The airborne vehicle recovery method and apparatus enables radiosonde users to reliably recover launched radiosondes and provides new and unique opportunities for research and data acquisition with balloon launched radiosondes. Airborne vehicles such as radiosondes are disposed in a flight body adapted for propulsionless, gliding navigation for returning to one of several designated landing sites for recovery. Onboard electronics including a navigation computer, flight computer, and lightweight battery are employed for selecting a landing site, computing a heading and direction, and actuating flaps for pursuing a propulsionless, gliding path to the landing site. Gliding is directed only by right and left flaps responsive to respective actuators, such that the inclusion of only the actuators, navigation and flight electronics, and without active propulsion, enables sufficient gliding range from the lightweight construction and arrangement to reach one of several landing sites for effecting substantial recovery rates of the radiosondes.
Airborne vehicle recovery
2019-09-17
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
IPC: | G05D SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES , Systeme zum Steuern oder Regeln nichtelektrischer veränderlicher Größen / B64B LIGHTER-THAN-AIR AIRCRAFT , Luftfahrzeuge leichter als Luft / B64C AEROPLANES , Flugzeuge / B64D Ausrüstung für Flugzeuge , EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT |
Systems and methods for recovery of tethered airborne vehicle
Europäisches Patentamt | 2019
|Airborne docking system and method for unmanned aerial vehicle recovery
Europäisches Patentamt | 2021
|