This disclosure generally relates to an automotive drone deployment system that includes at least a vehicle and a deployable drone that is configured to attach and detach from the vehicle. More specifically, the disclosure describes the vehicle and drone remaining in communication with each other to exchange information while the vehicle is being operated in an autonomous driving mode so that the vehicle's performance under the autonomous driving mode is enhanced.

A circulation control system for an aerial vehicle. The system comprises an air supply unit attached to the aerial vehicle configured to generate a specified amount of mass air flow; an air delivery system, the air supply unit and the air delivery system being connected via at least one tube that turns at least one right angle; a circulation control wing through which air from the air supply unit is delivered through the air delivery system, the circulation control wing comprising at least one plenum configured to blow the air out of a slot in a trailing edge of the wing, and at least one dual radius flap positioned behind the slot.

Systems, methods, and aircraft for managing center of gravity (CG) while transporting large cargo are described. Management of CG is achieved in many ways. In some instances, the aircraft itself is designed to assist in managing CG by providing fuel tanks that minimize the impact of fuel on the net CG of the aircraft. The fuel tanks utilize only a small amount of available volume in the wings for fuel. Disclosures related to properly managing CG while loading wind turbines onto cargo aircraft are also provided. The CG management techniques provided for herein allow for the transportation of wind turbine blades via aircraft, running counter to the typical rail or truck transportation of the same. One such management technique includes accounting for how a rotation of the blades when loading impacts the CG of the blades, and thus taking this into account when placing the blades in the aircraft.

A drone that includes an automatic piloting system that receives internal and/or external piloting instructions, as well as data of instantaneous attitude (*, *), altitude (z*) and speed (V*) delivered by sensors. Set point calculation circuits calculate, as a function of a model of the aerodynamic behaviour of the drone in flight, roll () and/or pitch () set points and/or speed set points (V) and/or altitude set points (z) corresponding to the internal and/or external piloting instructions received. Correction and control circuits control the propulsion system and the drone control surface servomechanisms. A system further allows generating internally piloting instructions for autonomous flight modes such as automatic take-off or automatic landing.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for an unmanned aerial system inspection system. One of the methods is performed by a UAV and includes obtaining, from a user device, flight operation information describing an inspection of a vertical structure to be performed, the flight operation information including locations of one or more safe locations for vertical inspection. A location of the UAV is determined to correspond to a first safe location for vertical inspection. A first inspection of the structure is performed is performed at the first safe location, the first inspection including activating cameras. A second safe location is traveled to, and a second inspection of the structure is performed. Information associated with the inspection is provided to the user device.

A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The UAV comprises at least one rotor. The method includes receiving a take-off signal; initiating the at least one rotor to operate with a first preset rotation acceleration in response to the take-off signal; detecting a take-off status information of the UAV, the take-off status information at least comprising a current height of the UAV; determining whether the detected current height of the UAV is equal to or greater than a threshold; and sending a hover signal to the at least one rotor to enable the UAV to hover in the current height in response to the determination that the detected current height of the UAV is equal to or greater than the threshold.

The vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle includes a pair of selectively rotatable ducted fans and a selectively rotatable thrust vectoring nozzle providing vertical takeoff and landing for an unmanned aerial vehicle or a similar type of aircraft. A pair of fixed forward-swept wings are mounted on a rear portion of a fuselage, and a pair of canards are mounted on a top end of a forward portion of the fuselage. The pair of ducted fans are respectively mounted on free ends of the pair of canards, and are selectively rotatable about an axis parallel to a pitch axis of the fuselage. An engine is mounted in the rear portion of the fuselage, and a thrust vectoring nozzle is mounted on the rear portion of the fuselage for directing thrust exhaust from the engine. The thrust vectoring nozzle is selectively rotatable about an axis parallel to the pitch axis.

In one embodiment, a system includes a laser configured to generate a laser beam and a laser-aiming module configured to aim the laser beam to be at least in part incident on a remotely located, continuously moving solar cell. The system also includes a controller configured to receive a feedback signal indicating a position of the laser beam relative to the remotely located, continuously moving solar cell and instruct the laser-aiming module to adjust the aiming of the laser beam based on the feedback signal.

A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a fuselage, an empennage having an all-moving horizontal stabilizer located at a tail end of the fuselage, a wing having the fuselage positioned approximately halfway between the distal ends of the wing, wherein the wing is configured to transform between a substantially straight wing configuration and a canted wing configuration using a canted hinge located on each side of the fuselage. The VTOL aircraft may further includes one or more retractable pogo supports, wherein a retractable pogo support is configured to deploy from each of the wing's distal ends.

Systems and methods to reduce aerodynamic drag and/or affect flight characteristics of an aerial vehicle may include adjustable fairings associated with one or more components of the aerial vehicle. The adjustable fairings may be coupled to and at least partially surround a motor, propulsion mechanism, motor arm, strut, or other component of an aerial vehicle. In addition, the adjustable fairings may be passively movable between two or more positions responsive to airflow around the fairings, and/or the adjustable fairings may be actively moved between two more positions to affect flight characteristics. Further, the adjustable fairings may include actuatable elements to alter a portion of an outer surface of the fairings to thereby affect flight characteristics. In this manner, adjustable fairings associated with various components of an aerial vehicle may reduce aerodynamic drag and/or may improve control and safety of an aerial vehicle.