Method for improving ground travel capability and enhancing stealth in unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9555884-B2
Application number	US-201313769839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2013
Priority date	Feb 16, 2012
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A method for improving ground movement capability and enhancing stealth in unmanned aerial vehicles is provided. The present method comprises providing, in an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with wheels, one or more onboard drive means capable of translating torque through the vehicle wheels and controllable to move the unmanned aerial vehicle on the ground without reliance on the unmanned aerial vehicle main motive power source. The onboard drive means is controllably powered by a power source with substantially no acoustic signature to move the unmanned aerial vehicle quietly on the ground with only a minimal audible or visible footprint. This method provides a significant expansion of ground movement capability and expands the potential ground uses of unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly in military applications. The present method can also be applied to move any manned aerial vehicle or aircraft on the ground with only minimal audible or visible footprints.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating an unmanned aerial vehicle to enhance stealth and improve and expand ground movement capability in performing military and civilian operations, comprising:
a. equipping all wheels of an unmanned aerial vehicle with onboard electric drive means comprising electric drive motors mounted within each of the wheels of the unmanned aerial vehicle to drive each of the wheels and move the unmanned aerial vehicle on wet or dry sandy, muddy, and boggy ground surfaces, a main source of motive power to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a source of electric drive means power separate from the main source of motive power with a reduced acoustic signature and a reduced audible footprint compared to the acoustic signature and the audible footprint of the main source of motive power to operate the drive means to move all of the wheels and drive the unmanned aerial vehicle on the wet or dry sandy, muddy, and boggy ground surfaces;
b. defining a ground operation or task to be performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle in one or more selected ground environment locations with one or more of the wet or dry sandy, muddy, and boggy ground surfaces;
c. autonomously or remotely controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off from a takeoff location separate from the selected ground environment locations, flying the unmanned aerial vehicle with the main source of motive power to a selected ground environment location, and landing the unmanned aerial vehicle at the selected ground environment location;
d. further autonomously or remotely controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle after landing at the selected ground environment location to shut off the main source of motive power, powering the electric drive means to drive each of the wheels, driving the unmanned aerial vehicle on the one or more ground surfaces with the source of electric drive means power, and performing the defined operation or task at the reduced acoustic signature and reduced audible footprint; and
e. when the defined operation or task has been performed, autonomously or remotely controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to self destruct.

2. The method described in claim 1 , wherein the source of electric drive means power comprises an auxiliary power unit, batteries, fuel cells, solar power, or thermionic/thermotunneling power sources on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The method described in claim 1 , further comprising providing the unmanned aerial vehicle with self destruction means controllable integrally by a preset destruct setting in the autonomous control system or remotely by an operator to self destruct the unmanned aerial vehicle when the unmanned aerial vehicle has been moved on the ground to a position in a targeted location where it is necessary to self destruct the unmanned aerial vehicle or the defined ground operation or task requires destruction of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The method described in claim 1 , further comprising programming an autonomous control system to move the unmanned aerial vehicle with the reduced acoustic signature and reduced acoustic footprint to a targeted location on one of the ground surfaces to perform the defined operation or task; and automatically controlling the autonomous control system and moving the unmanned aerial vehicle to the targeted location and performing the defined operation or task.

5. The method described in claim 1 , further comprising providing an array of sensors on the unmanned aerial vehicle for performing the defined ground operation or task, driving the unmanned aerial vehicle with the electric drive means to a desired ground environment location, controlling the array of sensors as required by the defined ground operation or task to enter a hibernation mode until a preset input is measured, parking the unmanned aerial vehicle in the desired ground environment location during a time period while the sensors are in the hibernation mode, awaking the sensors from hibernation mode when the preset input is measured, and driving the unmanned aerial vehicle with the electric drive means to another desired ground environment location or shutting off the electric drive means source of power and using the main source of motive power to take off as required by the defined ground operation or task.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electric drive motors are selected from the group comprising high phase order electric motors, toroidally wound electric motors, axial flux electric motors, permanent magnet brushless electric motors, synchronous electric motors, asynchronous electric motors, pancake electric motors, switched reluctance electric motors, electric induction motors, and inside-out electric motors.

7. A method for extending effective ground travel range and ground operations that can be conducted by a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles capable of flight and ground movement on different ground surfaces, comprising:
a. providing a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles powered in flight by a primary source of motive power and equipped with multiple wheels for ground travel and controllable electric drive motors mounted within the wheels and powered by a secondary source of motive power set to produce a reduced acoustic profile and a reduced auditory footprint compared to an acoustic profile and auditory footprint produced by the primary source of motive power;
b. flying the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles with the primary source of motive power to a selected ground operation and location moving the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles on a ground surface by driving the multiple wheels to conduct a predetermined ground operation, wherein the ground surface of the selected ground operation location comprises a wet or dry sand, muddy, or boggy ground surface;
c. when the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles have landed at the selected ground operation location, deactivating the primary source of motive power, activating the secondary source of motive power to power the controllable electric drive motors, and controlling operation of the controllable electric drive motors to drive the multiple wheels and move the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles on the ground surface with the reduced acoustic profile and the reduced auditory footprint and conducting the predetermined ground operation;
d. when the predetermined ground operation has been completed by the plurality of the unmanned aerial vehicles at the selected ground operation location, deactivating the secondary source of motive power and activating the primary source of motive power to fly the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles away from the selected ground operation location, or causing the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles to self destruct.

8. The method described in claim 7 , wherein the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles are selected from the group comprising at least fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles and hybrid unmanned aerial vehicles.

9. The method described in claim 7 , further comprising automatically or manually controlling the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles from a location remote from the selected ground operations location to move said plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles on the ground surfaces and conducting the predetermined ground operation with the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.

10. The method described in claim 7 , further comprising:
providing the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles with an array of sensors to obtain information about the ground surfaces or to perform a task in the selected ground operation location;
landing the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles on one of the ground surfaces in the selected ground operation location;
power

Assignees

• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Cox Joseph
• Cox Rodney T
• Cox Isaiah W

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2201/10

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

• B64C39/024 Primary

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64C25/405 Primary

  Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing · CPC title

• B64C2201/141

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic