64 results about "Flight pattern" patented technology

The present invention relates to a system for retrieving data from remote difficult to reach terrain, such as wilderness areas, etc. and in particular to a system comprised of one or more surface based data collectors in communication with one or more wireless transceivers adapted to transmit the collected data to an unmanned aerial vehicle adapted to fly within a predetermined distance from the data collector and receive data collected therefrom. The present invention further relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle adapted to fly a flight pattern relative to a moveable surface object or for controlling the position of a moveable surface object relative to the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Finally, the present invention relates to an improved unmanned aerial vehicle having airframe structural elements with electrical circuits adhered to the surfaces of the structural elements.

An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using a set of wing mounted thrust producing elements and a set of tail mounted rotors for takeoff and landing. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to vertical takeoff with the rotors in a rotated, take-off attitude then transitions to a horizontal flight path, with the rotors rotated to a typical horizontal configuration. The aerial vehicle uses different configurations of its wing mounted rotors and propellers to reduce drag in all flight modes.

An improved golf ball driver has a first weight positioned within the clubhead of the driver, and a first means for adjusting the first weight in a generally vertical direction within the clubhead, that is, from top to bottom thereof. The improved driver also has a second weight positioned within the clubhead, and a second means for adjusting the second weight in a generally horizontal direction within the clubhead, that is from the heel to the toe thereof. Adjusting the weights allows a golfer to eliminate natural swing problems and / or to make a desired change in the flight pattern of a golf ball when it is struck by the driver.

A system and method for deploying and / or retrieving a cable underwater. In an embodiment, a system comprises a cage, comprising a guidance system adapted to be remotely operable subsea by a vessel; a communications link operatively linking the guidance system and the vessel; and a non-palletized reel rotatably and removably mounted within the cage, the reel adapted to receive an unspoolable length of cable, the cable comprising two fee ends. In an exemplary method, the reel, onto which cable is spooled is removably and rotatably housed in a cage adapted for remote control use underwater and the cage lowered by a vessel to a position proximate a seafloor. The cage is maneuvered along a predefined flight pattern in substantially a single plane with respect to the seafloor while selectively releasing the cable from the reel. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of meaning of the claims.

An unmanned air vehicle for military, land security and the like operations includes a fuselage provided with foldable wings having leading edge flaps and trailing edge ailerons which are operable during ascent from launch to control the flight pattern with the wings folded, the wings being deployed into an open unfolded position when appropriate. The vehicle is contained within a pod from which it is launched and a landing deck is provided to decelerate and arrest the vehicle upon its return to land.

An aircraft-mounted base transceiver station (mBTS) for providing intermittent coverage in a cellular radio network. The mBTS utilizes the existing protocol of its terrestrial counterparts, thereby avoiding dual-mode devices and enabling common usage of terminal monitoring and device management systems for devices connected to a single radio access network even when outside terrestrial coverage areas. The aircraft follows a transient flight pattern, providing intermittent flyover connectivity for remote radio device such as machine-type devices. Connectivity may be store and forward. Channel usage may be adjusted to avoid interfering with terrestrial communication cells during flyover. Doppler effects due to aircraft speed may be accounted for. The mBTS may be configured to service in-range radio devices which are outside a Doppler-inhibited region and / or to prioritize communication with devices based on expected time outside the Doppler-inhibited region. An aircraft mounted antenna may have a radiation pattern focused toward devices outside the Doppler-inhibited region.

A terrestrial cell site handoff list is dynamically maintained for an airborne cellular system. A beam pattern is maintained relative to an airborne cellular system repeater, but rotates relative to the geographic area of coverage. A location and heading of the airplane, locations of respective beams transmitted from the airplane based on airplane flight pattern data, and locations of respective cell sites within a vicinity of footprints of the respective beams transmitted from the airplane are determined. A list of viable handoff terrestrial cell site candidates is then calculated based on the beam pattern, the location and heading of the airplane, the locations of respective beams transmitted from the airplane based on airplane flight pattern data, and the locations of respective cell sites.

An unmanned air vehicle for military, land security and the like operations includes a fuselage provided with foldable wings having leading edge flaps and trailing edge ailerons which are operable during ascent from launch to control the flight pattern with the wings folded, the wings being deployed into an open unfolded position when appropriate. The vehicle is contained within a pod from which it is launched and a landing deck is provided to decelerate and arrest the vehicle upon its return to land.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for protecting aircraft includes a plurality of missile warning sensors and a turret mounted near the top of at least one support structure. Each missile warning sensor is operable to detect a missile and the turret is operable to emit a laser beam that is directed toward the missile to divert the missile from its intended flight pattern.

An aircraft-mounted base transceiver station (mBTS) for providing intermittent coverage in a cellular radio network. The mBTS utilizes the existing protocol of its terrestrial counterparts, thereby avoiding dual-mode devices and enabling common usage of terminal monitoring and device management systems for devices connected to a single radio access network even when outside terrestrial coverage areas. The aircraft follows a transient flight pattern, providing intermittent flyover connectivity for remote radio device such as machine-type devices. Connectivity may be store and forward. Channel usage may be adjusted to avoid interfering with terrestrial communication cells during flyover. Doppler effects due to aircraft speed may be accounted for. The mBTS may be configured to service in-range radio devices which are outside a Doppler-inhibited region and / or to prioritize communication with devices based on expected time outside the Doppler-inhibited region. An aircraft mounted antenna may have a radiation pattern focused toward devices outside the Doppler-inhibited region.

A system and method for advanced warning of severe weather for general aviation aircraft is presented. An aircraft includes an onboard weather tracker which monitors atmospheric condition changes. The weather tracker uses data from an onboard barometric altimeter and a GPS device to calculate air pressure changes in order to identify when the aircraft is flying into a low-pressure zone. The weather tracker uses the air pressure's rate of change and the aircraft's speed to determine the criticality of a situation and appropriately notifies a pilot. The weather tracker provides the pilot with local airport information and alternative flight pattern information per the pilot's request.

A system and method for autonomous dynamic air traffic management. The method includes sensing a current location of a flying platform using at least one of a plurality of positioning sensors onboard the flying platform, transmitting location transmissions and receiving location transmissions from other flying platforms, determining from the received location transmissions and the sensed current location whether the flying platform and another flying platform are flying in a mutually intentional flight pattern or in a mutually unintentional flight pattern, based on one or more indications; refraining from alerting when the flying platform and the other flying platform fly close to each other within a predetermined range when flying in a mutually intentional flight pattern; detecting a risk of collision between the flying platform and said another of said one or a plurality of flying platforms; and generating an evading action instruction for the flying platform to avoid the collision.

Method and system for analyzing aircraft data, including multiple selected flight parameters for a selected phase of a selected flight, and for determining when the selected phase of the selected flight is atypical, when compared with corresponding data for the same phase for other similar flights. A flight signature is computed using continuous-valued and discrete-valued flight parameters for the selected flight parameters and is optionally compared with a statistical distribution of other observed flight signatures, yielding atypicality scores for the same phase for other similar flights. A cluster analysis is optionally applied to the flight signatures to define an optimal collection of clusters. A level of atypicality for a selected flight is estimated, based upon an index associated with the cluster analysis.

Described herein are systems and methods for tracking suspect aircraft. One embodiment is related to a method including receiving location data and current flight data of an aircraft, analyzing the location data and current flight data using flight behavior algorithms, detecting route deviation of the aircraft, and providing a report of flight pattern analysis and the detected route deviation to at least one device on a network. Another embodiment is related to a system comprising a location network determining location data of an aircraft, a searchable database storing historical flight activity data, current flight data, and the location data from the location network, a flight tracking module receiving location data and the current flight data of the aircraft from the database, analyzing the location data and current flight data using flight behavior algorithms, detecting route deviation of the aircraft based on the historical flight activity data, and providing a report of flight pattern analysis and the detected route deviation to at least one device on a network.

The disclosure provides an approach for performing inspections. An image analysis application is configured to receive sensor data captured at least by one or more sensors mounted on a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying along at least one programmed flight pattern. The image analysis application is further configured to normalize the sensor data, and determine anomalies based, at least in part, on differences between the normalized sensor data and sensor data previously captured at least by one or more sensors mounted on a second UAV flying along the at least one programmed flight pattern. In addition, the image analysis application is configured to generate a report indicating the determined anomalies.

A bistatic radar system and method. In the illustrative embodiment, a receiver is positioned in a horizontal plane. A transmitter is then positioned in Middle Earth Orbit at a position that is nearly vertical to the plane of the receiver. This configuration provides significant flexibility for the radar system. As such, the radar system may engage in flight patterns, in which the transmitter and receiver have velocity vectors in opposite directions (GMTI mode), the same direction (SAR mode) and variations in between (mixed mode). Lastly, a broad beam is generated from the transmitter and illuminates an area enabling several receivers to simultaneously observe the illuminated area.

Systems, computer program products, and methods for displaying navigation performance based flight path deviation information during the final approach segment to a runway and during landing of non-precision flight modes are provided. Improved graphical depictions of navigation performance based flight path deviation information provide pilots and flight crew members with clear, concise displays of the dynamic relationship between ANP and RNP, mode and aspect of flight and related procedures, intersecting flight paths, and current actual flight path deviation from a predefined flight path during the final approach segment to a runway and during landing. For example, an enhanced IAN display may include NPS-type deviation scales to show RNP / ANP relationships and predetermined RNP markers to alert the pilots and flight crew members that the FMC has transitioned from an NPS display for RNAV (LNAV / VNAV) flight procedures to an enhanced IAN display for a non-precision (non-xLS) approach and / or landing.

The Curtis Protocol, an aircraft control interface, is provided. The Curtis Protocol standardizes the division and selection of aircraft flight regimes and flight modes within the selected flight regime.

The invention provides a waypoint path self-learning flight method and system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The method comprises the following steps: acquiring each waypoint of a terrain to be flown over and constructing a waypoint database of the terrain to be flown over; reading waypoints between a predetermined starting point and a predetermined ending point of the UAV in the waypoint database of the terrain to be flown over, and acquiring a route path between the predetermined starting point and the predetermined ending point of the terrain to be flown over based on an ant state transition rule. According to the waypoint path self-learning flight method for the UAV, the waypoint database of the terrain to be flown over is constructed; when the predetermined starting point and the predetermined ending point are input, a path route can be fast obtained through an ant colony algorithm; therefore, after the UAV flies manually for the first time, the UAV in an automatic flight mode can automatically select a proper flight path according to real-time situations in a complex environment, quickly passes through a target area and reaches the predetermined ending point, and the UAV also can automatically select to land or return according to complex situations after a mission is completed.

An aircraft includes a fuselage, a wing, a ducted fan and a controller. The wing and the ducted fan are coupled to the fuselage. The controller is operable to control the aircraft in a vertical flight mode, a horizontal flight more, and transition the aircraft from the vertical flight mode to the horizontal flight mode.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus comprising an illumination system which produces a light pattern ahead of the turbine blades which disrupts a bird's flight pattern and thus reduces and / or prevents the bird's impact on turbine blades.

Described herein are systems and methods for tracking suspect aircraft. One embodiment is related to a method including receiving location data and current flight data of an aircraft, analyzing the location data and current flight data using flight behavior algorithms, detecting route deviation of the aircraft, and providing a report of flight pattern analysis and the detected route deviation to at least one device on a network. Another embodiment is related to a system comprising a location network determining location data of an aircraft, a searchable database storing historical flight activity data, current flight data, and the location data from the location network, a flight tracking module receiving location data and the current flight data of the aircraft from the database, analyzing the location data and current flight data using flight behavior algorithms, detecting route deviation of the aircraft based on the historical flight activity data, and providing a report of flight pattern analysis and the detected route deviation to at least one device on a network.

A communication system for supporting communications with a target market area. The system includes one or more solar-powered aircraft maintained in, or successively passing through, flight stations or flight patterns around the market area. Each of the aircraft targets limited beamwidth communication antennas on a substantial portion of the target market area. The control system is configured to fly selective flight patterns depending on the aircraft characteristics and the flight conditions. The flight patterns may emphasize high-power-generation patterns such as flying away from the sun for aircraft with wing-mounted solar cells.

This waterfowl decoy kite is designed in a manner that allows for its deployment over a body of water or other potential waterfowl landing area to facilitate the attracting of specific species to the hunter. The kite is made from a an oval wing and circular stabilizer. The wing and stabilizer may have a variety of notches so as to impart bird like characteristics to the kites flight pattern and visual appeal. The kite may also be painted so as to exhibit a bird like appearance during flight.

The invention discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle formation performance system based on UWB location and an implementation method thereof. An ultra broadband wireless communication technology and a time division TDoA technology are utilized to establish a three-dimensional location system applied to indoor and outdoor small areas; varieties of technologies of micro quadcopter formation navigationflight technology, a full-color LED light dimming technology and the like are combined to be applied to an indoor / outdoor small area performance system. In a three-dimensional location area, an aircraft colony performing navigation flight according to planned tracks, and color change of dimmable LED lamps arranged on a plurality of micro aircrafts is controlled to construct varieties of static and dynamic flight patterns, and stronger visual effect can be generated. As the time division TDoA technology based on UWB, a computer simulation micro aircraft colony flight pattern technology, an unmanned aerial vehicle colony flight pattern distribution storage technology and a PC coordinator synchronization and self synchronization combined technology are utilized, price of the whole system canbe reduced.

A kite for a system for extracting energy from the wind, the kite comprising: a body having a wing for providing lift; means for connecting the wing to a tether; and means for controlling the flight of the kite in the wind, wherein the wing is constructed with an asymmetry in a spanwise direction from a first end of the wing to a second end of the wing to provide the wing with a naturally asymmetric shape at least when in flight. The asymmetry may be provided to optimise the shape of the wing for a flight pattern in which one end of the wing has a higher speed than the other end of the wing. For example, the asymmetry may be optimised to allow the kite to follow a flight pattern resembling a circle or spiral, from the point of view of a base unit of the system.

The invention discloses an intelligent balloon. The intelligent balloon comprises a balloon body, a balloon valve, a ballast device, a collecting device and a controller, wherein the balloon valve is arranged on the balloon body and used for deflating the intelligent balloon when being opened; the ballast device is used for releasing ballast; the collecting device is used for collecting environment parameters and flight state information of the intelligent balloon; and the controller is respectively connected with the balloon valve, the ballast device and the collecting device to determine the flight mode of the intelligent balloon according to the flight state information of the intelligent balloon and control the balloon valve and the ballast device according to the flight mode, the environment parameters and the flight state information. According to the invention, the lifting of the balloon can be intelligently controlled and the service life of the balloon can be greatly prolonged so that the balloon can obtain much meteorological data through single flying; the same elevation can be measured for a plurality of times so that the reliability of the measured data is improved; and moreover, the balloon can be controlled to safety and stably land to achieve the purpose of being recycled so that the flight cost is reduced.

The invention provides a flight state information displaying method of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The flight state information displaying method comprises the steps of obtaining all flight state information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, determining flight modes of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight state information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, selecting relevant flight state information associated with the flight modes of the unmanned aerial vehicle from all the flight state information and displaying the relevant flight state information on a display screen of a remote-control unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The invention further provides a flight state information displaying device of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The flight state information displaying method and the flight state information displaying device of the unmanned aerial vehicle determine the relevant flight state information displayed on the display screen according to the flight modes of the unmanned aerial vehicle so that a user can obtain the flight states of the unmanned aerial vehicle in time and can accurately control the unmanned aerial vehicle.