Insitu, Inc.

Theboeing Company

Peter J Kunz

Clifford Jackson

Craig Aram Thomasian

Torsten Mack

Darcy Lynn Davidson

Jeffrey H Knapp

Bradley Schrick

Andrew Hayes

James Mcgrew

Charlie Guthrie

Rolf Rysdyk

Jacob S Allen

Matthew David Grubb

Wayne David Goodrich

James Statelar McGrew

Matthew Jacob Bartow

David Wayne Goodrich

Matthew Grubb

Wayne D Goodrich

Aerial launch and/or recovery for unmanned aircraft, and associated systems and methods. A representative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprises an airframe, a plurality of rotors, and a capture line. The rotors are coupled to the airframe and configured to support the UAV in hover. The capture line is carried by the UAV and is operatively coupled to an immersible anchor. The immersible anchor is configured to be immersed within a body of water during a capture operation involving the capture line.

Aerial launch and/or recovery for unmanned aircraft with submersible devices, and associated systems and methods

An aircraft includes a fuselage module and at least two vertical lift rotor modules supporting at least four rotor assemblies. Each rotor assembly is supported by a rotor boom having at least one boom free end and a boom mounting portion. Each rotor assembly has at least one vertical lift rotor mounted on the boom free end. Each boom mounting portion is removably couplable to the fuselage module. The vertical lift rotor modules are configured such that when coupled to the fuselage module, a pair of the rotor assemblies are located on each of laterally opposite sides of the fuselage module, and the rotor assemblies of each pair are respectively located forward of and aft of a wing center portion. A pair of wings are configured to be removably couplable to the wing center portion. The aircraft includes a forward thrust module removably couplable to the fuselage body.

Modular aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability

A mechanically steered, horizontally polarized, directional antennae for aerial vehicles, such as UAVs. The antenna system can include a planar substrate with a horizontally polarized antenna embedded therein. A rotation member, on one end, can be attached to the planar substrate, and can extend from an external surface of the aerial vehicle. An actuator can be coupled to the rotation member to rotate the rotation member. A communication controller of the aerial vehicle can control the actuator to beam horizontally polarized radiofrequency (RF) waves to a target receiver or receive a wave front from a target transmitter.

Mechanically steered and horizontally polarized antenna for aerial vehicles, and associated systems and methods

Capture devices for unmanned aerial vehicles, including track borne capture lines, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. An example system includes a support having an upright portion and a boom portion. The example system further includes a capture line carried by and extending downwardly relative to the boom portion. The capture line has an engagement portion positioned to engage an unmanned aircraft. The example system further includes a flexible landing device positioned to receive the unmanned aircraft in response to the unmanned aircraft engaging the engagement portion.

Capture devices for unmanned aerial vehicles, including track-borne capture lines, and associated systems and methods

An aircraft includes a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, a wing assembly, and a fuselage positioning mechanism operatively connecting the fuselage to the wing assembly. The fuselage positioning mechanism is operable to move the fuselage relative to the wing assembly in a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal axis between a fuselage maximum forward position and a fuselage maximum aft position. When the aircraft for flight, a position of a center of gravity of the aircraft relative to a center of lift is determined. The fuselage can be moved relative to the wing assembly to bring the center of gravity within an allowable range of distances from the center of lift to balance the aircraft for flight. The fuselage positioning mechanism can be automated to allow adjustment of the fuselage position during the flight of the aircraft.

Movable wing for weight and balance management

Capture devices for unmanned aerial vehicles, including track borne capture lines, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative system includes at least one support having an upright portion and at least one boom portion, a carriage track carried by the at least one boom portion, and a carriage carried by, and movable along, the carriage track. The system can further include a capture line carried by and extending downwardly from the at least one boom portion, or the carriage, or both the at least one boom portion and the carriage.

Capture devices for unmanned aerial, vehicles, including track-borne capture lines, and associated systems and methods

A fixed wing flight vehicle has wing, a center-mounted propulsion unit and a pod that is moveable between a center of the wing and a displaced position at or near one end of the wing. When the pod is at or near the center of the wing, that is, having a center of mass at or near a thrust vector of the propulsion unit, the flight vehicle flies with the characteristics of a regular fixed wing aircraft. However, when the pod is translated to the position at or near an end of the wing, an overall center of mass of the flight vehicle is substantially offset from the thrust vector of the propulsion unit. This causes the flight vehicle to spin like a samara, e.g., a maple seed, so that the flight vehicle can take off or land in a very limited space, much like a helicopter.

Dual mode flight vehicle

Actuator systems and associated methods are disclosed herein. One aspect of the disclosure is directed toward an actuator system that includes a first structure and a second structure movable relative to the first structure. The system further includes an actuator apparatus and an actuator device coupled in series between the first structure and the second structure. The system can still further include a controller operably coupled to the actuator apparatus and the actuator device. The controller can be programmed with instructions to automatically actuate the actuator apparatus and the actuator device so that a position of the first structure relative to the second structure after the actuator apparatus and the actuator device have been actuated is at least approximately the same as a position of the first structure relative to the second structure before the actuator apparatus and the actuator device have been actuated.

Growing community of inventors

The Dalles, OR, United States of America

Peter J Kunz