Patents by Inventor Gary Howland

Gary Howland has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10665112
    Abstract: A method of teaming a manned aerial vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle includes inputting to a controller in a manned vehicle coordinates for an area of interest, plotting a course to the area of interest in a navigation computer operatively connected to the controller, identifying one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near the area of interest, communicating to a ground controller rendezvous coordinates for one of the one or more UAVs, and negotiating a control hand-off of the one of the one or more UAVs from the ground controller to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cherry Cwalina, Gary Howland, Luca F. Bertuccelli, Margaret M. Lampazzi, Robert Pupalaikis, Thomas Guido, James S. Magson, John G. Schoenfeld
  • Patent number: 9938010
    Abstract: An electronic human machine interface (HMI) module is configured to receive at least one input from an operator of a manually-operated vehicle. The electronic HMI module includes an electronic graphical display unit and an electronic control module. The electronic graphical display unit is configured to display information corresponding to the manually-operated vehicle and information corresponding to an autonomously operated unmanned vehicle (UV) located remotely from the manually-operated vehicle. The electronic control module is in signal communication with the UV and is configured to receive an electronic image signal from the UV. The electronic control module is further configured to display a real-time image captured by the UV on the electronic graphical display unit based on the image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Margaret MacIsaac Lampazzi, Thomas Guido, Gary Howland, Luca F. Bertuccelli, Robert Pupalaikis
  • Publication number: 20170365176
    Abstract: A method of teaming a manned aerial vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle includes inputting to a controller in a manned vehicle coordinates for an area of interest, plotting a course to the area of interest in a navigation computer operatively connected to the controller, identifying one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near the area of interest, communicating to a ground controller rendezvous coordinates for one of the one or more UAVs, and negotiating a control hand-off of the one of the one or more UAVs from the ground controller to the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: Cherry Cwalina, Gary Howland, Luca F. Bertuccelli, Margaret M. Lampazzi, Robert Pupalaikis, Thomas Guido, James S. Magson, John G. Schoenfeld
  • Publication number: 20170337081
    Abstract: A system for centralizing computing operations for an aircraft, including a plurality of aircraft subsystems associated with the aircraft, a plurality of aircraft sensors associated with the aircraft, and a centralized processor to process the computing operations requested by each of the plurality of aircraft subsystems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Igor Cherepinsky, Daniel Dellaripa, Christopher A. Thornberg, Gary Howland
  • Patent number: 9752878
    Abstract: Control handover planning for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided that includes determining, by a planning system, a current location of a mobile control system and a current location of the UAV. A target location is identified. A control handover zone is determined based on a communication range constraint between the mobile control system and the UAV. The control handover zone is located between the current location of the mobile control system, the current location of the UAV, and the target location. A mobile control system path plan and a UAV path plan are created that each includes a control handover waypoint in the control handover zone at the same time. The control handover waypoint defines a planned location to place the mobile control system in control of the UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: James S. Magson, Gary Howland, Cherry Cwalina
  • Publication number: 20160161258
    Abstract: Control handover planning for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided that includes determining, by a planning system, a current location of a mobile control system and a current location of the UAV. A target location is identified. A control handover zone is determined based on a communication range constraint between the mobile control system and the UAV. The control handover zone is located between the current location of the mobile control system, the current location of the UAV, and the target location. A mobile control system path plan and a UAV path plan are created that each includes a control handover waypoint in the control handover zone at the same time. The control handover waypoint defines a planned location to place the mobile control system in control of the UAV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: James S. Magson, Gary Howland, Cherry Cwalina
  • Publication number: 20160152336
    Abstract: An electronic human machine interface (HMI) module is configured to receive at least one input from an operator of a manually-operated vehicle. The electronic HMI module includes an electronic graphical display unit and an electronic control module. The electronic graphical display unit is configured to display information corresponding to the manually-operated vehicle and information corresponding to an autonomously operated unmanned vehicle (UV) located remotely from the manually-operated vehicle. The electronic control module is in signal communication with the UV and is configured to receive an electronic image signal from the UV. The electronic control module is further configured to display a real-time image captured by the UV on the electronic graphical display unit based on the image signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: Margaret MacIsaac Lampazzi, Thomas Guido, Gary Howland, Luca F. Bertuccelli, Robert Pupalaikis