Unmanned aerial vehicle recovery system
AssigneeGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
InventorsKevin David Koller, Michael Joseph Allwein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Features for in-flight recovery of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A towline may be deployed by a host aircraft in-flight in order to recover a target UAV that is also in-flight. A reel on the host aircraft may pay out the towline having a fitting thereon. A catch on the target UAV may engage with the fitting on the towline, and the reel may then retract the towline to thereby pull in the target UAV to the host aircraft. The target UAV may then securely attach with the host aircraft.
Claims21
A system for in-flight recovery of a target aircraft by a host aircraft during forward flight, the system comprising:
- a reel configured to attach with the host aircraft;
- a towline comprising an aft section, a weighted section, and a forward section, a fitting attached to the aft section and the forward section is separated from the aft section by the weighted section, wherein the reel is configured to pay out the towline from the reel to extend the fitting away from the host aircraft during forward flight;
- a catch system configured to attach with the target aircraft and to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration, the catch system is configured to vertically receive a part of the towline located forward of the fitting, and in the second configuration, the catch system is configured to prevent vertical separation of the towline from the catch system as the catch system and the towline move horizontally relative to each other;
- wherein the catch system is further configured to engage with the fitting after sufficient relative horizontal movement between the catch system and the towline, and wherein the reel is further configured to retract the towline with the catch system engaging the fitting to direct the target aircraft towards the host aircraft.
A method for in-flight recovery of a target aircraft by a host aircraft during forward flight, the method comprising:
- deploying a towline away from the host aircraft;
- vertically receiving the towline with a catch system on the target aircraft;
- causing relative horizontal movement between the catch system and the towline;
- engaging a fitting attached to the towline with the catch system after sufficient relative horizontal movement between the catch system and the towline;
- and
- retracting the towline toward the host aircraft to direct the target aircraft toward the host aircraft;
- wherein the towline includes a forward section separated from an aft section by a weighted section.
A system for in-flight recovery of a target aircraft by a host aircraft during forward flight, the system comprising:
- a reel configured to attach with the host aircraft;
- a towline comprising a forward section, an aft section, a weighted section located between the forward section and the aft section, and a fitting attached to the aft section, wherein the reel is configured to pay out the towline away from the host aircraft during forward flight such that the aft section extends substantially horizontally from the weighted section;
- and
- a catch system configured to attach with the target aircraft and to engage the fitting during forward flight,
- wherein the reel is further configured to retract the towline with the catch system engaging the fitting to direct the target aircraft towards the host aircraft;
- wherein the forward section is separated from the aft section by the weighted section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.