Multicopter-assisted system and method for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft
AssigneeHood Technology Corporation
InventorsAndreas H. von Flotow, Corydon C. Roeseler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a multicopter-assisted launch and retrieval system generally including: (1) a multi-rotor modular multicopter attachable to (and detachable from) a fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; (2) a storage and launch system usable to store the modular multicopter and to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; and (3) an anchor system usable (along with the multicopter and a flexible capture member) to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from wing-borne flight.
Claims20
A multicopter comprising:
- a hub;
- multiple arms removably attachable to the hub, each arm including a rotor and a rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor;
- and
- multiple landing gear, each landing gear removably attachable to one of the arms,
- wherein for each arm, when one of the landing gear is attached to that arm, that landing gear is movable relative to that arm between a first position in which the rotor of that arm can contact that landing gear and a second position in which the rotor of that arm cannot contact that landing gear.
A multicopter comprising:
- a hub;
- first, second, third, and fourth arms removably attachable to the hub, each arm including an upper rotor, an upper rotor motor drivingly engaged to the upper rotor, a lower rotor, and a lower rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor;
- and
- first, second, third, and fourth landing gear respectively removably attachable to the first, second, third, and fourth arms,
- wherein for each arm, when the respective landing gear is attached to that arm, that landing gear is movable between a first radial position in which the upper and lower rotors of that arm can contact that landing gear and a second radial position in which the upper and lower rotors of that arm cannot contact that landing gear.
A method of preventing complete rotation of multiple rotors of a multicopter, the method comprising:
- for each of multiple arms of the multicopter, each arm including a rotor and a rotor motor drivingly engaged to the rotor, unlocking landing gear attached to that arm to enable that landing gear to move relative to that arm;
- and
- for each of the landing gear, moving that landing gear relative to the arm to which that landing gear is attached from a first position in which the rotor of that arm cannot contact the landing gear to a second position in which the rotor of that arm can contact that landing gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.