RAPID AIRCRAFT INSPECTION WITH AUTONOMOUS DRONE BASE STATION SYSTEMS

    公开(公告)号:US20220024577A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-01-27

    申请号:US16937937

    申请日:2020-07-24

    申请人: Easy Aerial Inc.

    发明人: Ivan Stamatovski

    摘要: A system for inspecting an aircraft includes a drone, a base station, and a controller. The drone includes one or more cameras. The base station has a storage compartment configured to store the autonomous drone therein. The controller has a processor and a memory. The memory has instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the base station to drive to a first predetermined location relative to the aircraft, and cause the drone to fly from the storage compartment of the base station to a first predetermined position relative to the aircraft so that the drone can record image data of at least portions of the aircraft with the one or more cameras.

    METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING, POSITIONING AND CAPTURING AN INTRUDER IN-FLIGHT USING A LASER DETECTION AND RANGING DEVICE

    公开(公告)号:US20200180784A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-06-11

    申请号:US16341171

    申请日:2017-10-03

    发明人: Yaacov FRUCHT

    摘要: A method and a system for detecting and positioning an intruder within a specified volume are provided herein. The method may include the following steps: periodically scanning using a laser detection and ranging (LADAR) device directing a laser beam, within the specified volume; collecting reflections of the laser beam arriving from objects within the volume; converting the reflections to LADAR signal indicative of spatiotemporal presence of objects within the volume; applying signal processing algorithms to the LADAR signals, to determine a presence of an intruder and respective orientation parameters, based on predefined criteria; directing a camera based on the orientation parameters associated with the intruder for continuously capturing images of the intruder; and analyzing the images by a computer processor and instructing the camera to track the intruder based on the analysis, to yield real-time tracking parameters of the intruder.

    SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ATTITUDE CONTROL OF TETHERED AEROSTATS

    公开(公告)号:US20200024000A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-23

    申请号:US15776552

    申请日:2016-11-16

    IPC分类号: B64F3/00 B64B1/50

    摘要: A control system for a tethered aerostat is provided, where at least one rotational and at least one translational degree of freedom are controlled to setpoints through the variation of tether lengths by an actuator system. The term tether includes a single tether, a tether group or a sub section of tether controlled by an individual actuator. Accurate rotational and translational control is essential for the successful operation of an aerostat under several applications, including surveillance, weather monitoring, communications, and power generation. For a given use case, the controller can be constructed and arranged to manage the tradeoff between several key performance characteristics, such as transient performance, steady-state pointing accuracy, tether tension regulation, and power generation.

    System for starting and landing a flight-capable wing construction

    公开(公告)号:US10443565B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-10-15

    申请号:US15320087

    申请日:2015-06-29

    申请人: ENERKITE GMBH

    摘要: A wind-driveable wing construction (30) which comprises a tether line (40), which is designed to connect the wing construction to a ground station (10) during operation, and one end of the tether line (40) being attached to the wing construction; and a bridle line system comprising a multiplicity of bridle lines (70, 71). At least two bridle lines having an end connected to the wing construction and at least one bridle line has an end connected to the tether line (40). The bridle line system is detachably connected to the tether line, during operation. The tether line (40) has a first sleeve (130) which is attached to the tether line, the bridle line system has a second sleeve (120), to which the at least one bridle line (70, 71) is connected. A capture cable is passed through the second sleeve, and the sleeves are designed to form a detachable connection.

    Systems and methods for recovery of tethered airborne vehicle

    公开(公告)号:US10266259B1

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-23

    申请号:US15384436

    申请日:2016-12-20

    摘要: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for increasing the mechanical energy of an aerial vehicle as part of an Airborne Wind Turbine are disclosed. The aerial vehicle is coupled to a distal portion of a tether and a ground station is coupled to a proximal portion of the tether. A mass possessing a gravitational potential energy is also coupled to the proximal portion of the tether. A connector is configured to releasably hold the mass at an elevation. Release of the mass transfers energy to the aerial vehicle by increasing tension in the tether.

    Flying object with multi-purpose landing gear module

    公开(公告)号:US20190054993A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-02-21

    申请号:US15999443

    申请日:2018-08-20

    发明人: Dong Min Kim

    摘要: A flying object with a landing gear module serving as a floating weight that can be used simultaneously with an airship and an aerial mooring type aerostat, and more particularly, a flying object capable of simultaneously allowing a landing gear to serve as a floating weight, thereby stably simplifying a mooring process of the flying object and manufacturing the flying object at low cost.

    Tethered unmanned aerial vehicle system

    公开(公告)号:US10099782B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-10-16

    申请号:US15210039

    申请日:2016-07-14

    发明人: Hank J. Hundemer

    摘要: In one aspect, an example system includes: (i) a base including a bottom surface and a first coupling-point; (ii) a vertically-oriented elongate structure comprising a lower end, an upper end, and an inner channel, wherein the inner channel comprises an upper access-point disposed proximate the upper end, wherein the base is coupled to the elongate structure proximate the lower end; (iii) a deployable cushioning-device coupled to the elongate structure; and (iv) a tether comprising a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, and a fourth portion, wherein the first portion is coupled to the first coupling-point, the second portion is coupled to a second coupling-point of the UAV, the third portion extends through the inner channel, the fourth portion extends from the upper access-point to the second coupling-point, and the fourth portion has a length that is less than a distance between the upper access-point and the bottom surface.