An aerial vehicle safety apparatus includes an expandable object, an ejection apparatus, a bag-shaped member, and a gas generator. The expandable object is wound or folded in a non-expanded state and generates at least any of lift and buoyancy in an expanded state. The ejection apparatus is coupled to the expandable object by a coupling member and ejects the non-expanded expandable object into air. The bag-shaped member is provided in the expandable object and wound or folded together with or separately from the non-expanded expandable object, and expands the non-expanded expandable object by at least partially being inflated like a tube. The gas generator is provided in the expandable object and inflates the bag-shaped member by causing gas generated at the time of activation to flow into the bag-shaped member.

The present invention provides a foldable wing which comprises a wing supporting skeleton, a sliding rail, a skin supporting rib, a skin and a wing movement unit. The wing supporting skeleton comprises a horizontal beam, a longitudinal beam, a wing front edge beam, a wing trailing edge beam, a fixture connector and a sliding block, The wing supporting skeleton is a triangular girder for maintaining planar and sectional shapes of the foldable wing, supporting the skin supporting rib and the skin, and sustaining an aerodynamic load from the skin and a load of a fuselage. After the triangular girder is subjected to a force of the wing movement unit, a shape and an area of the triangular girder are changed so as to achieve folding and unfolding of the foldable wing. A rotocraft and a glider using the foldable wing are also provided.

An aerial vehicle includes an airframe, a canopy capable of adjusting a speed of falling during falling, a brake cord having one end connected to the canopy, a wind-up apparatus provided in the airframe and being capable of winding up the other end of the brake cord, a sensor unit that detects a distance to an external object, and a controller that controls an operation of the wind-up apparatus based on a result of detection by the sensor unit. The wind-up apparatus includes a gas generator as a drive source. The controller has the wind-up apparatus operate to wind up the other end of the brake cord by activating the gas generator when the distance detected by the sensor unit is equal to or smaller than a prescribed value.

Disclosed is an aircraft and a method of controlling an aircraft. The aircraft comprises a continuous wing assembly extending from port to starboard sides of the aircraft. The aircraft is controlled partially by flexing portions of the wing, and partially or totally by mechanical systems that alter the position of a fuselage with respect to the wing. The fuselage is attached to the wing by a wing/fuselage joint structure that permits at least two mutually orthogonal axes of rotation of the fuselage relative to the wing. The aircraft includes a sensors, a telemetry system linked to a remote server, and a control system for programming flight information and aircraft control instructions and a plurality of actuators responsive to the control system for rotating the fuselage relative to the wing and flexing the wing for controlling the flight of the aircraft in response to instructions from the control system.

An apparatus and method for refueling an aircraft comprising a hose guide. The hose guide includes a framework having wings and remotely-adjustable control surfaces interacting with air through which the hose guide moves. An attachment interface, attaching the hose guide to a fuel hose extended from a tanker aircraft, at a distal end away from the tanker aircraft, and a control system adjusting the adjustable control surfaces. Wherein the hose guide is towed as a glider by the tanker aircraft, and adjustment of the control surfaces adjusts three-dimensional position of the end of the fuel hose at the hose guide relative to position of the tanker aircraft.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a parasail-assisted system for launching a fixed-wing aircraft into free flight and for retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft from free flight.

This application describes systems, methods, and devices to enhance the safety and functionality of unmanned rotorcraft by improving reliability, transparency, operational capabilities, and effectiveness. Embodiments include integration of rotorcraft with objects attached to the ground (including kites, balloons, or elevated structures) in order to create safe and visible sky moorings from which devices such as cameras on the craft can operate for extended periods of time while remote control can be used to move and stabilize the camera and/or the kite or balloon to which it is attached. In addition, the rotorcraft in such sky moorings can be enclosed for protection, can employ connections for systems maintenance, and can utilize changeable payload modules having supplies that the rotorcraft can dispatch or use in various contexts such as emergency situations or to provide security at venues with large gatherings of people, such as concerts.

A deployable lead line anchor point system for an aerodynamic decelerator on an aerial vehicle, the system including a housing that is structured to attach to the aerial vehicle and store the aerodynamic decelerator in a stored state prior to deployment, the housing including a base that is structured to removably mount the housing to the aerial vehicle, and an inflatable tube that is stored in the housing and configured to extend from the housing and deploy the aerodynamic decelerator away from the aerial vehicle in response to inflation of the inflatable tube, the inflatable tube having a first end with a fluid port, and a second end, the first end structured to connect to the housing and the second end having a connector structured to anchor the lead line on the aerodynamic decelerator to the inflatable tube, preventing entanglement of the decelerator with the aerial vehicle.

An aerial vehicle includes a lift generation member provided in an airframe in an expandable manner, a manipulation mechanism connected to the lift generation member and configured to manipulate the lift generation member, an expansion apparatus configured to expand the lift generation member, a control unit configured to control the manipulation mechanism, and a falling sensing unit configured to sense falling of the airframe. The expansion apparatus is configured to expand the lift generation member based on a falling sensing signal and the control unit is configured to start control of the manipulation mechanism based on the falling sensing signal.

A method of using a bagged power generation system comprising windbags and waterbags integrated with drones and adapting drone technologies for harnessing wind and water power to produce electricity. An extremely scalable and environmentally friendly method, system, apparatus, equipment, techniques and ecosystem configured to produce renewable green energy with high productivity and efficiency.