An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has a multicopter section for flying in air with an attached blower section for generating an air stream for blowing dust off surfaces. A flight controller controls the multicopter section, a blower controller controls the blower section, and a power supply supplies power to the multicopter and blower sections. The flight controller and the blower controller are connected, and the blower controller is adapted to supply blower control commands to the flight controller to compensate for the thrust of the air stream from the blower section by flight control of the multicopter section. The UAV may be enclosed by a protective cage in the form of a meshed polyhedron, wherein the rods of the meshes are elastically connected at the respective nodes.

An aircraft has a supporting structure and a shell that can be filled with a gas and which is tensioned by the supporting structure. The supporting structure includes a plurality of rod or tube-shaped sections which define a circular, oval or polygonal main clamping plane for the shell.

An aircraft structure and its method of construction avoids the inefficiencies involved in current methods of constructing the aircraft structure, reduces the manufacturing time required for constructing the aircraft structure and reduces the cost involved in constructing the aircraft structure. The aircraft structure and its method of construction is comprised of a geodesic or multi-grid framework of intersecting thermoplastic composite strips that are joined to an interior surface of a thermoplastic composite fuselage skin panel through overmolding/co-consolidation of the grid framework and the skin panel.

An aircraft structure and its method of construction avoids the inefficiencies involved in current methods of constructing the aircraft structure, reduces the manufacturing time required for constructing the aircraft structure and reduces the cost involved in constructing the aircraft structure. The aircraft structure and its method of construction is comprised of a geodesic or multi-grid framework of intersecting thermoplastic composite strips that are joined to an interior surface of a thermoplastic composite fuselage skin panel through overmolding/co-consolidation of the grid framework and the skin panel.

A frame assembly for unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: at least two parallel first frame members, a second frame member orthogonal to the first frame member, and a fixing member fixed to each of the first and second frame members.

A frame assembly for unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: at least two parallel first frame members, a second frame member orthogonal to the first frame member, and a fixing member fixed to each of the first and second frame members.

A control surface for an aircraft may comprise an outer skin and a core coupled to the outer skin. The core may include a plurality of corrugations. A height of the core may decrease in a direction extending from a leading edge of the control surface to a trailing edge of the control surface.

Methods and structures are disclosed. An example method includes: rotating a tubular mandrel about a longitudinal axis of the tubular mandrel; depositing a composite material on an inner surface of the tubular mandrel to form a composite tubular member on the inner surface of the tubular mandrel; inserting and expanding an inner expandable mandrel within the composite tubular member to cause the inner expandable mandrel to press the composite tubular member against the inner surface of the tubular mandrel; curing the composite tubular member; removing the inner expandable mandrel; placing a frame within the composite tubular member; and removing the tubular mandrel so as to obtain the composite tubular member with the frame placed therein.

Methods and structures are disclosed. An example method includes: rotating a tubular mandrel about a longitudinal axis of the tubular mandrel; depositing a composite material on an inner surface of the tubular mandrel to form a composite tubular member on the inner surface of the tubular mandrel; inserting and expanding an inner expandable mandrel within the composite tubular member to cause the inner expandable mandrel to press the composite tubular member against the inner surface of the tubular mandrel; curing the composite tubular member; removing the inner expandable mandrel; placing a frame within the composite tubular member; and removing the tubular mandrel so as to obtain the composite tubular member with the frame placed therein.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a flight propulsion system and a support system coupled to the flight propulsion system, the support system comprising a protective outer cage configured to surround the flight propulsion system, wherein the outer cage comprises a plurality of cage frame modules that are manufactured as separate components and assembled together to form at least a portion of the outer cage configured to surround the flight propulsion system.