Suspended aerial vehicle system with thruster stabilization
AssigneeKyte Dynamics, Inc.
InventorIrfan-ur-rab Usman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suspended aerial vehicle system includes an aerial vehicle with a thruster assembly and a supporting line attached to the aerial vehicle that is capable of supporting at least some of the weight of the aerial vehicle. The supporting line may have an adjustable length which when varied, and in coordination with variations in a thrust characteristic of the aerial vehicle, may change the position of the aerial vehicle. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
Claims20
An aerial vehicle system, comprising:
- a mothership, wherein the mothership is a rotorcraft configured to generate thrust via thrusters of the mothership;
- an aerial vehicle, wherein the aerial vehicle is a rotorcraft configured to generate thrust via thrusters of the aerial vehicle;
- a winch system provided between the mothership and the aerial vehicle, wherein the winch system includes a supporting line and is configured to actuate to adjust a length of the supporting line;
- and
- a controller configured to cause the length of the supporting line to be adjusted and to cause the magnitude and direction of the thrust generated by the thrusters of the aerial vehicle to be adjusted, wherein the adjustments, in combination, cause the aerial vehicle to be stabilized, and
- wherein the supporting line assumes the majority of the vertical load of the aerial vehicle.
A controller for controlling an aerial vehicle system comprising a mothership and an aerial vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to:
- cause a length of a supporting line to be adjusted, wherein the supporting line is part of a winch system provided between the mothership and the aerial vehicle and configured to actuate to adjust the length of the supporting line;
- and
- cause the magnitude and direction of the thrust generated by thrusters of the aerial vehicle to be adjusted,
- wherein the adjustments to the supporting line and the thrust, in combination, cause the aerial vehicle to be stabilized, and
- wherein the supporting line assumes the majority of the vertical load of the aerial vehicle.
A method for controlling an aerial vehicle system comprising a mothership and an aerial vehicle, wherein the method comprises:
- causing a length of a supporting line to be adjusted, wherein the supporting line is part of a winch system provided between the mothership and the aerial vehicle and configured to actuate to adjust the length of the supporting line;
- and
- causing the magnitude and direction of the thrust generated by thrusters of the aerial vehicle to be adjusted,
- wherein the adjustments to the supporting line and the thrust, in combination, cause the aerial vehicle to be stabilized, and
- wherein the supporting line assumes the majority of the vertical load of the aerial vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.