1818 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 small unmanned air vehicle system having autonomous electrical energy transmission line docking capability and especially usable in military or other surveillance situations. Transmission line field sensing by the small unmanned air vehicle is used as an addition to global position system and other navigation methods and is especially applied to vehicle docking maneuvers. A plurality of vehicle carried electromagnetic fields-responsive sensors provides transmission line based signals to the vehicle guidance system in both far field and near field environments. Surveillance sensors are included in the vehicle payload. Vehicle battery charging energy procurement from the transmission line docking is included. Related commonly assigned patent documents are identified.

According to an embodiment of the present invention an emitter geolocation technique determines the geolocation of a radio frequency (RF) emitter using pair-wise line-of-bearing intersections that are derived from signal-to-noise ratios of transmitted signals received at a sensor. The technique may be employed with ground based vehicle or 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.

A collision sense and avoidance system and method and an aircraft, such as an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) and / or Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), including the collision sense and avoidance system. The collision sense and avoidance system includes an image interrogator identifies potential collision threats to the aircraft and provides maneuvers to avoid any identified threat. Motion sensors (e.g., imaging and / or infrared sensors) provide image frames of the surroundings to a clutter suppression and target detection unit that detects local targets moving in the frames. A Line Of Sight (LOS), multi-target tracking unit, tracks detected local targets and maintains a track history in LOS coordinates for each detected local target. A threat assessment unit determines whether any tracked local target poses a collision threat. An avoidance maneuver unit provides flight control and guidance with a maneuver to avoid any identified said collision threat.

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 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.

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.

A small, reusable interceptor unmanned air vehicle (UAV), an avionics control system for the UAV, a design method for the UAV and a method for controlling the UAV, for interdiction of small scale air, water and ground threats. The UAV includes a high performance airframe with integrated weapon and avionics platforms. Design of the UAV first involves the selection of a suitable weapon, then the design of the interceptor airframe to achieve weapon aiming via airframe maneuvering. The UAV utilizes an avionics control system that is vehicle-centric and, as such, provides for a high degree of autonomous control of the UAV. A situational awareness processor has access to a suite of disparate sensors that provide data for intelligently (autonomously) carrying out various mission scenarios. A flight control processor operationally integrated with the situational awareness processor includes a pilot controller and an autopilot controller for flying and maneuvering the UAV.

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.

A system to monitor vehicle accidents using a network of aerial based monitoring systems, terrestrial based monitoring systems and in-vehicle monitoring systems is described. Aerial vehicles used for this surveillance include manned and unmanned aircraft, satellites and lighter than air craft. Aerial vehicles can also be deployed from vehicles. The deployment is triggered by sensors registering a pattern in the data that is indicative of an accident that has happened or an accident about to happen.

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.

Vehicles such as unmanned air vehicles that are capable of movement from an open, flight configuration to an enclosed configuration in which all major flight components can be protected by an outer shell are disclosed. In the enclosed configuration, the vehicles can take on standard geometric shapes such as a rectangular prism, sphere, cylinder, or another shape, so as to not be recognizable as an unmanned air vehicle. Embodiments of vehicles can also include interchangeable and / or wireless motor arms, motor arms which are electrically connected to the remainder of the vehicle only when in an open configuration, remote controllers removably attached to the remainder of the vehicle, and clip or other attachment mechanisms for attachment to objects such as backpacks.

An unmanned air vehicle for military, land security and the like operations includes a fuselage provided with foldable wings having leading edge flaps and trailing edge ailerons which are operable during ascent from launch to control the flight pattern with the wings folded, the wings being deployed into an open unfolded position when appropriate. The vehicle is contained within a pod from which it is launched and a landing deck is provided to decelerate and arrest the vehicle upon its return to land.

Systems and methods for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle within an environment are provided. In one aspect, a system comprises one or more sensors carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle and configured to provide sensor data and one or more processors. The one or more processors can be individually or collectively configured to: determine, based on the sensor data, an environment type for the environment; select a flight mode from a plurality of different flight modes based on the environment type, wherein each of the plurality of different flight mode is associated with a different set of operating rules for the unmanned aerial vehicle; and cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to operate within the environment while conforming to the set of operating rules of the selected flight mode.

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.

A collaborative engagement system comprises: at least two unmanned vehicles comprising an unmanned air vehicle including sensors configured to locate a target and an unmanned ground vehicle including sensors configured to locate and track a target; and a controller facilitating control of, and communication and exchange of data to and among the unmanned vehicles, the controller facilitating data exchange via a common protocol. The collaborative engagement system controls the unmanned vehicles to maintain line-of-sight between a predetermined target and at least one of the unmanned vehicles.

The invention relates to a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) formation control method and device based on an artificial potential field. The method is characterized by converting a formation coordinate system to a global NED coordinate system, and determining an ideal position of each UAV in the formation in the global NED coordinate system; according to a preset target position of the UAV and the ideal position of the UAV, determining gravity applied to the UAV by the preset target position; according to velocity vector of the UAV and velocity vector of a barrier corresponding to the UAV, determining repulsion force applied to the UAV by the barrier; according to the gravity applied to the UAV and the repulsion force applied to the UAV by all barriers, determining resultant force applied to the UAV; and according to the resultant force applied to the UAV and flight status information of the UAV and wing planes around, determining movement trend of the UAV to enable a controller to carry out flight control on the UAV formation according to a motion model of the UAV.

The invention is a multiple degree-of-freedom test stand for unmanned air vehicles, and is particularly useful for small or micro unmanned air vehicles. The stand is gravity balanced using springs such that no weight of any part of the stand becomes a burden to the tested vehicle when it flies while constrained to the stand. A joint and a plurality of members are used to enable multiple degrees of freedom.