Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with active energy harvesting and power management

摘要

A method of harvesting and managing energy from air currents, by small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) having a plurality of powered and unpowered rotors, to increase the aircraft's flight time, especially where the mission requires extensive hovering and loitering, is provided. Conventional powered rotors create lift for the aircraft. Unpowered rotors can either be: 1) Free-wheeling rotors which increase the plan form area of aircraft as they rotate, increasing lift, and reducing the power draw on the battery, and/or 2) Rotors connected to micro-generators, which serve as a brake on the unpowered rotors, create electrical power to charge the aircraft batteries or directly power the aircraft's electronics. The invention's folding rotor arm design results in a compact package that is easily transported by a single user (man portable). The aircraft can be removed from its protective tube, unfolded and launched for flight in less than a minute. Extended flight times, compact easily transported design, and ability to host flight software on a user's tablet/PC result in low total cost of ownership.

主权项

1. An unmanned aircraft energy harvesting and power management system comprising:
a. a battery-powered airframe having a plurality of powered and unpowered rotors; b. flight electronics systems for providing control and power to the powered rotors to sustain flight operations, said flight electronics systems controlling said unpowered rotors to modify plan surface area as required; and c. an autopilot comprising a computer in electronic communication with said powered and unpowered rotors, and d. software stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and loaded onto said computer, comprising plan form area optimization functions for minimizing power consumption by increasing total plan surface area of the aircraft when hovering, loitering, and in-flight, generating lift from air currents, thereby decreasing the power drawn from said battery.