Patents by Inventor Joseph Roop

Joseph Roop 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: 12693683
    Abstract: An indication to perform a recovery action, including by deploying a first and second parachute canopy is output. Sensor data, which includes parachute canopy state information associated with the first parachute canopy and the second parachute canopy, is received from a sensor. It is determined, based at least in part on the sensor data, whether to generate a control signal with a value associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. If the parachute canopy state information indicates the first parachute canopy is collapsed and the second is inflated, the control signal is generated with the value associated with maneuvering the aircraft into the nose-up position. A load on the second parachute canopy is reduced if the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position. The control signal is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2026
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Publication number: 20250147507
    Abstract: An indication to perform a recovery action, including by deploying a first and second parachute canopy is output. Sensor data, which includes parachute canopy state information associated with the first parachute canopy and the second parachute canopy, is received from a sensor. It is determined, based at least in part on the sensor data, whether to generate a control signal with a value associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. If the parachute canopy state information indicates the first parachute canopy is collapsed and the second is inflated, the control signal is generated with the value associated with maneuvering the aircraft into the nose-up position. A load on the second parachute canopy is reduced if the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position. The control signal is output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2025
    Publication date: May 8, 2025
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 12222717
    Abstract: Sensor data is received from a sensor where the sensor data includes aircraft state information including an aircraft pitch angle and recovery device state information including which parachute canopies are operational and one or more properties associated with the operational parachute canopies. The parachute canopies are coupled aft of a center of mass. It is determined, based at least in part on the aircraft pitch angle, whether to generate a control signal associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. A recovery action is performed, including by selecting a parachute canopy to be deployed, from the operational parachute canopies and based at least in part on the one or more properties, and deploying the selected parachute canopy, where a load on the selected parachute canopy is reduced in the event the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Publication number: 20240210940
    Abstract: Sensor data is received from a sensor where the sensor data includes aircraft state information including an aircraft pitch angle and recovery device state information including which parachute canopies are operational and one or more properties associated with the operational parachute canopies. The parachute canopies are coupled aft of a center of mass. It is determined, based at least in part on the aircraft pitch angle, whether to generate a control signal associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. A recovery action is performed, including by selecting a parachute canopy to be deployed, from the operational parachute canopies and based at least in part on the one or more properties, and deploying the selected parachute canopy, where a load on the selected parachute canopy is reduced in the event the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2024
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 11947352
    Abstract: Sensor data that includes or more of the following: (1) aircraft state information associated with an aircraft or (2) parachute canopy state information associated with a parachute canopy is received. The parachute canopy is coupled to the aircraft at a point aft of a center of mass of the aircraft. It is determined, based at least in part on the sensor data, whether to generate a control signal associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. A recovery action is performed, including by deploying the parachute canopy; wherein a load on the parachute canopy is reduced in the event the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 11919650
    Abstract: A multi-modal aircraft recovery system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes a first aircraft recovery parachute having a first set of physical attributes optimized for a first set of conditions and a second aircraft recovery parachute having a second set of physical attributes optimized for a second set of conditions different from the first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Publication number: 20230034734
    Abstract: A multi-modal aircraft recovery system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes a first aircraft recovery parachute having a first set of physical attributes optimized for a first set of conditions and a second aircraft recovery parachute having a second set of physical attributes optimized for a second set of conditions different from the first.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 11459113
    Abstract: A multi-modal aircraft recovery system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes a first aircraft recovery parachute having a first set of physical attributes optimized for a first set of conditions and a second aircraft recovery parachute having a second set of physical attributes optimized for a second set of conditions different from the first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Publication number: 20220111970
    Abstract: Sensor data that includes or more of the following: (1) aircraft state information associated with an aircraft or (2) parachute canopy state information associated with a parachute canopy is received. The parachute canopy is coupled to the aircraft at a point aft of a center of mass of the aircraft. It is determined, based at least in part on the sensor data, whether to generate a control signal associated with maneuvering the aircraft into a nose-up position. A recovery action is performed, including by deploying the parachute canopy; wherein a load on the parachute canopy is reduced in the event the aircraft is in the nose-up position compared to the aircraft being in a nose-down position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 11256253
    Abstract: An automated aircraft recovery system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the system includes an interface configured to receive sensor data; and a control mechanism configured to: perform automatically a recovery action that is determined based at least in part on the sensor data. In various embodiments, the control mechanism may determine an expected state of an aircraft, determine whether a state of the aircraft matches the expected state, and in the event the state of the aircraft does not match the expected state, perform the recovery action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 10981657
    Abstract: Techniques to deploy a parachute are disclosed. In various embodiments, a first projectile is configured to be propelled in a first direction, causing the parachute to be deployed. A second projectile configured to be propelled in a second direction is coupled to a line tethered to the parachute in such a way that a force in a direction opposite the first direction is applied to the line of the parachute when the second projectile is propelled in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 10967952
    Abstract: An aircraft hand controller is disclosed. The hand controller includes a set of finger controls on a single hand grip structure, the set of finger controls including a first finger control configured to control throttle of the aircraft and a second finger control, separate from the first, configured to control rotation about a first rotational axis of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph Roop
  • Patent number: 10710706
    Abstract: A self-adjusting flight control system is disclosed. In various embodiments, an input interface receives an input signal generated by an inceptor based at least in part on a position of an input device comprising the inceptor. A processor coupled to the input interface determines dynamically a mapping to be used to map input signals received from the inceptor to corresponding output signals associated with flight control and uses the determined mapping to map the input signal to a corresponding output signal. The processor determines the mapping at least in part by computing a running average of the output signal over an averaging period and adjusting the mapping at least in part to associate a neutral position of the input device comprising the inceptor with a corresponding output level that is determined at least in part by the computed running average.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Todd Reichert, Zachais Vawter, Joseph Roop, Mark Johnson Cutler
  • Patent number: 10669018
    Abstract: A multicopter with boom mounted rotors is disclosed. In various embodiments, a multicopter includes multiple rotors, each mounted substantially horizontally on a distal end of a boom. The multicopter further includes a plurality of boom extensions, each boom extension being associated with a corresponding boom and each boom extension being configured to extend an associated distal end of said corresponding boom by an amount determined based at least in part on a swept area associated with a rotor mounted at or near said associated distal end. The multicopter includes a material, such as netting, secured to the aircraft and of a size sufficient to reach a far end of one or more of said boom extensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Aldo Daniele Longhi, Todd Reichert, Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Christopher Scott Saunders, Zachais Vawter
  • Publication number: 20190389590
    Abstract: Techniques to deploy a parachute are disclosed. In various embodiments, a first projectile is configured to be propelled in a first direction, causing the parachute to be deployed. A second projectile configured to be propelled in a second direction is coupled to a line tethered to the parachute in such a way that a force in a direction opposite the first direction is applied to the line of the parachute when the second projectile is propelled in the second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 10435162
    Abstract: Techniques to deploy a parachute are disclosed. In various embodiments, a first projectile is configured to be propelled in a first direction, causing the parachute to be deployed. A second projectile configured to be propelled in a second direction is coupled to a line tethered to the parachute in such a way that a force in a direction opposite the first direction is applied to the line of the parachute when the second projectile is propelled in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Cameron Robertson, Joseph Roop, Todd Reichert, Damon Vander Lind
  • Patent number: 10399673
    Abstract: An aircraft which includes a float-wing having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an airfoil shape to produce aerodynamic lift when the float-wing flows through air at a lift-producing angle of attack in a forward flight mode of operation. The float-wing further includes a submersible portion that includes at least the trailing edge and which is constructed of materials and in a shape selected to produce a buoyancy force sufficient to prevent at least a non-submersible portion of the aircraft from being submersed under conditions in which the aircraft is in a waterborne non-flight position in which at least the trailing edge of the float-wing is submersed but at least the non-submersible portion of the aircraft is not submersed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph Roop
  • Publication number: 20190233084
    Abstract: An aircraft hand controller is disclosed. The hand controller includes a set of finger controls on a single hand grip structure, the set of finger controls including a first finger control configured to control throttle of the aircraft and a second finger control, separate from the first, configured to control rotation about a first rotational axis of the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventor: Joseph Roop
  • Patent number: 10301009
    Abstract: An aircraft hand controller is disclosed. The hand controller includes a set of finger controls on a single hand grip structure, the set of finger controls including a first finger control configured to control throttle of the aircraft and a second finger control, separate from the first, configured to control rotation about a first rotational axis of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph Roop
  • Patent number: 10287001
    Abstract: A self-adjusting flight control system is disclosed. In various embodiments, an input interface receives an input signal generated by an inceptor based at least in part on a position of an input device comprising the inceptor. A processor coupled to the input interface determines dynamically a mapping to be used to map input signals received from the inceptor to corresponding output signals associated with flight control and uses the determined mapping to map the input signal to a corresponding output signal. The processor determines the mapping at least in part by computing a running average of the output signal over an averaging period and adjusting the mapping at least in part to associate a neutral position of the input device comprising the inceptor with a corresponding output level that is determined at least in part by the computed running average.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Todd Reichert, Zachais Vawter, Joseph Roop, Mark Johnson Cutler