The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 04, 2026
Filed:
May. 07, 2024
The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US);
Jung Soon Jang, Bellevue, WA (US);
Justin Cleve Hatcher, Sumner, WA (US);
The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US);
Abstract
A boom guidance system for use during an automated air-to-air refueling (A3R) mission. The boom guidance system includes sensors configured to output sensor data indicative of a three-dimensional (3D) position of a fuel-receiving aircraft (receiver) and a refueling boom of a fuel-supplying aircraft (tanker) in a tanker reference frame and a boom reference frame, respectively. An electronic control unit ('ECU') is in communication with the sensors. The ECU is programmed to receive the sensor data and determine coordinates for a receptacle on the receiver in a tanker reference frame. The ECU is also programmed to transform the coordinates for the receptacle in the tanker reference frame into boom parameters, determine a receiver status for the receiver based on the boom parameters, and initiate an automatic breakaway of the refueling boom from the receiver when the receiver status satisfies a corresponding automatic breakaway condition.