1785 results about "Unmanned air vehicle" patented technology

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a system for controlling and managing a small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) between capture and launch of the UAV. The system includes an enclosure that provides environmental protection and isolation for multiple small UAVs in assembled and/or partially disassembled states. Control and management of the UAVs includes reorientation of a captured UAV from a landing platform and secure hand-off to the enclosure, decontamination, de-fueling, ingress to the enclosure, downloading of mission payload, UAV disassembly, stowage, retrieval and reassembly of the UAV, mission uploading, egress of the UAV from the enclosure, fueling, engine testing and launch readiness. An exemplary system includes two or more robots controlled by a multiple robot controller for autonomously carrying out the functions described above. A modular, compact, portable and autonomous system of UAV control and management is described.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of tracking persons and objects and capturing video, still images and other data in real time of the same. The present disclosure includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (e.g., UAV) which follows a trackable system coupled to an object or on individual's person. The UAV may have a camera component which may record video, still images and other data (position, speed, acceleration, cadence, etc.) of the trackable system and items in close proximity thereto. Advantageously, the UAV may transmit video feeds and still images to a monitoring station or device such that security personnel and other persons of interest can respond timely to unplanned incidents and emergencies. In one or more implementations, a network of UAVs may fly alongside each other to capture video of multiple targets without causing collisions.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for transporting a payload is provided. The UAV comprises a body and one or more propellers rotatably connected to the body. The UAV further comprises a battery mounted to the body. The battery is releasable from the bottom of the UAV. The UAV further comprises a payload container mounted to the body. The payload container is releasable from the bottom of the UAV to a landing platform associated with a UAV station.

An unmanned air vehicle is provided, which includes an airframe and a parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system mounted on the airframe. The parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system includes an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. A hybrid controller is configured to control both the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. A propeller is connected to a mechanical link. The mechanical link couples the internal combustion engine and the electric motor to the propeller to drive the propeller. An alternate unmanned air vehicle includes a second propeller driven by the electric motor. In this alternate unmanned air vehicle, the internal combustion engine is decoupled from the electric motor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional (3-D) energy-based emitter geolocation technique determines the geolocation of a radio frequency (RF) emitter based on energy or received signal strength (RSS) of transmitted signals. The technique may be employed with small unmanned air vehicles (UAV), and obtains reliable geolocation estimates of radio frequency (RF) emitters of interest.

A system and methods for autonomously tracking and simultaneously providing surveillance of a target from air vehicles. In one embodiment the system receives inputs from outside sources, creates tracks, identifies the targets and generates flight plans for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and camera controls for surveillance of the targets. The system uses predictive algorithms and aircraft control laws. The system comprises a plurality of modules configured to accomplish these tasks. One embodiment comprises an automatic target recognition (ATR) module configured to receive video information, process the video information, and produce ATR information including target information. The embodiment further comprises a multi-sensor integrator (MSI) module configured to receive the ATR information, an air vehicle state input and a target state input, process the inputs and produce track information for the target. The embodiment further comprises a target module configured to receive the track information, process the track information, and produce predicted future state target information. The embodiment further comprises an ownship module configured to receive the track information, process the track information, and produce predicted future state air vehicle information. The embodiment further comprises a planner module configured to receive the predicted future state target information and the predicted future state air vehicle information and generate travel path information including flight and camera steering commands for the air vehicle.

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a platform for launching and/or capturing an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), particularly a small UAV. The launch/capture platform includes a frame, a floor attached to the frame that is capable of supporting the UAV, means for acquiring and tracking the UAV in flight, a connector and a connector controller, connecting the platform to an external support structure, providing a controllable, adaptive motion of the platform in response to approaching UAV position and attitude, means for launching the UAV from the platform and for capturing an in-flight UAV to the platform, and means for locking down the UAV between the capture and launch of the UAV. Another embodiment of the invention directed to a method for capturing a small, in-flight UAV involves providing a UAV capture platform, providing a UAV capturing means as an integrated component of the platform, providing means for determining in real-time the relative location of an engaging portion of the capturing means with respect to an approaching in-flight UAV, providing means for automatically maneuvering the engaging portion of the capturing means with respect to at least one of a position and an attitude of the approaching in-flight UAV, capturing the UAV, and securing the captured UAV to the capture platform.

An unmanned air vehicle (“UAV”) apparatus is configured to have a body and a body-conformal wing. The body-conformal wing is configured to variably sweep from a closed position to a fully deployed position. In the closed position, the body-conformal wing span is aligned with the body axis and in the fully deployed position the body-conformal wing span is perpendicular to the axial direction of the body. Delivery of the UAV comprises the steps of: positioning the span of a body conformal wing in alignment with the axis of the body of the UAV; initiating the flight of the UAV; and adjusting the sweep angle of the body-conformal wing as a function of the current speed, altitude, or attack angle of the UAV, with the adjustment starting at a 0 degree position and varying between a closed position and a fully deployed position. The UAV also has a control mechanism configured to variably adjust the sweep of the body-conformal wing to achieve a high lift over drag ratio through out the flight path of the UAV.

A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) rotary-wing air-craft is sized and configured to match a payload container such as a standardized Joint Modular Intermodal Container (JMIC). The aircraft may be an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) that is capable of autonomously engaging and disengaging the container so that the aircraft can pick up and drop off the JMIC with minimum human intervention.

An air vehicle, such as a manned or unmanned air vehicle, has a fuselage, a rotor/scissors wing, and a scissors wing. At helicopter mode, the rotor/scissors wing rotates to make the air vehicle fly like a helicopter to achieve vertical and/or short take-off and landing, hovering, and low speed flying. At airplane mode, the rotor/scissors wing and scissors wing form a scissors wings configuration to maximize the air vehicle's flying efficiency at a wide range of speed and flying conditions by adjusting the yaw angle of the rotor/scissors wing and scissors wing. During the conversion from helicopter mode to airplane mode, the scissors wing generates lift to offload the rotating rotor/scissors wing and eventually the offloaded rotor/scissors wing's rotating speed is slowed and stopped so that the rotor/scissors wing can be locked at a specific position and the conversion can be achieved. In a reverse order, the air vehicle can convert from airplane mode to helicopter mode. Either turbofan or turbojet engine, or turboshaft/turbofan convertible engine can be used to power the air vehicle.

The invention discloses an unmanned perception based unmanned aerial vehicle route planning method for rapidly planning the vehicle driving route. According to the invention, based on the unmanned flight perception system, road video images around a target vehicle are photographed by utilizing an unmanned flight to be sent to a ground station; the ground station receives the video images and processes the video images so as to obtain the vehicle and road messages, route planning is carried out according to the vehicle position, and the route is transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle; and a computer module of the ground station calculates a flight control signal to control the unmanned aerial vehicle to follow the vehicle to proceed, and corrects the route in real time. According to the invention, based on an unmanned flight platform, the operation state is stable; and the road environment around the vehicle is photographed from a great height, the coverage area is wide, and the observed road traffic information is distinct and clear, so that the road distribution condition and the traffic condition around the target vehicle can be obtained rapidly, the reasonable route planning can be obtained, the route is more precise, and the road condition analysis is more timely and accurate.

An acoustic data collection system that uses an antenna array aboard a powered unmanned and remotely controlled parafoil. The antenna array has multiple microphone elements, whose outputs are combined to provide directionality to the data acquisition.

According to an embodiment of the present invention jamming energy is allocated to a plurality of emitters based on a three-dimensional (3-D) emitter geolocation technique that determines the geolocation of radio frequency (RF) emitters based on energy or received signal strength (RSS) and/or time differences of arrival (TDOAs) of transmitted signals. The three-dimensional (3-D) emitter geolocations are used to rank emitters of interest according to distance and available radio frequency (RF) jamming energy is allocated to the emitters in rank order. The techniques may be employed with small unmanned air vehicles (UAV), and obtains efficient use of jamming energy when applied to radio frequency (RF) emitters of interest.

The invention relates to a convolutional neural network-based unmanned air vehicle to-ground specific target recognition method. The method comprises the following steps of: (1) labeling to-ground specific target data sets acquired by an unmanned air vehicle according to categories, and dividing the to-ground specific target data sets into training sets, verification sets and test sets according to proportions; (2) setting convolutional neural network model training parameters, starting training and obtaining an optimal solution of a convolutional neural network model according to the trainingcondition; (3) changing a depth of the convolutional neural network model, restarting the training in the step (2) to obtain an optimal convolutional neural network model; (4) testing the test set soas to obtain recognition correctness; and (5) applying convolutional neural network model parameters, correctness of which satisfies requirements, to a practical scene of an unmanned air vehicle to-ground specific target, so as to recognize an image target acquired by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Methods and apparatus are provided for launching and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including multi-rotor aircrafts. The methods and apparatus disclosed herein utilize positional change of the UAV, visual signal, or other means to effect the launch or landing. The methods and apparatus disclosed herein are user friendly, particularly to amateur UAV users lacking practice of operating a UAV.

A portable unmanned air vehicle and launcher system is provided that includes a foldable unmanned air vehicle having a pressure tube; a launch gas reservoir for holding launch gas; a launch tube operatively connected to the launch gas reservoir and having a free end that is positioned in the pressure tube of the air vehicle; a free piston positioned within the launch tube; and a free piston stop to prevent the free piston from leaving the launch tube. A first portion of the launch gas in the launch gas reservoir is released into the launch tube and forces the free piston from an initial position to an end position at which the free piston is stopped by the free piston stop.