Un-manned aerial vehicle having adjustable wing module, tail, and landing gear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957035-B2
Application number	US-201414172035-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2014
Priority date	Feb 4, 2013
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aircraft. The aircraft includes a fuselage module for receiving a payload. The fuselage module includes a plurality of internal connections. The aircraft includes a wing module adjustably coupled to the fuselage module and a tail module coupled to the wing module. The wing module may be adjusted relative to the fuselage module to adjust a location of an aerodynamic center of the aircraft to maintain a pre-determined distance between the location of the aerodynamic center of the aircraft and the location of the center of gravity of the aircraft. A main landing gear may be adjusted relative to the fuselage module to adjust the location of the aerodynamic center of the aircraft to maintain a pre-determined distance between the location of the aerodynamic center of the aircraft and the location of the center of gravity of the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage module for receiving a payload, the fuselage module comprising a plurality of internal connections;
a main landing gear adjustably coupled to the fuselage module;
a first adjustable coupling disposed on an upper aspect of the fuselage module;
a wing module adjustably coupled to the fuselage module;
a second adjustable coupling disposed on a lower aspect of the wing module;
a tail module adjustably coupled to the wing module;
wherein the first adjustable coupling is selectively intermeshed with the second adjustable coupling configured to adjust the wing module relative to the fuselage module at discrete step-wise intervals to maintain a pre-determined distance between a location of an aerodynamic center of the aircraft and a location of a center of gravity of the aircraft; and
wherein the main landing gear is configured to decouple from the fuselage module and to recouple to the fuselage module at a desired location in order to maintain the pre-determined distance between the location of the aerodynamic center of the aircraft and the location of the center of gravity of the aircraft.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , comprising a nose landing gear adjustably coupled to the fuselage module.

3. The aircraft of claim 1 , comprising a drive motor disposed within a rear aspect of the fuselage module.

4. The aircraft of claim 1 , comprising a pin securing the first adjustable coupling and the second adjustable coupling.

5. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the tail module comprises a first boom and a second boom.

6. The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein the wing module comprises a first aperture and a second aperture.

7. The aircraft of claim 6 , wherein the first boom is inserted into the first aperture and the second boom is inserted into the second aperture.

8. The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein the tail module is adjustable forward and aft relative to the wing module.

9. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of internal connections comprise a plurality of slot rails disposed generally parallel to an aircraft long axis.

10. The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of slot rails are T-slot rails.

11. A method of configuring an aircraft, the method comprising:
positioning a payload within a fuselage module, the fuselage module comprising a first adjustable coupling disposed on an upper surface and a main landing gear coupled to the fuselage module;
determining a desired distance between a center of gravity of the aircraft and an aerodynamic center of the aircraft;
determining a first desired location of a wing module relative to the fuselage module so as to maintain the desired distance, the wing module comprising a second adjustable coupling disposed on a lower aspect thereof, wherein the first adjustable coupling and the second adjustable coupling are configured to selectively intermesh with each other and configured to adjust the wing module relative to the fuselage module at discrete step-wise intervals;
selectively intermeshing the first adjustable coupling with the second adjustable coupling so as to connect the wing module to the fuselage module at the first desired location;
decoupling the main landing gear from the fuselage module;
recoupling the main landing gear to the fuselage module at a second desired location so as to maintain the desired distance; and
connecting a tail module to the wing module.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the connecting the wing module comprises inserting a pin through the first adjustable coupling and the second adjustable coupling.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the connecting the tail module comprises inserting a first boom into a first aperture located on the wing module and inserting a second boom into a second aperture located on the wing module.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the positioning the payload within the fuselage module comprises securing the payload to a plurality of slot rails.

15. A method of configuring an aircraft, the method comprising:
selecting a desired location of a center of gravity of the aircraft and a desired distance between an aerodynamic center of the aircraft and the desired location of the center of gravity of the aircraft;
positioning a payload within a fuselage module so as to maintain the desired location of the center of gravity of the aircraft, the fuselage module comprising a first adjustable coupling disposed on an upper surface thereof and a main landing gear coupled to the fuselage module;
decoupling the main landing gear from the fuselage module;
recoupling the main landing gear to the fuselage module at a first desired location so as to maintain the desired location of the center of gravity of the aircraft;
determining a second desired location of a wing module relative to the fuselage module so as to maintain the desired location of the center of gravity of the aircraft and the desired distance between the location of the aerodynamic center of the aircraft and the desired location of the center of gravity of the aircraft, the wing module comprising a second adjustable coupling disposed on a lower aspect thereof, wherein the first adjustable coupling and the second adjustable coupling are configured to selectively intermesh with each other and configured to adjust the wing module relative to the fuselage module at discrete step-wise intervals;
selectively intermeshing the first adjustable coupling with the second adjustable coupling so as to connect the wing module to the fuselage module at the second desired location;
determining a third desired location of a tail module relative to the wing module so as to maintain the desired distance between the location of the aerodynamic center of the aircraft and the desired location of the center of gravity of the aircraft; and
connecting the tail module to the wing module at the third desired location.

Assignees

• Texas A&M Univ System
• Texas A & M Univ Sys

Inventors

• Valasek John
• May James Franklin
• Beckett Andrew
• Rhodes Jr Cecil C

Classifications

• B64U50/11

  using internal combustion piston engines · CPC title

• B64U2101/60

  for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons · CPC title

• B64C1/22 Primary

  Other structures integral with fuselages to facilitate loading {, e.g. cargo bays, cranes} · CPC title

• B64C2201/128

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C39/024

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