Flight configuration for payload and lift aircraft
AssigneeKitty Hawk Corporation
InventorsDamon Vander Lind, Gregory Mainland Horn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flight configuration is disclosed. The flight configuration includes a lift configuration in which a lift aircraft lifts a powered payload via a tether. The flight configuration comprises a series of steps for transitioning from the lift configuration to a forward flight configuration. In the forward flight configuration, the lift aircraft and the powered payload are in horizontal alignment.
Claims20
A system to lift and transport a payload comprising:
- two or more lift aircraft configured to lift the payload via respective tethers in a lift configuration in which each lift aircraft is tethered to the payload but not coupled rigidly to any other ones of the two or more lift aircraft, the two or more lift aircraft fly independently on a shared elliptical trajectory, and at least one of the two or more lift aircraft maneuvers independently of the other lift aircraft to maintain a position on the shared elliptical trajectory relative to one or more other of the lift aircraft;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- receive an indication to transition to a forward flight configuration in which the lift aircraft and the payload fly together in a forward flight direction;
- and
- compute and initiate a series of maneuvers to transition the one of more lift aircraft and the payload from the lift configuration to the forward flight configuration in which the lift aircraft fly substantially in parallel in the forward flight direction.
A method to lift and transport a payload, comprising:
- receiving an indication to transition from a lift configuration, in which two or more lift aircraft are configured to lift the payload via respective tethers, to a forward flight configuration, in which the lift aircraft and the payload fly together in a forward flight direction;
- and
- computing and initiating a series of maneuvers to transition the one of more lift aircraft and the payload from the lift configuration to the forward flight configuration;
- wherein in the lift configuration each lift aircraft is tethered to the payload but not coupled rigidly to any other ones of the two or more lift aircraft, the two or more lift aircraft fly independently on a shared elliptical trajectory, and at least one of the two or more lift aircraft maneuvers independently of the other lift aircraft to maintain a position on the shared elliptical trajectory relative to one or more other of the lift aircraft, and in the forward flight configuration the lift aircraft fly substantially in parallel in the forward flight direction.
A computer program product for a flight configuration for a payload and a lift aircraft, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:
- receiving an indication to transition from a lift configuration, in which two or more lift aircraft are configured to lift the payload via respective tethers, to a forward flight configuration, in which the lift aircraft and the payload fly together in a forward flight direction;
- and
- computing and initiating a series of maneuvers to transition the one of more lift aircraft and the payload from the lift configuration to the forward flight configuration;
- wherein in the lift configuration each lift aircraft is tethered to the payload but not coupled rigidly to any other ones of the two or more lift aircraft, the two or more lift aircraft fly independently on a shared elliptical trajectory, and at least one of the two or more lift aircraft maneuvers independently of the other lift aircraft to maintain a position on the shared elliptical trajectory relative to one or more other of the lift aircraft, and in the forward flight configuration the lift aircraft fly substantially in parallel in the forward flight direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.