Launcher for an unmanned aircraft

A launcher for an unmanned aircraft, comprising:

• a launch rail having a track and at least one leg coupled to a distal end of said launch rail;
• a carriage slidably engaged on said launch rail and adapted to move linearly along said track;
• a pair of pulley drivers coupled to a proximal end of said launch rail, each of said pulley drivers comprising a slider assembly, wherein said pair of pulley drivers are oriented away from each other and adapted to produce a pair of opposing pulley drive forces in opposing directions relative to each other in order to propel said pair of slider assemblies away from each other;
• and
• a cable and pulley system for converting said pair of opposing pulley drive forces into a launching force for said carriage, said cable and pulley system being operatively associated with said pair of pulley drivers and said carriage, comprising:
• a pair of launch rail forward pulleys mounted alongside each other at said distal end of said launch rail;
• a pair of launch rail aft pulleys mounted alongside each other near said proximal end of said launch rail;
• a pulley block slidably engaged beneath said launch rail, comprising a pair of pulley block pulleys mounted alongside each other and a centering pulley block pulley mounted substantially at a centerline on said pulley block;
• a winch cable interface slidably engaged beneath said launch rail, said winch cable interface being disposed between said pulley block and said pair of launch rail forward pulleys;
• a centering pulley sheave located on said carriage;
• a pair of drive cam pulleys, each being rotatably coupled to an associated one of said slider assemblies;
• a first drive cable having each opposing end coupled to an associated one of said drive cam pulleys, and from there extending around said pair of launch rail aft pulleys, said first drive cable having an intermediate portion reeved around said centering pulley block pulley;
• a second drive cable having both opposing ends coupled to said winch cable interface, and from there extending around said pair of pulley block pulleys and further extending around said pair of launch rail forward pulleys at said distal end of said launch rail, said second drive cable also having an intermediate portion reeved around said centering pulley sheave;
• and
• a winch mounted at said distal end of said launch rail, said winch comprising a drum and a winch cable windable thereon, said winch cable also being coupled to said winch cable interface.

A launcher for an unmanned aircraft, comprising:

• a launch rail having a track and at least one leg removeably coupled to a distal end of said launch rail;
• a carriage slidably engaged on said launch rail and adapted to move linearly along said track;
• a first pulley driver hingedly and orthogonally coupled to a proximal end of said launch rail, said first pulley driver comprising a first slider assembly, one or more first linear bearing shafts, and one or more first compression springs, said one or more first compression springs being adapted to provide biasing to said first slider assembly linearly along said one or more first linear bearing shafts to produce a first pulley drive force;
• a second pulley driver hingedly and orthogonally coupled to a proximal end of said launch rail, said second pulley driver comprising a second slider assembly, one or more second linear bearing shafts, and one or more second compression springs, said one or more second compression springs being adapted to provide biasing to said second slider assembly linearly along said one or more second linear bearing shafts to produce a second pulley drive force;
• wherein said first pulley driver and said second pulley driver are oriented away from each other and adapted to produce said first pulley driver force and said second pulley drive force, respectively, in opposing directions relative to each other to propel said first slider assembly and said second slider assembly away from each other;
• and
• a cable and pulley system for converting both said first pulley drive force and said second pulley drive force into a launching force for said carriage, said cable and pulley system being operatively associated with said first pulley driver, said second pulley driver, and said carriage, comprising:
• a pair of launch rail forward pulleys mounted alongside each other at said distal end of said launch rail;
• a pair of launch rail aft pulleys mounted alongside each other near said proximal end of said launch rail;
• a pulley block slidably engaged beneath said launch rail, comprising a pair of pulley block pulleys mounted alongside each other and a centering pulley block pulley mounted substantially at a centerline on said pulley block;
• a winch cable interface slidably engaged beneath said launch rail, said winch cable interface being disposed between said pulley block and said pair of launch rail forward pulleys;
• a centering pulley sheave located on said carriage;
• a first drive cam pulley rotatably coupled to said first slider assembly;
• a second drive cam pulley rotatably coupled to said second slider assembly;
• a first drive cable having each opposing end coupled to said first drive cam pulley and said second drive cam pulley, and from there extending around said pair of launch rail aft pulleys, said first drive cable also having an intermediate portion reeved around said centering pulley block pulley;
• a second drive cable having both ends end coupled to said winch cable interface, and from there extending around said pair of pulley block pulleys and further extending around said pair of launch rail forward pulleys at said distal end of said launch rail, said second drive cable also having an intermediate portion reeved around said centering pulley sheave on said carriage;
• and
• a winch mounted at said distal end of said launch rail, said winch comprising a drum and a winch cable windable thereon, said winch cable also being coupled to said winch cable interface.