General Electric Company

Smiths Aerospace, Inc.

Ge Aviation Systems Limited

Frank Saggio, Iii

Michael Steven Feldmann

William Bennett Ribbens

Kean Khoon Ooi

Lawrence William Stimac

Raymond Michael Stitt

Jane Pavlich

Gregory Joseph Wassick

Douglas Robert Nichols

Joseph G Mickley

Mark Lawrence Turner

Ana Isabel Del Amo Blanco

Michael Joseph Dell'Anno

Mauricio Castillo-Effen

David Michael Lax

James Gerard Lopez

John Andrew Ingersoll

John Robert Washburn

Timothy John Paasche

William J Berendsen

A system for positioning an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided including a position reference system including an electromagnetic radiation transmitter configured to modulate a transmission signal to encode location information associated with a coordinate system relative to the electromagnetic radiation transmitter. The system further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle including at least one control device configured to control a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an electromagnetic radiation receiver configured to receive the transmission signal. The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a control system configured to control the at least one control device based at least in part on the location information received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver.

System and method for positioning an unmanned aerial vehicle

A relative navigation system and methods of intrusion detection for such a relative navigation system where the method includes repeatedly projecting from a grid generator a set of lines defining a grid into three dimensional space to define a field bounded by the grid and encoded with grid data configured to identify predetermined points on the grid and determining a presence of an intruding object within the field.

System and methods of detecting an intruding object in a relative navigation system

A relative navigation system projects a grid into space from a grid generator and an object, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, may use the projected grid to aid in the landing of the object. Methods of adjusting the projected grid including stabilizing the projected grid and orienting the grid generator relative to the earth.

Methods for adjusting a relative navigation system

A method of providing approximate weather data points for an aircraft trajectory to a system, such as a flight management system (FMS), which is configured to accept a number of weather data points for the aircraft trajectory.

Meteorological modeling along an aircraft trajectory

A method of selecting weather data for use in at least one of a flight management system (FMS) of an aircraft and a ground station includes selecting a reduced set of weather data points to send to the FMS and taking into account a trajectory of the aircraft when determining what data points to include in the reduced set.

Meteorological data selection along an aircraft trajectory

A method and system for a refueling drogue coupling system are provided. The system includes a coupling latch assembly coupled to the coupling outlet wherein the coupling latch assembly includes a latch member configured to matingly engage a complementary latch-receiving member of a refueling probe. The coupling latch assembly further includes a latch member actuator operatively coupled to the latch member to permit the latch member to move from a first locked position to a second unlocked position. A probe position sensor is configured to detect a position of the refueling probe. A hose tension sensor is configured to measure a tension in a hose coupled to the coupling inlet. A drogue control system is positioned on the refueling drogue coupling system and communicatively coupled to the latch member actuator, the probe position sensor, and the hose tension sensor.

Method and system for a refueling drogue assembly

A method of providing weather information for an aircraft trajectory to a flight management system (FMS) includes selecting a unique subset of temperature data points from weather data points along an aircraft trajectory and sending corresponding weather data points to the FMS.

Weather data selection relative to an aircraft trajectory

A relative navigation system projecting a grid into space from a first object a grid that is repeatedly detected from a second object having a second relative reference frame and using range and attitude between the objects to adjust the attitude or range of at least one of the first and second objects.

Relative navigation system

A method of providing a relative navigation system by projecting into space from a first object a grid that is repeatedly detected from a second object having a second relative reference frame associated with a second origin point on the second object and using range and attitude between the objects to adjust the attitude or range of at least one of the first and second objects.

Relative navigation system and a method thereof

A method of determining range between two objects, where a grid consisting of a plurality of grid lines are projected into space by the first object and detected by the second object.

Method of determining range

An airborne tracking system including a radiation emitter, a radiation receiver and a signal processor. The radiation emitter is adapted to direct radiation to a positioning area a defined distance from the radiation emitter, the radiation carrying a modulated location signal containing information corresponding to positions within the positioning area. The radiation receiver is adapted to receive at least a portion of the emitted radiation carrying the modulated signal and output a signal to the signal processor indicative of the modulation of the location signal of the received radiation. Signal processor is adapted to process the outputted signal and identify a position within the positioning area indicative of the location in the positioning area of the received radiation.

Optical tracking system for airborne objects

A refueling drogue adapted to connect to a refueling hose extending from a refueling aircraft. The drogue may include an active stabilization system adapted to effectively stabilize the refueling drogue via control surfaces on the refueling drogue when the refueling drogue is placed in an airstream.

Active stabilization of a refueling drogue

An aerial refueling system including a refueling drogue assembly including a refueling drogue and a refueling hose in captive relation with the refueling drogue and a drogue positioning system. The drogue positioning system including a radiation emitter, a radiation receiver and a signal processor. Then the radiation emitter is adapted to direct radiation to a positioning area a defined distance from the radiation emitter, the radiation carrying a modulated location signal containing information corresponding to positions within the positioning area. The radiation receiver is adapted to receive at least a portion of the emitted radiation carrying the modulated signal and output a signal to the signal processor indicative of the modulation of the location signal of the received radiation. And the signal processor is adapted to process the outputted signal and identify a position within the positioning area indicative of the location in the positioning area of the received radiation.

Optical tracking system for refueling

A refueling drogue adapted to connect to a refueling hose extending from a refueling aircraft. The refueling drogue may include an active control system, wherein, in an exemplary embodiment, the active control system is adapted to regulate the position of the drogue to maintain a substantially fixed orientation relative to a refueling aircraft.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Frank Saggio, Iii