Aerial vehicle with deployable components and configurable gearbox
AssigneeAnduril Industries, Inc.
InventorsNicholas Robert Alley, Joshua Lemming Steele, Jesse Owen Williams, Daniel Kuehme
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An unmanned aerial vehicle with deployable components (UAVDC) is disclosed. The system may include a sweeping gearbox designed to deploy at least one wing from a compact to a deployed arrangement. A controller may be configured to detect launch conditions, monitor for conditions, and trigger the gearbox upon condition fulfillment. Activation of the sweeping gearbox may result in wing deployment, adapted to the detected conditions. The method may involve deploying wings using the sweeping gearbox, launching detection, monitoring for conditions, and activating the gearbox for wing deployment upon condition detection.
Claims30
A system for deploying an aerial vehicle, the system comprising:
- a sweeping gearbox configured to:
- deploy at least one wing from a compact arrangement to a deployed arrangement;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- detect a launch,
- monitor for at least one condition,
- detect an event corresponding to the at least one condition, and
- activate the sweeping gearbox upon the detection of the event,
- wherein an activation of the sweeping gearbox is configured to cause a deployment of the at least one wing upon detection of the at least one condition.
A method for deploying an aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
- deploying at least one wing from a compact arrangement against the aerial vehicle to a deployed arrangement using a sweeping gearbox;
- determining that the aerial vehicle is launched;
- monitoring the aerial vehicle for at least one condition;
- activating the sweeping gearbox upon a determination of an occurrence of the at least one condition;
- and
- deploying the at least one wing in response to the activation of the sweeping gearbox.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.