The Boeing Company

Brandon R Brown

David H Mason

Eric Hathaway

Roger W Lacy

Eric J Schulze

Joshua B Jarvis

Bryan E Kashawlic

Justin Fowler Rogers

Brian Charles Gray

Douglas Mikita

Corey Seidel

Michael J Duffy

Joseph G Irwin

A method is provided for operating a vehicle that includes rotors driven by actuators to cause the vehicle to move. The method includes determining rotational speeds at which to drive the rotors to achieve a controlled movement of the vehicle. The rotational speeds include a rotational speed for a rotor of a pair of the rotors driven by a pair of the actuators. The method includes monitoring the rotational speed to detect that the rotational speed has approached or reached a defined avoid band of rotational speeds, and biasing the rotational speed to produce at least one biased rotational speed for respective rotors of the pair that is outside the defined avoid band. The method includes generating commands for the actuators based on the rotational speeds, and modifying the commands including those of the commands for the pair of the actuators based on the at least one biased rotational speed.

Operating a vehicle with rotors while avoiding a band of rotor rotational speed

Example methods and systems for coupling and controlling transport of cargo using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are provided, comprising coupling at least one electronically-controllable attachment device positioned on an underside of the UAV to a sling cable, the sling cable being secured to the cargo. The UAV flies to a predetermined area above the cargo, and responsive to determining that the UAV is positioned within the predetermined area, the UAV elevates above the initial operating height to lift the cargo and navigates to a target location.

Unmanned aerial vehicle and cargo attachment system for the unmanned aerial vehicle

Example methods and systems for contingency landing a UAV are provided, comprising sensors configured to detect a position of the UAV and a command module. The command module receives a mission profile comprising a travel path mapped out in multidimensional space over time from an origin to a destination, a first boundary circumscribing at least a portion of the travel path, a second boundary circumscribing the first boundary, and contingent landing sites. The command module sends instructions to the UAV to fly according to the mission profile and determines a position of the UAV relative to the first and the second boundaries. Responsive to determining that the UAV is positioned at the first boundary, the command module sends instructions to land at a contingent landing site, and responsive to determining that the UAV is positioned at the second boundary, the command module sends instructions to land immediately.

Unmanned aerial vehicle contingency landing system

Unmanned aerial vehicle sling load

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed for flight control prioritization. An example apparatus includes a thrust state determiner to determine a first thrust margin between a first limit of first available power for first rotors of a rotorcraft and a first thrust state associated with the first rotors, determine a second thrust margin between a second limit of second available power for second rotors of the rotorcraft and a second thrust state associated with the second rotors, and identify the first thrust margin or the second thrust margin as a selected thrust margin based on a vertical control profile of the rotorcraft, and a command generator to determine a first vertical control command based on the selected thrust margin and a second vertical control command, the second vertical control command being executed by the rotorcraft, and control the rotorcraft based on the first vertical control command.

Methods and apparatus for flight control prioritization

A point-and-shoot automatic landing system (P-A-S ALS) realizes safety and mission effectiveness benefits in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, allowing a pilot, using an inceptor device, to select an aim point with an aiming device providing visual indication of the aim point. Once a flight path is computed the pilot may allow the P-A-S ALS to automatically control the flight to touchdown. A suite of ranging devices determines the relative position of the aircraft to the selected aim point and an approach profile guidance algorithm computes the flight path. One or more devices provide confirmation that automatically controlled flight to the selected aim point is achievable. The P-A-S ALS is configured to allow termination of the controlled flight path at any time and selection of a new aim point through the inceptor device.

Point-and-shoot automatic landing system and method

Growing community of inventors

Media, PA, United States of America

Brandon R Brown