United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Other

Michael L Anderson

Joseph Anderson

Kaz I Teope

James H Roberts

Cory Alan Cooper

Nicholas Black

Christopher Klinke

Philip T Strunk

Mary E Hood

Hunter I Stephens

Joseph A Puglisi

Derrick Jochmans

Benjamin Stark

Jeffrey Burnett

Adam T Broshkevitch

Jason H Niebuhr

Joshua L Budig

Eric R Clingenpeel

Matthew H Steiner

Jonathon L Gabriel

Kaleb D Overby

Tyler Copien

Candice Roberts

Adam Wilmer

Matthew Fleckenstein

James Westfall

Nicholas Pingel

Zachary Froembling

Stephen M Cunningham

Andrew J Lichtsinn

Michael A Hyde

Charles B Wilson

Travis M Edwards

Kyle G Senn

Lucas A Fumagalli

Jacob B Yarwood

A portable communication system for use in hostile and unknown environments. The system has a base station for control by an operator. The base station dispatches one or more unmanned drones into the hostile environment, where a forward agent, such a robot or investigative person can approach a suspected threat. Each drone has a payload of repeaters to be delivered as necessary to maintain line of sight communication from the forward agent back to the base station. Once delivered, the repeaters are mobile and can autonomously reposition to maintain or optimize line of sight communication. Communications from the forward agent back to the base station are then interpreted and analyzed for further action.

Method of establishing a communication system and communication system therefor

The present invention relates to spacecraft shielding, articles comprising such shielding as well as processes of making and using spacecraft shielding and articles comprising such shielding. Such shields are made by a 3D process that provides significant shield geometry and composition flexibility and yields shields that have significantly improved shield performance. Such shields may be efficiently be manufactured in space.

Spacecraft shielding

A finger strengthening device (FSD) includes a plurality of finger strengthening elements formed therewith. The FSD is attachable to a structure in a plurality of different orientations to permit a variation in finger exercise techniques.

Finger strengthening device and method

A repeater for maintaining wireless line of sight communications. The repeater is autonomously repositional in both absolute location and azimuthal orientation. The repeater has at least two vibratory motors, or other vibration sources, which provide oscillations to depending legs against a support surface. By selectively operating one or more of the vibration sources together or independently, the repeater may be moved as helpful to maintain line of sight communication with another repeater or other operational hardware. A command signal from a remote base station controls the locomotion of the repeater to provide both a change in absolute position relative to the surroundings and a rotational change in azimuthal orientation as necessary to maintain communication under dynamic conditions.

Repeaters for use in a hostile environment

A drone disabling device includes a plurality of streamer launch tubes having at least one streamer device positioned therein. A barrel housing is configured to hold the plurality of launch tubes within streamer launch barrels. An ignition system is configured to ignite propellant within the launch tubes and launch the streamer devices from the barrel housing such that one or more propellers of a hostile drone will become entangled and disabled. A parachute connected to the streamer device is deployed as the drone descends to protect people and property on the ground and to preserve the drone for intelligence gathering after landing.

System and method for disabling multi-rotor aircraft

A system, method and apparatus for unfolding and folding a multi-arm device that includes a support member and an actuator. A first arm is coupled to the actuator and extends from a folded position to an unfolded position upon actuation of the actuator. A second arm is coupled to the actuator and moves from a folded position to an unfolded position upon actuation of a linkage that causes the second arm to rotate. A third arm moves from a folded position to an unfolded position, via an elbow joint, upon release of a tether attached to the third arm.

Systems, methods and apparatus for multi-arm expansion

A system for deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle in a target region. The system includes a pod configured to be deployed from an air craft in a first region remote from the target region. The pod includes a capsule housing portion and a capsule ejection system in operative communication with the capsule housing portion. A capsule is dimensioned and configured to be disposed in the capsule housing portion as the pod is deployed from the aircraft and is ejected from the capsule housing portion by the capsule ejection system in a second region remote from the first region and the target region. The capsule includes a UAV housing portion dimensioned and configured to encase the unmanned aerial vehicle and a UAV ejection system in operative communication with the UAV housing portion for deploying the unmanned aerial vehicle in the target region.

Delivery system for unmanned aerial vehicles

A system for defeating a threat unmanned aerial vehicle. The system includes a friendly unmanned aerial vehicle, a capturing device configured to be suspended from the friendly unmanned aerial vehicle for arresting a threat unmanned aerial vehicle, and one or more load-limited release mechanisms for removably suspending a releasable portion of the capturing device from the friendly unmanned aerial vehicle. In certain embodiments, the load-limited release mechanisms are configured to release the entirety of the capturing device from the friendly unmanned aerial vehicle upon capture of the threat unmanned aerial vehicle. In other embodiments, the load limited release mechanisms are configured to release only a peripheral portion of the capturing device to reposition a captured unmanned aerial vehicle to a central portion of the capturing device for carrying the captured vehicle to a remote location.

System for physically defeating unmanned aerial vehicles

The forward firing fragmentation (FFF) munition includes a body, a flight system carried by the body and configured to maneuver the munition in flight, and a warhead carried by the body and including an explosive configured to detonate and expel fragments in a pattern. A near field barrier (near field barrier), such as the guidance system, is carried by the body in front of the warhead and communicatively coupled via a communication link to the flight system. A fragmentation adjustment system is configured to physically displace the near field barrier relative to the warhead while maintaining the communication link between the near field barrier and the flight system until detonation of the explosive.

Forward firing fragmentation (FFF) munition including fragmentation adjustment system and associated methods

A process for recovering a vehicle includes obtaining a red green blue (RGB) image comprising a target on a recovery device. An input received from a user designates a target hue value and a target luminance value. The RGB image is converted to a hue value saturation (HSV) color model. The HSV color model is split into a hue value plane and a luminance value plane. A hue band pass filter and a luminance band pass filter are configured with appropriate thresholds. The configured hue band pass filter and the luminance band pass filter are applied to the hue value plane and the luminance value plane, respectively. The filtered hue value plane and the filtered luminance value planes are combined to yield a plurality of potential target pixel groupings. The most probable target is determined from the plurality of potential target pixels. The vehicle is directed to the target.

Process for recovering an unmanned vehicle

A method and means for disaggregating aggregated particulate. A housing contains a rotational motor and a vibrating motor also has an auger drivingly linked to the rotational motor. Legs extend from the housing in the same direction as the auger and the device rests upon the aggregated particulate. Upon driving the rotational motor, the auger bores through the aggregated particulate, thereby disaggregating particulate. The vibrating motor is also driven to vibrate and further disaggregate the particulate. A plate device with a vibrating motor attached is also used to disaggregate the particulate, such as by teeth extending from the bottom of the plate that are driven into the aggregate by the weight of the plate when vibrated.

Particulate disaggregating method and apparatus

A first embodiment of a coffee filter dispenser has a housing in which a stack of coffee filters to be dispensed are received. A plurality of resilient grippers are axially movable between a retracted and an extended position. A crank arm is connected to the resilient grippers for actuation thereof. By manipulation of the crank arm in axial and rotary directions, a single coffee filter may be dispensed from a stack of coffee filters through resilient plastic flaps in the housing. In a second embodiment, a coffee filter dispenser utilizes an axially reciprocal and rotary plunger having an adhesive foot for removing the top filter from a stack of coffee filters. The adhesive foot is radially offset from the plunger axis, and a spiral cam groove on the plunger causes the foot to be displaced radially as the plunger moves axially. In this manner, a single coffee filter may be laterally dispensed through a pivotal door in the dispenser housing.

Coffee filter dispenser

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Michael L Anderson