Aircraft with integrated single sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567105-B2
Application number	US-201514722921-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2015
Priority date	Jun 2, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

An aircraft is provided and includes a single sensor and wings extending outwardly in opposite directions from a fuselage. Each wing includes a main section, an engine section supported on the main section and tail surfaces extending transversely relative to the main section. The single sensor is mountable to one of the tail surfaces with a field of view (FOV) representable as a spherical wedge having a dihedral angle exceeding 180°.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft, comprising:
a single sensor; and
wings extending outwardly in opposite directions from a fuselage, each wing comprising a main section, an engine section supported on the main section and tail surfaces extending transversely relative to the main section, and
the single sensor being mountable to one of the tail surfaces with a field of view (FOV) representable as a spherical wedge having a dihedral angle exceeding 180°;
wherein the single sensor comprises:
a pylon coupled to a distal end of the one of the tail surfaces and disposed to extend to the outer diameter of a rotor disk;
an aerodynamic fairing disposed along the pylon; and
a sensor element coupled to a distal end of the pylon.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is configured to perform unmanned vertical and horizontal flight, the FOV being horizontally and vertically directable during the vertical and horizontal flight, respectively.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising alighting elements disposed on the tail surfaces.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the FOV is bound by the rotor disk, a surface of the fairing and the other rotor disk.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a flight computer to which the single sensor is operably coupled via the tail surface and the main section.

6. An aircraft, comprising:
a fuselage;
wings extending outwardly in opposite directions from the fuselage, each wing comprising a main section, a rotor defining a rotor disk, an engine nacelle supported on the main section and configured to drive rotor rotation and tail surfaces extending transversely relative to the main section; and
a single sensor mounted to one of the tail surfaces for disposition in substantial alignment with an outer diameter of the rotor disk;
wherein the single sensor comprises:
a pylon coupled to a distal end of one of the tail surfaces and disposed to extend to the outer diameter of a rotor disk;
an aerodynamic fairing disposed along the pylon; and
a sensor element coupled to a distal end of the pylon.

7. The aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein the aircraft is configured to perform unmanned vertical and horizontal flight.

8. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein a field of view (FOV) of the single sensor is horizontally directable during the vertical flight and downwardly directable during the horizontal flight.

9. The aircraft according to claim 6 , further comprising alighting elements disposed on the tail surfaces.

10. The aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein the tail surfaces extend perpendicularly relative to the main section.

11. The aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein the single sensor has a field of view (FOV) representable as a spherical wedge with a dihedral angle exceeding 180°.

12. The aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein a field of view (FOV) of the single sensor is bound by the rotor disk, a surface of the fairing and the other rotor disk.

13. The aircraft according to claim 6 , further comprising a flight computer to which the single sensor is operably coupled via one of the tail surfaces and the main section.

Assignees

• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• Alber Mark R

Classifications

• B64C2201/088

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C2201/127

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64D47/08 Primary

  Arrangements of cameras · CPC title

• B64C2201/021

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C29/02 Primary

  having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded · CPC title