Patents by Inventor John Peter Zwaan

John Peter Zwaan 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: 11975867
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Publication number: 20230312078
    Abstract: An aircraft apparatus is disclosed that has a fuselage boom having proximal and distal ends, a wing coupled to a proximal end of the fuselage boom and at least one transparent stabilizer coupled to a distal end of the fuselage boom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Steven Bradley Chambers, Pavil Belik, Austin Craig Gunder, John Peter Zwaan
  • Publication number: 20230286642
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for an extruded wing protection and control surface comprising: a channel proximate a leading edge of the control surface, a knuckle disposed about the channel, a leading void, a trailing void, and a separator dividing the leading void and the trailing void; and a plurality of notches disposed in the extruded control surface proximate the leading edge of the control surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventors: Pavel Belik, John Peter Zwaan
  • Patent number: 11691715
    Abstract: An aircraft apparatus is disclosed that has a fuselage boom having proximal and distal ends, a wing coupled to a proximal end of the fuselage boom and at least one transparent stabilizer coupled to a distal end of the fuselage boom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Steven Bradley Chambers, Pavil Belik, Austin Craig Gunder, John Peter Zwaan
  • Publication number: 20230202678
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Patent number: 11554879
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Patent number: 11535361
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for an extruded wing protection and control surface comprising: a channel proximate a leading edge of the control surface, a knuckle disposed about the channel, a leading void, a trailing void, and a separator dividing the leading void and the trailing void; and a plurality of notches disposed in the extruded control surface proximate the leading edge of the control surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Pavel Belik, John Peter Zwaan
  • Patent number: 11220170
    Abstract: A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher E. Fisher, Phillip T. Tokumaru, Marc L. Schmalzel, John Peter Zwaan, Jeremy D. Tyler, Justin B. McAllister, Gabriel E. Torres, Pavel Belik
  • Patent number: 10919623
    Abstract: Heavier-than-air, aircraft having flapping wings, e.g., ornithopters, where angular orientation control is effected by variable differential sweep angles of deflection of the flappable wings in the course of sweep angles of travel and/or the control of variable wing membrane tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Todd Keennon, Karl Robert Klingebiel, Alexander Andryukov, Bart Dean Hibbs, John Peter Zwaan
  • Publication number: 20210016896
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Publication number: 20210001700
    Abstract: A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher E. Fisher, Phillip T. Tokumaru, Marc L. Schmalzel, John Peter Zwaan, Jeremy D. Tyler, Justin B. McAllister, Gabriel E. Torres, Pavel Belik
  • Publication number: 20200331584
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for an extruded wing protection and control surface comprising: a channel proximate a leading edge of the control surface, a knuckle disposed about the channel, a leading void, a trailing void, and a separator dividing the leading void and the trailing void; and a plurality of notches disposed in the extruded control surface proximate the leading edge of the control surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Pavel Belik, John Peter Zwaan
  • Patent number: 10800544
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Patent number: 10710703
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for an extruded wing protection and control surface comprising: a channel proximate a leading edge of the control surface, a knuckle disposed about the channel, a leading void, a trailing void, and a separator dividing the leading void and the trailing void; and a plurality of notches disposed in the extruded control surface proximate the leading edge of the control surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Pavel Belik, John Peter Zwaan
  • Patent number: 10633113
    Abstract: Liquid dispensing assemblies including adhesive anchoring assemblies configured to adhere to a support surface external to a device such as a vehicle. An air vehicle includes (a) a fluid adhesive container assembly detachably attached to the air vehicle, wherein the fluid adhesive container assembly comprises: (i) an adhesive container comprising fluid adhesive; and (ii) one or more fibers, wherein the one or more fibers are configured, or a brush of fibers, or a fabric of fibers, is configured to conduct the fluid adhesive and to structurally support an adhesive bond between the one or more fibers and a surface; and (b) means for dispensing the fluid adhesive from the fluid adhesive container, to the one or more fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, John Peter Zwaan, David R. Thompson, Marc L. Schmalzel, Karl R. Klingbiel, Tyson R. Jensen, Pavel Belik, Eric James Aagaard
  • Publication number: 20200062418
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Patent number: 10479526
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for impacting, by a small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV), a net having at least three sides; and converting the kinetic energy of the SUAV into at least one of: elastic potential energy of one or more tensioned elastic cords connected to at least one corner of the net, gravitational potential energy of a frame member connected to at least one corner of the net, rotational kinetic energy of the frame member connected to at least one corner of the net, and elastic potential energy of the frame member connected to at least one corner of the net.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Robert James Johnston, Cris James Cornell, Philip Martin Finn, Glenn Arnold Blevins, David Wayne Ganzer
  • Patent number: 10457418
    Abstract: In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: John Peter Zwaan, Pavel Belik, Manolis Dimotakis, Christopher J. D'Aquila
  • Publication number: 20190233100
    Abstract: A quadrotor UAV including ruggedized, integral-battery, load-bearing body, two arms on the load-bearing body, each arm having two rotors, a control module mounted on the load-bearing body, a payload module mounted on the control module, and skids configured as landing gear. The two arms are replaceable with arms having wheels for ground vehicle use, with arms having floats and props for water-surface use, and with arms having pitch-controlled props for underwater use. The control module is configured to operate as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned (water) surface vehicle, and an unmanned underwater vehicle, depending on the type of arms that are attached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Applicant: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher E. Fisher, Phillip T. Tokumaru, Marc L. Schmalzel, John Peter Zwaan, Jeremy D. Tyler, Justin B. McAllister, Gabriel E. Torres, Pavel Belik
  • Publication number: 20190202553
    Abstract: Heavier-than-air, aircraft having flapping wings, e.g., ornithopters, where angular orientation control is effected by variable differential sweep angles of deflection of the flappable wings in the course of sweep angles of travel and/or the control of variable wing membrane tension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: Matthew Todd Keennon, Karl Robert Klingebiel, Alexander Andryukov, Bart Dean Hibbs, John Peter Zwaan