US 6,847,865 B2Granted

Miniature, unmanned aircraft with onboard stabilization and automated ground control of flight path

OwnerErnest A. Carrollinventor

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Abstract

A miniature, unmanned aircraft for acquiring and/or transmitting data, capable of automatically maintaining desired airframe stability while operating by remote directional commands. The aircraft comprises a fuselage and a wing, a piston engine and propeller, a fuel supply, at least one data sensor and/or radio transceiver, a microprocessor disposed to manage flight, a radio transceiver for receiving remotely generated flight direction commands, a GPS receiver, a plurality of control surfaces and associated servomechanisms, for controlling flight stabilization and direction, roll, pitch, yaw, velocity, and altitude sensors. The microprocessor uses roll, pitch, yaw, and altitude data to control attitude and altitude of the aircraft automatically, but controls flight direction solely based on external commands. The aircraft does not exceed fifty-five pounds.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of controlling a miniature, unmanned aircraft capable of acquiring data or transmitting data or both acquiring and transmitting data, such that flight stabilization is automatically performed within the aircraft and flight direction is performed by external remotely generated signals, comprising the steps of:

providing a miniature, unmanned aircraft having an airframe including a fuselage, a wing, at least one control surface and at least one servomechanism disposed to operate a respective control surface, a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine and fuel supply system carried aboard the airframe, a propeller drivably connected to the engine, a mission data handling apparatus disposed selectively to acquire data or transmit data or to both acquire and transmit data, and a remotely controlled guidance system having a microprocessor disposed to manage flight, a radio frequency transceiver carried aboard the aircraft and disposed to receive remotely generated flight direction commands and to communicate flight direction commands to the microprocessor, and at least one flight stabilization sensor disposed to sense data relating to stabilization of the aircraft;
receiving remotely generated radio frequency flight direction commands on the transceiver and transmitting the flight direction commands to the microprocessor;
causing the flight stabilization sensor to transmit sensed data to the microprocessor;
causing the microprocessor to process flight direction commands and sensed data relating to stabilization to generate stabilization and directional command signals, and transmitting generated stabilization and directional command signals to at least one servomechanism;
determining the stabilization command signals transmitted to each servomechanism exclusively from data sensed by the flight stabilization sensor;
and
determining the directional command signals transmitted to each servomechanism based entirely and exclusively on direction commands received by the radio frequency transceiver.

4 more elements

A miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability comprising:

a) an airframe comprising an internal combustion engine adapted to provide motive power to said aircraft, a plurality of control surfaces adapted to respectively control at least a direction of flight, an attitude, and an altitude of said aircraft, each of said control surfaces being operatively connected to and actuated by a respective servomechanism responsive to a control signal provided thereto from a microprocessor;
b) a radio receiver disposed within said airframe adapted to receive a directional control signal from a transmitter located remotely therefrom, said receiver generating a directional control output signal;
c) a microprocessor having a plurality of inputs, at least one of said plurality of inputs being operatively connected to said output of said radio receiver and adapted to receive said directional control output signal therefrom, said microprocessor having a plurality of outputs connected to respective ones of said servomechanisms for providing said control signals thereto;
d) a plurality of sensors for sensing flight conditions of said aircraft and for generating output signals representative of said flight conditions a respective outputs thereof, said outputs each being operatively connected to respective ones of said plurality of microprocessor inputs, said plurality of sensors being disposed proximate said airframe;
wherein said microprocessor, acting upon said output signals from said plurality of sensors, and said directional control signal from said radio receiver provides all control signals required to fly said aircraft to said servomechanisms, and wherein directional control information is received exclusively from said remote location via said radio receiver, and all other information required to fly said aircraft is received exclusively from said plurality of sensors.

2 more elements

A miniature, unmanned, powered aircraft having remote guidance capability, comprising:

a) an airframe comprising an internal combustion engine adapted to provide motive power to said aircraft, a plurality of control surfaces comprising at least one control surface from the group:
a rudder, a flap, an elevators, and an aileron, said at least one control surface being adapted to respectively control at least a direction of flight, an attitude, and an altitude of said aircraft, each of said control surfaces being operatively connected to and actuated by a respective servomechanism responsive to a control signal provided thereto from a microprocessor;
b) a radio receiver disposed within said airframe adapted to receive a directional control signal from a transmitter located remotely therefrom, said receiver generating a directional control output signal
c) a microprocessor having a plurality of inputs, at least one of said plurality of inputs being operatively connected to said output of said radio receiver and adapted to receive said direction control output signal therefrom, said microprocessor having a plurality of outputs connected to respective ones of said servomechanisms for providing said control signals thereto;
d) a plurality of sensors comprising at least one of the group:
roll sensor, pitch sensor, and yaw sensor, an altimeter, a compass, and a velocity sensor for sensing flight conditions of said aircraft and for generating output signals representative of said flight conditions at respective outputs thereof, said outputs each being operatively connected to respective ones of said plurality of microprocessor inputs, said plurality of sensors being disposed proximate said airframe;
wherein said microprocessor, acting upon said output signals from said plurality of sensors, and said directional control signal from said radio receiver provides all control signals required to fly said aircraft to said servomechanisms, and wherein directional control information is received exclusively from said remote location via said radio receiver, and all other information required to fly said aircraft is received exclusively from said plurality of sensors, said aircraft weighing no more than fifty-five pounds.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/255,183Filed 26 Sep 2002 · us provisional application
Priority: 27 Sep 2001
Published: US 2003/0060943 A127 Mar 2003
Granted: 25 Jan 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G05D 1/101
Simultaneous control of position or course in three dimensions: specially adapted for aircraft
F02B 75/34
Other engines: ultra-small engines, e.g. for driving models
B64U 50/11
Propulsion: using internal combustion piston engines
B64U 2101/30
UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications: for imaging, photography or videography