High Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aircraft and Methods of Operation Thereof
AssigneeAeroVironment, Inc.
InventorEdward Oscar Rios
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments include one or more high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft (110) capable of persistent station-keeping having one or more electromagnetic (IR/Visual/RF) sensor elements or suites (112, 337) for purposes of survey and/or signal gathering. Embodiments include one or more high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft (110) capable of persistent station-keeping having a directable laser (331). Embodiments include a group of four or more high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft (611-614) configured as GPS repeaters.
Claims25
A method of global positioning system (GPS) signal augmentation comprising:
- deploying a group of four or more high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft, each unmanned aircraft comprising a GPS antenna, GPS receiver, and a GPS repeater;
- receiving, by at least four of the four more HALE unmanned aircraft, a GPS signal from a respective GPS satellite;
- and
- forming, by each of the at least four HALE unmanned aircraft respectively, a repeatable received GPS signal for transmission.
A system of global positioning system (GPS) signal augmentation comprising:
- a group of four or more high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft, each aircraft comprising a GPS antenna, GPS receiver, and a GPS repeater;
- wherein each HALE unmanned aircraft is configured to receive a GPS signal from a respective GPS satellite, and form a repeatable received GPS signal for transmission.
A method of satellite sensor interdiction comprising:
- deploying a first high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft comprising a satellite tracker and a directable electromagnetic (EM) radiation emitter in cooperation with the satellite tracker,
- acquiring, by the satellite tracker, a satellite having an onboard EM sensor;
- tracking, by the satellite tracker, the acquired satellite;
- and
- emitting interdicting EM radiation, by the directable EM radiation emitter, to the tracked satellite.
A system for satellite sensor interdiction comprising:
- a first high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft comprising:
- a satellite tracker and a directable electromagnetic (EM) radiation emitter in cooperation with the satellite tracker wherein the satellite tracker is configured to acquire and track a satellite having an onboard EM sensor;
- and wherein the directable EM radiation emitter is configured to emitting interdicting EM radiation to the EM sensor of the tracked satellite.
A high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage having an outer skin, the fuselage comprising a communication suite;
- and
- an electromagnetic radiation sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor elements disposed about the outer skin of the fuselage;
- wherein the disposition of the sensor elements define one or more sensor baselines;
- and
- wherein the HALE unmanned aircraft is configured to receive and process signal intelligence while flying in a stratospheric layer for a plurality of twenty-four hours periods.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.