Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

Riley C Griffin

Amanda Kaufman

James Donald Paduano

William Robert Bosworth

Jeffery Saunders

Martin Kearney-Fischer

Edward Scott

Daniel W Dichter

Evangelos Livieratos

Kevin Uleck

Sachin Jain

Sean Humbert

Nathan Varney

Michael Lieu

Roshan Kalghatgi

Scott McNee

A gimbal stabilizing system for an aircraft having an airframe is disclosed. The gimbal stabilizing system may comprise a gimbal apparatus having at least one gimbal actuator to adjust a position of the gimbal apparatus about an axis, wherein the gimbal apparatus is positioned on the airframe, an angular acceleration apparatus positioned on the airframe to generate an angular acceleration signal reflecting an angular acceleration of the airframe, and a gimbal controller operatively coupled to each of said angular acceleration apparatus and said gimbal apparatus. The gimbal controller may be configured to generate a gimbal control signal to compensate for the angular acceleration of the airframe based at least in part on a feedback control loop and a feedforward control loop, the feedforward control loop having the angular acceleration signal as an input thereto. The gimbal controller may be further configured to output the gimbal control signal to said gimbal apparatus to adjust a position of the gimbal apparatus.

Gimbal stabilization system and method

Disclosed is an aerial vehicle having a reduced noise signature. The aerial vehicle may be a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle. The aerial vehicle comprises an airframe and a plurality of rotors operatively coupled with one or more motors. The plurality of rotors may comprise a first, second, third, and fourth rotor. Each of the first, second, third, and fourth rotors may be arranged in a single plane and oriented to direct thrust downward relative to the airframe. In certain aspects, at least two of the plurality of rotors employ a different geometry to generate a targeted noise signature.

Systems and methods for reducing the propeller noise

An aircraft, system, and method for sensing and/or releasing chemical agents by an aircraft is disclosed. The aircraft, system, and method may employ a chemical sensor, a wind sensor, an imaging device for capturing environmental features, and/or a processor operably coupled therewith. The processor may be used for collecting data from the chemical sensor, the wind sensor, and the imaging device to identify a navigational waypoint and to provide commands to the chemical sensor or to the aircraft based at least in part on collected data.

Chemosensing autonomy system for a vehicle

An aerial vehicle comprising an airframe, an aircraft flight controller to provide an output control signal, and a planar printed circuit board positioned on the airframe. The printed circuit board may include coupled thereto a processor, a rate gyroscope, and at least three accelerometers. The processor is configured to generate an actuation signal based at least in part on a feedback signal received from at least one of said rate gyroscope and the at least three accelerometers. The processor communicates the actuation signal to said aircraft flight controller, which is configured to adjust the output control signal based on said actuation signal.

Distributed acceleration sensing for robust disturbance rejection

A hybrid-electric aerial vehicle is disclosed comprising: an airframe; a plurality of longitudinal booms extending radially from the airframe; a passively charged internal combustion engine operatively coupled with a fuel tank, a generator operatively coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine; a battery bank operatively coupled with the generator; and a plurality of motors. The passively charged internal combustion engine has an intake engine valve, an exhaust engine valve, and a combustion chamber, wherein the intake engine valve is delayed to provide an expansion ratio in the combustion chamber that is greater than a compression ratio in the combustion chamber. Each of said plurality of motors may be positioned at a distal end of one of said plurality of longitudinal booms and be operatively coupled with a propeller, wherein the plurality of motors is electrically coupled with the battery bank and the generator.

Vertical lift by series hybrid-propulsion

Disclosed herein is a distributed pressure sensor system that quickly detects and counters changes in lift, onset of stall, and flutter. The distributed pressure sensor system may employ a plurality of integrated pressure ports distributed across the span of a wing's leading edge to gather differential pressure measurements. Based on the differential pressure measurements, the distributed pressure sensor system can estimate torque on the fuselage to provide a more efficient estimate for changes in lift, onset of stall, and/or flutter. These estimates may be applied as feedback to the aircraft's control system, thereby eliminating the latency in the existing platform dynamics.

System and method for distributed airflow sensing

Disclosed herein is a cyclonic system for performing subtractive machining in microgravity systems. The cyclonic system comprises: an enclosure, a blower, and a debris collection module to collect the debris from the milling machine. The enclosure includes a top plate, a base plate, and a tapered side wall joining the top plate to the base plate. The enclosure defines a chamber to house a milling machine having a cutter tool. The blower generates an airstream that induces a cyclonic airflow to achieve cyclonic separation of debris within the enclosure. In operation, the cyclonic airflow urges the debris from the milling machine toward the base plate and into the milling machine.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Riley C Griffin