Patents Issued in January 2, 2024
  • Patent number: 11858599
    Abstract: A systemic dual motor framing for a watercraft is provided as is the overall system. The systemic dual motor framing is movable between a folded condition and an unfolded condition for attaching with the assistance of strapping to a stern of the watercraft, sleeve-like, either by sliding over the stern end or strapping around the stern. In the unfolded condition, the systemic dual motor framing facilities the strapping while maintaining a motor on each side of the watercraft, wherein the two motors can be selectively powered in conjunction remotely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Matthew Adam Becker
  • Patent number: 11858600
    Abstract: Cuff assemblies for sports board leashes, where the cuff assembly includes a central section that having a precurved molded insert that is configured to connect to a cord of the sports board leash, a first wing attached to a first side of the central section, and a second wing attached to a second side of the central section. The maximum width of the central section of the cuff assembly is greater than the maximum width of either of the first wing or second wing, and the first wing and second wing are configured to overlap and fasten to each other in order to secure the cuff assembly around a person's limb portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Dakine IP Holdings LP
    Inventors: Zachary West, John Martin, Brian Fletcher, Mirona Motoc, Jay Willet, Aaron Ambuske
  • Patent number: 11858601
    Abstract: A variable use pontoon boat configured to operate in both a high speed condition and an improved wake-profile condition is provided. The boat includes a pair of outer pontoons that flare outward in the rearward direction. A rear section of the outer pontoons has a width that is greater than its height. An inclined bottom surface is defined by the outer pontoons. The bottom surface is inclined upward in the rearward direction, and may be inclined laterally upward. The system may include a center pontoon that flares outward in the rearward direction. The center pontoon and the outer pontoons may be spaced apart at a decreased distance at the rear of the boat relative to the front of the boat, such that water is blocked at the rear of the boat and displaced downward. A pair of wake panels may be disposed at the rear of the outer pontoons, and the wake panels may be individually and selectively actuated downward into the water to enhance the wake profile and retracted upward at high speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Avalon & Tahoe Mfg., Inc.
    Inventors: Duane Nicholas Dinninger, Greg Ryan Boyd, Kris Douglas Forrest
  • Patent number: 11858602
    Abstract: The protective cover as described will protect the outer surface of a vessel from debris that may strike the vessel either in the water or during sporting events such as fishing. Any damage to a boat is typically expensive and time consuming and is generally to be avoided by the boat owner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Jerry Cato
  • Patent number: 11858603
    Abstract: A hull scrubber device for a boat is deployed into an operative mode when the boat travels through the water. The device includes a mounting pole and a flexible hull scrubber head attached to the mounting pole and tethered via a tether rope and a swivel mounting in the hull scrubber head. The device is structured to rotate or spin and hit against the boat hull as the boat moves through the water. The scrubber head is a flat-like spiral disk when in a storage, inoperative mode. This disk assumes the shape of a cylinder when hull scrubber device is fully deployed in the water. Brush elements, felt pad elements, and scraper elements are mounted on an outer edge surface of the hull scrubber head for cleaning the hull. Related methods of cleaning a boat hull are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Sigismund Schreiber
  • Patent number: 11858604
    Abstract: A method for installing an offshore wind power generation floating body may include manufacturing a lower structure including a damping plate, a guide beam including protruding portions, and a slot, coupling a temporary buoyancy tank to each protruding portion, installing a concrete block mounting structure in the slot, transporting the lower structure on the sea until a destination by a towing vessel, fixing the lower structure between a first work barge and a second work barge by a link bridge connected to each of the first work barge and the second work barge, and seating a concrete block connected to a second wire of a second crane seated on the second work barge on the concrete block mounting structure in a state in which first wires of a first crane are connected to the lower structure to maintain a tension equal to or greater than a set magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: ACE E&T (ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY)
    Inventors: Day Hwan Kim, Soo Han Kim
  • Patent number: 11858605
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hybrid-power-driven underwater robot, including a robot body and a releasing and recovering device, wherein a first transmission cavity is formed in the releasing and recovering device, a seawater removing mechanism and an electric take-up reel are arranged inside the first transmission cavity, a cable is arranged on the electric take-up reel, the cable extends out of the first transmission cavity, and the robot body is fixedly connected to one end of the cable; and a tail fin is movably connected to the robot body, an acceleration mechanism is further arranged on the robot body, a second transmission cavity is formed in the robot body, a driving mechanism for driving the tail fin and the acceleration mechanism is arranged inside the second transmission cavity, and the driving mechanism can drive the tail fin separately or drive the acceleration mechanism separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignees: GUANGZHOU UNIVERSITY, ZHONGKAI UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE ENGINEERING
    Inventors: Airong Liu, Zhicheng Yang, Bingcong Chen, Jiyang Fu
  • Patent number: 11858606
    Abstract: The present invention regards a watercraft vehicle (1) having a propeller shaft (9) coupled to a motor (3) and a propeller (7) forming a propeller disc (11) having a hub (17). A first blade (8) of the propeller (7) is hingedly coupled to a first oblique lag-pitch hinge (22?) of the hub (17) and a second blade (10) of the propeller (7) is hingedly coupled to a second oblique lag-pitch hinge (22?) of the hub (17). The first oblique lag-pitch hinge (22?) being oriented in a direction oblique to the axis of rotation (RX) and parallel with the second oblique lag-pitch hinge (22?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SAAB AB
    Inventor: Anders Rydell
  • Patent number: 11858607
    Abstract: The present invention provides an angle changeable apparatus and an oar such that the shaft angle is easily adjustable. Disclosed is an angle changeable apparatus 1 for variably changing an angle of a shaft 110 inserted in a sleeve 10, including: a shaft-side member 20 fixed to the shaft 110; a sleeve-side member 30 fixed to the sleeve 10; and a slider 40 configured to slide between the shaft-side member 20 and the sleeve-side member 30, wherein the shaft-side member 20 has a first guiding part extending in a shaft direction, the sleeve-side member 30 has an elongated hole 31 extending in an oblique direction relative to the shaft direction, the slider 40 has a groove 41c guided by the first guiding part and a slider main body 41 guided by the elongated hole 31.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: KUWANO BOATS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shingo Nishiyama, Tetsushi Ozawa
  • Patent number: 11858608
    Abstract: Sun heats dark continents more than reflective oceans. Air moves onshore from high pressure to low. Creating wind: powering weather and storms—“hurricane-in-a-box-on-water” principles producing electricity in a marine vessel, providing Green Technology for Marine Transportation. Captured and recovered heat, offset by loss of heat, creates differential pressure conditions across multiple rotary engines. Night and day, a working fluid moves from high pressure to low; powering alternators, batteries, domestics, and in-hull electric drive trains, in a unique, lightweight exoskeleton dome shell design vessel. Disclosed vessel design advantages include: high energy collection and living space to vessel length ratio; high strength to weight ratio; high carrying capacity, downwind sailing while producing electricity; modular fabrication and shipping; and sustained hull speed in a vessel harvesting energy from the environment. The longer the vessel: the more it carries: the greater the hull speed: the faster it goes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Jeffrey R. Rabjohn
  • Patent number: 11858609
    Abstract: A foot controller system includes a foot controller having a base that engages a portion of a marine vessel when the foot controller is in an operable position. The foot controller also includes a foot pedal pivotable, with respect to the base, about a first axis, and rotatable, with respect to at least a portion of the base, about a second axis different from the first axis. The foot controller controls a first aspect of a marine motor system when the foot pedal is pivoted about the first axis and controls a second aspect of the marine motor system different from the first aspect when the foot pedal is rotated about the second axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: David F. Lammers-Meis
  • Patent number: 11858610
    Abstract: An apparatus for lifting a load to a desired altitude using an evacuated hollow lift body is disclosed. Once evacuated, the apparatus is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. The lift body can be formed as a hollow fluid tight structure with a tube wound and sealed in a helical pattern or a dual membrane structure with a pressurized intermediate volume sandwiched between inner and outer membranes. A load can be attached to the apparatus and lifted to an altitude where the effective density of the apparatus and load is equivalent to the density of the surrounding atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Ruben Adorno, Anthony Palazotto
  • Patent number: 11858611
    Abstract: A multi-rotor vehicle includes a plurality of electric motors and edge computing systems (ECSs). The electric motors are operatively coupled to respective rotors, and cause the respective rotors to rotate relative to the airframe. The ECSs are independent, distinct and distributed to the electric motors, each operatively coupled to a respective electric motor and thereby a respective rotor. Each ECS is configured to acquire and process sensor data for the respective rotor to determine rotor status information, and execute motor commands to control the respective electric motor and thereby the respective rotor. Each ECS is configured as an integrated flight computer and motor controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: John Jian Dong, Michael James Duffy, Douglas C. Cameron, Naveed Moayyed Hussain
  • Patent number: 11858612
    Abstract: A rotating retractable step system positioned within a cutout of a wall is presented. The rotating retractable step system comprises a foot pedal and a support shaft. The foot pedal is configured to be stowed in a vertical orientation within the cutout of the wall, and to rotate between the vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation. The support shaft is associated with the foot pedal, such that movement of the support shaft extends the foot pedal outwardly away from the cutout, or retracts the foot pedal towards the cutout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Christopher B. Singleton, Joshua Yu-Hu Lee, Scott Edward Coburn
  • Patent number: 11858613
    Abstract: An aerospace vehicle including: a body, wherein the body is configured to generate heat during operation; a coating disposed over at least a portion of the body, the coating being configured to shift a frequency of at least one wavelength of the heat generated by the body from a first frequency to a second frequency having higher transmissivity relative to a neighboring medium surrounding the body as compared to the first frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Hendrik Pieter Jacobus de Bock, William Dwight Gerstler, Anant Achyut Setlur, James William Bray
  • Patent number: 11858614
    Abstract: A thermal acoustic insulation blanket is presented. The thermal acoustic insulation blanket comprises a composite laminate forming a burn through layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Arif Zaman, Khashayar Borumand, Daniel B. Slaton
  • Patent number: 11858615
    Abstract: A rotating airfoil assembly including a rotation axis and a plurality of rotating airfoils configured to rotate about the rotation axis. Each rotating airfoil of the rotating airfoils includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction surface between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a pressure surface between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The suction surface and the pressure surface are positioned on opposite sides of the rotating airfoil such that, when airflows over the suction surface and the pressure surface of the rotating airfoil as the rotating airfoil rotates about the rotation axis, the rotating airfoil generates lift. At least one opening is located on one of the suction surface or the pressure surface. The at least one opening is configured to eject air or to draw air into the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Kevin E. Turner, Suryarghya Chakrabarti, Drew M. Capps
  • Patent number: 11858616
    Abstract: An actuator system for controlling movement of a plurality of panels. The system includes two lifting mechanisms connected to each panel at two separate locations on the panel, and, for each panel: an actuator in engagement with a first of the lifting mechanisms to drive the lifting mechanism to move the panel, and a torque tube having a first end in engagement with the actuator so as to be rotated by the actuator as the actuator drives the lifting mechanism, the torque tube having a second end in engagement with the other of the two lifting mechanisms to drive the lifting mechanism due to rotation of the torque tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GOODRICH ACTUATION SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Jeremy Kracke
  • Patent number: 11858617
    Abstract: The invention discloses an aircraft generating a larger thrust and lift by fluid continuity. First open channels used to extend fluid paths are formed in front parts and/or middle parts of windward sides of wings of the aircraft and extend from sides, close to the fuselage, of the wings to sides, away from the fuselage, of the wings, and the first open channels are concave channels or convex channels, so that a pressure difference in a direction identical with a moving direction is generated from back to front due to different flow speeds of fluid flowing over the windward sides of the wings in a lengthwise direction and a widthwise direction to reduce fluid resistance, and a larger pressure difference and lift are generated due to different flow speeds on the windward sides and leeward sides of the wings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Xiaoyi Zhu
  • Patent number: 11858618
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present application are a UAV foot stand and a UAV. The UAV foot stand includes a main body, a mounting board, and a support structure, where one end of the main body is provided with a lightening cavity, one end of the main body that is provided with the lightening cavity extends outward to form the mounting board, the support structure is fixed to the main body, and the support structure at least partially extends into the lightening cavity and is connected to an inner wall of the lightening cavity, so as to increase rigidity of the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: AUTEL ROBOTICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Han Gao
  • Patent number: 11858619
    Abstract: An aircraft (100) with a rotary wing (40) is equipped with a propulsion system (10). The aircraft (100) includes a rotating mast (50) that rotates the rotor wing (40). The propulsion system (10) includes a pole (20) mechanically connected to the rotating mast (50) of the aircraft (100), where at least one end of the pole (20) is equipped with a motor (30) configured to rotate the pole (20) around the axis of the rotating mast (50) in such a way that the rotation of the pole (20) can be used to rotate the rotating wing (40). At each end of the pole (20) is placed a motor group (30), where each motor group (30) includes a pair of counter-rotating propellers (32,32), said pair of counter-rotating propellers (32,32?) being arranged in such a way as to generate a rotational torque to rotate the pole (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: VINATI S.R.L.
    Inventors: Felice Vinati, Giacomo Vinati, Matteo Vinati, Mariachiara Vinati, Samuele Vinati
  • Patent number: 11858620
    Abstract: A system for driving a tilt rotor between vertical and horizontal using a variable displacement motor controlled in response to a swash angle of the motor measured in a feedback loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GOODRICH ACTUATION SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventor: Antony Morgan
  • Patent number: 11858621
    Abstract: A rotary blade aircraft includes an airframe, a rotor shaft driven about a rotor axis, and a plurality of rotor blades driven by the rotor shaft about the rotor axis. The rotary blade aircraft includes a swashplate assembly coupled to the plurality of rotor blades. The swashplate assembly is operable to move the plurality of rotor blades about a respective longitudinal axis. The rotary blade aircraft includes a hydraulic control servo coupled between the airframe and the swashplate assembly. The hydraulic control servo is operable to move the swashplate assembly relative to the rotor axis. The rotary blade aircraft includes a harmonic control actuator coupled between the airframe and the swashplate assembly. The harmonic control actuator is operable independently relative to the hydraulic control servo to move the swashplate assembly relative to the rotor axis to reduce vibration at selected frequencies in the airframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: William A. Welsh, Jason A. Satira
  • Patent number: 11858622
    Abstract: The cross-sectional shape of a support member is an airfoil shape in which a first end portion including a first end is curved and which tapers toward a second end. The support member is arranged such that the tapering direction of the airfoil shape is downward, and the tapering direction of the support member is determined in advance according to the moving direction of a blade passing directly above the support member during rotation of a takeoff and landing rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiko Asanuma, Susumu Mashio
  • Patent number: 11858623
    Abstract: Aircraft fuel tank joints and related methods. The aircraft fuel tank joints comprise a first structural member comprising a first joint face, a second structural member comprising a second joint face that is spaced apart from the first joint face by a gap, a sealant dam compressed between the first and second joint faces and defining the gap, a first sealant zone on a first side of the sealant dam within the gap, and a second sealant zone on a second side of the sealant dam within the gap. The sealant dam and the first and second zones of sealant substantially fill, and form three independent seals within, the gap. The methods comprise substantially filling the gap with the sealant dam, the first zone of sealant, and the second zone of sealant, and compressing the sealant dam between the first and second faces to the compressed thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Justin Albright
  • Patent number: 11858624
    Abstract: Exemplary inventive practice improves the taxiing dynamics of a seaplane by propulsively imparting roll moments so as to continually encourage levelness of the two wings, thereby maintaining both wings completely above (out of) the water. Two matching motor-driven propellers are correspondingly positioned at or near the wingtips. A computer receives sensory motion inputs and transmits sequential commands that continually adjust the respective propulsive forces of the wingtip propellers by effecting equal and opposite changes in their respective rotational speeds. An increase in one wingtip propeller's rotational speed is concomitant a decrease in the other wingtip propeller's rotational speed, wherein the increase and the decrease are of the same magnitude. The seaplane rolls upward on the wing whose wingtip propeller is increasing in rotational speed. Control of the seaplane's rolling motion is thus enabled by a sustained propulsive equilibrium between the two wingtip propellers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Robert Henry Brown
  • Patent number: 11858625
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods to detect objects within an environment by an aerial vehicle. An aerial vehicle may detect objects within an environment based on propeller noises emitted by the aerial vehicle that are reflected back to the aerial vehicle by objects in the environment. The propeller noise may be noise that is generated during normal operation of one or more propellers. The propeller noise emitted by the propellers of the aerial vehicle propagates into the environment around the aerial vehicle and reflects off any objects within the environment. Because the noise generated by each propeller is distinguishable, sets of solutions (distance and all directions) may be computed for each propeller. The intersections of those sets of solutions is representative of the actual distance and direction of the object with respect to the aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Shmuel Eisenmann, Ofer Rubin
  • Patent number: 11858626
    Abstract: A novel and useful system and method of air delivery of payloads incorporating a zero or near zero velocity deployment maneuver that enables aircraft to smoothly deploy payloads without dropping them and without requiring the aircraft to land. A multicopter fitted with the mechanism lowers the payload to smoothly touchdown in a matter of seconds without the need to hover above the destination. In operation, the payload hangs from a tether, pendulum, or robotic arm and is extended prior to arrival to the target destination. The hanging payload begins swinging in a controlled and coordinated manner with the trajectory of the autonomous air vehicle such that the payload arrives at the delivery point at zero or near zero velocity relative to it, while the vehicle maintains its forward movement. The payload is released from the tether at the exact moment the payload touches or is about to touch the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Diego Alejandro Saikin
  • Patent number: 11858627
    Abstract: A design method of a high energy efficiency unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) green data acquisition system belongs to the technical field of data acquisition and optimization for UAV uplink communication. Firstly, a system optimization objective is constructed; and in a uplink communication network of a single UAV and ground sensors, the UAV receives data periodically. Secondly, according to a constructed optimization problem, the optimization objective is maximization of EE({W},{t},{S}). Finally, an original problem is decomposed into two approximate concave-convex fractional sub-problem based on a block coordinate descent method and a successive convex approximation technique to obtain a suboptimal solution; an overall iterative algorithm is proposed: in each iteration, by solving the sub-problems, wake-up scheduling S, time slot t and UAV trajectory W are alternately optimized. The solution obtained in each iteration is used as the input of next iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: DALIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Tianhao Wang, Nan Zhao, Xiaowei Pang, Deyue Zou, Bingcai Chen
  • Patent number: 11858628
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle that is equipped with image capture devices can use information gathered from the image capture devices to plan a future three-dimensional (3D) trajectory through a physical environment. To this end, a technique is described for image-space based motion planning. In an embodiment, a planned 3D trajectory is projected into an image-space of an image captured by the autonomous vehicle. The planned 3D trajectory is then optimized according to a cost function derived from information (e.g., depth estimates) in the captured image. The cost function associates higher cost values with identified regions of the captured image that are associated with areas of the physical environment into which travel is risky or otherwise undesirable. The autonomous vehicle is thereby encouraged to avoid these areas while satisfying other motion planning objectives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Skydio, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan David Kennedy, Peter Benjamin Henry, Hayk Martirosyan, Jack Louis Zhu, Abraham Galton Bachrach, Adam Parker Bry
  • Patent number: 11858629
    Abstract: A wing apparatus and aircraft are described providing greater maneuverability and efficiency for vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Use of a fowler flap is shown in combination with a sliding panel. The sliding panel can nest within a wing similar to a fowler flap. During vertical maneuvers the sliding panel can be moved forward and on top of the wing. This can alleviate download during vertical maneuvers while minimizing drag as forward flight begins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher E. Foskey, Ryan Q. Dunham
  • Patent number: 11858630
    Abstract: An agitator, a planting system including the agitator, and methods of using the agitator to agitate seeds in a hopper, are described. The agitator can be mounted within the hopper of the planting system. The hopper can be transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle to spread the seeds over a geography. The agitator can include one or more arms that oscillate through a sweep angle to move one or more paddles through the seeds. An outlet of the hopper can be within the sweep angle such that the arms and paddles sweep seeds into the outlet as the arms oscillate within the hopper. The sweep angle can vary over time by incrementally increasing the sweep angle during several stages. The varying sweep angle maintains consistent seed mixing and spreading over time. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: BIOCARBON ENGINEERING LTD.
    Inventors: Shuning Bian, Jeremie Leonard, Hannah Redrup
  • Patent number: 11858631
    Abstract: Aerial launch and/or recovery for unmanned aircraft, and associated systems and methods. A representative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprises an airframe, a plurality of rotors, and a capture line. The rotors are coupled to the airframe and configured to support the UAV in hover. The capture line is carried by the UAV and is operatively coupled to an immersible anchor. The immersible anchor is configured to be immersed within a body of water during a capture operation involving the capture line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Insitu, Inc.
    Inventors: James Statelar McGrew, Peter Josef Kunz, Rolf Theodoor Rysdyk
  • Patent number: 11858632
    Abstract: One variation of a system for generating thrust at an aerial vehicle includes: a primary electric motor; a rotor coupled to the motor; an internal-combustion engine; a clutch interposed between the motor and an output shaft of the internal-combustion engine; an engine shroud defining a shroud inlet between the rotor and the internal-combustion engine, extending over the internal-combustion engine, and defining a shroud outlet opposite the rotor; a cooling fan coupled and configured to displace air through the engine shroud; and a local controller configured to receive a rotor speed command specifying a target rotor speed, adjust a throttle setpoint of the internal-combustion engine according to the target rotor speed and a state of charge of a battery in the aerial vehicle, and drive the primary electric motor to selectively output torque to the rotor and to regeneratively brake the rotor according to the target rotor speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Parallel Flight Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Resnick, David Adams, Robert Hulter, Seth McGann, Brian Eiseman
  • Patent number: 11858633
    Abstract: Example implementations may relate to door-enabled loading and release of payloads in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which could be a type of UAV in a group of UAVs that is assigned to carry out certain transport tasks. In particular, the UAV may include a fuselage having a first side and a second side, as well as a chamber formed within the fuselage and arranged to house a payload. A first door may be arranged on the first side of the fuselage, such that an opening of the first door enables loading of the payload into the chamber. And a second door may be arranged on the second side of the fuselage, such that an opening of the second door enables release of the payload from the chamber. Moreover, the UAV may include a control system configured to control flight of the UAV, and possibly opening and/or closing of door(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: WING AVIATION LLC
    Inventors: Andre Prager, Adam Woodworth
  • Patent number: 11858634
    Abstract: An aircraft store ejector systems and subsystems thereof. Embodiments can include a two-reservoir re-pressurization system wherein a remote reservoir is used to maintain desired pressure in a local ejector reservoir. The system can include a release valve having a vent valve and valve piston. The release valve can control release of pressurized gas to a pitch control valve. The pitch control valve can be configured to distribute the pressurized gas between two or more ejector piston assemblies. One or more of the ejector piston assemblies can include multiple concentric piston stages and piston chambers, the piston chambers configured to contain a volume of gas. The ejector piston assemblies can be configured to compress the volume of gas within the piston chambers as the piston stages are extended out from the aircraft. Such compression can provide a return force to the piston stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Marvin Engineering Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Lee Allen Tobias, Sohrab John Talebian, Robert Ronald Evans
  • Patent number: 11858635
    Abstract: An automatic spraying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system based on dynamic adjustment of early warning range and a method thereof are disclosed. In the automatic spraying UAV system, an unmanned aerial vehicle analyzes a forward direction and a forward speed of a staff appearing in an environment video, calculates a preset distance, and generates an early-warning range by extending outwardly a spraying range by a preset distance; when determining the staff appears within the early-warning range in the environment video, the unmanned aerial vehicle pauses an automatic spraying operation, so as to achieve the technical effect of improving safety of the staff in an operation area by dynamically adjusting the early-warning range of the automatic spraying operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignees: SQ Technology (Shanghai) Corporation, Inventec Corporation
    Inventors: Chaucer Chiu, Hong Fu
  • Patent number: 11858636
    Abstract: A rescue basket having the capacity to safely hold two full-sized individuals increases the efficiency and effectiveness of helicopter water rescue and recovery operations. The rescue basket includes an open end, which affords an additional option for loading passengers, along with a door mechanism that can at least partially close off the open end for passenger safety. The rescue basket includes a flotation system that maintains the basket at a desired flotation level when completely immersed in water, along with sufficient reserve buoyancy to safely maintain the passengers above water when loaded. Methods of performing a water rescue utilizing the present rescue basket on board of a helicopter are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Homeland Security
    Inventors: Spencer Smith, Riely Brande, Nolan Richerson, Benjamin Crutchfield, Christian Breviario, Ronald Adrezin, Michael Plumley, Marion Lewandowski
  • Patent number: 11858637
    Abstract: Example methods and systems for coupling and controlling transport of cargo using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are provided, comprising coupling at least one electronically-controllable attachment device positioned on an underside of the UAV to a sling cable, the sling cable being secured to the cargo. The UAV flies to a predetermined area above the cargo, and responsive to determining that the UAV is positioned within the predetermined area, the UAV elevates above the initial operating height to lift the cargo and navigates to a target location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Joshua B. Jarvis, Roger W. Lacy, Brian Charles Gray, David H. Mason, Douglas Mikita, Justin Fowler Rogers, Brandon Brown, Eric Hathaway, Eric J. Schulze, Corey Seidel
  • Patent number: 11858638
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for remote monitoring of an area intended to accommodate at least one passenger of an aeroplane, notably a cargo area provisionally converted into cabin space, including: at least one control member configured to generate at least one signal relating to the safety of the passenger present in the area, and at least one interface means that is situated at a distance from the area and allows the cabin crew to have access to information relating to the area and/or to the passenger present in the area on the basis of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Safran
    Inventors: Sébastien Sivignon, Claude Martin, Etienne Marecal, Ramon Blauwhoff
  • Patent number: 11858639
    Abstract: An aircraft includes at least one passenger room (3). The room has a passenger chair (5) and a bed (7). These are separate units and can be used at the same time without one unit interfering with or restricting the full range of operations of the other unit and vice versa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SINGAPORE AIRLINES LIMITED
    Inventor: Yung Han Ng
  • Patent number: 11858640
    Abstract: Described is an aircraft suite having an aircraft seat for use by a passenger, the aircraft suite also having a controller, for controlling a number of output states of the aircraft suite, the controller having a logic condition receiver for receiving a logic condition input, and distance measurement equipment for measuring a distance between a first location within the suite and a second location within the suite, and providing a distance input to a distance receiver of the controller, wherein, in use, the controller controls at least one of the output states of the aircraft suite based upon both the logic condition input and the distance input. The invention also provides a method of controlling an environment within an aircraft suite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Safran Seats GB Limited
    Inventor: Julian Guy
  • Patent number: 11858641
    Abstract: An aircraft includes a fuselage defining a cabin region and a crown region. The aircraft also includes a duct disposed within the fuselage. The duct is coupled to one or more drying air vents disposed in the crown region and coupled to one or more cabin vents disposed with the cabin region. The one or more drying air vents are configured to output drying air, received via the duct, into the crown region, and the one or more cabin vents are configured to output conditioned air, received via the duct, into the cabin region. The aircraft further includes one or more valves coupled to the duct and configured to, in a first valve position, route airflow within the duct to the one or more drying air vents and configured to, in a second valve position, route the airflow within the duct to the one or more cabin vents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael L. Trent, Warren A. Atkey
  • Patent number: 11858642
    Abstract: The present invention ensures that when condensation forms in a container for a flying object, water from the condensation does not adversely affect an object in the container. Container 12 is a cabin of a gas balloon and comprises Main Body 121, which is an airtight container for accommodating Crew Member H1 and is filled with Air 122, Condensation Promoting Member 123 is made of a material that has a high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and is partly exposed to the inside of Main Body 121 and partly exposed to the outside of Main Body 121. Water Collecting Vessel 124 is positioned below the portion of Condensation Promoting Member 123 exposed to the inside of Main Body 121 and collects water from condensation formed on Condensation Promoting Member 123. Conduit 125 directs water collected by Water Collecting Vessel 124 to Water Collection Container 126.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: Keisuke Iwaya
  • Patent number: 11858643
    Abstract: A piece of rotary equipment for a drone, the rotary equipment having a rotary assembly including at least one blade. The rotary assembly includes at least one furrow that extends in a skin from a first end to a second end, the at least one furrow being at least arranged over the blade, the at least one furrow presenting at least one change of direction on the blade, the rotary assembly including at least one deicer having an electrically conductive track that extends in the at least one furrow, the electrically conductive track extending from a first terminal to a second terminal, the first terminal being present at the first end and the second terminal being present at the second end, the deicer including a protective layer covering the electrically conductive track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
    Inventors: Gauthier Gibert, Nicolas Imbert
  • Patent number: 11858644
    Abstract: The invention relates to a drive device (1) for an aircraft, comprising: an electric machine (2) with a stator (3) and a rotor (4) and a cooling device (10) for cooling the electric machine (2), the cooling device (10) having an encapsulated first cooling region (12), in which a first cooling liquid for cooling the stator (3) and/or the rotor (4) is disposed, the cooling device (10) having a second cooling region (15), which is separate from the first cooling region (12) and in which the second liquid is disposed, and the cooling device (10) having an internal heat exchanger (11) for transmitting heat from the first cooling liquid to the second cooling liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Robert Goraj, Heintje Wyczisk
  • Patent number: 11858645
    Abstract: Adjustable support links for aircraft are disclosed herein. An adjustable support link includes a first rod end including a first shaft with first external threads, a second rod end including a second shaft with a bore having first internal threads, and a barrel nut at least partially disposed in the bore of the second rod end. The barrel nut has second external threads engaged with the first internal threads. The barrel nut having a channel. The first shaft is at least partially disposed in the channel. The channel has second internal threads engaged with the first external threads of the first rod end, such that rotation of the barrel nut in a first direction causes the first and second rod ends to move toward each other and rotation of the barrel nut in a second direction causes the first and second rod ends to move away from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Jonathan P. Boas
  • Patent number: 11858646
    Abstract: A wing drop fuel tank it is provided comprising a rigid external casing 1 and a second tank 2 arranged inside said rigid casing 1, said second tank 2 being made of flexible material. A production process of said wing drop tank it is also provided which comprises the following steps: construction of two rigid half-shells 10 and 11, and the subsequent mutual coupling of the former creates a single rigid structure 1; making of a first port and a second port at the upper part of the half-shell 10, said second port having same size of a fuel filling flange 23 on said tank 1; inserting of a second tank 2 made of a flexible material through said first port in said first tank 1; and applying a closing plate 12 at said upper port, said closing plate 12 being removably locked on said tank 1 by means of clamping screws 13 which engage with threaded holes 22 made on a flange 21 integral with said second tank 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: M.E.RIN SRL
    Inventor: Enzo Giambartolomei
  • Patent number: 11858647
    Abstract: Method and system for managing hydrogen fuel in hydrogen fuel cell-powered aircraft is disclosed. The method identifies unused hydrogen fuel in a fuel tank of the aircraft. Determines an amount of the unused hydrogen fuel in the fuel tank of the aircraft. Transfers the amount of the unused hydrogen fuel from the fuel tank of the aircraft into a hydrogen fuel cell of the aircraft and converts the amount of the unused hydrogen fuel into electricity via the hydrogen fuel cell of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: ZeroAvia, Inc.
    Inventors: Valery Miftakhov, Gabriel Devault
  • Patent number: 11858648
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an air separation module (ASM) of a nitrogen generation system (NGS), the method providing: determining an at least partially nonlinear shape between opposing ends of a canister, the canister being configured to fit within an installation envelope for the ASM in the NGS and configured to have installed therein an air separating membrane; and additively manufacturing the canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Colette Opsahl Fennessy, Kevin P. Aceves