Unmanned aerial vehicle catcher
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorHelmut Portmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Launch and recovery of an aerial vehicle by a forwardly moving surface vehicle relies on a winch module having a winch to selectively reel out and reel in a towline and a sensor capable of sensing tension in the towline. A lifting body assembly having a pair of lifting bodies and a snagging wire is connected to the towline. The lifting bodies lift and laterally extend the snagging wire between the lifting bodies. An aerial vehicle flying through the air engages the snagging wire by a hook. A first signal representative of tension of the towline causes the winch to reel in the towline and to bring the aerial vehicle to the surface vehicle, and a second sensor associated with the hook generates a second signal representative of tension in the hook and causes the aerial vehicle to cut its motor.
Claims18
A system for launch and recovery of an aerial vehicle by a surface vehicle comprising:
- a surface vehicle having a landing pad for an aerial vehicle, said surface vehicle being capable of generating a flowing stream of ambient air above it;
- a winch module on said surface vehicle, said winch module comprising a winch, a towline coupled to said winch, and a sensor capable of sensing tension in said towline, wherein said winch is configured to selectively reel out and reel in said towline;
- a lifting body assembly connected to said towline, said lifting body assembly having a pair of lifting bodies and a snagging wire, said lifting bodies being adapted to raise and lift said lifting body assembly, and said lifting bodies having fins configured to separate said lifting bodies in opposite lateral directions from each other and laterally extend said snagging wire between said lifting bodies when said lifting body assembly is exposed to said flowing stream;
- a motor driven aerial vehicle for flying through the air;
- and
- a grabber hook mechanism coupled to said aerial vehicle, said grabber hook mechanism comprising a pivoted boom supporting a hook to engage said snagging wire.
A method of launching and recovering an aerial vehicle by a surface platform comprising the steps of:
- generating a flowing stream of ambient air above the surface platform;
- providing a landing pad on said surface platform;
- connecting a lifting body assembly to a towline on a winch module on said surface platform, said lifting body assembly comprising a pair of lifting bodies, a snagging wire coupled to each said lifting body, and a branched tether coupled to each lifting body and said towline;
- providing fins on each said lifting body to separate said lifting bodies in opposite lateral directions from each other and laterally extend said snagging wire therebetween;
- selectively reeling out said towline from said winch module as said flowing stream lifts said lifting body assembly from said surface platform;
- laterally extending said snagging wire between said lifting bodies;
- flying a motor driven aerial vehicle through the air from behind to over said surface platform;
- and
- engaging said snagging wire by a grabber hook mechanism coupled to said aerial vehicle, said grabber hook mechanism having a pivoted boom supporting a hook to engage said snagging wire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.