Countermeasure deployment system facilitating neutralization of target aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440656-B2
Application number	US-201816151307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2018
Priority date	Oct 3, 2018
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

A system for neutralizing target aerial vehicles comprises a projectile launching mechanism that launches a projectile that supports a counter-attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having an aerial vehicle countermeasure. The counter-attack UAV can be folded in the projectile, and operable to unfold when separated from the projectile. The system comprises an aerial vehicle detection system comprising a detection sensor that detects a target aerial vehicle. Upon detection, the projectile launching mechanisms launches the projectile, and the counter-attack UAV is thereafter separated from the projectile to operate in flight to neutralize the detected target aerial vehicle with the aerial vehicle countermeasure. The projectile launching mechanism can comprise a movable platform comprising a plurality of projectiles and counter-attack UAVs, and can comprise a detection sensor to detect target aerial vehicles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for neutralizing a target aerial vehicle, comprising:
a projectile launching mechanism;
a projectile launchable by the projectile launching mechanism; and
an aerial vehicle detection system comprising at least one detection sensor operable to detect a target aerial vehicle while in flight, and operable, in response to the detection, to provide command data to at least one of the launching mechanism or a counter-attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to facilitate neutralization of the target aerial vehicle, the counter-attack UAV supported by and separable from the projectile, and comprising an aerial vehicle countermeasure,
wherein the projectile is formed from at least a first housing section and a second housing section releasably coupled to each other and defining an inner chamber that contains the counter-attack UAV,
wherein, based on the command data, the projectile launching mechanism is operable to launch the projectile,
wherein the first housing section and the second housing section are separable from one another to release the counter-attack UAV from the inner chamber at a particular geolocation relative to the target aerial vehicle in response to the command data, and
wherein upon release of the counter-attack UAV from the projectile, the counter-attack UAV is operable to neutralize the target aerial vehicle with the aerial vehicle countermeasure.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the counter-attack UAV is configured in a folded position within the projectile for aerial transport of the counter-attack UAV to a pre-determined location, and wherein the counter-attack UAV is operable to move to an unfolded position upon separation from the projectile.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the particular geolocation at which the counter-attack UAV is released from the projectile comprises an aerial position relative to the target aerial vehicle, such that the counter-attack UAV is undetectable by a sensor of the target aerial vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the command data comprises at least one of intercept data, aerial vehicle capture countermeasure deployment command data, target aerial vehicle detection data, counter-attack UAV control data, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle detection system comprises an on-board aerial vehicle detection system comprising the at least one detection sensor supported by the counter-attack UAV, and wherein the at least one detection sensor is configured to detect a position of the target aerial vehicle, and wherein a flight control system of the counter-attack UAV is operable to control autonomous flight of the counter-attack UAV based on the detected position of the target aerial vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle detection system comprises an on-platform aerial vehicle detection system comprising the at least one detection sensor supported by the projectile launching mechanism, and wherein the at least one detection sensor is operable to detect the target aerial vehicle, and wherein the on-platform aerial vehicle detection system is configured to provide command data to the counter-attack UAV to facilitate interception and neutralization of the target aerial vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle detection system comprises a ground-based aerial vehicle detection system associated with a ground-based structure, the ground-based external aerial vehicle detection system comprising the at least one detection sensor operable to detect the target aerial vehicle, and wherein the ground-based external vehicle detection system is operable to provide command data to at least one of the projectile launching mechanism or the counter-attack UAV to facilitate interception and neutralization of the target aerial vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the counter-attack UAV comprises a flight body and plurality of rotor assemblies each folded about the flight body, wherein the plurality of rotor assemblies are configured to unfold from the flight body upon the counter-attack UAV separating from the projectile.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inner chamber contains the counter-attack UAV in a folded position.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the projectile further comprises a housing release mechanism configured to at least partially separate the first housing section from the second housing section to expose the inner chamber, thereby facilitating separation and release of the counter-attack UAV from the projectile.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the housing release mechanism comprises a tether extending between the projectile and the projectile launching mechanism, wherein after launching the projectile, the tether facilitates separation of the first housing section from the second housing section to facilitate separation and release of the counter-attack UAV from the projectile.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle countermeasure is configured to disrupt operation of the target aerial vehicle, and comprises at least one of a flexible entangling element, a net, a fluid, pellets, an electrical discharge device, or an illumination device.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the counter-attack UAV further comprises a countermeasure launching device operable to launch the aerial vehicle countermeasure toward the target aerial vehicle to impact and neutralize the target aerial vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the aerial vehicle countermeasure comprises a net launchable by the countermeasure launching device to capture and neutralize the target aerial vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the projectile launching mechanism is configured to launch a plurality of projectiles, each projectile supporting a counter-attack UAV configured in a folded position.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the target aerial vehicle comprises a sensor defining a field of view, and wherein the projectile is configured to release the counter-attack UAV from a stealth position that is not within the field of view of the target aerial vehicle.

17. A system for detecting and neutralizing a target aerial vehicle, comprising:
a projectile launching mechanism;
a projectile launchable from the projectile launching mechanism to a pre-determined location, wherein the projectile is formed from at least a first housing section and a second housing section releasably coupled to each other and defining an inner chamber operable to support a counter-attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); and
separable from the projectile, and comprising an aerial vehicle countermeasure;

an aerial vehicle detection system comprising at least one detection sensor operable to detect a target aerial vehicle while in flight, and, upon the detection, operable to provide command data to at least one of the launching mechanism or the counter-attack UAV to facilitate neutralization of the target aerial vehicle,
wherein, based on the command data, the projectile launching mechanism is operable to launch the projectile to the pre-determined location,
wherein the first housing section and the second housing section separate from one another to release the counter-attack UAV from the inner chamber at a particular geolocation relative to the target aerial vehicle in response to the command data, and
wherein upon release of the counter-attack UAV from the projectile, the counter-attack UAV is operable to neutralize the target aerial vehicle via the aerial vehicle countermeasure.

18. The system of claim 1

Assignees

• Sarcos Corp

Inventors

• Smith Fraser M
• Olivier Marc X

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U2101/19

  for use as targets or decoys · CPC title

• G05D3/125

  using discrete position sensor · CPC title

• G05D1/86

  Monitoring the performance of the system, e.g. alarm or diagnosis modules · CPC title

• G05D1/82

  Limited authority control, e.g. enforcing a flight envelope (limitation of acceleration or structural stress G05D1/83) · CPC title