Kitty Hawk Corporation

Joseph Roop

Todd Reichert

Cameron Robertson

Damon Vander Lind

Zachais Vawter

Mark Johnson Cutler

Christopher Scott Saunders

Aldo Daniele Longhi

Sensor data is received from a sensor where the sensor data includes aircraft state information including an aircraft pitch angle and recovery device state information including which parachute canopies are operational and one or more properties associated with the operational parachute canopies. The parachute canopies are coupled aft of a center of mass. It is determined, based at least in part on the aircraft pitch angle, whether to generate a control signal associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. A recovery action is performed, including by selecting a parachute canopy to be deployed, from the operational parachute canopies and based at least in part on the one or more properties, and deploying the selected parachute canopy, where a load on the selected parachute canopy is reduced in the event the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position.

Automated aircraft recovery system

Sensor data that includes or more of the following: (1) aircraft state information associated with an aircraft or (2) parachute canopy state information associated with a parachute canopy is received. The parachute canopy is coupled to the aircraft at a point aft of a center of mass of the aircraft. It is determined, based at least in part on the sensor data, whether to generate a control signal associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. A recovery action is performed, including by deploying the parachute canopy; wherein a load on the parachute canopy is reduced in the event the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position.

A multi-modal aircraft recovery system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes a first aircraft recovery parachute having a first set of physical attributes optimized for a first set of conditions and a second aircraft recovery parachute having a second set of physical attributes optimized for a second set of conditions different from the first.

Multimodal aircraft recovery system

An automated aircraft recovery system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes an interface configured to receive sensor data; and a control mechanism configured to: perform automatically a recovery action that is determined based at least in part on the sensor data. In various embodiments, the control mechanism may determine an expected state of an aircraft, determine whether a state of the aircraft matches the expected state, and in the event the state of the aircraft does not match the expected state, perform the recovery action.

Techniques to deploy a parachute are disclosed. In various embodiments, a first projectile is configured to be propelled in a first direction, causing the parachute to be deployed. A second projectile configured to be propelled in a second direction is coupled to a line tethered to the parachute in such a way that a force in a direction opposite the first direction is applied to the line of the parachute when the second projectile is propelled in the second direction.

Multi-rocket parachute deployment system

An aircraft hand controller is disclosed. The hand controller includes a set of finger controls on a single hand grip structure, the set of finger controls including a first finger control configured to control throttle of the aircraft and a second finger control, separate from the first, configured to control rotation about a first rotational axis of the aircraft.

Aircraft hand controller with decoupled throttle

A self-adjusting flight control system is disclosed. In various embodiments, an input interface receives an input signal generated by an inceptor based at least in part on a position of an input device comprising the inceptor. A processor coupled to the input interface determines dynamically a mapping to be used to map input signals received from the inceptor to corresponding output signals associated with flight control and uses the determined mapping to map the input signal to a corresponding output signal. The processor determines the mapping at least in part by computing a running average of the output signal over an averaging period and adjusting the mapping at least in part to associate a neutral position of the input device comprising the inceptor with a corresponding output level that is determined at least in part by the computed running average.

Self-adjusting system for aircraft control

A multicopter with boom mounted rotors is disclosed. In various embodiments, a multicopter includes multiple rotors, each mounted substantially horizontally on a distal end of a boom. The multicopter further includes a plurality of boom extensions, each boom extension being associated with a corresponding boom and each boom extension being configured to extend an associated distal end of said corresponding boom by an amount determined based at least in part on a swept area associated with a rotor mounted at or near said associated distal end. The multicopter includes a material, such as netting, secured to the aircraft and of a size sufficient to reach a far end of one or more of said boom extensions.

Multicopter with boom-mounted rotors

An aircraft which includes a float-wing having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an airfoil shape to produce aerodynamic lift when the float-wing flows through air at a lift-producing angle of attack in a forward flight mode of operation. The float-wing further includes a submersible portion that includes at least the trailing edge and which is constructed of materials and in a shape selected to produce a buoyancy force sufficient to prevent at least a non-submersible portion of the aircraft from being submersed under conditions in which the aircraft is in a waterborne non-flight position in which at least the trailing edge of the float-wing is submersed but at least the non-submersible portion of the aircraft is not submersed.

Integrated float-wing

A training system includes a tether configured to removably attach a training device to an overwater aircraft which is configured to at least take off and land over water. The training system also includes the training device which has a negative buoyancy and has an out-of-water weight which prevents sustained flight by the overwater aircraft when the training device is at least partially out of the water.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Joseph Roop