System for shipboard launch and recovery of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aircraft and method therefor
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorJames M. Urnes, Sr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system to launch and recover an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft has a pole member attached to a deck of a ship. An arm member is attached to the pole member and extends away from the pole member in an approximately horizontal direction. The arm member is able to move rotationally and vertically on the pole member. An attachment mechanism is attached to a distal end of the arm member for holding and capturing the UAV aircraft. Momentum of the UAV aircraft causes the arm member to move rotationally around and vertically on the pole member when the UAV aircraft is coupled to the attachment mechanism.
Claims20
A system to launch and recover an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
- a pole member attached to a deck of a ship;
- an arm member attached to the pole member and extending away from the pole member in an approximately horizontal direction, the arm member being able to move rotationally around the pole member and vertically up and down the pole member;
- and
- an attachment mechanism attached to a distal end of the arm member for releasably holding, launching, and capturing the UAV aircraft;
- wherein momentum of the UAV aircraft causes the arm member to move rotationally around and vertically on the pole member when the UAV aircraft is coupled to the attachment mechanism.
A method for launching an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
- attaching the UAV aircraft to an approximately horizontal arm member, the approximately horizontal arm moveably coupled to an approximately vertical pole member;
- moving the horizontal arm vertically in a spiral direction up the approximately vertical pole member;
- and
- releasing the UAV aircraft from the approximately horizontal arm member when the UAV aircraft reaches launch airspeed.
A method of recovering an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft comprising:
- rotating an arm member on an approximately vertical pole member to a positioned approximately 90 degrees from a centerline of a deck, and at a top section of the approximately vertical pole member;
- capturing the UAV aircraft at a distal end of the arm member;
- and
- descending the arm member in a circular spiral down the vertical pole to reduce airspeed of the UAV aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.