain codec parameters and a weight of a linear connection layer, and constructing a linear dynamic model of the observation function and the unmanned aerial vehicle; and the prediction controller predicts state variables of future multiple steps of the unmanned aerial vehicle by using a linear dynamics model, and enables the unmanned aerial vehicle to track a given trajectory by minimizing a cost function to obtain optimal control input. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that complete data-driven modeling is realized, and the method can adapt to unmanned aerial vehicles with different sizes, loads and flight conditions.

The invention belongs to the technical field of boundary layer detection, and particularly relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle atmospheric boundary layer environment autonomous detection system and method.The unmanned aerial vehicle atmospheric boundary layer environment autonomous detection system comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle platform, a detection load subsystem, a flight control subsystem, a data processing subsystem and a ground station subsystem, and the unmanned aerial vehicle platform comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle, a flight control module and a communication module; the unmanned aerial vehicle is made of light-weight composite materials and has good structural strength and weather resistance, an equipment cabin, a battery cabin and a load cabin are arranged in a vehicle body, modular design is adopted, maintenance and upgrading are convenient, in addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle is further provided with an energy module and a power module, and energy and power are provided for the unmanned aerial vehicle; the flight control module comprises a flight control computer, an inertial measurement unit I MU and a GPS / Beidou dual-mode receiver. The unmanned aerial vehicle can effectively avoid movable obstacles such as birds in an atmospheric boundary layer and a strong turbulence area when carrying out environment detection, and the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle during detection is guaranteed.

An embodiment herein provides a re-configurable unmanned aerial vehicle that re-configures its shape based on the shape, size, weight of a payload, and efficiently performs payload delivery in real-time. The re-configurable unmanned aerial vehicle includes one or more rotor units placed at corners and is connected by one or more scissor units. The re-configurable unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the payload in a first location, and analyses the position and dimension of the payload with a camera, that enables the one or more scissor units to adjust its length by at least one elongation or compression following size and shape of the payload and fit the payload within the re-configurable unmanned aerial vehicle. The re-configurable unmanned aerial vehicle takes off carrying the payload from the first location and lands at a second location.

Disclosed here are unmanned aerial vehicle embodiments including some embodiments having a fuselage, tail, and wings including example embodiments with an adaptable payload section, alternatively or additionally, modular flight surfaces including tail, wings and motor, alternatively or additionally the vehicle configured for short landings with reversible thrust, alternatively or additionally, the unmanned aerial vehicle configured with direct connection to moveable flight control surfaces.

The present invention discloses a flapping-wing aircraft capable of catapult takeoff and having a sweep-torsion mechanism, belonging to the field of aircraft technology. The aircraft comprises: a fuselage frame, left and right flapping wings, a passive torsion mechanism, a sweep mechanism, a catapult takeoff mechanism, a transmission flapping mechanism, and a tail rudder, wherein: a passive torsion mechanism and a sweep mechanism are provided at the roots of the left and right flapping wings, the catapult takeoff mechanism is provided in the middle of the fuselage, and a hip joint, thigh, ankle joint, calf, foot, and toe joint are provided from top to bottom, the inner and outer sides of the hip joint are controlled by a servo motor for relative rotation, the ankle joint and toe joint are provided with elastic energy storage torsion springs, a synchronous pulley and its drive mechanism are provided between the outer side of the hip joint and the outer side of the ankle joint to control the relative rotation between the thigh and the calf, and perform energy storage for catapult takeoff. In summary, the aircraft can perform catapult takeoff flight, and can perform passive torsion and sweeping motions during the flapping of the wings, which helps to increase the flapping wing lift and the overall payload of the aircraft.

A method of assembling a delivery payload assembly configured to be deployed from an aircraft and travel along a flight path to a predetermined landing destination includes attaching a tail-kit assembly to a first end of a payload, the tail-kit assembly including a rotor blade assembly including a plurality of rotor blades having a central axis of rotation, and a flight control and navigation system configured to control a collective pitch angle of each of the plurality of rotor blades of the rotor blade assembly, configured to control an axial thrust force of the rotor blade assembly, the axial thrust force being at an angle with respect to the central axis of rotation of the rotor blade assembly, and configured to navigate the delivery payload assembly along the flight path to the predetermined landing destination. The method further includes removing the tail-kit assembly from the payload after the payload is delivered to the predetermined landing destination.

A payload including a housing provided with one or more toothed guides or with one or more docking mechanisms, each of which is configured to detachably toothedly interact with an unmanned aircraft apparatus being docked so as to enable the movement of said docked unmanned aircraft apparatus with respect to the housing of the payload, wherein the housing of the payload is further configured to detachably toothedly interact with yet another (other) unmanned aircraft apparatus so as to enable the action of said yet another unmanned aircraft apparatus onto said docked unmanned aircraft apparatus for withdrawal of the latter from interaction with the housing of the payload. Furthermore, embodiments of an air transport system include two or more unmanned aircraft apparatuses and one of the payload.

The utility model discloses a cylindrical launch folding wing unmanned aerial vehicle which comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle body, the unmanned aerial vehicle body comprises a square fuselage and a conical nose cover, a concave platform is arranged below the middle rear section of the fuselage, foldable wings are arranged in the concave platform, foldable empennages are arranged on the two side faces, close to the tail, of the fuselage, and the tail of the fuselage is connected with the tail of the fuselage. A foldable propeller is arranged at the tail of the fuselage, two blades of the propeller can be folded and retracted into an upper arc-shaped groove and a lower arc-shaped groove, close to the tail, of the fuselage respectively, a pod, a parachute cabin and a GPS antenna cabin are integrated in the nose cover, and a load cabin, a battery cabin and an equipment cabin are sequentially arranged at the front section, the middle section and the rear section of the fuselage. According to the cylindrical launching folding wing unmanned aerial vehicle, the design of the conical nose cover, the square fuselage, the lower single wing and the V-shaped empennage is adopted, launching is carried out through the square launching cylinder during launching, a plurality of cabin sections are designed in the square fuselage, each cabin section is fully utilized under the condition that the gravity center of the unmanned aerial vehicle is proper, and the assembly efficiency is greatly improved.

There is disclosed an autonomous docking system for aerial delivery of a payload from a ground station. The system may comprise an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having one or more motors for powered flight and a pyramidal bottom surface opening downward to terminate in a base perimeter. A cargo pod may be included to carry the payload and may have a pyramidal top surface complementary to the pyramidal bottom surface of the UAV. The system may further include a latching system for locking the UAV to the cargo pod and one or more steering components for approaching the cargo to within a steering accuracy. The UAV may be configured to dock by steering downward until the base perimeter slidably contacts the pyramidal top surface of the cargo pod for gravity-aligning the UAV in azimuth and laterally. The system may be further defined by a capture radius of the base perimeter being greater than a lateral component of the steering accuracy.

An autonomous transport vehicle for transporting a payload comprising, a frame forming a transport payload area of the autonomous transport vehicle, the payload area includes a payload contact support surface that defines a payload support plane of the autonomous transport vehicle that supports the payload held in the transport payload area with vehicle traverse, a payload handling system connected to the frame, the payload handling system having, a payload transport disposed to engage the payload and transport the payload in at least one direction relative to the frame, and a drive section with at least one degree of freedom driving the payload transport in the at least one direction; and a controller operably connected to the drive section configured to register predetermined operating data embodying at least one dynamic performance variable output by the drive section effecting a predetermined motion, that defines a predetermined common motion manifold, of the payload.

Combined aerospace system is a multi-stage technology to deliver payloads to orbit and to midair. The system comprises a carrier aircraft, a tow aircraft, a towed spaceplane or a rocket plane or a glider. The carrier aircraft, coupled with the spaceplane and / or the rocket plane or several gliders, takeoff from a runway and ascends to a staging altitude and speed under the carrier aircraft power. After staging, the tow aircraft will pick up the spaceplane or the rocket plane or the glider from the carrier aircraft in flight. The towed spaceplane or the rocket plane or the glider continues ascending and accelerating by the tow aircraft. The spaceplane or the rocket plane will disconnect from the tow aircraft and continue to ascend and accelerate in an atmosphere by using the ramjet engine. The spaceplane or the rocket plane equipped with a propulsion unit is used to place the spacecraft into the earth orbit. The glider will disconnect from the tow aircraft and lands in designated place. Gliders can be used for instantly delivering of correspondence, parcels, and civil goods from a supplier to wide variety of individual consumers or corporate customers.

The invention comprises an apparatus, method for using the apparatus and system for balloon altitude control by in-situ characterization and active energy management. The invention presented enables transportation, autonomous operation and use of a balloon beyond the limits of conventional high-altitude ballooning to the edge of the atmosphere, or about 100 km above the surface of the Earth. The apparatus comprises at least: an envelope containing lift-gas; an envelope and lift-gas characterizer; an altitude control system operated using active energy addition and lift-gas transfer or ambient air introduction into the system; and an external payload component. The invention is capable of operating in ascent, descent, or stationary mode; the altitudinal movement of the balloon is caused by measuring in-situ envelope and lift-gas characteristics, identifying the change in the lift-gas energy needed, and facilitating the required energy change for altitude control.

The invention is a flying object equipped with a loading part holding a delivery payload, and the loading part or the delivery payload is attached to an airframe so that the loading part or the delivery payload is tilted backward in the forward and backward direction in a landing state or hovering state. The loading part or delivery payload is attached to the airframe so that the loading part or delivery payload is substantially horizontal during cruising.

An autonomous flying device achieving a large payload and a long continuous flight time and also accurately adjust position and orientation while flying. The device includes: a main rotor and the like that provide main thrust; a sub rotor and the like that controls the orientation; an engine that generates energy for rotating the main rotor and the like and the sub rotor and the like; and an arithmetic control device that controls rotation of the sub rotor and the like. Also, the main rotor and the like are rotated by being drivingly connected to the engine, whereas the sub rotor and the like are rotated by motors driven by electric power generated from generator and the like operated by the engine. Further, when orientation control to tilt the fuselage is performed, the arithmetic control device increases the output distribution ratio of the sub rotor to above the output distribution ratio of the sub rotor when hovering is performed.

Methods, systems, devices and / or apparatuses for a hardened reusable shipping container. The hardened reusable shipping container includes a lid. The lid is configured to be opened and closed. The hardened reusable shipping container includes a base enclosure. The base enclosure is coupled to the lid and has a payload area. The payload area is configured to receive a payload and maintain a temperature of an environment surrounding the payload. The hardened reusable shipping container includes an insert. The insert is configured to be positioned within the payload area to cool or maintain the temperature of the environment surrounding the payload.

Vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (VTOLs) of the type used for the point-to-point delivery and transport of payloads (e.g., packages, equipment, etc.) and personnel, are significantly stabilized at least during takeoff and landing with present aspects significantly ameliorating or significantly eliminating destabilizing effects, including ground effect, during VTOL takeoff and / or landing. VTOL performance is further improved through the use of increased lift pressure and battery charging during takeoff.

The invention relates to the technical field of hoisting load unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a hoisting load unmanned aerial vehicle load distribution algorithm, which comprises the following steps: acquiring attitude data, load position coordinates and quality of an unmanned aerial vehicle body in real time, and detecting environment wind field distribution; constructing a dynamic graph structure including the unmanned aerial vehicle attitude data, the load position coordinates and quality and the environmental wind field nodes; calculating a current total gravity center deviation, a physical residual error and a compensation weight matrix of each execution mechanism; generating a compensation instruction by using a space-time fusion prediction network, inputting historical wind field data and a current node state, and predicting a load offset in a future time window through a space-time fusion neural network; calculating a target displacement of a balancing weight and a flexible tentacle joint angle sequence; the balancing weight is controlled to move to the target displacement along the linear guide rail, and the flexible tentacle joint is driven to reach the target angle; incremental compensation is carried out based on the adjusted total gravity center position; vibration energy at a main resonant frequency is suppressed.

Containers and parachutes for payloads to be delivered via an aerial delivery system are disclosed. In one example, a system for aerial delivery of a payload includes a parachute having a canopy, a plurality of legs extending from the canopy, one or more attachment features arranged on an end of the legs. The system also includes a payload container with a plurality of anchors and where the plurality of anchors are integral with the payload container and receive the one or more attachment features.

Hardened reusable shipping containers (e.g., shippers) are disclosed herein. A shipper may have a base enclosure that is configured to receive a payload and maintain a temperature of an environment surrounding the payload. The shipper may have various features such as bosses, compartments, and surface features to facilitate protection of a dewar inside the base enclosure, and retention of a payload during shipment. The shipper may have various features to facilitate ready stacking of shippers and suitability for use in air cargo operations.

A first station (STA) receives from a second STA, while transmitting a first frame to the second STA, a second frame indicating a payload unit, of the first frame, received in error by the second STA. The first STA transmits to the second STA, an extension of the first frame comprising the payload unit received in error by the second STA.

The invention provides a sub-orbital return type load cabin structure device, which adopts a blunt end cone integral structure and comprises an end cap, a main structure cone section, a pneumatic heat-proof arc bottom, a parachute cabin structure, a load mounting disc and a heat-proof system, the end cap is connected to the top of the main structure conical section, and the pneumatic heat-proof arc bottom is connected to the bottom of the main structure conical section. The end cap is used for adjusting the axial mass center of the whole cabin and bearing main impact load during landing; the parachute bay structure is located in the main structure conical section and is designed with the main structure conical section in an integrated configuration mode. The load mounting disc is connected with the main structure conical section; the heat protection system is arranged on the end cap, the main structure conical section, the pneumatic heat protection arc bottom and / or a parachute cabin cover of the parachute cabin structure and used for reducing the temperature in the cabin. The structure layout is reasonable, the structure efficiency is high, the pneumatic stability is good, and the partial reuse capacity is achieved.

The invention discloses a data link breakage data processing method, which aims at the problem of loss of return load information caused by instability of a data link in a flight platform, periodically detects a link communication state in real time, and stores received information in a memory in a classified manner when the link is interrupted. After the link is recovered, the information stored in the memory and the real-time data are respectively transmitted back to the ground according to the importance degree, so that the load information in the link breaking process is quickly retransmitted under the condition that no additional hardware device is added to the data link, the integrity of the transmitted back load information is ensured, and the problem of information loss in the traditional data link breaking period is solved.

An air drop rack assembly is mounted within the cargo compartment of a cargo aircraft and has a forward part secured to the load deck and an aft part secured to the aircraft cargo ramp. The rack parts have rollers in conveyor assemblies mounted between C-channels which engage skidboards which support smaller aircraft such as gliders or cruise missiles. When the ramp is up two rack parts are tilted with respect to each other. At payload drop, ramp is deployed to bring the rack part conveyor assemblies into alignment. Although the aligned rack parts are spaced apart, when the cargo aircraft is tilted upwardly, the individual payloads on skidboards are discharged out the aircraft aft opening. Cruise missiles or bombs may be supported on a skidboard with a deformable surface, a forward ballast weight, and a spring, such that once launched the skidboard is pushed away from the payload.