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US 11,377,207 B2Granted
Methods and apparatus to recover rotorcraft
AssigneeInsitu, Inc., a subsidiary of The Boeing Company
InventorsJeffrey David Lydecker, Rolf Rysdyk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus to recover rotorcraft are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a rotor of a vehicle, a rotatable hub to support the rotor, and a rotor hook disposed on the rotor. The rotor hook has a groove to receive a recovery line. The rotor is to contact the recovery line when the vehicle is flown toward the recovery line.
Claims19
An apparatus for recovery of an aircraft, the apparatus comprising:
- a rotor of the aircraft;
- a rotatable hub configured to support and rotate the rotor, the rotor extending from the rotatable hub;
- and
- a rotor hook positioned on the rotatable hub, the rotor hook having a groove configured to receive a recovery line for recovery of the aircraft, the rotor configured to contact the recovery line when the aircraft is flown toward the recovery line such that the rotation of the rotor causes at least a portion of the recovery line to be drawn toward and captured by the groove to recover the aircraft during flight thereof.
1 more element
A system for recovery of an aircraft, the system comprising:
- a rotor assembly of the aircraft, the rotor assembly including:
- a first rotor,
- a second rotor,
- a rotatable hub configured to support the first and second rotors, the first and second rotors extending from the rotatable hub such that the first and second rotors have a common axis of rotation, the rotatable hub having a first rotor hook with a first groove, the rotatable hub having a second rotor hook with a second groove, wherein an opening of the second groove faces a direction opposite an opening of the first groove, and
- a recovery line for recovery of the aircraft, wherein at least one of the first or second grooves is configured to receive the recovery line when the rotor assembly contacts the recovery line such that the rotation of at least one of the first and second rotors causes at least a portion of the recovery line to be drawn toward and captured by at least one of the first or second grooves to recover the aircraft during flight thereof.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.