Patents Examined by Rodney Bonnette
  • Patent number: 11040763
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle. The frame assembly comprises a housing having an electric chamber and a circuit board assembly disposed in the electric chamber and including a first circuit board and a second circuit board. The electric chamber has an upper opening and a lower opening; and the first circuit board is installed in the electric chamber via the upper opening, and the second circuit board is installed in the electric chamber via the lower opening and spaced apart from the first circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Rongming Xiong, Yin Tang, Xianwu Xiong
  • Patent number: 11034437
    Abstract: Aircraft landing gear assemblies, aircraft including the landing gear assemblies, and methods of deploying landing gear assemblies. The landing gear assemblies include an elongate landing gear strut, a wheel assembly, and a deployment structure. The elongate landing gear strut includes a first strut end region, an opposed second strut end region, and a wheel assembly mount. The wheel assembly is coupled to the wheel assembly mount. The deployment structure is configured to selectively transition the landing gear assembly between a stowed state and a deployed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Rick A. Jackson
  • Patent number: 11021245
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is shown. The VTOL aircraft has a main wing having a left wing and a right wing configured as folding wings, and one or more of a foreplane, having a left canard and a right canard configured as folding wings, and/or a tailplane, having a left stabiliser and a right stabiliser configured as folding wings. Each one of the folding wings has a fixed inboard section and a folding outboard section. The folding outboard section is downwardly foldable to a landing condition to support the aircraft on a surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Darren I James
  • Patent number: 11014676
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a lightweight aircraft passenger seat assembly (1), comprising: at least one seat shell (2) having a seat pan (21) and a seat back (22) which are rigidly connected with each other. For offering more comfort to the passengers while still providing the advantages of a minimalistic lightweight design, the lightweight aircraft passenger seat assembly (1) according to the invention further comprises a backrest portion (3) which is movable in relation to the seat shell (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Mirus Aircraft Seating Ltd.
    Inventors: Duncan Bell, Phil Hall, Rocco Passari
  • Patent number: 11014663
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle includes a body defining a stowage compartment, and a flight module supported by the body in the stowage compartment. The flight module includes rotors operable to generate aerodynamic force, and is reconfigurable between a stowage configuration and a flight configuration. In the stowage configuration, the flight module is housed by the stowage compartment, with each rotor tucked inboard the body in a stowage position. In the flight configuration, each rotor is perched outboard the body with a skyward-facing orientation in a flight position. Aerodynamic force generated by the rotors is thereby usable for flying through the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Tom M. Neuman
  • Patent number: 11008109
    Abstract: Ice protection systems for aircraft, and methods of their manufacture, where the ice protection system includes a metallic substance applied to a nonconductive substructure of the external skin portion at a leading edge of an aircraft, an electrical power source, and a conductor circuit electrically connecting the power source across the metallic substance. In particular, the metallic substance may be applied to a nonconductive substructure on an annular inlet surface of an aircraft nacelle lip skin, and a power source can be electrically connected across the metallic substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Kenny Tu Khuong, Michael James Basala
  • Patent number: 11001376
    Abstract: An aircraft is provided including at least one pilot input and a flight control system n communication with the at least one pilot input. The flight control system is operable in a manual mode and a pointing mode. In the manual mode, a velocity, position, and attitude of the aircraft are controlled manually, and in the pointing mode, at least one of the velocity and position of the aircraft is controlled by the flight control system and at least one of the attitude and heading of the aircraft is controlled manually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Steven D. Marzella, David L. Adams, William C. Fell, Matthew T. Luszcz
  • Patent number: 10994867
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing systems include a spacecraft servicing device and at least one pod comprising at least one spacecraft servicing component. The spacecraft servicing device is configured to transfer the at least one pod to a target spacecraft in order to service the target spacecraft with the at least one spacecraft servicing component of the at least one pod. Spacecraft servicing pods configured to be supplied to a spacecraft with a spacecraft servicing device include at least one spacecraft servicing component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow, Peter Michael Cipollo
  • Patent number: 10994842
    Abstract: An autonomous aircraft system an airframe configured with a ventrally located payload bay open to the empennage of said airframe and payload bay terminating with a forward bulkhead which is configured to receive a payload module. The payload bay and the payload module are configured with corresponding fittings for connecting the payload module to the aircraft control systems and for securing the payload module within the payload bay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Inventor: Jaewon Choi Skylus
  • Patent number: 10994841
    Abstract: The Electric Jetpack Device has multiple electric ducted or clustered electric jets to create enough/sufficient controlled thrust with battery power alone. It is a lightweight vertical take-off with the electrical power of rechargeable batteries for a safe, vertical lift off vehicle. It is capable of carrying an average human or equivalent payload and flying for several minutes per charge. Motors and propellers are powered by the batteries and managed through an Electronic Speed Controller and a flight controller. The Flight Controller balances thrust and limits roll from side to side. By moving the control handles connected and mounted to an aluminum frame, the device and craft is directed. The pivots tilt the cluster of jetpacks slightly forward or back. The frame is connected to a harness, in which the pilot is strapped. The craft is modular and can be connected to another craft creating a “quadcopter” set-up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Inventor: Peter Bitar
  • Patent number: 10988267
    Abstract: Devices and methods improving the ability to manually photograph or record video footage with a camera drone. Handles couple the drone and enhance the ability to balance and manually orient the drone camera. A mounting mechanism permits attachment and hands-free viewing of image data transmitted from the drone camera. Improved ergonomics allow better control of image content and decrease the risk of damage due to dropping or direct handling of the drone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Polar Pro Filters, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Paul Overall, John Patrick Kiernan-Lewis
  • Patent number: 10988238
    Abstract: A flight control surface assembly for mounting to a main wing of an aircraft includes flight control surfaces side by side with a gap between each two of them, a connection assembly for movably connecting the flight control surfaces to the main wing to be selectively movable in a predetermined synchronous movement between retracted and extended positions, a drive arrangement operable to effect predetermined synchronous movement, and a control unit connected to the drive arrangement to control the drive arrangement. The flight control surface assembly includes for each gap a separate pair of electrical components with a first electrical component and a second electrical component fixedly mounted to a another one of the two flight control surfaces separated by the gap. The first and second electrical components of each pair are configured to wirelessly transfer electrical energy over the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Schlipf, Peter Lücken
  • Patent number: 10988264
    Abstract: In order to reduce the mass of a primary structure of a mounting pylon for an engine of an aircraft, the mounting pylon includes a box and a rear sub-structure fastened to the box which includes two lateral panels, each equipped at its rear end with a first linking portion through which passes a first connection orifice that is designed to receive a connection pin of a lateral front wing attachment. The rear sub-structure is made in one piece and includes two opposite lateral flanks that are respectively fastened to the two lateral panels of the box by fastening elements. Each lateral flank has a second linking portion through which passes a second connection orifice that is aligned with the first connection orifice, and is also designed to receive the connection pin of the lateral front wing attachment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Inventor: Pascal Jule
  • Patent number: 10974849
    Abstract: A drone landing apparatus may include: a trunk door configured to open or close a trunk of a vehicle; a drone housing contained in the trunk, and configured to provide a space in which a drone is housed; a rotator mounted on the trunk door, and configured to rotate the drone housing according to an opening angle of the trunk door; and a moving platform appearing from the drone housing or disappearing into the drone housing, and having the drone seated thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seon Yeob Kim
  • Patent number: 10974843
    Abstract: A distributed auxiliary-power-unit (APU) system for an aircraft includes one or more battery modules for storing electrical power, and a plurality of racks distributed throughout the aircraft for receiving the one or more battery modules to electrically connect with an electrical subsystem of the aircraft. A plurality of hot-swappable racks are adapted to receive the battery modules for electrically and communicatively coupling with the electrical subsystem and an integrated controller. A remote interface is communicatively coupled with the integrated controller for receiving user-input to direct electrical power from the battery modules to one or more subsystems of the aircraft. A number of battery modules installed is based on an amount of electrical power planned for a given flight of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Textron Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: Vernon Weng-Yew Chang, Charles Bernard Beuning, August Bryce Ratzlaff, David Lee Swartzendruber
  • Patent number: 10967993
    Abstract: A lightweight spacecraft dispenser, which consists of a material made from composite materials, and of a ring structure with several payload ports. The ring structure has a surface that extends between opposite ends of the ring structure and that is at least partially spherical. The surface can be completely spherical or partially spherical between the opposite ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE S.A.
    Inventor: Joaquín Martín Llorente
  • Patent number: 10960871
    Abstract: The present invention relates to flying scooter comprising a base made of fibreglass, 20 fans with 20 motors connected to a power system with components comprising capacitors, batteries, photovoltaic solar cells, an oxygen generator, a regulator, electronic sensors, and electronic chips. The scooter has a circular front part that includes a display that gives operational levels of the components, and the base has a cavity for the passenger's legs, and a rubber strap for securing the passenger. Manual controls are provided as well as a grip for the controls. The controls are connected to the sensors and electronic chips wirelessly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Inventor: Kholoud Bashayan
  • Patent number: 10954004
    Abstract: A space vehicle may extract and store energy, and also include a propulsion system. The space vehicle includes one or more wings connected to a body of the apparatus. Each of the one or more wings includes a propellant system configured to eject mass away from the apparatus, the ejection of the mass causes the apparatus to move from a first position to a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Evan R. Ulrich
  • Patent number: 10933970
    Abstract: An aircraft includes a body, a wing coupled to and extending from the body, and a strut. The wing includes a wing thickest region bounded by a wing thickest region leading boundary and a wing thickest region trailing boundary. The strut includes a strut thickest region bounded by a strut thickest region leading boundary and a strut thickest region trailing boundary. In a planform view, the wing thickest region overlaps the strut thickest region at an overlap region, where the overlap region including less than fifteen percent of the strut thickest region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Neal A. Harrison, Anthony J. Sclafani, Christopher K. Droney, Lie-Mine Gea, David S. Lazzara
  • Patent number: 10934002
    Abstract: An aircraft seat armrest includes an armrest portion and two extension elements coupled to the armrest portion on opposite sides thereof. A first of the two extension elements is rotatable from a first, closed, position where it is disposed below the armrest portion to a second, open, position wherein the first extension element is adjacent to the armrest portion. The arm rest also includes a first locking mechanism disposed on the first extension element that maintains the first extension element in the open position after it has been moved from the closed position to the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: AMI INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Radha Boddu, Gaurav Sahay