# US 12,110,139 B2 · Air scoop solar shield for UAV > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,139 B2 - Document ID: US12110139B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/541,944 - Filed: 2021-12-03 - Published: 2023-06-08 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-03 - Assignees: Wing Aviation LLC - Applicants: WING Aviation LLC - Inventors: Evan Twyford; Ivan Qiu; James Juma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110139B2 ## CPC - B64U 20/92: of avionics - B60L 53/00: Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles - B64C 29/0025: {the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage} - B64U 20/96: using air - B64U 30/40: Empennages, e.g. V-tails (foldable or collapsible UAVs B64U20/50) - H05K 7/20409: {Outer radiating structures on heat dissipating housings, e.g. fins integrated with the housing} - B60L 2200/10: Air crafts - B64U 10/20: Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft (flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17) - B64U 10/25: Fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) - B64U 50/13: using external fans or propellers - B64U 50/37: Charging when not in flight - B64U 80/25: for recharging batteries; for refuelling - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a fuselage, electronics disposed with the fuselage, a heat sink, and a solar shield. The heat sink is thermally connected to the electronics and includes a cooling plate disposed on or extends through an exterior surface of the fuselage. The cooling plate is exposed to an external environment of the UAV to conduct heat from the electronics to the external environment via convection. The solar shield extends over the cooling plate and defines an air scoop within which the cooling plate is disposed. The air scoop directs airflow from the external environment across the cooling plate. The solar shield shades the cooling plate from solar radiation to prevent or reduce solar heating of the cooling plate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: a fuselage; electronics disposed with the fuselage; a heat sink thermally connected to the electronics, the heat sink including a cooling plate disposed on or extending through an exterior surface of the fuselage and exposed to an external environment of the UAV to conduct heat from the electronics to the external environment via convection; and a solar shield extending over the cooling plate and defining an air scoop within which the cooling plate is disposed to direct airflow from the external environment along an airduct passage that passes over the cooling plate, wherein the solar shield at least partially shades the cooling plate from solar radiation incident from above the UAV, wherein the solar shield is configured as a removeable mounting bracket that spans the heat sink and removably mounts a tail assembly including one or more stabilizers to the fuselage, wherein the airduct passage does not include an actuated obstruction that diverts airflow exiting the airduct passage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the cooling plate is disposed on or extends through a topside surface of the fuselage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The UAV of claim 2, wherein the cooling plate and the electronics are disposed in or on an aft section of the fuselage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the solar shield is integrated into the tail assembly forming a single contiguous member with the tail assembly. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, further comprising: a propeller mounted to the fuselage in line with the air scoop defined by the solar shield to blow or draw the airflow through the air scoop across the cooling plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The UAV of claim 5, wherein the propeller comprises a tail propeller mounted to a tail of the fuselage immediately behind the solar shield. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The UAV of claim 5, further comprising a controller disposed within the fuselage and including logic that when executed by the controller causes the UAV to perform operations comprising: spinning the propeller to blow or draw the airflow through the air scoop across the cooling plate while the UAV is landed on a charging pad and charging a battery disposed within the fuselage to cool the electronics, wherein the propeller is mounted to the UAV to provide horizontal propulsion to the UAV during horizontal cruise flight and a thrust of the propeller is limited during the spinning while the UAV is on the charging pad to prevent movement of the UAV while charging the UAV. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The UAV of claim 5, wherein the UAV comprises a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed wing aircraft including a plurality of vertical lift rotors and a plurality of horizontal thrust propellers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the cooling plate comprises cooling fins that extend into the air scoop and align with a direction of the airflow. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the solar shield is shaped to function as a clip-in mount for the tail assembly. ### Claim 11 A fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: a fuselage; electronics disposed with an aft section of the fuselage; a heat sink disposed in the aft section of the fuselage and thermally connected to the electronics, the heat sink including a cooling plate exposed from a topside of the fuselage to an external environment of the UAV to conduct heat from the electronics to the external environment via convection; and a solar shield extending over the cooling plate and defining an air scoop within which the cooling plate is disposed to direct airflow from the external environment along an airduct passage that passes over the cooling plate, wherein the solar shield shades the cooling plate from solar radiation incident from above the fixed wing UAV to reduce solar heating of the cooling plate by the solar radiation, wherein the solar shield is configured as a removeable mounting bracket that spans the heat sink and removably mounts a tail assembly including one or more stabilizers to the fuselage, wherein the solar shield is integrated into the tail assembly forming a single contiguous member with the tail assembly, wherein the airduct passage does not include an actuated obstruction that diverts airflow exiting the airduct passage. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The fixed wing UAV of claim 11, further comprising: a propeller mounted to the fuselage in line with the air scoop defined by the solar shield to blow or draw the airflow through the air scoop across the cooling plate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The fixed wing UAV of claim 12, wherein the propeller comprises a tail propeller mounted to a tail of the fuselage immediately behind the solar shield. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The fixed wing UAV of claim 12, further comprising a controller disposed within the fuselage and including logic that when executed by the controller causes the fixed wing UAV to perform operations comprising: spinning the propeller to blow or draw the airflow through the air scoop across the cooling plate while the fixed wing UAV is landed on a charging pad and charging a battery disposed within the fuselage, wherein the propeller is mounted to the fixed wing UAV to provide horizontal propulsion to the fixed wing UAV during horizontal cruise flight and a thrust of the propeller is limited during the spinning while the fixed wing UAV is on the charging pad to prevent movement of the fixed wing UAV while charging the fixed wing UAV.