Systems, devices, and methods that may include: determining one or more take-off variables for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle; increasing an altitude of the VTOL aerial vehicle to a first altitude, where increasing the altitude comprises substantially vertical flight of the VTOL aerial vehicle; performing a first pre-rotation check of the VTOL aerial vehicle; adjusting a pitch of the VTOL aerial vehicle to a first pitch angle via motor control; adjusting the pitch of the VTOL aerial vehicle to a second pitch angle via at least one of: motor control and one or more effectors; and adjusting the pitch of the VTOL aerial vehicle to a third pitch angle via the one or more effectors, where the third pitch angle is substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane.

Examples of a refueling device for use in in-flight refueling operation are provided. In at least one example the refueling device includes a body, a boom member and a spatial control system. The body is configured for being towed by a tanker aircraft in a forward direction via a fuel hose at least during in-flight refueling operation, the body having a body longitudinal axis and a neutral point. The boom member is carried by the body. The boom member has a fuel delivery nozzle, the fuel delivery nozzle being configured for selectively engaging with a fuel receptacle in a receiver aircraft to enable fuel to be transferred from the fuel hose to the receiver aircraft during such in-flight refueling operation. The spatial control system is configured for selectively providing stability and control to the refueling device. At least during refueling operation the fuel delivery nozzle is longitudinally forward of the neutral point.

The present invention discloses a positioning and navigation method for automatic inspection of an unmanned aerial vehicle in a water diversion pipeline of a hydropower station, comprising: using a laser radar carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to scan the inside of a water diversion pipeline to obtain point cloud data; determining the central axis of the cylinder model; determining the foot point of the current position coordinate of the UAV in the central axis in a body coordinate system; calculating the actual speed of the UAV in a central axis coordinate system according to the distance change of central axes of two frames; and adjusting the attitude of the UAV according to the actual speed and the desired speed of the UAV. The present invention can adapt to pipeline environments with different bending degrees.

A lighter than air platform an unfinned envelope having two or more propulsion elements coupled with the unfinned envelope proximate to the center of gravity. At least one navigation sensor is configured to monitor an actual flight path of the unfinned envelope, and at least one perturbation sensor is configured to monitor one or more perturbations of the unfinned envelope. A navigation controller is configured to guide the unfinned envelope with coordinated propulsion of the two or more propulsion elements. The navigation controller includes a navigation comparator that compares the actual flight path with a specified flight path of the unfinned envelope and determine a navigation instruction. A perturbation comparator compares the navigation instruction with the monitored one or more perturbations to determine a perturbation compensation. A propulsion coordinator controls propulsion values of each of the propulsion elements based on the navigation instruction and the perturbation compensation.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV flight control method and device. The method includes: monitoring a current flight state of the UAV; correcting a flight attitude of the UAV to a preset attitude when the current flight state of the UAV is not consistent with a target flight state; and controlling the flight attitude of the UAV to be a natural hovering attitude when the flight attitude of the UAV fails to be corrected to the preset attitude under a first preset condition.

A computer architecture includes an application program interface (API). The API does not include a user interface. The computer architecture asynchronously receives into the API data relating to mission plan domains from clients. The data include an identification of vehicles, goals of the vehicles, and threats to the vehicles. The mission plan domains include an air domain, a sea or ocean domain, and a land domain. The computer architecture uses a parallel processing scheme to process the mission plan domains from the clients for determining goal priorities for each of the plurality of vehicles, processing the data using a genetic algorithm and physics models associated with the plurality of vehicles, and transmitting to the vehicles path commands based on the processing of the genetic algorithm.

Deflection of a rotor of a motor, such as a brushless motor, of an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) during operation may cause the magnets coupled to the interior surface of the rotor to move or walk down the surface, imbalancing the motor and potentially creating an unsafe flying condition for the UAV. The described methods and apparatus monitor rotor deflection of the motor during operation and alter one or more flight characteristics of the UAV if the deflection exceeds a tolerance range. By altering flight characteristics, external forces acting on the motor may be reduced, thereby reducing the deflection of the rotor.

A method for controlling a differential rotor roll moment for a coaxial helicopter with rigid rotors, the method including receiving, with a processor, a signal indicative of a displacement command from a controller; receiving, with the processor via a sensor, one or more signals indicative of a longitudinal velocity, an angular velocity of one or more rotors and an air density ratio for the helicopter; determining, with the processor, a ganged collective mixing command in response to the receiving of the displacement command; determining, with the processor, a rotor advance ratio as a function of the longitudinal velocity and the angular velocity; and determining, with the processor, a corrective differential lateral cyclic command for the rigid rotors that controls the differential rotor roll moment to a desired value.

An attitude control system includes one or more control moment gyro pairs, with gyros of individual of the pairs being counter-rotated to rotate the rotation axes of flywheels of the gyros of a gyro pair in opposite direction. The flywheels of a gyro pair may be in paddle configuration, with the rotation axes of the flywheels rotating in the counter-rotation through separate planes as the gyros are rotated. The rotation of the gyros of a gyro pair may be accomplished by coupling both of the gyros to a servo motor with suitable coupling gears, or by using independent servos for each gyro. The counter-rotation of gyros of an individual pair produces a resultant torque about a fixed global axis, such as the axis of a flight vehicle of which the attitude control system is a part. Further control may be accomplished for example by varying rotation speeds of the flywheels.

A vehicle guidance system, including: surface-mounted pressure sensors mounted on a vehicle; an air data estimation controller including: a preprocessor that sets initial values for angle of attack and sideslip angle, determines a converged value for the angle of attack using the initial values and values of one or more first sets of three sensors, each first set of sensors are located among three different planes that are parallel to the ground, and provides a converged sideslip angle value based on the converged value and values of one or more second sets of three sensors, each second set of sensors located among three different planes that are perpendicular to the ground; a processor that estimates air data based on the converged value for the angle of attack and the converged sideslip angle value; and processor that provides an output for adjusting orientation of a vehicle based on the air data.